The long-range forecast for Wales predicts when it could become hot again

The weather so far this year has smashed records with Wales seeing the warmest spring since 1884 and the hottest May day during last week’s heatwave. But it is not time to put your fans away yet as the Met Office has forecast more heat this month as we head into summer.

An early and record-breaking heatwave at the end of May meant that this year Wales and England experienced the warmest spring. Across the UK some areas saw six consecutive days above 30°C, giving a taste of what the summer may bring.

Each month of spring were some of the warmest on record, beginning with a joint tenth warmest March, followed by the seventh warmest April and then a May that finished up as the joint third warmest.

Met Office scientists have said the records being broken show “the longer-term warming” of the world with more “extreme conditions” happening more often. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here

Met Office scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said: “This spring highlights both the natural variability of the UK’s weather and the longer-term warming we are observing. While conditions varied through the season, all three months of meteorological spring recorded mean temperatures within the UK’s top ten warmest on record.

“While we expect fluctuations from year to year, this spring shows some of the changes we’re seeing in our weather patterns, with more extreme conditions becoming more frequent.”

As well as high temperatures, rainfall patterns have also seen a change with spring rainfall decreasing by 14% from the long-term meteorological average for the UK.

Met Office scientists also found that breaking the 32.8°C May record is around three times more likely now in our current climate than it would have been in a natural climate not impacted by greenhouse gas emissions.

This week the weather has taken a turn with rain returning for many across Wales after a yellow thunderstorm warning was issued on Thursday, May 28.

Showers and longer spells of rain are expected to continue throughout the first two weeks of June and temperatures are “likely to be near normal overall”, claims the Met Office.

However, the long term forecast from Tuesday, June 16, until Tuesday, June 30, states that whilst “heavy showers and thunderstorms become more probable”, Wales may also see higher temperatures and hotter weather.

The forecast states: “The start of the period is likely to be relatively settled, with high pressure in the vicinity of the UK bringing drier conditions to most parts of the UK.

“However some showers or spells of rain are still possible. Winds will mostly be light with temperatures probably above normal. Towards the end of June, low pressure may begin to have more of an influence, especially across the south where heavy showers and thunderstorms become more probable. It may also become hot in parts of the south.”

Arteta has been central to the club’s planning for next season with the Gunners targeting a central midfielder, forward and full-back in the transfer market.

But it will not be straightforward.

Given last season’s £250m spend on new players, a number of player renewals and lucrative bonuses paid to players in lieu of their Premier League success, the club are mindful of ensuring finances are balanced during the close season.

For the forward position, three players are known to be on the shortlist – Aston Villa‘s Morgan Rogers, Bournemouth‘s Eli Junior Kroupi and Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez.

Rogers and Kroupi are expected to cost in excess of £80m each, while Barcelona target Alvarez is being valued at more than £120m.

Any move for Rogers, Kroupi or Alvarez could be facilitated by exits in forward areas with the club open to offers for Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli while Leandro Trossard’s deal expires in 12 months.

The future of academy graduate Ethan Nwaneri, who has returned from a loan spell at Marseille, is also unclear with the club giving serious consideration to a homegrown sale this summer, which would represent pure profit on the balance sheet.

Arsenal are also set to listen to offers for Christian Norgaard and Ben White, while Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson can also leave. Jakub Kiwior has already been sold to Porto for £14.7m.

A move for Rogers has been discussed, but with Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze, who can play in the central attacking areas, already in the squad there have been questions raised over whether a move for the England international is a priority.

Though, with Rogers able to operate from the left, it has been noted that his versatility would be an asset.

The interest in the 23-year-old is genuine, though the Gunners are not the only club in the running for Rogers with Manchester United also monitoring the forward’s situation.

Rogers, according to multiple sources, is open to joining Arsenal ahead of next season.

Kroupi is another opportunity Arsenal have explored after the 19-year-old scored 13 times in the Premier League, a record for a teenage debutant.

The club’s dream forward signing is Alvarez – though Barcelona have a serious interest in the Argentina attacker.

The club have also moved for Leicester’s teenage forward Jeremy Monga, 16, in recent weeks.

