They say what goes up must come down – although houses normally last longer than this.

The million-pound property was built in 2017 but council officers ordered it to be torn down six years later after discovering it was secretly harbouring a three-bedroom home, instead of the horse clinic that had been agreed.

The decision was later backed by a planning inspector and work to demolish the property in Great Abington, Cambridgeshire, finally began in April.

As these photos show, the process has now been virtually completed, with nothing left but the footprint of the two-storey building remaining, shown by the foundations.

Earlier stages showed the roof being peeled away, revealing the wooden support beams within.

Eventually, just the skeleton of the ground floor remained, surrounded by scaffolding, before that disappeared too. The foundations must be removed to complete the process.

Furious owners Jeremy Zielinski, 75, and his wife Elaine, 80, told the Mail they remained bitter about the decision, which they said had cost them £1 million ‘overnight’.

‘Anyone who knows the situation – every single person I’ve spoken to – they all think it’s absolutely ludicrous because the original planning permission was given for the physical building as it was,’ Mr Zielinski fumed.

‘They say “The housing situation is desperate and they are making you pull down your home without recourse”.’

But a local said today: ‘I just can’t believe they’re still complaining about it.

‘The house looked okay, to be fair, but they weren’t given [planning] permission for a house.’

The horse-mad couple bought a house with an outbuilding and 17 acres of land for £100,000 in 1986.

In 2014, they were given planning permission by South Cambridgeshire District Council for a countryside business with a reception area, office, kitchenette, laboratory space, staff changing room and toilet on the ground floor.

The first-floor design featured two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms for staff.

Contractors began work on the property in 2017 and Mr and Mrs Zielinski – who had three children, although one tragically died in 2021 after taking the Covid vaccine – sold their own house two years later, moving into a static home.

The couple believe a jealous neighbour informed on them about the property not adhering to the agreed design, leading to planning officers visiting their home and a July 2023 enforcement notice which ordered it to be razed to the ground.

The footprint of the property is all that remains now

Jeremy Zielinski, 75, and his wife Elaine, 80, told the Mail they remained bitter about the council ruling, which they said had cost them £1 million ‘overnight’.

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They appealed to the Planning Inspectorate and, in their submission, claimed lockdown wrecked their business plans for the clinic which forced them to turn the property into their home, while continuing to run their commercial interests in their grounds.

The order to pull down the entire building was over the top and would leave them without a roof over their heads, they added.

But planning inspector Chris Preston noted the property had a ‘decidedly residential appearance’, including a kitchen with island breakfast bar, domestic furnishings and appliances, a dining area, living room and home office.

Upstairs were two bedrooms with a ‘lounge equipped with sofa and television’.

Mr Preston turned down their appeal, concluding it had been built as a house from the start, rather than converted from the approved lab and flat, and the couple had sold their own home and another plot of land with permission for a dwelling.

He also noted there was ‘very little evidence that the stallion semen collection and analysis business ever got off the ground to any notable degree’.

The only payment for laboratory fees was £44 for a horse named Dublin but there was ‘no indication as to whether the analysis was carried out at the appeal site’.

Mr Preston also considered the owners’ claim to need somewhere to live but concluded: ‘Given the clear and flagrant breach of planning policy and the associated harm arising, I find that interference with the human rights of the appellant and his wife would be proportionate in this case.’

Easy come, easy go: the house, shown intact before work began to take it apart

Roof gone and exterior stripped, the property makes for a forlorn sight

Sections of the house have been removed, including the innards

The process is close to the end, with the outline of the ground floor remaining and scaffolding and a walkway left in place

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Mr Zielinski, a former marketing manager for the Injured Jockeys Fund, told the Mail the onset of Covid had battered their hopes of founding the business in their property, while the death of their daughter, Claire, aged 55, had ‘taken the wind out of our sails for fighting an enforcement notice’.

He insisted: ‘We moved in when it was partially complete to get it ready to operate as a business [and] on the basis that we were going to comply with the planning by living upstairs and running the business downstairs.’

His wife, a GP’s receptionist, previously said they had been unaware they were breaking the law.

‘We want to carry on living here. It’s a warm and comfortable home. I love it,’ she explained.

‘It doesn’t make sense to tear it down. I don’t want to go and live in a caravan. If we are chucked out, we will be having to rely on the state.

‘We would not have gone on and built this and put all our money into it unless we thought it was totally legal to do it.’

The Zielinskis arranged for a contractor to take apart the building, rather than demolish it.

This meant the trader could make use of parts including timber frames, windows and bifold doors, saving a portion of the estimated £30,000 it would have cost to demolish it.

Mr Zielinski, pictured, said he and his wife were planning to move to Thailand with the funds from the sale of the land and stables

Once they had sold their stables and the land they stand on, they expected to be left with no more than £350,000, which they revealed they were going to use to invest in a new home in Thailand.

