From then on it was largely one-way traffic, but despite a wealth of chances United could not get back on level terms. Patrick Dorgu had his marker, the young Jorge Dominguez, on toast but could not make the most of the territory he found. Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro and Mbeumo all missed the mark with headers.

A Silicon Valley wonderkid who built a $45 billion hedge fund by the age of 24 has seen his company unravel just days before his wedding.

Leopold Aschenbrenner’s Situational Awareness fund’s assets have dwindled to an estimated $10 billion after borrowing too much money for AI bets, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Aschenbrenner has for the last two years been considered the oracle of AI, after penning a manifesto about the future of the industry which went viral on the internet and rapidly became required reading in the tech world. 

The 2024 essay gained praise from the President’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, while any skeptics of the then-22-year-old were promptly silenced by the success of Situational Awareness.

Everything appeared to be falling into place for the young German-born hedge funder as he lived a life of luxury with his fiancée, Avital Balwit, the chief of staff to the CEO of Anthropic, in their San Francisco mansion. 

Aschenbrenner’s honey-gold hair and distinctive monochrome turtlenecks bolstered his image as what one columnist dubbed the reclusive ‘Nostradamus of AI,’ and he quickly accrued a cult following in investor circles. 

But the dream came crashing down just as the financial power couple were poised to tie the knot at a lavish ceremony in California this week. 

Situational’s fortunes suddenly reversed after its highly leveraged AI investment strategy fell apart. These positions spectacularly backfired when the sector weakened this year.

Aschenbrenner is due to tie the knot with his fiancée, Avital Balwit (pictured) this week 

Falling share prices triggered margin calls from lenders, forcing emergency asset sales that pushed losses even deeper. The resulting liquidity crunch created a self-reinforcing spiral, transforming a market downturn into a full-blown crisis.

Now, as guests gathered in the picturesque seaside town of Carmel for Aschenbrenner’s lavish multi-day wedding celebration, instead of preparing to tie the knot, the Wall Street investor has been scrambling to save his business empire. 

Aschenbrenner had planned an extravagant event complete with a Tuscan-style villa ceremony, a luxury forest spa finale and even a pre-wedding intellectual conference where guests would debate the future of AI. 

He has instead been rushing to raise cash to meet lender demands, by appealing to some of the world’s biggest hedge funds and selling billions of dollars in holdings to Ken Griffin’s Citadel. 

In a letter to his investors on Thursday, Aschenbrenner promised to focus on risk management in future ‘to ensure a higher level of resilience going forward,’ according to the Wall Street Journal. 

‘I take full responsibility for these events,’ he reportedly wrote. 

The Berlin-born entrepreneur’s rise was meteoric, starting from his early teens when he skipped several grades, graduating high school in Germany at just 15 years old. 

He made his way to the US to study computer science at Columbia University, where he graduated as valedictorian at the age of 19. 

Aschenbrenner met his fiancée Balwit when they were both young protégés of Sam Bankman-Fried, working for the philanthropic arm of his crypto exchange FTX. 

When FTX collapsed, Aschenbrenner joined OpenAI, where he worked in its AI Superalignment team which is responsible for imposing limits on the technology to ensure it does not go rogue and destroy humanity. 

He was fired after less than a year for allegedly leaking information to Holden Karnofsky, the husband of an Anthropic executive, in 2024. Aschenbrenner disputes the OpenAI narrative and has insisted he was axed after penning a memo exposing concerns over alleged security gaps at the company.

Soon after his firing, Aschenbrenner wrote his now-infamous 165-page essay, ‘Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead,’ which predicted the future of AI. 

Aschenbrenner’s 2024 essay gained praise from the President’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, in the X post shown above, while any critics and skeptics were promptly silenced by the success of his hedge fund, Situational Awareness, which accrued $45 billion in just two years

Now, as guests gathered in the picturesque California seaside town of Carmel (pictured) for Aschenbrenner’s lavish multi-day wedding celebration, instead of preparing to tie the knot, the Wall Street investor has been scrambling to save his business empire

Aschenbrenner’s honey-gold hair and distinctive monochrome turtle necks bolstered his image as what one columnist dubbed the reclusive ‘Nostradamus of AI’ and he quickly accrued a cult following in investor circles

Advertisement

The manifesto stated that AI systems would match or exceed human capabilities by 2027, and reach the status of ‘superintelligence’ by 2030. Aschenbrenner claimed that he was among an elite number of people with a clear view of the future. 

‘Right now, there are perhaps a few hundred people, most of them in San Francisco and the AI labs, that have situational awareness,’ he wrote. ‘Through whatever peculiar forces of fate, I have found myself among them.’ 

After going viral and capturing the attention of Ivanka Trump among hundreds of thousands of other fans, he used the manifesto to raise money for his hedge fund. 

His portfolio of investors was impressive – comprising the likes of Patrick and John Collison, the brothers who co-founded payments firm Stripe, along with top AI executives at Meta. 

He purchased a mansion in San Francisco’s patrician Nob Hill neighborhood, living close to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, while his early success turning millions into billions earned him a cult following. 

