Kristofer Davies was given a suspended sentenced after he repeatedly punched his victim to the ground and continued the violence when his victim was on the floor.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the vicious unprovoked attack was caught on CCTV.

The 37-year-old was sentenced to nine-months in prison suspended for 18 months and ordered to attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and was subjected to a 120-day alcohol abstinence programme.

Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, said an arrest warrant was issued for the defendant after he failed to attend court for breaching the terms of his suspended sentence order.

He said Davies had been offered nine appointments by the Probation Service but had only attended one of those.

The court heard how the defendant also still had around 140 hours of unpaid work to complete.

Calum McNicholas, mitigating, said his client had been struggling with settled accommodation and bereavement but was now hoping to be able to live with a relative.

Davies, of no fixed abode but formerly of Darlington, pleaded guilty to breaching the terms of his suspended sentence order.

Judge Aisha Wadoodi activated seven months of the order after he failed to take advantage of the chance she had offered to him in July 2024.

She said: “The court will have made it clear that if you didn’t abide by the order and do what was requested of you that the suspended sentence could be activated.”

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At his initial sentencing hearing, the judge heard how the trouble flared following an earlier incident at the Greyhound pub in Darlington in May 2024 which resulted in his client turning up at the door of his cousin.

Davies repeatedly punched his victim to the ground and continued the violence when his victim was on the floor.

The victim required hospital treatment but had discharged himself after a couple of days.

He had pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm following the attack.

Reports in US media, quoting unnamed administration officials, have suggested that Trump was considering an initial strike in the coming days on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards or nuclear sites to pressure the country’s leaders. If negotiations failed, according to the reports, the president might go as far as ordering a campaign with the aim of toppling the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A recent study has found that there may be a link between artificial sweenters and dementia.

When it comes to having a warm cup of coffee or tea in the morning, everyone has their own preference. While some people prefer a strong brew to wake them up in the early hours, others are only able to stomach it when sweeteners are added in.

While some may think they are making a better choice for their health by adding an artificial sweetener to their drink instead of a teaspoon of sugar, a recent study has found that certain sweeteners may actually be having a negative effect on your brain in your later life.

Published in the journal Neurology, the research found that a high consumption of sugar in adults appears to have a link to an increased risk of developing dementia in your elder years, reports the Mirror. While a variety of intake levels were tested, those in the highest group equaled around “1.6 years of ageing”.

On top of this, another study also found that even those under the age of 60 could be at an increased risk of developing memory loss. Meanwhile, in terms of broader health, high consumption of aritificial sweeteners could have a negative impact on younger adults as well.

The study included 12,772 adults, which equated to an average age 52-years-old, who were tracked over eight years. From the research, it was found that certain sweeteners appeared to link to faster rates of cognitive decline.

Scientists in the study looked into seven different sweeteners to see what impact it would have on the brains of the participants. This included:

• aspartame,
• saccharin,
• acesulfame-K,
• erythritol,
• xylitol,
• sorbitol, and
• tagatose

The research found that out of the seven sweeteners tested, only tagatose did not have a link to faster cognitive decline. At the beginning of the study, the participants were asked to fill out questionnaires about their diets. From there they were split into three groups – low, medium, and high sweetener consumption.

On average, the lowest group consumed around 20mg of sweetener a day, while the highest group consumed as much as 191mg in a single day.

In order to test the brain’s power, each group took cognitive tests at the start, middle and end of the study. These tests were designed to assess six cognitive functions, such as word recall, memory, and verbal fluency.

Also taking into account factors such as age, gender and blood pressure, the research showed a link between a higher consumption of six low and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCs) and the risk of dementia, especially amongst those under 60.

Participants in this group experienced cognitive decline 65 per cent faster than those in the lowest LNCs consuming groups. Meanwhile the middle group showed a 35 per cent change in comparison.

The paper added: “Daily consumption of LNCs was associated with accelerated decline in memory, verbal fluency and global cognition.” This effect also seemed to be stronger amongst those with diabetes.

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Study author Professor Claudia Kimie Suemoto explained: “While we found links to cognitive decline for middle-aged people both with and without diabetes, people with diabetes are more likely to use artificial sweeteners as sugar substitutes.