Monga is viewed as one of the leading young prospects in English football and has been courted by a host of clubs.

The teenager is understood to be open to joining Arsenal but it is unclear at this stage whether a departure from Leicester would require a tribunal.

The hospital has to be redeveloped as it was built with crumbling concrete

A building is set to be demolished as part of work on a Cambridgeshire hospital. Hinchingbrooke Hospital, overseen by the North West Anglia NHS Trust, is undergoing a major redevelopment after “structural issues” were highlighted with the current building.

The hospital, built in 1983, was constructed with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). As part of the plans, a replacement hospital building will be built, as well as a new hospital-related ancillary office, research, admin and education facilities.

In the latest progress made at the site, work to demolish the site’s existing staff accommodation blocks are due to begin in June. The demolition is a key stage in the Hinchingbrooke Hospital Redevelopment Programme, which is funded by the Government’s New Hospital Programme.

The new development aims to deliver a modern, fully electric, digitally enabled hospital while delivering safe and effective patient care from the current hospital, throughout construction.

Demolition will take place in three planned phases:

• Phase 1: Albert House and St Nicholas House – June to July 2026
• Phase 2: Victoria House – October 2026
• Phase 3 Alexandra House – August 2027

Deborah Lee, Senior Responsible Officer for the Hinchingbrooke Redevelopment Programme, said: “This is a major step forward in delivering our new hospital for the local community.”

Staff accommodation is being replaced through new modular ‘Zed Pods’ homes located at the front of the hospital site near the staff car park. These are expected to be ready for occupation in Spring 2027, so there will be no loss of accommodation for staff who require it.

The Trust is working closely with contractors and partners to minimise disruption. Measures include dust suppression, noise and vibration monitoring, and strict safety procedures.

A temporary staff car park will be built on the cleared site, helping maintain parking capacity while redevelopment continues. Materials from demolition, including concrete and brick, will be reused in its construction.

Ms Lee added: “While demolition can be disruptive, we are taking every measure to ensure services remain safe and accessible, and we thank our staff, patients and neighbours for their continued support.”

Picture this: you have spent decades building a career. You have a master’s degree. You have taught hundreds of students. You walk into work every morning with a sense of purpose. Then, almost overnight, the gates close. You are told you cannot come back. Not because of anything you did, but simply because of you are a woman.

This is what happened to female academics across Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.

We conducted interviews with 12 Afghan female academics via Telegram and WhatsApp, eight of whom were in Afghanistan and four of whom had recently left the country. Of those who were in Afghanistan, only one has since managed to leave – the rest remain there. What they told us was devastating.

When the Taliban first ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, women were barred from education and most forms of employment. After the US-led intervention, things slowly improved. Female participation in higher education in Afghanistan increased dramatically, expanding from 5,000 students in 2001 to over 100,000 in 2021. Women made up 28% of university students and 14% of academic staff. Progress was real, even if fragile. Then it was reversed almost entirely.

By December 2022, all universities had closed their doors to women. Girls’ education was banned beyond the age of 12. Women were banned from most jobs, required to have a male guardian to travel and forced to wear a black hijab in public. Afghanistan now ranks at 181 out of 193 countries on the Human Development Index.

The women we interviewed did not describe their situation in abstract political terms. They described it in deeply personal ones.

One participant, a lecturer with more than 20 years of experience, told us: “Living under the power of the Taliban as a woman is a gradual death. I feel like I’m dying every day. I’ve lost everything – neither my knowledge nor my education is valuable anymore.”

Another, who had taught for three decades, said the happiest moments of her life were spent in the classroom: “I like to go out of the house, teach, and see my students. This situation is like a gradual death for me.”

These are not just expressions of sadness. Ten of our 12 participants described significant psychological distress. All 12 reported feelings of disappointment and despair. One of the women described losing her entire sense of self: “I lost my job, position, honour, credibility, and societal personality.”

Losing work is hard anywhere, often cutting a family’s income in half. But in Afghanistan, the consequences go much further than a lost income. One participant put it plainly: “Women’s presence in society decreased, and their social interactions and connections with society became almost non-existent.”