This year, podcaster Tim Ferriss dubbed Aschenbrenner ‘the Nostradamus of AI,’ adding that his viral paper was ‘as close to clairvoyant as you could possibly be.’

However, the vulnerabilities in Situational’s business model were exposed this week. 

For every dollar invested, Aschenbrenner reportedly borrowed another three or four dollars – sometimes even more – creating huge exposure to any downturn in the AI sector.

When enthusiasm for AI stocks began to cool this month amid concerns over cheaper Chinese models and questions about future profits, the strategy quickly turned toxic.

Situational Awareness funds dwindled in value from $45 billion to $10 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. A stock image of stock market indexes is shown above 

In a letter to his investors on Thursday, Aschenbrenner promised to focus on risk management in future ‘to ensure a higher level of resilience going forward’

His fiancée, Avital Balwit, is the chief of staff to the CEO of Anthropic. She is pictured above

Advertisement

Banks issued margin calls.

Rival hedge funds reportedly began sharing information about Situational Awareness’ positions, with some even placing bets that the fund’s favourite stocks would continue falling as it was forced to sell.

The pressure snowballed.

As losses mounted, Aschenbrenner considered increasingly dramatic options, including selling one of his most valuable assets – a $3.5 billion stake in AI giant Anthropic.

Late on Wednesday night, a deal was reportedly struck with investors led by Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital.

By morning, he had changed his mind.

Instead, the fund dumped large portions of its public stock portfolio to repay lenders while holding on to its private investments.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Aschenbrenner for comment.  

While the frenzy around weight-loss drugs is booming, the ongoing cost of the weekly jabs can, for some, be too high.

Instead, many are now turning to an unlikely – and cheap – natural supplement, with users claiming that as well as supporting weight loss, it helps control appetite and even improves skin quality after the excess weight has been lost.

Spermidine, which has long been popular among biohackers – people who make use of science, extreme diets and technology in a bid to live longer – due to its role in recycling damaged cells, is now attracting far wider attention for its potential role in tackling obesity and liver disease.

Scientists believe that the naturally occurring compound may support DNA repair, heart health and healthy ageing.

First identified in human semen – from which it got its name – and later discovered throughout the body, spermidine is also found in foods such as wheatgerm, mature cheeses, soybeans, mushrooms and green peppers.

It has also been sold as an over-the-counter supplement for about a decade, typically as a powder or capsule costing from about 16p to £1.20 per daily serving.

Among its celebrity devotees is former Countdown co-host Carol Vorderman, who has said she takes spermidine daily because she believes it helps slow ageing.

Now social media users devoted to longevity and weight loss are sharing tips on using spermidine in their weight-loss regime – with one claiming that they lost more than nine stone in less than a year.

But what does the science actually say?

Some studies suggest spermidine may mimic calorie restriction by triggering some biological processes activated during fasting.

When the body is deprived of nutrients, spermidine levels naturally rise, helping switch on a process called autophagy – the body’s cellular recycling system.

Professor Arshad Rather, head of geriatric medicine at University College London Hospitals, explains: ‘Autophagy clears away damaged proteins and worn-out cell parts, allowing cells to recycle them into new building blocks.

‘As we get older this process becomes less efficient, allowing damage to build up.

‘Scientists believe maintaining healthy autophagy may help protect against age-related conditions including metabolic disease, liver disease and heart disease.’

Laboratory studies have also suggested spermidine may increase the activity of genes involved in collagen and elastin production, meaning it could help reduce loose skin after rapid weight loss. However, so far there is little evidence this occurs in people.

Interest in the compound first surged after researchers found people whose diets naturally contained more of the compound had lower rates of cardiovascular disease and a lower risk of death from all causes.

A 2023 post on Instagram by Vorderman in which shows the spermidine product she uses

Spermidine is also found in foods such as wheatgerm, mature cheeses, soybeans, mushrooms and green peppers

Advertisement

In a study, those who increased their intake of spermidine-rich foods over a year saw greater improvements in liver health, blood sugar and cholesterol than those who ate less

They also experienced larger reductions in body weight and fatty liver disease markers

One study, published last month in the European Journal of Nutrition, followed more than 2,600 older adults in Spain who were overweight or obese and had metabolic syndrome – a cluster of conditions that raises the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Participants who increased their intake of spermidine-rich foods over a year saw greater improvements in liver health, blood sugar and cholesterol than those who ate less. They also experienced larger reductions in body weight and fatty liver disease markers.

In the UK, obesity is the leading driver of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is estimated to affect up to one in three adults.

Professor Rather says the findings are encouraging but should be interpreted cautiously.

‘This study shows an association rather than cause and effect,’ he says. ‘More clinical trials are needed before we can say definitively that increasing spermidine intake leads to these outcomes.’

Leading nutritionist Gabriela Peacock adds: ‘Most of the encouraging findings around heart health, mortality, biological ageing and liver health come from studies looking at what people eat.