They would have preferred to move to Australia where they have a daughter and four grandchildren but complained the financial blow they had suffered meant that was beyond their budget.

A council spokesman said: ‘The foundations remain on site and must be removed to comply with the enforcement notice. 

‘The council is continuing to review the matter and consider the appropriate next steps.’

Whether sprinting around a Scottish golf course to keep up with the presidential buggy or being squashed into a car boot to ensure she didn’t miss one of his court appearances, Natalie Harp has always swallowed her pride and put her devotion to Donald Trump above all else.

After all, as the former presenter of a Right-wing cable-TV news show gushed to the US President in one of her many cloying letters expressing her fealty: ‘You’re all that matters to me.’

The White House aide, 35, is nicknamed ‘the human printer’ because of her somewhat demeaning job of lugging around a portable, wireless computer printer – with battery pack and paper – wherever he goes. It’s her role to keep him instantly updated with everything positive that is said or written about him, always in the hard copy he prefers.

Until now, mention of Harp’s name has drawn only eye-rolling from Trump critics as an illustration of his pathological need for adulation and the lengths to which undying loyalty combined with shoulder-length (dyed) blonde hair can take an attractive young woman in his administration. The President has hardly helped matters by calling her ‘sweetie’ and ‘that young, beautiful woman’.

Now, however, she has been thrust centre stage after an apparently chance remark by a Democrat politician raised questions about the exact relationship between the 80-year-old president and his constant companion less than half his age.

Jon Ossoff, a Georgia senator who has been touted as a potential Democrat contender for the White House in 2028, complained at a rally this week that Trump ‘doesn’t want to do the job [of president]’, adding: ‘He wants to build his [White House] ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenceless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar.’

Until now, mention of Harp’s name has drawn only eye-rolling from Trump critics as an illustration of his pathological need for adulation – it’s her role to to keep him updated of anything positive written or spoken about him

Ossoff was referring to the fact that Harp had recently been revealed as one of a select handful of aides who, following a Nato summit in Turkey last month, had left the aeroplane donated to Trump by the Middle Eastern state and secretly moved with him – for security reasons – to a different plane.

Ossoff later said he mentioned Harp’s name because she had been described in the media as Trump’s ‘security blanket’. He claimed Harp, along with some others in the White House, are ‘not telling him what he needs to hear – they’re telling him what he wants to hear … The nation is at war – and we cannot afford that’.

However, the fury of the Trump administration’s response to Ossoff’s remark has fuelled speculation that the Democrat touched a raw nerve.

Asked about Ossoff’s comments by CNN reporter Kristen Holmes, Trump ridiculed Ossoff and, when Holmes asked a subsequent question about North Korea, told her to ‘be quiet’.

The White House later castigated Holmes on social media, telling her: ‘Some day, your children will come across your disgusting and inhumane question.’

So who exactly is Natalie Harp – and how did she rise to such a powerful position?

She joined Trump’s staff in 2022 and her devotion to the president – after many had abandoned him following the January 6 attack on the US Capitol – reportedly stunned even his closest aides.

‘I want to bring you joy, to feel like we can get through a day without ever having to talk “work”,’ she wrote in one gushing letter to her boss, revealed in the recent book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.

In another she described Trump as her ‘Guardian and Protector in this Life’, while in a third she admitted that her devotion to him was such that she would sometimes forget to eat and sleep while working for him.

Trump describes Harp as the only person who loves him as much as his wife and children. According to political journalist Alex Isenstadt, author of Revenge: The Inside Story Of Trump’s Return to Power, Harp remains so determined to deliver the printed updates to Trump wherever he needs them that his wife, Melania, once found her late at night in his private quarters at Mar-a-Lago, which was normally off-limits to staff. There was no suggestion of impropriety and the First Lady has not publicly commented on the alleged incident.

Photos of the president on duties rarely fail to capture Harp nearby, staring lovingly at him – in recent weeks, she was spotted next to him at Camp David (the president’s country retreat), at his Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey and in the Oval Office.

Even before he went into politics and was a New York property developer, Trump liked to fill his office with young women who could be relied on to pamper his ego. That continued in the White House. Insiders, however, insist Harp has an influence like no one before her, often texting world leaders on her boss’s behalf.

Trump describes Harp as the only person who loves him as much as his wife and children (Pair pictured with US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum at a golf course in Hains Point)

Enjoying an elaborate title and a salary of £110,000, Harp helps compose many of the wilder posts Trump puts on his social media platform Truth Social (pictured with Trump and JD Vance)

Trump chronicler Michael Wolff claims people around the president were baffled by her sudden rise before the 2024 election and, at the time, some even considered her ‘dangerous’ 

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The New York Times described the ‘seldom-heard-from and sylphlike woman’ as ‘a one-woman conduit of information operating entirely outside the usual chain of command’.

