A single dose of psilocybin eased symptoms of depression within days, with benefits lasting for more than three months compared to placebo, our new study has found.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open involved 35 people with recurring depression. We randomly assigned participants to either receive psilocybin or a placebo. The placebo (vitamin B3) mimicked some physical effects of the psychedelic, such as temporary skin flushing.

Both groups also received psychological support before, during and after dosing.

Although several studies have explored psilocybin for depression, many have focused on people whose symptoms had not responded to other treatments (so-called “treatment-resistant depression”). We wanted to test whether the drug could also help people with more common forms of depression.

At just eight days, those who received psilocybin showed noticeable improvements in mood. And by the end of the six-week follow-up period, more than half of participants in the psilocybin group no longer met the criteria for depression. In the placebo group, only one person showed the same level of improvement.

The treatment was generally well tolerated, although two participants experienced anxiety that lasted for several weeks.

We followed participants for a full year to understand how long the benefits might last. The benefits in the psilocybin group lasted for just over three months on self-rated outcomes. After that, the gap between the two groups began to narrow as the placebo group also improved. This is not unusual. Depression often comes in waves, and symptoms can ease over time without treatment.

Just over a third of participants in both groups started antidepressant medication in the follow-up period, on average about four months after the start of the trial.

The problem of blinding

One major challenge was “blinding” – preventing participants from knowing whether they had received psilocybin or a placebo. Despite using identical capsules and an active placebo, almost all participants correctly guessed which treatment they had received, largely because psilocybin produces a distinctive and unmistakable altered state.

That matters because expectations can shape outcomes. For participants who received psilocybin, the strong effects on the dosing day may have amplified hopes that the treatment would help. For those who received a placebo and felt no such effects, expectations may instead have turned into disappointment. Neither response is neutral when people later report their mood and symptoms.

People generally feel somewhat better simply from taking part in a trial, even if they are in the placebo group. They receive attention, support and regular follow-up. But previous research suggests that people given a placebo in psilocybin studies often improve less than people given a placebo in traditional antidepressant trials. We saw a similar pattern.

If placebo groups in psilocybin trials do not improve in the usual way, the gap between psilocybin and placebo can become larger, making the drug’s effect look bigger than it really is.

Taken together, our findings add to evidence that psilocybin may offer a fast-acting and relatively long-lasting treatment for depression, including for people with more common forms of the condition, not only those with treatment-resistant depression. These are qualities that could make a real difference for patients.

At the same time, they underline a central challenge for the field: how to disentangle the drug’s biological effects from the powerful role of expectation and experience. Answering that question will be crucial for understanding where psilocybin fits into future mental health care.

All Saints Church in Thirkleby, known for its spire visible from the A19, is gathering memories from anyone who has marked special moments at the church—whether meeting a loved one, marrying, or saying goodbye.

All Saints Church in Thirkleby is celebrating its 175th anniversary (Image: Supplied)

A memory wall will feature shared stories and photographs as part of the September 19 to 20 anniversary celebrations.

Gill Walmsley, one of the volunteers organising the event, said: “A special church deserves a very special celebration and that’s what we plan for September but it’s the people who make the place.

“This church building has been an historic anchor to the community for 175 years and will have played an important part in many families’ lives, leaving precious memories.

Volunteers Gill Walmsley, left, and Ann Stoney look through one of the church’s many wedding registers and share memories of their own (Image: Supplied)

“We want to create a wall of memories of words and pictures, whatever people would like to share.

“If you said hello or goodbye to someone, or even ‘I do’.

“If this church is carried in your heart like it is in ours, then we would love to hear from you.”

The weekend will include a visit from Thirkleby-born TV personality Peter Wright of The Yorkshire Vet, a community choir performance, and a Victorian-themed afternoon tea.

Mr Wright will share stories from his early life in the village.

Performances will include the Sessay Songbirds, and the church will be decorated in Victorian style.

Ms Walmsley said: “We also invite you to celebrate with us.

“Come and hear from our very own Yorkshire Vet about his early life in the village, sing with our community choir, enjoy a Victorian afternoon tea or just take in this perfect corner of the world.

“We will be decorating All Saints with a Victorian theme too.”