“More research is needed to confirm our findings and to investigate if other refined sugar alternatives, such as applesauce, honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar, may be effective alternatives.”

She added: “Low and no-calorie sweeteners are often seen as a healthy alternative to sugar, however our findings suggest certain sweeteners may have negative effects on brain health over time.” However, more tests will need to be conducted to find the cause.

The NHS states that “all sweeteners in Great Britain undergo a rigorous safety assessment before they can be used in food and drink. All approved sweeteners are considered a safe and acceptable alternative to using sugar”.

The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) further shared in a statement that said: “This research is an observational study, which can only show a statistical association, not a direct cause-and-effect relationship. The reported link between sweetener consumption and cognitive decline does not prove that one causes the other.”

American officials have sparked fears after promising ‘to do everything in our power’ in response

Cuban soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-registered speedboat that had entered Cuban waters and opened fire on soldiers, the Cuban government said on Wednesday.

Cuba’s interior ministry issued a statement that provided few details about the shooting, but noted that the boat was roughly one mile north-east off Cayo Falcones, off Cuba’s north coast. It was unclear if any US citizens were aboard.

The government provided the boat’s registration number, but the Associated Press was unable to readily verify details of the boat because boat registrations are not public in the state of Florida.

Officials said one Cuban officer was injured, four suspects killed and six others injured. It was not immediately known what the boat and its occupants were doing in Cuban waters.

In the statement, the ministry said Cuba’s government was “safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region”.

US vice president JD Vance said late on Wednesday afternoon that he had been briefed on the incident by secretary of state Marco Rubio. He added that the White House was monitoring the situation, but declined to provide further details. “Hopefully it’s not as bad as we fear it could be,” Mr Vance said.

James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, said he has ordered prosecutors to work with federal, state and law enforcement partners to start an investigation.

“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” he wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Florida Republican congressman Carlos A Gimenez decried the four killings and accused the Cuban government of murder.

“This regime must be relegated to the dust bin of history,” he wrote on X.

It is not unusual for skirmishes to erupt between Cuba’s coastguard and US-flagged speedboats in Cuban waters, but there have been no recent reports of passengers opening fire or being killed.

In past years, some of those US-flagged boats were laden with unidentified items headed toward the island or they were going to pick up Cubans and smuggle them into the US.

Officials with the US coastguard did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security directed questions to the US Department of State, which did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The incident comes as tensions simmer between the US and Cuba in the wake of mounting pressure by the Trump administration.

The two countries used to collaborate on drug smuggling and other crimes but have since stopped doing so.

The EU is not doing enough to stop Russia’s shadow fleet from transporting sanctioned oil, the president of the European Parliament admitted.

Roberta Metsola told Sky News’s lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim the bloc needs to cooperate more to make sure ships carrying illegal goods do not continue to sail through European waters.

“We still have to do more on the shadow fleet, with more vessels that need to be impounded,” she said.

Russia uses its shadow fleet to export large quantities of crude oil despite Western sanctions.

Ms Metsola said the EU had adopted 19 packages of sanctions, but needed to bring in a 20th regime to clamp down further.

She admitted European countries are continuing to fund Russia’s war by buying oil and gas, saying it was “unacceptable”.

“For us, any possibility for Russia to continue to wage its war against Ukraine and against Europe as a whole, by using funds that could inadvertently or overtly come from the European Union, is unacceptable,” she added.

Ms Metsola said the EU placed sanctions to prevent Russian gas from being bought inside the EU or imported via other countries in cheaper or different forms, and is edging closer to banning oil to the same extent.

Read more:
On the trail of Putin’s ‘shadow fleet’
Russia killed Alexei Navalny with frog poison

Asked if there was a plan to seize vessels operating in Russia’s shadow fleet, Ms Metsola said: “We have seen a lot of work, jointly, on this shadow fleet. It’s not solved yet. There are a lot of vessels that continue to operate.”

She said ships had been identified quickly changing their flags, changing their registration from one jurisdiction to another “in an illegal manner” – but admitted “we need to be faster”.

“I think we are doing well, but we need to do better,” she said.

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Sky News hunts Russia’s shadow fleet

Sky News tracked dozens of Russian tankers loaded with sanctioned oil sailing between Britain and France.