Trump chronicler Michael Wolff claims people around the president were baffled by her sudden rise before the 2024 election and, at the time, some even considered her ‘dangerous’ given her obvious influence over him.

‘She was the most important person in his political life, and I think was then gradually becoming the most important person in his personal life, also,’ said Wolff.

The White House said in response: ‘Natalie Harp is one of the most loyal and hardest-working aides on President Trump’s team. Michael Wolff is a professional scumbag and serial liar with s**t for brains.’

She proved her devotion in 2023 when Trump’s motorcade was setting off with him for his appearance in a New York court. There was no room for Harp in the vehicles but, following a ‘screaming match’ with other aides, she scrunched into the boot of one of the SUVs to ensure she was there for him.

A Christian from California, she was – according to her estranged brother Preston – homeschooled by an ‘extremely conservative’ mother. Preston, a self-described Communist, has called his sister’s relationship with Trump ‘very unhealthy’. He believes she’s ‘infatuated’ with the president because he embodies her conviction that the US is ‘the boss of the world’. Harp is unmarried and has no recorded boyfriends.

In 2019, she had come to Trump’s attention after she was interviewed on Fox News. Harp claimed to be ‘living proof’ of the merits of his federal healthcare changes – giving Americans the right to try experimental drugs.

Trump saw the interview and recruited her to his campaign.

She addressed the 2020 Republican national convention – only a month after her father’s death by suicide – where she cooed at Trump: ‘I wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for you.’

Soon afterwards, she and her mother moved into an apartment in West Palm Beach, Florida, so Harp could be close to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago HQ, reportedly sleeping in the women’s changing rooms at his golf club so she could remain close to him, having rejected a maid’s room because it was further away.

Around the same time, she started working for the One America News Network, a Right-wing TV station accused of promoting conspiracy theories.

Enjoying the title of ‘Special Assistant to the President and Executive Assistant to the President’ on a salary of £110,000, Harp helps compose many of the wilder posts Trump puts on his social media platform Truth Social.

These have reportedly included reposting a racist video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, as well as an AI-generated picture of Trump as Jesus Christ.

As salacious theories continue to circulate about the pair, Trump insiders stress the president regards his aide like one of his children.

But given that in 2006 he observed of Ivanka Trump that if she were not his daughter ‘perhaps I’d be dating her’, that assurance may not silence the cynics.

By SOPHIE CHURCH – POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 00:34 BST, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 05:39 BST, 20 August 2026

The mother of a Green Party MP has claimed the Greens have welcomed ‘less than nice people’ through the door by shunning their eco-roots.

In a dramatic intervention, Liz Spencer, the mum of recently elected Green MP Hannah Spencer and herself a Green member, said of the party in its current guise: ‘It’s not what the Green Party used to be; nice people who wore hemp shoes.

‘That opened the door for lots of less-than-nice people to enter. And no one was primed for it.’

Ms Spencer first joined the Green Party when it was called the Ecology Party, and unsuccessfully stood in the 2017 and 2019 Bolton North East general elections for the Greens.

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But she claimed that a deepening divide within the Bolton branch – with more traditional Greens focussed on the environment on one side and its four newly elected councillors on the other – is making the party a ‘laughing stock’ in local politics.

She said: ‘The Green Party has a set of values; environmental stuff that leads onto social justice stuff’, but that ‘now, we are a laughing stock in local politics.’

She added that ‘the atmosphere of paranoia is huge’ and that ‘nobody trusts anybody’.

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The mother of a Green Party MP has claimed the Greens have welcomed ‘less than nice people’ through the door by shunning their eco-roots

The Greens saw three more councillors – Baggy Khan, Zan Arif and Ismail Ibrahim – elected to Bolton Council at this year’s local elections (Baggy Khan pictured)

Ms Spencer told the Manchester Mill, which first reported her comments, that the party would now likely expel her after her intervention.

This comes as the Greens saw three more councillors – Baggy Khan, Zan Arif and Ismail Ibrahim – elected to Bolton Council at this year’s local elections.

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They joined the leader of the Greens on Bolton Council, Hanif Alli, who was elected in 2024.

But an internal row has broken out with some Greens claiming the new councillors do not align with the party’s values.

Helena Carman, who ran for the Greens in May’s local elections, claimed that Mr Alli is ‘not Green’.

She said: ‘I will stand on rooftops and shout ‘that man is not Green!’ and added: ‘He walks around as if he is, but he is truly not.’

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All four Green councillors on Bolton council have now threatened to resign over allegations of ‘racism’ by its older members.

Mr Alli claimed there is a ‘core ‘white’ group who have now become a ‘dab hand’ at orchestrated abuse and press leaks’ – and branded the more traditional Bolton Greens ‘racists’.