‘Simple changes could include adding wheatgerm to yogurt or porridge, using lentils or chickpeas in salads and soups, eating mushrooms regularly and replacing refined grains with wholegrains.’

Animal research has also hinted at potential liver benefits.

A study published in May found that spermidine reduced liver scarring and other liver damage markers in mice. However, scientists say it remains unclear whether over-the-counter supplements provide the same benefits as spermidine-rich foods.

And, surprisingly, a 2022 Chinese study found that obese adults actually had higher levels of the compound in their blood than people of normal weight. 

However, those with the highest levels were also less likely to gain weight over the following two years, leading researchers to suggest the compound may act as part of the body’s natural response to obesity-related metabolic stress.

Just like ordinary Brits, the rich and famous are facing a battle to keep their pristine gardens alive and watered amid a record-breaking summer.

Large swathes of the country have turned from a tapestry of greens to a monotone brown after weeks with no rain and scorching temperatures. 

Parts of Britain have gone 46 days without any rainfall, with half of England and all of Wales now officially in drought.

Hosepipe bans are in place across eight water companies and a warning of extremely high risk of wildfires remains as Britain’s gardeners are facing a battle to keep their beloved patches alive.

Even properties at repeated risk of flooding have not been spared by the heat, as Brits battle the increasingly extreme weather brought about by climate change. 

And images show how the likes of the Beckhams, Clooneys and Ellen DeGeneres are facing just the same struggle at their luxury properties across the south of England.

In a quiet corner of leafy Berkshire, a sprawling Grade II-listed mansion sits on the riverbank at Sonning-on-Thames.

DeGeneres: Ellen and wife Portia De Rossi recently won a planning battle to construct stables at the property

Soho Farmhouse is just about managing to maintain some green grass, despite being surrounded by thoroughly yellowed fields

In a social media post, DeGeneres joked her lawnmowing skills were ‘not great’, and said she and wife De Rossi would use sheep instead to keep the grass in check

Advertisement

George Clooney and his wife Amal evacuated their luxury French estate after a fast-moving wildfire raced towards their home this week (Pictured in France in May)

It is the marital home of Hollywood’s George Clooney and his high-flying international human rights lawyer wife Amal.

The couple are thought to have spent millions on a major renovation project after purchasing the property in 2014.

And despite its idyllic location, it has not all been plain sailing since. 

Its setting on the nearby riverbank means it is prone to flooding, which happened in 2024 when floodwater took over the majority of their garden. 

Fortunately, the couple’s property is thought to have remained unaffected.

But it’s a different problem this summer, as large parts of the county haven’t seen any rain since a light shower on July 2.

Despite being surrounded by tall trees which offers some shade to the edges of their garden, the central grass has completely yellowed in scenes reflected across Britain’s back gardens.

But even with a local hosepipe ban from Thames Water, the Clooneys’ thick forestry has left them better off than some of their compatriots – in the UK at least.

The family faced having to evacuate their vineyard home in the south of France this week amid huge blazes, including one just nine miles from Bordeaux.

They have no idea whether their property there is still standing, it is reported. It is not known where the Clooneys are currently staying. 

These extraordinary images of David Beckham’s 40-acre Oxfordshire estate show the shocking scale of the aridity that has hit so much of the UK

Advertisement

Now the only visible areas of green left appear to be the family’s five-a-side football pitch – which is thought to be made of artificial grass – a few more resilient trees and that cherished vegetable patch

The Beckhams have been on one long, almost-unbroken holiday this summer (Pictured on a break in Formentera this week)

Seven weeks after gushing to his followers about his beloved vegetable garden before jetting off to watch the World Cup, Sir David Beckham faced a stark reality upon his return, with images showing his parched, yellowed garden surrounded by barren fields in Oxfordshire. 

The 40-acre Cotswolds estate has been abandoned by the Beckhams amid weeks of no rain, as they instead enjoy virtually non-stop holidays throughout the summer months.

From a yacht trip in the Mediterranean in May, to the World Cup in June and more recently Ibiza, the jet-setting family perhaps prefer to avert their eyes from their usually green and luscious lawns.

Now the only visible areas of green left appear to be the family’s five-a-side football pitch – which is thought to be made of artificial grass – a few more resilient trees and that cherished vegetable patch. 

Their head gardener, Carly Holmes, is thought to have been paying special attention to the patch amid a Thames Water hosepipe ban affecting many Oxfordshire homes. 

But the rest of their property is a grass wasteland, broken up only by patches of green around the Beckhams’ large pond.

Elsewhere in the Cotswolds, a farmhouse bought by former TV chat host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia De Rossi is similarly beleaguered by the tough conditions, although the couple are having better luck than many.

Having purchased the property in 2024 following President Donald Trump’s election win, the couple initially looked to sell it following difficulties with flooding and a high-profile planning row over stables for De Rossi’s beloved horses.

Despite a drought having been declared in Oxfordshire, Ellen DeGeneres’ garden is an oasis of green amid its surrounding brown fields

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi moved to the UK in 2024 following President Donald Trump’s election win

Advertisement

The River Windrush flooded much of the surrounding land, and the pair even briefly moved to a new property in 2025. 