The vessels carrying Russian oil worth around $100m (£74.1m) cruised through the Channel in defiance of Western sanctions.

Tankers the Rigel, the Hyperion and the Kousai were followed from the Gulf of Finland, where they had been loaded with oil at Russian Baltic ports, as they passed the narrowest point of the Dover Straits.

These ships were part of a “shadow fleet” of up to 800 vessels that kept the oil revenues funding the war in Ukraine.

This week marked the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Peace talks between negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the US are being held in Abu Dhabi.

There’s a packed weekend of stories of Wales with live music, traditional crafts, a family trail, and delicious Welsh food at this mansion house

We love a historic manor house and luckily there are plenty of grand abodes to visit in Wales, including a beautiful property in Newport that’s open to the public.

Cared for by the National Trust, Tredegar House is one of the architectural wonders of Wales and one of the most significant late 17th-century houses in the British Isles.

Situated on 90 acres of glorious gardens and parkland the delightful red-brick house provides an ideal setting for a family day out.

This weekend you can visit Tredegar House for free St David’s Day celebrations. Join the Tredar House team for a packed weekend of stories of Wales with live music, traditional crafts, a family trail, and delicious Welsh food, funded by the Welsh Government.

Some of the free events and entertainment over the weekend include Love Spoon Clay Craft, Sally’s Angels Choir, Welsh Folk Dancing, harpist Loraine Lutman, bilingual storytelling with Christine Watkins, and Border Lacemakers.

This event and access to the parklands are free but there is an admission charge to step inside the mansion house and gardens. A family ticket (two adults and up to three children) costs £38.50 and dogs are welcome almost everywhere on a lead.

It’s worth visiting the mansion house and gardens to learn more about the property and the family that lived there.

According to the National Trust the large house was home to one of the greatest Welsh families, the Morgans, later Lords Tredegar, for more than 500 years.

At the end of the 18th century the Morgan family owned more than 40,000 acres in Monmouthshire, Breconshire, and Glamorgan. Their lives affected southeast Wales socially, economically, and politically and also influenced the area’s heritage. Never miss a Newport story by subscribing to our newsletter here

In 1951 Tredegar House, with most of its contents and surrounding estates, was sold to the Catholic Church. It was first used as a convent school and later became a comprehensive school.

For more than 20 years,Tredegar House served as a school until 1974 when Newport City Council bought it. In 2012 the council leased the house to the National Trust, which now cares for its historic buildings, unusual gardens, and vast parkland.

Since then Tredegar House has been restored and re-furnished with many original pieces.

Today its historic walls feature portraits of the family and the rooms are dressed to reflect different points in the house’s history, from the late 17th century to the 1930s.

Step inside and you can wander through the 17th-century rooms, which feature fine oak panelling with exceptional carving and ornate plasterwork, moulding, and gilding.

In the glistening Gilt Room, you can look up at the only surviving 17th-century plaster ceiling. Visit the New Parlour where you can play games, create your own stories with shadow puppets, or even dress up as one of the Morgans.

Then there are the oak panel carvings in the Brown Room where you should look out for serpents, lions, griffins, and weird and wonderful creatures.

In the Great Kitchen you can imagine all the work that went into preparing one of the many Morgans’ lavish feasts. You can also take a peek at 1930s bedrooms including the Best Chamber, which has the best views of the whole estate.

One of the biggest draws, though, is the vast parklands and gardens, which include sweeping lawns, towering woodland, orchards, and an ornamental lake.

The largest of the three gardens, the Orchard Garden, is worth a wander and has a bountiful orchard full of apple trees and a hidden pathway.

This eye-catching Orangery Garden is bordered by topiary, and the sweet scents of citrus and pear blossoms are available to enjoy as you wander.

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For kids the shaded woodland is popular for hide-and-seek while the lake is home to swans, grebes, moorhens, and ducks.

You may fancy a wander down Oak Avenue, stretching out from the 17th-century house gates and over the crest of the hill towards Ruperra Castle, once a summer home of the Morgan family. Dogs are also welcome.

There’s also a second-hand bookshop where you can browse a selection of donated books and it’s also possible to visit the charming Brewhouse café.

Originally the home of the Morgan family’s horses the building was later transformed into a brewery for the Morgans.