He added: ‘In all my years of being involved in politics, I have never seen such well organised/coordinated en masse racism by a group of people who are in my opinion drunk on a short taste of political power and in their quest to rid the [Bolton Green Party] of any people of colour or tarnish them at any cost to the Green Party and its values.’

Commenting on the disunity in the Bolton Greens, a Conservative source, said: ‘Hannah Spencer’s mum is right. Under Zack Polanski’s leadership the Green Party have turned in on themselves and are now turning on each other.

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‘It just shows how unserious they are about the big issues facing the country.’

And Darren Johnson, a former Green Party councillor and London Assembly member who defected to Labour this year, told the Mail:

‘While I think the Green Party’s membership did need to become more diverse, beyond the old hemp-wearing hippies, by re-inventing themselves as a hard-left populist party they’ve completely lost sight of their values and allowed some rather unpleasant people to join who have no real interest in the Green agenda.’

A Labour spokesperson added: ‘While the Greens are busy fighting among themselves, Labour is focused on delivering for people across Greater Manchester.

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‘This extraordinary infighting shows what happens when a protest party is suddenly expected to take responsibility. The Greens can barely manage their own party without descending into chaos — voters will rightly ask how they could ever be trusted to run vital local services.

‘People deserve serious, competent leadership focused on their priorities, not a Green Party consumed by internal rows and dysfunction.’

A spokesperson for the Green Party said: ‘We do not comment on internal matters. We are continuing to support our councillors and members in Bolton.’

Who doesn’t love Center Parcs?

Since opening its first UK village in Sherwood Forest back in the ’80s, the brand become a cultural and nostalgic touchstone.

The resorts draw around 2.3 million across the UK and Ireland each year with its woodland lodges, pretty cycle paths and family-friendly activities.

They’re so popular, in fact, that they’re often at 97% capacity, all year round.

However, there’s no denying that these getaways have become increasingly expensive — rising to eye-watering prices during the school holidays.

Case in point: Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert found three-bed lodges starting at £2,798 for the first week of August 2026.

Even regular Bank Holiday breaks start from £1,149.

With the cost of just about everything rising, it can be hard to justify spending that on any kind of holiday, certainly on staycations.

Especially when budget airlines are selling European flights for less than a train from London to your favourite Center Parcs.

Metro has done some digging to find the best family-friendly alternatives on the continent.

1. Center Parcs Europe

Die-hard Center Parcs fans — why not swap the UK resorts for a cheaper European one?

Center Parcs Europe is under separate corporate ownership from the UK arm, but offers identical experiences.

We’re talking massive indoor water parks, climbing walls and those same gorgeous forest lodges.

Resorts across France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands often come in at a fraction of the price.

For example, four-night stays for four people during promotional off-peak seasons can be as little as €207 (£177) per person.

Standard off-peak and mid-week getaways typically range between €400 (£342) and €800 (£684) for short stays.

And if you’ve choice but to travel during the summer holidays, prices for a family of four generally range from €1,300 (£1,111) to €2,200 (£1,881).

According to peak summer estimates by Holiday Park Guru, Germany is the cheapest, followed by the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

2. Ulrichshof Nature, Germany

Deep in the Bavarian Forest, and close to the Czechia border, is Ulrichshof Nature.

The complex is perfect for families: there’s a heated outdoor pool, a pirate-themed splash park, a whirlpool and slides.

Away from the water-based activities, there’s also a forest playground where adults and kids can enjoy climbing and zip lines.

Plus, there’s daily childcare available from 9am to 8pm if an adults-only relaxation day calls.

The main difference between the classic Center Parcs is that rather than lodge accommodation, Ulrichshof Nature has family suites of all sizes.

On the cheaper end of the scale, there are standard rooms with balconies.

If you’re willing to splash the cash, you can upgrade to luxury suites with large living spaces.

There are plenty of packages to suit all budgets, many of which include all-inclusive meals with sustainable, regional cuisine.

For example, the July ‘family happiness’ package starts from €366 (£313) for one night.

The ‘lucky riders’ package, which includes three-pony riding sessions, starts from €1,341 (£1,146) for four nights.

The nearest airports are Munich and Nuremberg, around a two-hour drive away.

In September, flights from Gatwick to Munich with easyJet average at £48. Ryanair flies to Nuremberg from Stansted for as little as £30.

3. Lalandia, Denmark

Water babies must try Lalandia at least once.

Denmark’s collection of tropical-themed family holiday resorts has locations across the country, including Billund, Rødby and Søndervig.

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The Billund resort is home to Scandinavia’s largest indoor waterpark (called Aquadomes), where guests can enjoy high-speed water slides, a large wave pool, a lazy river, and a secret cave pool with an underwater aquarium.