But the couple are now set to remain in their first UK home for the ‘long term’ after claiming victory in the planning battle.

Despite a drought having been declared in Oxfordshire, DeGeneres’ garden is an oasis of green amid its surrounding brown fields.

The couple previously shared their struggles with maintaining it, with a viral video of DeGeneres struggling to use a sit-on lawnmower.

In a social media post, she joked her lawnmowing skills are ‘not great’, and said she and wife De Rossi would use sheep instead to keep the grass in check.

Regardless of the couple’s secret, they are clearly doing something right as their garden stands out amongst an otherwise brown landscape. 

They are not the only success story either – Soho Farmhouse is also just about managing to maintain some green grass, despite being surrounded by thoroughly yellowed fields.

It is home to an elite private members’ club beloved by A-listers including the Beckhams and Maya Jama, and also hosted Meghan Markle’s hen party.

The Chipping Norton venue has hosted stunning dinners, galas and holidays for the rich and famous, with on-site accommodation, a health club and plenty of sports facilities.

Images show that large parts of its grass are beginning to yellow, but it’s certainly faring better than much of the land around it. 

Green-fingered homeowners are struggling across Britain following both May and June breaking Met Office monthly temperature records, with 35.1C recorded at Kew Gardens on May 26 and 38C recorded at Lingwood, Norfolk on June 26. 

With much of England and the whole of Wales now officially in drought, forecasters are warning that current forecasts ‘do not favour the widespread, sustained rainfall’ needed to make up the shortfall caused by recent dry conditions.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) extended its drought declaration – which was declared for North Wales and the Upper Severn last week – to cover the whole of the country, after very little rainfall and sustained high temperatures.

Wales has received just eight per cent of its long-term average rainfall for July, and the country is on course to have its driest July since records began 190 years ago, NRW said.

Met Office chief meteorologist Will Lang said: ‘While there is always the potential for periods of rain during the remainder of the summer, current forecasts do not favour the widespread, sustained rainfall that would be needed to make a significant difference to rainfall deficits that have built up over recent months.

Soho Farmhouse is home to an elite private members’ club beloved by A-listers including the Beckhams and Maya Jama, and also hosted Meghan Markle’s hen party

Advertisement

Even the greens at Buckingham Palace are suffering in the heat, turning almost entirely brown

‘As we move through August, there remains a tendency towards drier than average conditions, particularly in southern and eastern areas.

‘Meaningful recovery from prolonged dry conditions often relies on more frequent and widespread rainfall during the autumn months, when weather patterns typically become more changeable.’

The dry weather is also set to have an impact on food supply, with farming leaders warning they face ‘the worst harvest in years’ amid drought and successive heatwaves following a very wet winter.

Gavin Lane, president of the Country Land and Business Association that represents 28,000 farmers, said: ‘Farmers are telling us this is the worst harvest in years.

‘A sodden winter followed by drought has left wheat at half its usual height and some crops not worth harvesting.’

Parts of the country are suffering their third drought in five years, following 2025 and 2022.

And figures revealed this week that the UK is on track to record the highest number of excess heat deaths since records began. 

An estimated 753 deaths were associated with the heatwave that ran from May 24-27, with a further 2,124 deaths linked to the heatwave between June 21 and 28.

The total of 2,877 deaths is almost double the 1,504 deaths linked to heatwaves in June to August last year.

Some 2,985 heat-associated deaths were observed across the five heatwaves of 2022, a year that had the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK, when 40.3C was reached in Coningsby in Lincolnshire on July 19. 

Belfast comes in just below the national average

A new report shows that Belfast is falling short of the national average when it comes to food spots with a 5-star hygiene rating.

The rating shows how well the business is doing overall, based on standards found at the time of inspection. The ratings can be found online and on stickers which are displayed at business premises.

A food safety officer from the local council inspects a business to check that it follows food hygiene law so that the food is safe to eat.

In Belfast City, just 66.4% of food businesses hold a top 5-star hygiene rating, which falls short of the 68.8% nationally, according to a report from Paddl.

New analysis of the Food Standards Agency’s full ratings dataset breaks food hygiene scores down to council level. Nationally, 68.8% of food businesses hold a top 5-star rating, so the areas below that line stand out.

Across the UK, 31.2% of businesses don’t hold a top rating and a third have not been re-inspected in over two years.

According to the Food Standards Agency, at the inspection, the officer will check the following:

• How hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored
• The physical condition of the business –including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and other facilities
• How the business manages ways of keeping food safe, looking at processes, training and systems to ensure good hygiene is maintained. The officer can then assess the level of confidence in standards being maintained in the future.

The businesses are then graded with a score between 5 and 0, with 5 meaning the hygiene standards are very good and fully comply with the law and 0 meaning urgent improvement is necessary.

To get a top rating of 5, businesses must do well in all three elements.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our What’s On newsletter here

It is easy to assume that harder training always produces better results. In resistance training, which includes lifting weights or using resistance machines, taking every set to the point where you cannot complete another repetition may create more fatigue without producing better results.