Anyone wishing to contribute photos or memories, or who would like more details about the anniversary events, is asked to contact Ms Walmsley at gillwalmsley@tiscali.co.uk or call 07969 571002.

There is anger, there is bitterness, there is real sadness. There is some disbelief, there are also some sticking of heads in the sand

The blows have kept coming for Labour. Devastating polls. Slap. Election hammering, left hook. Leader humiliated. Right hook. Welsh secretary in excoriating attack on both Welsh and UK Labour? Roundhouse kick.

Former cabinet secretaries taking their turn? Jab. Jab. Not one, but two First Ministers entering the ring? Ouch. UK Labour infighting – boom, hit, whack.

All in all, there is barely an inch of Labour left without a bruise in the two weeks since the Senedd Election in Wales. The postmortem is in its early stages and will continue for some time. Some of it publicly, some amongst whatsapp groups.

The emojis, the swearing, the disbelieving comments each tell a story.

There is anger, there is bitterness, there is real sadness. There is some disbelief, there are also some sticking of heads in the sand. For some of those that Labour overlooked in selection battles, there is relief they got an effective get out of jail free card.

While the rest of the new 2026 members are walking about the Senedd with smiles on their faces, the emotions for the Labour gang are different.

To those elected for the first time, or promoted to cabinet, the natural greeting as you see them around the estate is “congratulations”.

The tone when you say that to a Labour member is different. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here

Are they really glad to be there?

As I sat and watched plenary on Tuesday from the public gallery, the starkness of Labour’s defeat was obvious.

With one of the nine on maternity leave, and one in the speaker’s chair, when Ken Skates looks behind him for support, there were just six pairs of eyes there to meet his.

His group isn’t on the front benches, it is packed in to a section of the new chamber that is shared by the Tories, Lib Dems, Greens and a spillover of Plaid.

One thing that is clear, even already, is there are few that have anything bad to say about Eluned Morgan’s approach. She tried, she threw everything at it.

One of her aides told me in the days before it was “hyper marginal”. In the event, it wasn’t. She was roundly defeated

While she knew, she didn’t let on.

When the tiredness, so patently obvious when she told voters to “vote Plaid Cymru” rather than her own “Plaid Llafur” she styled it out like a pro.

More than one person has praised her grace at the count, and her stoic statement in the hours after her defeat.

She has maintained a dignified silence.

That isn’t the same for others.

Within hours the opinion pieces started circulating. Carwyn Jones, Mick Antoniw, Jo Stevens all immediately had their say.

Then, as Welsh Labour felt the dust had settled enough to put Ken Skates up for interviews, Mark Drakeford had his say.

In an opinion piece and then a TV interview, he tore into Welsh and UK Labour, he said Prime Minister Keir Starmer needed to stand down and backed Andy Burnham.

Meeting Ken Skates this week, the eternally enthusiastic veteran politician’s smile was notably absent. He spoke of needing to be humble, and boy was he.

He vowed to conduct a “listening exercise” – a phrase we’ve heard before.

But there are questions about how much that is just words. There is anger in the ranks of those who spent weeks on the doorsteps only to be publicly humiliated on stages across the country.

There is anger about what, if anything, is changing behind the scenes.

There is anger that some of those who have been there throughout are failing to acknowledge their own mistakes.

While Jo Stevens criticised others, people asked what she had been doing at the cabinet table.

Vaughan Gething spoke on TV about how things wouldn’t have been have as bad if he’d not been ousted. He said he wasn’t responsible in any way, yet when Mark Drakeford had his say, he disagreed.

But Mark Drakeford’s comments triggered others too – questions immediately arrived in my inbox about why he didn’t admit what he personally got wrong.

Ken Skates said he was “generously” appointed interim leader, and that he wants the rebuilding job himself.

That rebuilding job is huge.

His resources in the group will be vastly depleted. The support it has had to help staff, draw up policy and operate will be sliced, dramatically.

There have long been questions about whether Labour has put the right people in the right jobs or appointed from within – he admitted he will need to be ruthless.

The words he says about being humble, about being ruthless about listening, simply have to be more than words.

Andy Robertson wasn’t born when Sir Kenny Dalglish stepped down after his first managerial spell at Liverpool in 1991.