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Save @lalandia for an amazing family holiday this summer. (Ad – PR invite) Lalandia in Billund, Denmark is home to Scandinavia’s largest waterpark where they have loads of slides, lazy river, a wave pool and a special area for children. They also have loads of amazing activities, including Skyrider, ice skating, bowling, climbing wall, mini golf and more. There is a huge soft play there too. They have great accommodation, which is just a short walk from the centre or you can take their free mini train which rides around the site. It’s just a 5 min walk from @legolandbillund which was so much fun and it was amazing to have it so close. For more information, visit @Lalandia #lalandia #lalandiabillund #aquadome #familyholiday #gatwick

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As a collective, Lalandia also features Nordic holiday cottages, indoor play areas, and various restaurants.

There are bowling alleys, mini-golf, fitness centres, and sports halls, too.

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Not to mention the impressive Tarzan course – a forest obstacle course that stretches over 400 metres, complete with a zipline.

For those wanting to experience the Aquadomes, autumn holiday bookings for the Billund location are now open.

A spacious holiday home for a family of four starts from €734 (£627) in October. The cottages have two bedrooms, a covered terrace, and disabled facilities.

You can fly directly to Billund Airport from London Heathrow. British Airways has direct flights in October from £68.

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4. Duinrell, Netherlands

From the largest waterpark in Scandinavia to the biggest in the Netherlands — Duinrell should be on your agenda.

This holiday and amusement park is located in the town of Wassenaar, in the province of South Holland.

You can either stay overnight or visit for the day, whatever your budget permits.

Key features include the amusement park, which boasts rides for all ages, from thrilling rollercoasters to competitive bumper car sessions.

The tropical waterpark is also a highlight: With 21 unique slides, including a spinning giant funnel and a lazy river, it’s the largest in the Benelux.

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The park also features an outdoor tiki pool, open in the summer months.

For those planning on a day trip, tickets for the amusement park and outdoor tiki pool start from €29.50 (£25).

Making a holiday of it? There are multiple accommodation options available, including camping, glamping, and ‘Duingalows.’

A four-person, five-night bungalow stay in September starts from €736 (£629).

Camping by the river starts from €265 (£226) for two nights, while a glamping spot for a family of five starts from €515 (£440) for three nights.

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The closest airport to Duinrell is Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM), a 30-minute drive away.

Transavia flies from Stansted for as little as £39 in September.

5. Cambrils Park, Salou, Spain

Last but not least, if southern Europe is calling, check out Cambrils Park in Salou.

It’s located just a five-minute walk from the beach, in the heart of the Costa Daurada, where you’ll find charming villages, natural landscapes, and historic sites.

On-site, it’s a family affair. The park boasts swimming pools with splash areas for the little ones, slides and water games for the adventurous, and a quiet environment where parents can relax.

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Inside, there’s a playroom where kids can take part in creative workshops or group games.

Or, if you feel like a family wellness day, there’s a spa where parents and children can relax together. Whether it’s floating in heated pools or trying hydrotherapy circuits, Cambrils Park believes that wellness isn’t just for stressed-out adults.

As for accommodation, there are a variety of themed apartments available, with one, two or three bedrooms.

There’s the ‘calm and sophistication of La Mediterrània,’ the ‘exotic vegetation of La Polynesia,’ and the ‘energy and colour of the Caribbean.’

For example, a villa for a family of four for four nights starts from €720 (£615) in September, while ‘Aloha bungalows’ that sleep six start from €745 (£637).

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The nearest airport is Reus, a 15-minute drive away. Jet2 fly from Luton for around £30.

MORE: Italy is charging tourists £425 for leaving towels on beaches

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The Getaway Expert

Your exclusive seven-day guide to travelling with confidence from Metro’s resident travel expert, Alice Murphy.

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Take a walk in London’s Trafalgar Square this summer and wilting under the heat will be all sorts of body sizes, some tall, some short: a real mix of sizes.

Picking just two from the crowd to represent the whole human species would be a tall order. But that is exactly what we do when we find fossils of ancient hominins (human relatives).

Anthropologists can estimate a person’s height with reasonable accuracy from the long bones – your femur (thigh bone) works well. On average, the size of this bone
scales well with overall height, given a large samples of bones.

This is exactly what a group of scientists have done using fossils dredged from the seafloor off Taiwan. To add to the mystery, these bones are those of Denisovans, currently one of the most enigmatic species of hominins.

The Denisovans were a widespread species of Homo (the genus which encompasses our own species, as well as close relatives such as Neanderthals). They were initially known only from genetic sequences that had been extracted from isolated fragments of material, such as a small finger bone, at Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains of Siberia.

The apparent absence of substantial fossil material from this species made them mysterious, although in recent years, fresh discoveries have added to our understanding. These include the Dragon Man (or Harbin) skull, recovered from a river in northeast China. DNA and protein analysis has now linked this large skull to the Denisovans.