A repetition, or rep, is one complete movement of an exercise. A set is a group of repetitions performed without a long rest.

Training to failure means continuing a set until you cannot complete another full repetition with acceptable technique, despite making your best effort. This is sometimes called momentary muscular failure.

An alternative is to stop while you could still perform one or more repetitions. This is described as repetitions in reserve, or RIR. If you could complete ten repetitions but stop after eight, you have two repetitions in reserve, usually written as 2 RIR.

Why might training close to failure help?

Muscles are made up of individual cells called muscle fibres. These fibres are broadly classified as type 1 or type 2 fibres and are controlled by the nervous system. The type 2 fibres produce more force and can grow more than type 1 fibres.

A light load is generally one that you could lift for more than 15 repetitions, whereas a heavy load limits you to completing fewer than 10 repetitions. When lifting a light load, the type 1 fibres are active. As the set approaches failure, the nervous system activates type 2 fibres to keep the weight moving.

Lifting a heavy weight activates type 2 muscle fibres from the beginning of the set. With a light weight, type 2 fibres only become activated as the type 1 fibres fatigue later in the set. Light-weight sets therefore need to be completed reasonably close to failure if the aim is muscle growth.

The final possible repetition does not appear to provide a special muscle-building effect. Research suggests that a hard set ending shortly before failure can stimulate muscle growth while causing less fatigue.

What are the drawbacks?

Taking a set to failure produces more immediate fatigue than stopping earlier. A systematic review and meta-analysis, which combines the findings of several studies, found that failure training caused larger reductions in strength, movement speed and power immediately after exercise. It also produced greater feelings of effort and more signs of temporary muscle disruption.

This fatigue can affect the rest of the workout. If the first set of an exercise is taken to failure, the lifter may complete fewer repetitions with good technique on remaining sets. Research comparing failure and non-failure training has also found that recovery can take longer after sets performed to failure.

The effects of training to failure depend partly on the weight and the exercise. Sets using light weights involve more repetitions, last longer and usually cause more breathlessness and the feeling of muscle burn. That discomfort may make the workout less enjoyable or harder to maintain.

Exercise choice also affects safety. A machine leg extension or biceps curl is relatively easy to stop when the muscles fatigue. A technical exercise like a squat or bench press requires more balance, coordination and control. As fatigue increases, technique may deteriorate and the lifter may be unable to finish the repetition safely. Failure training during these exercises is best avoided unless suitable safety equipment or a competent spotter is available.

What does the research show?

A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis found no significant overall difference between failure and non-failure training for strength or muscle growth. The authors noted that the studies used different programmes and did not always match training volume, meaning the total amount of load lifted during a training session was different.

A later review examined 15 studies of muscle growth. It found no evidence that reaching failure produced more growth than stopping earlier. The researchers concluded that training closer to failure may increase the muscle growth stimulus up to a point, but every additional repetition does not necessarily provide the same extra benefit.

A 2024 analysis found that failure was not necessary for improving strength as it improved across a wide range of stopping points. Muscle growth tended to improve as sets ended closer to failure, although the researchers could not identify an exact number of repetitions in reserve that was optimal.

The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 review of resistance-training evidence reached a similar practical conclusion. Regular training with sufficient effort is more important for healthy adults than following a complicated programme or taking every set to failure.

How close to failure should you train?

For many gym users, finishing most sets with about one to three repetitions in reserve is a useful starting point rather than a fixed rule. The final repetitions should feel difficult and the weight should be moving more slowly than it was at the start of the set.

Training closer to failure may be more useful when using light weights, completing only a very short training session, or performing the final set of a technically simple exercise. Occasionally taking a suitable exercise to failure can also help you learn how many repetitions you genuinely have left.

Judging repetitions in reserve takes practice. Research has found that people often underestimate how many repetitions they could still perform, particularly when using lighter weights.

Beginners have little reason to take every set to failure. They can make progress while learning exercises and gradually increasing the weight or number of repetitions. Experienced lifters may use failure selectively when it suits their programme and recovery.

You do not need to take every set to failure to become stronger or build muscle. Sets still need to be challenging, especially when lighter weights are used. Stopping shortly before failure can preserve technique and reduce fatigue while providing an effective training stimulus. For most people, keeping roughly one to three repetitions in reserve offers a sensible balance between effort and recovery.

The quickest route for Infantino’s exit would be for the Swiss to resign, like his predecessor Sepp Blatter did in 2015.

But Infantino still retains support and he could try to hold out until March, when he is up for re-election for a fourth and final term as president.

What other avenues are open?

The Fifa Council could try to force Infantino’s hand through an emergency meeting.

Such a gathering would be triggered if 19 of the 37 Fifa Council members call for one.

Uefa has nine members, AFC has seven, Concacaf five, Africa has six, Conmebol five and Oceania three. It is completed by Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom.

BBC Sport understands there are some doubts that the 19 votes could be achieved.