But when he joined the Reds in 2017, he was all too aware of the legacy of some great Scots who had trodden the same path before him.

Talking to Kelly Cates and Dalglish – her father – in a BBC interview, Robertson recalled those conversations after moving to Anfield.

“When I first signed, all the names were thrown at me,” he told Cates. “Your dad, Alan Hansen and [Graeme] Souness…

“I know the Liverpool fans do love a Scottish player in their team. And I know usually if there’s a Scottish player, it brings a bit of success as well.”

The connection between Liverpool and Scotland has run deep since the days of legendary former manager Bill Shankly, and there is perhaps no living figure more beloved on the Kop than Dalglish.

In an initial 14-year stint as captain then player-manager, Dalglish scored 172 goals and helped deliver 18 major trophies, including eight league titles and three European Cups.

More than 30 years on, Robertson – set to play his final match at Anfield on Sunday – will depart as the latest in a line of men from north of the border to have left an indelible impact.

The defender arrived on Merseyside nine years ago, when Jurgen Klopp signed him from Hull City for £8m. Four years prior, he had been playing in Scotland’s fourth tier for Queen’s Park.

From those humble beginnings, the 32-year-old has gone on to help redefine the role of a full-back under Klopp and later Arne Slot, notching 60 Premier League assists – the second most by defender behind former team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold.

He has won nine major trophies in that time, including two league titles and the Champions League.

But his legacy will be as someone who played like a fan on the pitch. Dalglish called him “a great credit” to Liverpool.

Once Sunday’s match is done, Robertson’s focus will turn to captaining Scotland at their first men’s World Cup for 28 years. He is just 10 caps away from equalling Dalglish’s record of 102.

“I’m just a wee bit upset with the number of caps you’ve got with Scotland,” the 75-year-old told him.

“And I think you should retire after the World Cup!”

Pope Leo has issued a stark condemnation of companies prioritising “dizzying” profits over environmental protection, during a visit to a region of Italy notorious for illegal toxic waste dumping.

On Saturday, the first US pontiff travelled to Acerra, approximately 220 kilometres south of Rome, urging the world to “reject temptations of power and enrichment linked to practices that pollute the land, water, air, and social coexistence.”

The area, near Naples, is grimly known as the “Land of Fires,” where the European Court of Human Rights ruled last year that authorities had failed to safeguard residents from waste dumping since at least 1988. Pope Leo stated his desire to visit to “gather the tears” of families who have lost loved ones to related illnesses.

Arriving by popemobile to an outdoor square on a sunny spring day, Pope Leo was greeted by crowds waving small yellow and white Vatican flags and wearing yellow hats, some holding posters of deceased family members.

Pope Leo, who has adopted a more forceful tone in recent months and is set to issue his first major document on Monday, declared that “unscrupulous people and organizations have been allowed to act with impunity for too long.” During his four-hour visit to Acerra, he also criticised “the dizzying profits of a few, blind to the needs of people, their work and their future,” and met with victims.

For years, waste collection, treatment, and disposal in southern Italy were largely controlled by a small group of private entities, with contracts sometimes linked to the Camorra, a Naples-based mafia group.

In January 2025, the European court found that Italian authorities had repeatedly failed to halt illegal dumping in a region also dubbed the “Triangle of Death” due to abnormally high cancer rates among local residents. The court granted the Italian government two years to establish a comprehensive database of toxic waste sites and communicate the risks to the public.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni responded in February 2025 by appointing an Italian general to lead a task force aimed at assisting victims and overseeing environmental clean-up efforts.

Pope Leo’s first encyclical, a significant text for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, is expected on Monday. It is anticipated to address the rise of artificial intelligence and its implications for warfare and workers’ rights.

Married At First Sight UK is facing fresh allegations from three former stars who featured on the show, whose claims range from sexual assault to abuse.

It comes after a BBC Panorama investigation aired two women’s claims that they were raped by their on-screen husbands while filming the Channel 4 show, as well as a third allegation of a non-consensual sex act. 

The programme is now facing calls for it to be cancelled, with Channel 4’s chief executive Priya Dogra saying she was ‘deeply sorry’ to the contributors who have come forward.