The remarkable feature of the fossils analysed by Yousuke Kaifu, from the University of Tokyo, and colleagues, is that they were dredged from the Penghu Channel in the Taiwan Strait.

Most rare hominin fossils are carefully excavated, allowing researchers to record their exact position within layers of sediment and their relationship to associated animals, artefacts and environmental evidence.

These bones were instead recovered from the seabed among the fossilised remains of terrestrial ice age mammals, probably deposited when sea levels exposed the channel as dry land around the time when the ice age was at its height. Their precise discovery locations and geological contexts were not recorded.

This makes the fossils scientifically unusual: their anatomy and preserved proteins contain valuable evidence. However, much of the contextual information normally supplied by an archaeological excavation has been lost.

Recovered long bones

The bones – an incomplete femur (thigh bone) and tibia (the largest bone in the shin) – have been assigned to two Denisovans on the basis of analyses of their recovered ancient proteomes. A proteome is the collection of proteins preserved within a fossil. These proteins can retain evidence of evolutionary relationships, even when DNA has been lost.

These bones produced slightly different proteome signals, which is why the authors suggest that these represent two individuals. The newly described femur and tibia are likewise not directly dated.

Because they were recovered by dredging and lack secure geological provenance,
they can only be placed broadly within the Middle to Late Pleistocene, using the
animal remains and preservation evidence. The Pleistocene epoch lasted from around 2.58 million years ago until 11,700 years ago.

Aside from assigning the bones to Denisovans, the researchers have used them to
infer the stature of the two individuals. They are incomplete, which complicates
matters somewhat, but skilled anatomists can be reasonably confident on the
complete bone sizes.

The lack of context for the fossils – normally provided by the sediments in which they are recovered from – means we don’t know if the two individuals lived at the same time or at least a similar interval.

But the bones are long and when the other body elements are scaled based on the leg bones, it suggests that these individuals were tall. In the new paper, Yousuke Kaifu and colleagues say that the estimated height of Penghu 2 (one of the newly described specimens) was approximately 1.8 metres (5’11”), with a weight of around 83kg.

Their estimates for the other fossil, Penghu 3, give a height of about 1.9 metres (6’3″) and a weight of about 91kg. These estimates, the team writes in their study, “are comparable to the largest known Pleistocene Homo from Africa and Europe”.

Inferring tallness as a species-level trait based on two individuals is challenging, although it has not prevented some headlines from claiming that Denisovans were tall. Think back to our walk in Trafalgar Square.

Proceed with caution

The dangers of reconstructing stature are illustrated by the famous Turkana Boy or
Nariokotome Boy, a remarkably complete Homo erectus skeleton discovered in
Kenya in 1984. He was unusual because his skull, teeth and long bones
were all complete and available for study.

He was already around 1.6 metres tall when he died, but estimates of his age have differed. Dentally, he appears younger than his skeleton suggests. His skeletal development appeared comparable to that of a modern human aged around 11-13, while microscopic growth increments in his teeth suggested that he was only about eight or nine.

The discrepancy reflects uncertainty over whether Homo erectus grew slowly like us, including an adolescent growth spurt, or matured more rapidly.

Different assumptions consequently produced different projections of his adult height, although more recent modelling suggests he would probably have reached approximately 1.76–1.80 metres.

He is the only example of such a complete Homo erectus skeleton, but does this mean that all members of his species would have been as tall? We should be sceptical – just as we should be about the height of Denisovans.

It is not clear from this study whether the change reflects an overall increase in the populations of these whale species, or just a redistribution from other areas.

Other experts the BBC spoke to were concerned that the study suggested there was an influx of the animals from West Greenland. That is a sensitive issue in Greenland, a country where some whales are hunted.

But the scientists said that their findings do suggest that these “opportunistic” baleen whales appear to be adapting and might even be benefiting from the change.

Other Arctic species, however, are “in trouble now”, explained Prof Heide-Jørgensen.

Animals including narwhals and belugas are sharing habitat with – or even being displaced by – these other whales.

“For some species, climate change is not necessarily a problem – it opens up new opportunities,” said Prof Heide-Jørgensen, “but other species are losing their habitat”.

The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, external.

Kaia Gerber raised eyebrows last week when she claimed that she had been possessed as a child and had an exorcism.

The 24-year-old daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber stated that she has been ‘haunted [her] whole life’ and also ‘attracts beings from other dimensions’, resulting in her being taken over by evil spirits. 

These days, Kaia uses crystals to protect herself from negative energy, and practises crystal healing – an alternative medicine practice that ‘harnesses the power of crystals’ to improve health, reduce stress, and balance energy fields.

In 2021 she explained that the Covid lockdowns had changed her daily routine, revealing she no longer likes to rush in the mornings and she will ‘take a lot of time’ for herself. 