If they do get to 19, the meeting must take place within two weeks and the Fifa Council could call on Infantino to tender his resignation. But he could simply refuse to do so.

It would, however, add further pressure.

The next step would be an extraordinary congress of the 211 Fifa member associations, which would be held if one-fifth, or 43 associations, “make such a request in writing”.

So Uefa, which has 55 nations, can trigger the extraordinary congress whenever it so wishes.

That would take a minimum of two months from the point it is triggered, but more likely three months, and there is no guarantee of success.

In effect, it would be a de facto election without there being another candidate as 106 votes would be needed to pass the vote of no confidence.

Uefa has 55, Africa 54, Asia 46, Concacaf 35, Oceania 11 and Conmebol 10.

Africa, Conmebol and Oceania have not criticised Infantino’s plan.

So could Uefa get to 106? In total, 136 countries officially rejected the investment plan, but voting to reject an idea is not the same as voting to kick Infantino out.

Of the 136, Qatar have already publicly backed him and Mexico have distanced themselves from the joint Concacaf statement.

Which leaves finding a suitable candidate to fight the election in March.

Infantino stood unopposed when he was re-elected in 2019 and 2023 and if someone wants to battle him for the position, the deadline to announce their candidacy is 18 November.

A young man in a basketball vest staggers from the sea and collapses at the feet of a Spanish soldier, next to the prone body of another exhausted soul who had been equally desperate to make it to European soil.

First light had just broken over Ceuta’s Playa El Tarajal and, until now, all had been quiet, save for the gentle hiss of lapping waves. Nobody was expecting any more migrants. It turns out Sid Ahmed Dib, 23, from the Algerian port city of Skikda, and his unknown companion, were the last.

As Sid lies flat on his back in the sand, having finally made it to this Spanish enclave, most of the thousands of young men who arrived before him were going the other way, returning back over the border to Morocco like tired and hungry children who’d run away from home then quickly thought better of it.

One of the soldiers gives Sid a bottle of water and he throws his head back, the cords of his throat pulsing as he gulps it down. He’s a lucky man. Many of the 67 who died trying to enter Ceuta either drowned or were crushed while trying to climb the breakwater stones that hold the border fence.

Suddenly he begins sobbing uncontrollably into the crook of his arm. Whether through overwhelming relief or exhaustion or something else besides, it isn’t clear. Composing himself, he tells me he’s been swimming for at least four hours to get here, this odd little dot of Spanish territory on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast. He produces a blue plastic bag containing his passport, which he’d tucked into his shorts while swimming.

‘My Algerian passport,’ he says proudly, flicking through its damp pages. ‘Algeria is so bad, worse than Morocco. I tried to get into Tunisia, then went to Casablanca and then came here when I heard thousands were coming. I want to get to Europe. Madrid or Paris maybe.’

The Spanish mainland is just 15 miles across the Strait of Gibraltar, so it’s easy to see why Sid and the other migrants consider Ceuta the gateway to a new life. Behind him stands an empty wooden beach bar, the aptly named Cafe Europe.

Dozens of migrants are pictured in the Ceuta Temporary Immigrant Stay Centre (CETI), which  is experiencing extreme tension and severe overcrowding

Spanish soldiers question a migrant, following mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into the Spanish territory

Spanish troops sit in a military vehicle as the authorities escort a big group of migrants to the border to take them out of Spain

Advertisement

Migrants pass through a broken fence as they leave Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta towards the Moroccan town of Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border 

As Sid told his story, Ceuta’s fearful Spanish residents were panic-buying in supermarkets then scurrying back to their homes. Left shell-shocked by the previous two days, which saw more than 60,000 migrants overwhelm their small city, many feel abandoned.

‘The migrants have caused our population to almost double in size and we don’t know what the future holds,’ said 26-year-old graphic designer Belen Picazo. ‘We’re going home and we’ll lock ourselves in.’

As more mayhem unfolds before me, I would challenge any liberal progressive to witness such troubling scenes and still advocate for open borders.

With migrants lurking with listless boredom on every street corner, in squares, avenues and bridge underpasses, forcing locals to cower in their homes, Ceuta today does not look like anyone’s idea of a utopia.

Tearful Sid didn’t seem much of a threat. But you don’t need to travel far to sense disquiet here.

Some migrants queue outside the small number of shops prepared to serve them. Most don’t want their custom.

Normally on a Saturday the city parks and beaches are alive with families and the sounds of children playing. Apart from the police, the military and a few hardy Spanish souls, the only people visible in Ceuta yesterday were migrants, seemingly from across Africa. For sure, some were friendly, but the locals’ deep unease was understandable.

‘They’ve taken over the city,’ said a police officer. ‘Look around you. It may as well be Morocco because all the Spaniards are indoors.’

Spanish soldiers come to help the migrant gasping for air on the beach as thousands cross over the border

Paramedics put the man on a stretcher and give him first aid as they take him off the beach

A Spanish soldier escorts a migrant away from the area as the unprecedented humanitarian response ensues

Advertisement

It was true. The numbers were overwhelming. And so was the litter. Cans, bottles, wrappers seemed to carpet every patch of grass.