Now an additional two brides and a groom from the show – which sees contestants wed in a non-legally binding ceremony – have come forward with their own claims.

The groom, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has alleged that he was pressured by show producers to keep quiet after reporting a claim of sexual assault involving his co-star, according to a report in The Mirror.

He alleges that his partner on the show became aggressive after a night of drinking and allegedly ripped off his underwear, despite him saying ‘no’.

The groom told the publication he initially did not reveal the alleged assault, as he hoped to make the relationship work, but later spoke with a senior member of the welfare team about his concerns.

He said: ‘They contacted me saying I’d signed an NDA [non-disclosure agreement] and shouldn’t be speaking negatively about the process.’

The publication has also reported a woman’s claim that she suffered trauma in the years following her appearance on MAFS UK, after feeling controlled by her partner on the show, who she claimed she at times felt pressured to be intimate with.

She told the publication: ‘He performed a lewd act and then touched my face without consent. He banned me from drinking or speaking to production staff without him.

‘[Production] would say, “It’s going to be okay”. Staff bought me a drink to help smooth things over after I complained.’

A second woman who appeared on the show alleged that her husband from MAFS UK would ‘throw things and call her names’.

She said: ‘They’d separate us into breakout rooms to get both sides of the story. A lot of times they will ask you, is there any way you might have provoked it?

‘My biggest thing – I cannot be left in a room with this man. There’s this concept he’s your husband, but he ain’t. It’s not legally binding. It’s just a dating show.’

The broadcaster announced that in April it commissioned an external review into contributor welfare on the show.

Channel 4 pointed Metro to the broadcaster’s previous statement when contacted for comment, which in part said: ‘MAFS UK is produced under some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry.

‘These include the most thorough background checks available, a Code of Conduct which clearly sets out behavioural standards, daily contributor check-ins with a specialist welfare team and access to additional support before, during and after filming. 

‘The physical and psychological wellbeing of all contributors is of paramount importance throughout the process. All duty of care processes are regularly reviewed and, where appropriate, strengthened.’

After the first Panorama claims, lawyers on behalf of CPL, which is the production company behind MAFS UK, said that its welfare system was ‘gold standard’ and that it acted appropriately in all these cases.

Metro contacted production company CPL for comment on this story.

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After losing the European Challenge Cup final to Montpellier and finishing ninth in the URC Ulster will be excluded from the 2026/27 Champions Cup

Richie Murphy was left counting the cost of a million euros gamble that came unstuck.

Ulster had banked on their ability to fight on two front in the post-Six Nations part of the season, that they could chase a European dream and stay inside the URC’s top eight.

However, the net effect of losing the European Challenge Cup final to Montpellier and finishing ninth in the URC means the province will be excluded from the 2026/27 Champions Cup.

“It was a very difficult day, we came up against a real powerhouse of French rugby,” admitted the Ulster coach in the aftermath of a one-sided final in Bilbao.

“They are right up at the top of the table and ultimately they had too much power for us. We’ve done incredibly well to get this far, we’re definitely not satisfied with that but we’ll come back fighting again.

Murphy praised his charges for their stoic resistance all the same, it augurs well for the immediate future.

“I think we’re a completely different team than we were this time last year.

“Fifty-two URC points has never not got into the top eight before.”

“At the start of the season, if you told me we’d get 52 points in the league and we’d be in a European final with a chance to win it, I probably would have taken your hand off.

“The rugby we played, reaching a European final – obviously was not the result that we wanted – all those things have had an impact on us making the top eight as well.

“Unfortunately we’ve had to move our resources around and at this moment in time our squad probably isn’t strong enough to be able to compete in two competitions and ultimately still get into the top eight.

“We will learn a huge amount from that experience and I think this will drive us forward because it gives us a taste of how good we have to be to be at the top end of Europe.

Ulster captain Nick Timoney acknowledged what everyone inside the Bilbao hotbox was thinking:

“It was sweaty and greasy and I think they did a good job of putting our skills under pressure and flying off the line.

“They were physical in the contact and you probably saw that caused a couple of balls to come loose in contact.

“That was probably the main thing. It was hot and very similar for both teams. They maybe did a better job of holding onto it or being clinical with our mistakes.”