The Taliban also banned online education: private universities that had offered remote classes were told to stop. For academics who had hoped to keep teaching digitally, even that door was shut.

The Islamic feminist perspective

In our research, we analysed the experiences of female academics in Afghanistan through the lens of Islamic feminism.

Since the 1990s, researchers have studied Muslim societies to understand why gender inequality exists, which led to the development of “Islamic feminism”, a movement that supports women’s rights and gender equality within an Islamic framework.

As Afghanistan is a Muslim country, this movement offers a powerful framework for gender justice there, challenging both patriarchal religious interpretations and western feminist views that are often seen as culturally alien. It might seem strange to discuss feminism within an Islamic framework when the Taliban claim to be enforcing Islamic law — but this is precisely the point.

Based on the arguments of feminist scholars on Islamic feminism, we can argue that the Taliban’s restrictions on women have noting to do with genuine Islamic teachings and are instead linked to political control. These scholars argue that the Quran supports women’s rights to education, economic participation and engagement in public life. Therefore, the restrictions can be understood as a distortion and misuse of religious texts to justify patriarchal power.

This is the position of Islamic feminism: that the problem is not Islam, but the way certain men have interpreted it to serve their own interests. For Afghan women, this matters enormously. A framework that is rooted in their own faith, rather than imported from the west, gives them a way to resist that feels authentic and grounded.

The women we spoke to have not given up. Some are finding quiet ways to keep teaching. Some are using social media to stay connected. Some are hoping that international pressure will eventually force change.

“It’s like we’re at a crossroads; all the paths are dark,” one participant said. “One path is concrete, another is muddy, and one has pitfalls. We can’t discern the paths; all of them are dark and uncertain. So, I can’t make a specific plan because it’s unpredictable.”

The international community could help by funding alternative education programmes, supporting Afghan women in exile who are keeping academic networks alive, and by maintaining sustained pressure on the Taliban.

Danny Calladine was jailed for three-and-a-half years after he ran over his partner’s cousin Dion Eagle in a drink and drug-fuelled dangerous driving incident in Derby, leaving him in a wheelchair with life-threatening injuries

A van driver, intoxicated by alcohol and drugs, inflicted multiple fractures and life-threatening internal injuries on a relative after deliberately running him over and reversing back across his body.

In an extensive and deeply moving impact statement, victim Dion Eagle described how he was absent for his daughter’s birth while in intensive care, remains in a rehabilitation facility nearly six months later and “wishes he had died that day”.

This week the scaffolder arrived at Derby Crown Court in a wheelchair to witness the man who irreversibly altered his life – Danny Calladine – being sentenced.

The 35-year-old who inflicted such catastrophic harm – his partner’s cousin – subsequently attempted to claim he had been assaulted by Mr Eagle prior to the incident, reports Derbyshire Live.

Sentencing him to three-and-a-half years imprisonment, Judge Jonathan Straw stated: “On December 19 last year you irreversibly changed the course of Dion Eagle’s life forever, affecting your own life and the lives of countless others who care about each of you because of the many inexplicable decisions you made that day.”

“The footage makes for graphic and difficult viewing and while all the horror unfolded and while Dion was lying trapped under the van your immediate reaction was to deny what you had done. Dion was left there fighting for his life and it is a miracle we are not here concerned with a homicide.

“He is still in hospital now, six months on, and the pain and suffering he has experienced during that time is for the most of us unimaginable.”

Prosecutor Lauren Fisher told the court that the incident unfolded on Scarborough Rise, Breadsall Hilltop, at approximately 4.15pm on 19th December last year. She explained that the two men had spent time drinking together before heading to a nearby shop to purchase more alcohol. On their way back, a row broke out and Mr Eagle stepped out of the van “to leave the situation”

The court was then shown harrowing footage depicting Mr Eagle bending down in front of the vehicle before Calladine drove directly into and over him, subsequently reversing back over the stricken victim.

Miss Fisher said: “It was witnessed by a number of passing motorists and one who stopped could see the defendant was drunk and slurring his words saying ‘what’s going on? I have not hit anyone’.