The only place where local voices were heard was at the Mercadona supermarket. It felt like a Spanish-only enclave within an enclave. Three armoured personnel carriers were parked outside it all day, preventing migrants from entering.

One Moroccan boy, no older than 16, taunted police with a ‘Heil Hitler’ salute as he was shooed away. Inside, the queue for each till was 50-deep. Having shut its doors because of the crisis for the previous two days, the supermarket braced itself for wave after wave of panic-buying customers.

Ms Picazo was with her parents and their overflowing trolley in one of the long queues. She lives in Madrid now but came back to Ceuta after the first influx of migrants poured across the border because she was ‘worried sick’ about her mother, a nurse, and her engineer father, who live in the centre of the city.

She says: ‘I was genuinely frightened for my parents. I am sorry for the immigrants who died trying to get here but we are all worried about what will happen next. There is fear everywhere. Who can blame us? This is not a normal situation. Even with soldiers everywhere people are scared.

‘This cannot be allowed to carry on. Like everyone else, we are buying water, oil, everything in bulk, just in case.’

Nearby, an elderly man queuing with his grandson was criticising the Spanish government for ‘abandoning us’.

‘It all went wrong when Sanchez started that amnesty,’ he says, referring to Spain’s socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez and his controversial policy giving more than a million migrants illegally living in Spain the chance to apply for residency status.

Migrants pose for a picture while being escorted to the Ceuta-Morocco border in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta

A woman drinks water outside the CETI short-stay migrant centre in Ceuta on August 1 

Sanchez insisted it would make Spain a happy place to live for everyone, whatever their ethnicity. But his critics say that the scheme – launched in April but since halted – helped entice the Moroccan migrants.

Further up the hill from the supermarket, we see a migrant dart across the street clutching a bag of groceries he’s apparently stolen. A police officer holding a baton aloft gives chase. Both disappear from view.

We drive further along Avenida de Africa. Dozens of young Moroccans appear to be laying siege to the Coviran grocery store. This time it is a soldier who does the chasing. As the men scatter, he goes after three of them who run down a side street. All over the city yesterday, these cat-and-mouse games played out repeatedly.

Back at the beach, the military have laid a 500-yard floating barrier in the sea to prevent other swimmers from reaching the shore.

One of the triggers for this extraordinary crisis was a Spanish supreme court ruling making it harder to intercept migrants at sea, meaning that they are now more likely to be processed on land than immediately returned. The influx was egged on by social media messages announcing that the border was ‘open’, which spread across Morocco like wildfire. Where these messages originated from remains a mystery.

There were even reports that buses were laid on to transport people to the border.

According to several people we spoke to, Moroccan police urged them to ‘go to Spain’.

Indeed, there has been a suspicion that Rabat had orchestrated the rush to the border, or at least did little to prevent it, given that the country has long resented the Spanish presence at Ceuta and its sister enclave of Melilla, 140 miles to the west.

Migrants are led away through a gate as Spanish troops stand guard armed with rifles

Migrants queue outside a supermarket in Ceuta after entering the Spanish enclave from neighbouring Morocco

Advertisement

Yesterday, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, head of Spain’s opposition conservative People’s Party visited the city and described the massive influx of migrants as a ‘premeditated and unprecedented occupation of Spanish territory’.

One woman, who came across the border with her 16-year-old son told us: ‘Without doubt, the Moroccan government let this happen for whatever reason. Probably because it wants to get back at Spain for something.

‘We’re going back again because we are tired and hungry and there is no shelter. We slept on the streets like dogs.’

Her son, a trainee chef, pointed to a black eye. ‘I was hit by police for no reason,’ he says.

A frequent refrain from Moroccans, meanwhile, was that they only came because ‘our friends were going’, suggesting that their foray into Spain had not been thought through. One said: ‘We thought we would be better treated but it has been disappointing.’

Beyond these shores a political row was raging. Spain condemned the ‘selfish, polarising and unlawful’ reaction of some EU countries to the influx.

Italy, for one, wasn’t happy. It temporarily suspended the EU’s border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain, as PM Giorgia Meloni called the scenes ‘shocking’. Finland and Denmark backed Italy’s move, while Czech PM Andrej Babis urged a temporary suspension of Spain’s Schengen membership.

Interior ministers from across the EU will discuss the issue on Tuesday by video conference.

Mr Sanchez had called for an urgent meeting to ‘reaffirm that the security of our external borders is a shared responsibility of all member states’.

Twenty-two of the EU’s 27 countries also called for emergency talks in an open letter, citing ‘serious concerns’ regarding the developments in Ceuta.

While the EU praises the return of migrants and speaks of helping Spain restore ‘effective control’ of the border and prevent further uncontrolled crossings, many here remain unconvinced.

One of six cleaners tasked with clearing Ceuta’s beaches of the carpet of rubbish left behind by the migrants, told us: ‘I don’t think this is the last time I will be doing this.’