It was a chastening defeat but there were a lot of lessons to be learned by what’s still a very young group.

“I haven’t spoken to the group properly yet, but I guess the message will be the same as it’s been last year, which is that we need to keep progressively trying to get better,” added Timoney.

“We’ve done that certainly to an extent and we just need to keep pushing. Wales are a much better team than we were this time last year but as we saw tonight there’s levels to go.

“Luckily for us we have a lot of young and talented players who have only been making a breakthrough this season and a lot of them played an integral part of today.

“All of us who are lucky enough to keep playing for Ulster next season need to make sure that we’re never satisfied with where our game’s at.

“It was an amazing experience for them and for people like me. We need to keep pushing and getting better until Ulster Rugby is back where it should be.”

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Guess how long the average British person spends in the wine aisle?

You might be surprised to learn that a quarter of Brits spend more than 10 minutes in the booze section at the supermarket deliberating over which bottle to buy.

According to 2023 research from M&S, that’s more than 50 million hours wasted each year on a national scale.

I think we can all agree that’s a long time to be standing in one place, looking like a bit of a lemon. Particularly compared to the breezy 20 seconds we spend looking for milk or a loaf of bread, or 13 seconds for a chocolate bar.

It appears that choosing wine gives us anxiety, with some going as far as saying it worries them more than flying.

It doesn’t help that only one in five of us has a decent grasp of wine terminology, with 35% of Brits under 45 admitting to faking knowledge about wine to make themselves look better.

Over half of those interviewed for the study said they would find it useful to have more expert guidance when it comes to choosing a bottle. As currently six in 10 of us buy wine purely based on the look of the wine’s packaging, even the colour of the bottle has an impact.

Now, I’ve worked in practically every part of the drinks industry; heck, I was even a Tesco wine advisor early on in my career, so I can tell you, the layout of the wine aisle doesn’t come about by accident. It’s a highly engineered labyrinth, designed to keep you there for longer.

But if you know how to game the system, what to look for, you can come out on top.

As such, I’m sharing some of my top tips, as well as those from supermarket experts, to help you avoid getting caught in the 10-minute wine aisle ‘trance’.

Hacking the wine aisle

In the wine trade, there used to be an adage that went, ‘eye-level is buy-level’. This is premium real estate in a supermarket, featuring the bottles that sit where your eyes naturally land.

There was a time when supermarkets charged brands massive fees to be here, or they’d use the space to push high-margin, mass-produced wines, but I’m reliably informed by Morrisons’ Wine Buyer, Emma Jenkins that this no longer goes on.

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‘We’re not allowed, it’s actually illegal to take money for better shelf positioning these days. Unless it’s at the end of the aisle, aka gondola ends, which is a designated promotional area,’ she tells Metro.

According to Emma, you’ll find banging deals either towards the top or bottom shelves. The bottom ‘squat-zone’ is where the mass-market bottles are kept, alongside bona fide gems from lesser-known regions that offer great value for money – think juicy Portuguese reds, Greek whites, Hungarian whites, Georgian orange wines or reds from Slovenia and Macedonia.

Similarly, the top ‘reach zone’ is where people have to stretch to get hold of smaller-scale wines beloved by the buyer that they couldn’t justify placing at eye level.

And if the shelves are labelled by country, it’ll be in ‘other countries’ where the buyers have got adventurous because there’s less commercial pressure there.

Senior Wine Buyer at M&S, Joseph Arthur, explains: ‘A key hack in my opinion when looking for great value is lesser known regions or varietals. Our Found range is a great example of this, especially Ansonica, Kratosija and Saperavi.’

And Asda’s Wine Sourcing Specialist, Alex Kennedy, echoes Joseph, saying: ‘Explore lesser-known regions for the best value. Sicily, Greece and Austria are making some of the best wines right now, which can sometimes go under the radar.’

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Similarly, Austrian Grüner Veltliner and Assyrtiko from Greece if dry whites are your bag.

The advice all three buyers give is to ditch brands and focus on the supermarket’s own-label brands. Cynically speaking, they would say that, but I would tend to agree with them.

‘When buying big-brand wines, customers often pay a premium for the name, yet there are many wines in Asda’s own label or exclusive ranges that offer even better quality for a fraction of the price,’ says Alex.