“He then dropped the keys to the van which the witness picked up and placed in his pocket. He also noticed a can of Stella in the footwell.

“(That witness’s daughter) then heard him on the phone saying ‘I have hit him and I don’t know what to do, I have run over him’. It is estimated that Mr Eagle was trapped under the van for 15 to 20 minutes.

“Mr Eagle’s partner arrived and described the scene as ‘carnage’.

“He later told the police that he thought he was going to die while under the van saying he thought he was ‘pretty much done for’.” The prosecutor revealed that Calladine told police Mr Eagle had “smacked him” and stated “I would not run over my family, I would not do that I just hope he’s okay”.

‘I wish I had died’

She explained that tests taken at the roadside and in custody showed the defendant to be almost three times the legal drink-drive limit and four times the legal drug-drive limit for cocaine.

She detailed how Mr Eagle sustained multiple fractures – including two to his spine – along with extensive internal injuries, was placed into an induced coma on several occasions, has had numerous operations and more than five months later remains a permanent resident at Linden Lodge rehabilitation centre in Nottingham, where he is likely to remain for some time yet.

Through two victim impact statements, Mr Eagle, who is in his mid-20s, described missing his daughter’s birth while in intensive care, which left him devastated.

He said: “My legs are still useless and it is a horrible way to feel. I know it sounds selfish but I still wish I had died that day, I cry every day, I just wish the pain would stop.

“I feel anger that I am trapped like this while the person who did this to me is out enjoying life.”

Calladine, a father of a 12-year-old son, formerly of Braintree Close, Breadsall Hilltop and now of Market Street, Ashbourne, previously pleaded guilty to causing serious injury through dangerous driving and drink-driving. Kevin Waddingham, mitigating, said: “It is clear he regrets enormously what happened in those few seconds and the consequences for Mr Eagle.

“He has lost relationships with Mr Eagle and his family which were important to him prior to this incident.

“It is something he will have to live with forever.”

Alongside the custodial sentence, the judge banned the defendant from getting behind the wheel for 35 months and issued a five-year restraining order.

[17/08/2025, 16:03:48] Pat McFadden: Yes of course. I see Keir will now be at WH meeting with Z (Zelensky).

[17/08/2025, 16:06:16] Peter Mandelson : Yes. Morgan is coming with him. The media prep is interesting. Completely reductionist for Keir. Want to avoid any encounter with journos that might involve him answering a question. No sense of opportunity for personal projection. Just avoid all risk. Always the same.

17/08/2025, 17:35:25] Pat McFadden: I spoke to him. It’s a bit of a whirlwind. This external strategy unit idea has come from a lack of belief that good people will come in to number 10 and it’s hard to get the bad ones to leave.

[17/08/2025, 17:35:41] Pat McFadden: I’m going to see him when he comes back.

[17/08/2025, 17:40:26] Peter Mandelson : I told him he needs an instrument/entity to recruit top people but I fear he is using excuse to keep people because he knows Keir won’t fire them.

[18/08/2025, 13:07:11] Pat McFadden: Let me know how it goes?

[18/08/2025, 14:12:09] Peter Mandelson : We have a whole lot of No10 keystone cops coming, including Morgan, falling over themselves and complaining they won’t all be in the Oval (none of us will be).

Molly Fisher’s project, The 33rd County, explores Irish diaspora and long-distance nationalism within Coatbridge.

A snap-happy Coatbridge student hopes she can bring her photography exhibition to her home town, after using it as inspiration for her work.

Molly Fisher’s project, The 33rd County, explores Irish diaspora and long-distance nationalism within Coatbridge.

Her images of locals expressing their Irish heritage are on display, alongside work from her fellow BA photography students, as part of Edinburgh Napier University’s (ENU) 2026 Degree Show.

The 23-year-old says studying in Edinburgh led her to see the cultural rituals she’d grown up with in a new light.

Molly said: “My style is documentary photography, working with people to tell their stories. I really enjoy getting to see into their world.

“In second year I did a study on football fans, then last year I did a project about an Irish dancer.