Seasonal and locally-sourced menus are freshly prepared daily and all profits go back into conserving Tredegar House.

For more information about the free events visit the website.

Co-hosts Sri Lanka are out of the T20 World Cup after collapsing to a 61-run defeat by New Zealand in Colombo.

Needing to win to keep their semi-final hopes alive, Sri Lanka looked to be in control late into the New Zealand innings, having restricted them to 98-6 after 16 overs.

However, the bowlers crumbled in the face of a late surge from Mitchell Santner (47 from 26 balls) and Cole McConchie (31 not out from 23) and New Zealand bludgeoned 70 from the final four overs.

A chase of 169 left the game in the balance but Sri Lanka’s top order folded, with fast bowler Matt Henry taking two wickets in the powerplay.

From there, the home side failed to generate any momentum and when Rachin Ravindra had both Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake stumped in the ninth over, Sri Lanka were 29-4 and the game was up.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra, who made 32 from 22 with the bat, took a further two wickets to end with figures of 4-27, while Henry was afforded the rest of the night off after taking 2-3 from his two overs as Sri Lanka dragged themselves to 107-8.

After losing to England in their opening Super 8s game, Sri Lanka depart with a whimper while New Zealand remain in contention to reach a fifth T20 World Cup semi-final.

For much of the first innings, though, Sri Lanka’s bowlers looked like being the match-winners, with spinner Maheesh Theekshana taking 3-9 from his first three overs and fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera also impressing.

They led the way as New Zealand slumped from 75-2 to 84-6 in less than three overs.

But Sri Lanka failed to finish the job and McConchie began the fightback before his captain took over with a brutal display of hitting, dismantling a suddenly fragile Sri Lanka attack, in a stand of 84.

It took New Zealand to a competitive total that, ultimately, proved more than good enough as the spinners took over and Sri Lanka fell apart.

Both sides have one Super 8s game remaining. New Zealand can seal their place in the semi-finals with victory over England on Friday, while Sri Lanka face Pakistan in Pallekele on Saturday.

Russia’s war in Ukraine is now in its fifth year and, despite the growing impatience of Donald Trump, a breakthrough in peace talks looks a long way off. Yet even when the fighting does end, it will not represent a conclusion. Rather, it will mark the start of a considerable new challenge: reconstruction.

The crucial questions are not only how much reconstruction will cost, but also how it can be financed and whether Ukraine will have the skilled workforce needed to carry it out. Millions of Ukrainian citizens have left the country since the start of the 2022 invasion.

A further test will be whether Europe, which became Ukraine’s largest provider of military and financial assistance in 2025, can maintain the political unity needed to see reconstruction financing through in the long term.

1. Closing the funding gap

Ukraine’s reconstruction needs are enormous. According to figures released by the World Bank on February 23, the total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine will be around US$588 billion (£435 billion) over the next decade. This will only rise as the war drags on.

In an attempt to meet this figure, Ukraine and its allies are seeking to mobilise private capital. This has involved Ukraine’s parliament adopting a new public-private partnership law in June 2025 to incentivise private-sector participation in the reconstruction of economic sectors such as energy and transportation.

A war-risk insurance mechanism was also rolled out that year. Supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, it provides private companies that invest in Ukraine’s reconstruction with protection against war-related damages.

However, irrespective of these developments, the level of investment in Ukraine is likely to fall far short of what the country requires. In 2024, Ukraine attracted roughly US$3 billion of foreign direct investment, with reinvested profits making up the largest proportion. Data published by Ukraine’s central bank suggests this figure will drop in 2025.

A foreign investor sentiment survey from 2025 found that only 49% of members of the Global Business for Ukraine and the European Business Association, two groups of international companies focused on supporting and rebuilding Ukraine’s economy, are actually investing in the country. Nearly 70% of those surveyed cited the volatile security situation, which is likely to continue after the war, as the main barrier to investment.

Nearly 50% of those surveyed pointed to corruption, policy uncertainty and weak institutional capacity as barriers, while 34% voiced concerns about the strength of the rule of law. These are governance challenges that predate Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Ukraine’s ability to attract more private investment after the war will thus not only depend on the terms of the peace deal. It will also depend on how effectively the country manages to strengthen its institutions.