Screaming Devil Rosé is down from £13 to £9, and is a great example. Just saying…

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Clues on the label

Another insider trick is to look closely at the labels, which most shoppers won’t even notice.

Turn the bottle around and look on the back label for the name of the importer. It’ll usually be in tiny print. Many will only work with high-quality wine producers, so it’ll give you an early indication of what you’ll be buying.

Then there’s the wine’s description on the ‘self-talker’.

If you see an unusually detailed description mentioning the region, the vineyards, altitude or importer, that’s a good thing. The buying team will only devote that kind of copy to wines they like. Conversely, if it just says, ‘smooth and easy-drinking’, you’ll know it’s a mass-produced blend.

Competitions like the IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Challenge) rate wines, and Gold or Silver-medal-winners will often be labelled. These are always top quality and well worth buying. I know, as I judge for them.   

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Look for wines that look slightly unfashionable, where the labels aren’t flashy. That means the money has been spent on the wine itself, not on the branding.

A dusty-looking bottle of Rioja, with a traditional label, will be far more interesting than a glossy bottle covered in buzzwords.

On that, Joseph agrees. He adds: ‘The economics of aged Rioja still baffle me. How can a 2018 Rioja Gran Reserva be £5 cheaper than a 2025 Chateauneuf du Pape for £20 on a supermarket shelf?

‘Rioja Gran Reserva is still one of the best value wines in stores if you like wines with a bit more age and complexity.’

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I know what I’m buying for the bank holiday then…

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It comes as the Stormont Executive remains unable to agree a new three-year budget almost two months into the new financial year as ministers complain their departments need more funding.

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DUP leader Gavin Robinson said he has pressed the Chancellor for a better financial settlement for Northern Ireland.

He said he also asked Rachel Reeves for borrowing powers that would allow Northern Ireland to build more homes, improve infrastructure and support economic growth.

It comes as the Stormont Executive remains unable to agree a new three-year budget almost two months into the new financial year as ministers complain their departments need more funding.

READ MORE: First Minister excited by ‘seismic political shift’ across UKREAD MORE: Sinn Fein accused of ‘spoofing’ over delivery of A5 road

Mr Robinson said his party colleague, Education Minister Paul Givan is facing a funding shortfall running into hundreds of millions of pounds, which could lead to teaching posts lost, larger class sizes and reduced support for children with additional needs.

In an email to DUP party members, Mr Robinson said he heard from business leaders this week that while Northern Ireland has huge potential, it is being held back by planning delays, underinvestment and systems that simply do not work quickly enough.

He described a “wider reality which cannot be ignored”, that “Northern Ireland is being asked to deliver first-class public services with second-class funding”.

Mr Robinson said people are feeling the strain, from patients waiting longer than they should, local services disappearing and deteriorating roads.

He said he has been making this case directly to Government.

“I met the Prime Minister and made it clear that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and must be funded fairly as part of it.

“A strong Union must mean a fair Union,” he said.

“This week we again pressed the Chancellor for a better financial settlement and for borrowing powers that would allow Northern Ireland to build more homes, improve infrastructure and support economic growth.”

“At the same time, Government must get its own house in order.

“Around £350 million is lost every year through fraud and error, while inefficiency and unacceptable absenteeism continue within parts of the civil service.”

He went on: “Working families and businesses across Northern Ireland are already under enough pressure.

“They do not need new charges or stealth taxes from Stormont on top of continued Treasury underfunding.

“Talent, hard work and potential, Northern Ireland has them in abundance.

“What has been missing for too long is government willing to match that ambition with proper investment.”

“The UK Government has provided a £19.3 billion per year on average funding settlement for the Spending Review period, the largest in real-terms in the history of devolution.

“It is the responsibility of the Executive to manage that carefully.

“In addition to this, the Chancellor has announced over £750 million additional funding in Barnett Consequentials.”

“The Secretary of State is engaging regularly with the Minister for Finance on the budget, and it is clear he faces significant challenges in getting agreement from the Executive, and has asked for additional funding from the Government.

“Therefore, the Executive needs to come forward with a detailed strategic plan for how they will manage their finances and move towards sustainability.”

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