Kaia shared: ‘I like to write in the mornings and usually write a few pages. I like to meditate and say a prayer. I think mindful moments like that have really become a huge part of my morning routine. 

‘I’m very into crystals – I have like a million of them all over my bedroom – and I “charge” them out in the moonlight, especially during a full moon. I’m a weirdo like that. 

Kaia added that she’s ‘very into’ breathing, adding to British Vogue: ‘I do 4-7-8 breathing [breathe in for four counts, hold for seven and then breathe out for eight], which I think is incredible, and really calms me down. 

‘And then guided meditations. I think anything that works for you is incredible – I’m someone who likes to try everything.’

Kaia also discussed her love of crystals in a chat with Glamour, sharing: ‘I’ll lay with them on me or place them in different areas. 

‘I am very into Feng Shui and things like that. It’s probably not the most normal thing to witness, but I guess it’s not so far out. 

‘My favourite crystal that I really love is rose quartz. I just think it’s one that everyone should have and it just brings in a lot of really good energy and that’s just one that I like to have all over.’

Kaia also explained that she enjoys writing fan fiction as a hobby. 

She revealed on Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast: ‘It’s so fun to write something even if you don’t put it — like, I write fan fiction and I don’t put it anywhere, I just like it.’

While she would not reveal the subject of her fan fiction she confessed: ‘It’s not a human. There you go, next question.’

Kaia raised eyebrows last week when she claimed that she had been possessed as a child and her model mother Cindy Crawford had to order an exorcism 

Kaia also recalled her model mother giving her ‘holy water’ to bring with her while filming American Horror Story: Double Feature (pictured in the show) 

Kaia recently opened up about her experience with demonic spirits on The Mitch Churi Chat Show, as she recalled her model mother giving her ‘holy water’ to bring with her while filming American Horror Story: Double Feature.

‘She was like, “I don’t want you to get possessed.” I was told I was possessed as a child.’

Kaia continued: ‘I attract beings from other dimensions in a very casual and chill way,’ before alleging she previously had an exorcism.

‘Do you know how they did the exorcism? They played a didgeridoo all over me! That’s how they did the exorcism.’

A didgeridoo is an ancient wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians and they are not typically associated with the practice of exorcisms. 

‘That actually did happen,’ Kaia further claimed. ‘I’ve never talked about it, but it actually did happen. I’m all healed.’

Kaia and her elder brother Presley, 27, were raised in an interfaith family. 

She previously explained: ‘My dad is Jewish and my mom is Christian, so we grew up doing both; we call Christmas Chrismukkah. 

‘I love learning about both of those sides of my life. We’d do Passover, Passover dinner and Yom Kippur. I love learning all of that – and learning the cooking.’

“I urge the Secretary of State to commission a single, coordinated, independent review into what was known about the conduct of Jeffrey Donaldson, how concerns were handled across political and institutional settings, and what lessons should be learned to protect victims and prevent future failures,” she said.

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan has confirmed that a once touted possible spin-off 6666 has been scrapped.

On Yellowstone, Jefferson White’s character Jimmy Hurdstrom leaves the show’s Montana setting to work on the real 6666 Ranch in Texas.

Sheridan, 56, acquired the historic property after its previous owner’s death, strengthening rumors that a new series might eventually be set there.

However, Sheridan has now clarified that the project will not proceed because of his aversion to the idea of ‘trivializing’ the lives of the real people he employs on the ranch.

‘I would never fictionalize that ranch,’ he said on Tuesday’s episode of the podcast Rodeo Time.

Although ‘people thought that that was gonna be,’ the showrunner insisted: ‘That’s never gonna happen.’

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan has confirmed that a once touted possible spin-off 6666 has been scrapped. Above, Sheridan in 2021

On Yellowstone, Jefferson White’s character Jimmy Hurdstrom – pictured (left) with Denim Richards as Colby (right) – leaves Montana to work on the real 6666 Ranch in Texas

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The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Sheridan for further comment. 

The original Yellowstone series included occasional scenes of Jimmy’s life on the 6666 Ranch, with actual workers there featuring in the supporting parts.

‘I’ve actually got on my computer all the scenes of Jimmy at the 6666 pulled out and strung together, and it makes its own perfect little movie where you watch him go there as this misfit and leave a man and a respected cowboy,’ said Sheridan.

He observed that viewers ‘who are in the cowboy world’ were able to recognize Heath Ownbey, the real-life cattle manager of the Waggoner Ranch, ‘and so for the people who know, that rings really true to them.’

However, the prospect of manufacturing new storylines on a full-out spin-off would involve ‘making up lives. Now I have to invent a drama. We can’t just watch a kid learn how to rope every single episode,’ Sheridan noted.

‘So now I’m trivializing and fictionalizing something where real people work and they raise their families there, and I could never do that to them.’