Private capital will play a role in Ukraine’s reconstruction. But its flows are far from guaranteed. So the donors and financial institutions that have sustained Ukraine throughout the war, such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the European Investment Bank, will probably have to play a leading role in financing Ukraine’s longer-term recovery.

2. Encouraging Ukrainians to return

Nearly 6 million Ukrainians remain displaced abroad as a result of the war. There is no guarantee that these people, many of whom have spent years integrating into the labour markets and education systems of their host countries, will choose to return to Ukraine when the hostilities end.

Labour shortages, both skilled and unskilled, are one of the key challenges currently facing companies in Ukraine. And foreign investors have also cited labour availability as an important factor influencing their decision about whether to invest in the country’s reconstruction.

Encouraging Ukrainians to return voluntarily will require more than patriotic appeals: it will depend on there being viable employment prospects, functioning public services and credible security guarantees in place to prevent a resumption in the conflict.

The Ukrainian government has begun taking steps to maintain connectivity with the diaspora. This has included opening so-called “unity hubs” aimed at sustaining ties with the refugees and facilitating their voluntary return. One such hub opened in Berlin in 2025.

Ukraine’s authorities are also developing a portal designed to connect refugees with employment and business opportunities at home. However, these initiatives remain in their early stages and uptake remains to be seen.

Without the return of refugees, Ukraine risks developing a structural skills deficit. Such a shortfall could deter private investment in the country’s reconstruction and lead to a reliance on external labour.

3. European political commitment

There is also a political dimension to the challenges associated with reconstructing Ukraine. Sustaining long-term support for the country’s reconstruction may become more complicated amid shifting political dynamics across Europe.

The consensus among European countries on supporting Ukraine has largely held. But upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in France, Italy, Denmark and elsewhere in 2026 and 2027 could shift the balance of power in key allied countries.

The elections are, at the very least, likely to absorb political attention and divert focus from unresolved questions. These include questions around the use of frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction, where agreement remains elusive.

Signs of fracture are also beginning to emerge. The EU has looked to push through a €90 billion loan to cover Ukraine’s needs for 2026 and 2027. Three countries – Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary – abstained from the deal over the closure of an important oil pipeline in Ukraine. And Hungary now appears to be holding up the loan.

Reconstruction will be a test of political endurance as much as financial capacity. The question that will arise after any peace deal is reached is not only how to fund Ukraine’s recovery, but whether its allies can sustain the political consensus required to do so over time.

The announcement comes shortly after the funeral details of two others involved in the same crash

Funeral details for a father of six children who died in a tragic weekend road collision in Co Armagh have been announced.

John Guy, 48, Conor Quinn, 31 and Laura Hoy-Henry, 23, died following a three-vehicle collision in the Armagh Road area of Moy on Saturday, February 21, with four other people suffering injuries.

Mr Guy’s funeral will take place in St Patrick’s Church, Keady, on Saturday at 10:30am with burial afterwards in the church cemetery. Mr Guy who was originally from Dublin but resided in Keady was the beloved daddy to Troy, Maddie, Carla, Tiana, Brogan and Morgan.

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He was also the cherished son of Harry and Caroline and loving brother to Regina, Aisling and Christopher.

The notice read that Mr Guy was: “Deeply regretted and sorely missed by his heartbroken family.”

The accident happened on the main road between the Moy and Armagh around 10.20pm on Saturday. The deaths of those involved have brought shock and sadness to communities across Co Armagh and Co Tyrone. The incident was described as a “dark day” for the area.

In a statement on Monday confirming the deaths, the PSNI said all three were passengers in a red BMW that was involved in the collision alongside a grey Volkswagen Amarok and Audi Q3.

A police spokesperson said: “John, Conor, and Laura were travelling together in the same vehicle – a red BMW, along with another female passenger who was also injured.

“Our thoughts are with their families at this time as they come to terms with the devastating loss of their loved ones, and we will continue to support them.

“Two people travelling in the grey Volkswagen Amarok reported injuries that required medical treatment – while the driver of a white Audi Q3, also involved in the collision, reported minor injuries.

“Our enquiries are continuing today, and anyone who was in the area and may have witnessed the collision, or who has dash-cam footage or any other information, should contact police on 101 quoting reference number 1654 21/02/26.”

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