“When I came to do my final project, I realised that a lot of my themes overlap – that I had been reflecting experiences of growing up in my hometown.

“There were so many things that I only realised since I’ve been in Edinburgh aren’t as normal as I assumed.

“I thought maybe there’s something interesting here that I could dive into further.

“This project made me see Coatbridge in a different light, realising that it isn’t the norm. I found myself looking for the strange little things that you maybe didn’t notice before. I had to take a step back.

“I think it’s given me an admiration for people in the town, that people feel so strongly about their heritage.”

Molly’s final display is on show at ENU’s Merchiston campus until June 5, and includes a custom-made book.

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In it, a foreword written by local writer Des Dillon refers to a “cultural time capsule” in Coatbridge, where people preserve “a version of Ireland that no longer exists”.

The images show individual and group expressions of Irish heritage, alongside reminders of Coatbridge’s post-industrial legacy of iron works and coal mining.

Molly hopes she can put her work on display in the town in future, to thank those who took part in her project.

She added: “People feel so strongly about their culture that they want to let you in and tell you their stories. They’re often happy that someone is interested and cares.

“I got myself into things that were happening that I didn’t know about. For example, there’s an Irish music group that I didn’t know about who play in my local hall.

“I found myself sitting in the corner of the room thinking I can’t believe this is what I’m getting to do.

“I’m hoping that I can put on an exhibition in Coatbridge so that people can see it.

“I wouldn’t have been able to make it work unless people had let me in, so I would like them to be able to come and have a look.”

The 2026 Edinburgh Napier University Degree Show is on public display at its Merchiston campus this week; you can find out more about it here

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Two sites in Cambridgeshire have been listed on the Environment Agency’s ‘high priority’ watch list

Two sites where waste is being dumped in Cambridgeshire have been named on the “high priority” watch list. Sites in Alconbury and Brampton have both been included on the Environment Agency’s “high priority” list for “causing concern to local communities”.

The list, published on May 22, has 117 sites in England which the Environment Agency has identified as a “concern”. According to the watch list, the site in Alconbury, a village near Huntingdon, has had approximately 2,500 tonnes of baled waste identified.

Meanwhile, Brampton, near Huntingdon, currently houses around 1,920 tonnes of construction and demolition waste. The level of detail published in the watch list has been restricted to avoid prejudicing ongoing enquiries and associated enforcement action.

The agency has urged members of the public to report any suspicious activity involving waste. Anyone with information about any of the sites included in the watchlist is asked to report it.

Reports can be made to the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or to Crimestoppers via 0800 555 111.

The Environment Agency said: “We are stepping up our action on waste crime and will act early to address illegal activity before it becomes established. As part of this commitment, we are publishing this watchlist of sites that are causing concerns within local communities – enabling you to see where we are working now.”

That we are living through a loneliness epidemic at a time when people have never been more digitally connected is one of the great paradoxes of modern life.

In 2023, the year social media engagement reportedly peaked, the World Health Organization declared loneliness a “global public health concern”. The irony was hard to miss: just as people appeared to be more digitally connected than ever, many of the places and habits that once brought them together in real life were being weakened. Remote working had reshaped daily life, religious attendance had declined across much of the west, the cost of living crisis had made socialising harder, and third places – from pubs and libraries to youth clubs and community centres – were closing or struggling to survive.

However, that’s just part of the story. Over the years, Positive News has reported on the many hopeful initiatives that have sprung up to tackle loneliness – from the rise of communal dining and the Men’s Sheds movement, to intergenerational nurseries and talking benches.

Now we’re turning to you, our readers, to find out what you do to nurture meaningful human connections in an increasingly disconnected world. No act is too small. It could be something as simple as being part of a book club, walking group or cooking meals for others. Or it could be something bigger, like volunteering or tending a community garden. Even the simple act of going to live music can feel like a rebellion against creeping isolation. More than one of our team find community spirit in the moshpit. 

Tell us how you forge human connections in the form below. We will publish our favourite answers in a forthcoming editorial. We can’t promise to print them all, but we will read them.

Main image: Austin Loveing