Nearby, a soldier is frogmarching a migrant guilty of some misdemeanour or other back towards the border. Afterwards he says: ‘This has been a crazy few days, nothing like it. But remember, it has happened before and will happen again.’

Erica Fox, 55, was killed by a shark while swimming in Monterey Bay, California, in December 2025

Newly disclosed post-mortem results have revealed the horrific severity of a single, extraordinarily forceful shark bite that took the life of 55-year-old triathlete Erica Fox in Monterey Bay.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office established that Fox perished from sharp and blunt-force injuries and submersion in water due to a shark attack.

The findings bring closure to a distressing inquiry into her disappearance off Lovers Point in Pacific Grove, California, showing the catastrophic bodily harm inflicted by the apex predator.

On December 21, 2025, Fox embarked on a regular group swim with the Kelp Krawlers, an open-water swimming collective she co-established.

A seasoned athlete who participated in half-Ironman competitions and the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon for almost 20 years, Fox was at the front of the group heading towards Lovers Point when she abruptly disappeared below the waves, reports the Mirror US.

Onlookers along the shoreline witnessed a large shark surface, with one emergency caller recounting what seemed to be a person gripped in the creature’s mouth before it descended.

The other 14 swimmers in the group, including Fox’s husband of three decades, Jean-Francois Vanreusel, scrambled back to land, where a swift roll call verified the heartbreaking truth that Fox was gone.

Despite a comprehensive 15 hour rescue mission incorporating helicopters, vessels, and dive teams, preliminary retrieval attempts proved fruitless. Recovery teams and voluntary search groups kept watch over the vicinity in subsequent days.

Six days following her vanishing, Fox’s remains were found washed up near Davenport Beach in Santa Cruz County, approximately 25 miles from her last known location, partially dressed in her wetsuit.

Advertisement

The recently published coroner’s findings outline the tremendous force of the attack. The post-mortem examination revealed Fox endured one catastrophic bite that created a crescent pattern of tooth marks stretching from her knees to her abdomen.

The bite ripped through her wetsuit, ruptured a critical artery in her torso, and shattered her pelvis. Specialists suggest the instantaneous physical damage was so catastrophic that Fox most likely lost consciousness straight away upon impact before going under the water.

Chris Lowe, a marine biology professor and head of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, observed that the devastating incident aligns with characteristics of a hunting error.

Lowe clarified that the shark undoubtedly confused Fox for a seal or sea lion, triggering a swift but deadly assault. Her death represents the third shark encounter near Lovers Point since June 2022.

Ensure our latest stories always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

A team from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service took on a stair climb today (August 1) at Clifford’s Tower in York to honour the 343 firefighters who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks.

The firefighters climbed up and descended the tower’s stairs 343 times with each ascent representing one of the firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

RECOMMENDED READING:

The challenge, which began at 6pm, is part of the team’s preparation for an international memorial event – with many other crew members joining them for the night.

In September, nine North Yorkshire firefighters will travel to Atlanta, Georgia to take part in the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund Memorial Stair Climb, which will raise money for The Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund , The Fire Fighters Charity, and The Blue Light Card Foundation.

343 firefighters from the UK and Ireland will climb the equivalent of 110 floors in Truist Park baseball stadium in Atlanta, Georgia –  representing the height of the World Trade Center towers.

The nine taking part are: Station Manager Mike Sutcliffe, Watch Manager Daz Smith, Crew Manager Steve Simpson, Ash Davis, Toni Wooff Pepe, Josh Beagle, Dom Wood, Rik Duckworth, and Tim Weller.    

Mike said: “We’re going to be climbing at the Atlanta baseball stadium standing shoulder to shoulder with American firefighters, which will be amazing.

“We thought before we fly out, we’d do a bit of a pre-event and some fundraising here and get some more donations for the charities. What better place is there than Clifford’s Tower? Perfect set of stairs here.

Completing the first of 343 climbs and onto the next (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

“It’ll be hard, because we’re going to be doing it in full fire kit as well. In the Atlanta heat, it’s going to be warm, but it’ll be one hell of an experience and we can’t wait to get out there.”

The firefighters have also been supported on their trip by Hilton York, who have been able to help the crew with their accommodation on the trip down to London to fly out.

Julianne, who works for Hilton, said that the hotel became aware of the trip through one of their supervisors – who’s husband Rik is one of the nine firefighters taking part in the challenge.

Firefighters outside the Hilton York (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

She added: “Rik came to me about two months ago to ask if there was anything we could do to help them arrange accommodation, before they flew out.  We said absolutely – we’ve pulled some strings and we’re really happy to help them with a good discount.”

Chief Fire Officer Jonathan Dyson said:  “This is a global challenge, honouring those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. We are proud to support it, and for our teams to take part and raise funds, alongside their peers from around the world.

One of the fire crew poses with the donations QR code and truck (Image: Alice Kavanagh)

“They will stand together, and climb together, remembering this tragic event 25 years ago.”    

The Clifford’s Tower event also raise funds for the trip and the cause through collection buckets and a website where online donations can be made.