He said he was ‘very protective’ of the ranch and ‘very, very careful’ of the ‘big responsibility’ of being the ‘person who has to protect that brand.’

The 6666 Ranch was founded in 1870 by the cattleman Samuel Burk Burnett and was in the hands of his great-granddaughter Anne Windfohr Marion by the time Sheridan’s association with the property began.

In 2020, Marion died of lung cancer aged 81 and in 2022, Sheridan’s investment group bought the ranch for a rumored $320 million.

Sheridan, 56, acquired the historic property for a rumored $320 million in 2022 after the death of the previous owner. ‘I would never fictionalize that ranch,’ he said on Tuesday’s episode of the podcast Rodeo Time

Although fan hopes of a 6666 show have been dashed, another spin-off set in Texas, Dutton Ranch, starring Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, has been renewed for a second season

Another heartthrob from Yellowstone, Luke Grimes, has landed a spin-off of his own entitled Marshals, which premiered in March

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Kelly Reilly, Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Chow, Wes Bentley and Cole Hauser are pictured in a publicity still for season two of Yellowstone in 2019. The phenomenal success of the show cemented Sheridan’s status as one of Hollywood’s  hottest showrunners

Although fan hopes of a 6666 show have been dashed, another spin-off set in Texas, Dutton Ranch, has been renewed for a second season after airing its first run of episodes from May until July to a ravenous response from viewers. 

That show stars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser as the fan favorite couple of Beth Dutton and her ‘bad boy’ husband Rip Wheeler from the original series.

Another heartthrob from Yellowstone, Luke Grimes, has landed a spin-off of his own entitled Marshals, which premiered this March.

Two period spin-offs have also emerged from the franchise – 1923, led by Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, and 1883, starring Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Sam Elliott.

Sheridan’s vast television empire also includes such series as the Texas-based oil drama Landman, fronted by Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore, as well as the spy thriller Lioness, featuring Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman.

Seaside classics in Northern Ireland include Whiterocks Beach and its dramatic limestone cliffs, White Park Bay with its wild, isolated arc and resident cattle, and Downhill Beach, famous for the clifftop Mussenden Temple overhead

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A lesser-trod spot on the Causeway Coast has been named the world’s third most underrated beach.

Along the 115miles of glorious coastline that make up the northern-most reaches of the country, there are plenty of spots that’ll be familiar to anyone who’s spent time heading to the beach.

Portstewart Strand, with its golden miles and drive-on access, is perhaps the most famous. Other classics include Whiterocks Beach and its dramatic limestone cliffs, White Park Bay with its wild, isolated arc and resident cattle, and Downhill Beach, famous for the clifftop Mussenden Temple overhead

But it’s none of these that have been named the third most underrated in the world.

“Along Northern Ireland’s dramatic Causeway Coast, Castlerock Beach offers a kilometre of golden sand backed by sweeping views and a relaxed seaside atmosphere. Whether you’re walking the shoreline or simply taking in the Atlantic views, it’s an easy reminder that some of the best beach days happen away from the spotlight,” writes SkyScanner in its Paradise Guide.

For those who have never been, Castlerock is a lovely, low-key alternative to the bigger-name Causeway Coast spots. It has golden sand, dunes, and enough nearby history and golf to fill a day without ever feeling touristy.

The beach itself is slightly less than a mile of golden sand, with fresh air, breathtaking views and a friendly, low-key atmosphere. It’s a genuine Blue Flag/quality beach, having won the Rural Award Beach Seaside Award in 2014 under Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s criteria, according to Visit Portrush.

The dunes that run toward the Lower River Bann Estuary are among the oldest in all of Ireland, which gives the landscape a wild, untouched feel. With or without a pair of binoculars, you’ve a decent chance to spot marine life such as porpoises and seals in the water, plus the beach draws rare seabirds.

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Although it doesn’t have the same access as Downhill Beach, Mussenden Temple is nearby. The circular stone building sits dramatically on the cliff edge overlooking Downhill Strand, built in 1785 as a library and open to the public year-round via the National Trust, writes Causewaycoast.

Another nearby point of interest is Hezlett House, which is one of Northern Ireland’s oldest buildings, now run by the National Trust, where you can explore a well-preserved late-1600s cottage and grounds.

For those who like to tee off, Castlerock Golf Club has an 18-hole championship links course right behind the beach and dunes, which is considered one of the oldest and most iconic courses in Northern Ireland.

The beach is surprisingly easy to reach. It’s a two-minute walk north from Castlerock railway station, making it one of the more accessible North Coast beaches if you’re not driving.

Essentially, Castlerock is a quieter, more residential seaside village than Portrush or Portstewart, but with beach, dunes, cliff-top history, and golf all within easy walking distance of each other — and it works well as a stop on a wider Causeway Coast route toward the Giant’s Causeway or Downhill Demesne.