What is the best way to grow vegetables?

Ratna, West Midlands

I like to grow them in the earth if I can, but lots of veg can thrive in pots. If you’re a beginner just starting to grow your own veg, start with something that you eat. Don’t ever try to grow something you’re not interested in because you’ll never bother to harvest it and it’ll go to seed. When you eat your first homegrown tomato, though, it’ll taste like heaven and you’ll be bitten by the gardening bug.

When beginners come to me, I will start them on lettuce, tomatoes, a bit of garlic and onion. Things that you’d like to eat and you’ll use in everything. Salad crops, actually, are brilliant for children, because they come up in about 30 seconds, and you don’t have to deal with that question, “Is it up yet?” These germinate so fast that soon you can say, “Yes! Let’s eat!”

Just get them in and grow all different kinds. They’re so expensive to buy but so easy to grow. I’d recommend rocket, mizuna, lambs lettuce, radicchio. So many glorious leaves, so many colours and so simple to grow yourself.

The best vegetables for beginners are the ones where you sprinkle the seeds onto a flat surface with earth in it, it grows, and then you’ll be eating it.

What are the best plants to get that don’t need much looking after?

Colin, South East

I’ve been working with some plants that don’t need any looking after. If you’re clever and you’ve got your reading glasses, you can put Lego Botanicals together very quickly (my favourites are the pink roses). Otherwise, I suppose it’s the cacti and succulents.

What would you recommend for someone who only has a balcony and not a garden?

Anna, North West

Oh, you can grow loads on a balcony. Check that your balcony will take the weight of pots or grow bags. Then use the vertical space too, for climbers like cucumbers, and I’ve even heard of folk growing melons on their balconies.

I’ve always grown bamboo in London because at night when the wind blows through it, there’s a really beautiful rustling sound coming through. It’s enough to break up the sound of traffic.

Phyllostachys Nigra is a dark brown bamboo and I would grow that anywhere, actually, wherever I was living, but only in a pot because it’ll run you ragged. It sets out runners, and you’ll never get rid of it; you’ll be chopping down for the rest of your life. So, in a nice big pot, bamboo.

Just days after two pupils were stabbed in a London classroom, a major fight has been organised across eight different schools.

Year 9 pupils have been encouraged to ‘be violent’ and bring sharp objects such as compasses and metal combs to the McDonald’s on Mare Street in Hackney starting from this week – and ending July 6.

A social media post has listed all eight schools involved in the ‘Hackney War’ and divided them into two teams.

Anyone spotted from the opposite side should be ‘jumped and filmed’ and sent to the Tiktok account to upload it.

The schools involved are: City Academy, Cardinal Pole, Haggerston School, Urswick School, The Excelsior Academy, Bridge Academy, Mossbourne Community Academy and City of London Academy Shoreditch Park.

One grandmother, who has a grandson in the same year group, said she has pleaded with schools to notify parents.

She told Metro: ‘I have rang all the schools and so far everyone seems disinterested, but we all saw what happened at Kingsbury High School. This could end up being really serious.’

Two pupils, in year 7 and year 8, were stabbed and seriously injured while on school grounds in Brent on Tuesday.

A 13-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

There are fears the fight could lead to even more injuries this evening, as Mare Street is completely pedestrianised and isolated from other side streets.

The grandmother said: ‘There is no hiding on that street, everything is completely open.

‘What if a pupil just happens to be walking through it and gets jumped? It’s a disaster waiting to happen.’

City of London Academies Trust, said: ‘The safety and wellbeing of students is our highest priority.

‘Encouraging, organising, or promoting violence is completely unacceptable, and this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated.

‘We are actively engaging with parents, carers, the Metropolitan Police Service, and local partners to ensure students are kept safe and fully understand the seriousness of their actions.

‘We are committed to creating a thriving school environment, and ensuring the safety of children and young people.’

The Metropolitan Police said: ‘We are aware of these social media posts and are making enquiries to identify those responsible.

‘We will take a robust approach to any violence and use our powers under anti-social behaviour laws to deal with groups intent on disorder.

‘We are working closely with our partners in local schools and the council and would also like to reassure people in Hackney that we will be increasing patrols in the area.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Roses are red, violets are blue — as for where to find the best bouquet in London this Valentine’s Day, allow us to guide you. From grande dame institutions McQueens and Moyses Stevens to the commendable ingenuity of Sage and Rebel Rebel and the sweetest scents discovered at The Real Flower Company, there is stiff competition and, happily, something for everyone.

Wayne Rooney, who made headlines in 2010 after hitting out at England fans for booing the team, remembers being booed quite a lot in his career.

“It’s always been there. Fans obviously have their opinions and sometimes they’re with you and sometimes they’re against you,” he said.

“It’s probably just picked up a little bit more now with more TV cameras, with social media and with phones filming from the stands.

“Obviously if a player or a player’s family is getting abused at stadiums then it can become more of an issue, but generally I think booing is fine.”

Like his former England team-mate, Joe Hart agrees it’s part of the game.

“You get booed by the away fans,” said Hart. “That’s kind of par for the course. I’ve probably received a few from home fans in my time – not many. If I was being booed I was probably doing something wrong!”

Both players think booing has always been there. But did it affect them?

“Maybe it did at the time,” says Hart. “I’ve got no scars from it though, put it that way. I was very much focused on what I was doing so whether I was getting applause or boos it didn’t make any difference to how I tried to play the game.”

Former Liverpool, Spurs and Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy also remembers difficult moments during his career.

“At Fulham when we were fighting relegation there were lots of boos,” he explains. “You have to take it as a challenge. You have to want to overcome it rather than go the other way and let it affect you, drain your energy and put fear into your play.

“I always felt like it was a challenge to overcome it, to try and do better. I think if you’re playing Premier League football and you’re at that level that’s your job to do so.

“We all love it when the fans are singing your name when you’ve scored the winner or when the team’s winning – you can’t have just one and not the other.”

Overnight into Saturday will mark a shift as temperatures drop to or slightly below freezing, consequently forming widespread frost and icy patches on untreated surfaces early Saturday.

Despite a sunny or bright Saturday, temperatures will only peak to around 5°C to 7°C.

Hence, the chill in any wind will remain noticeable.

Northern or north-easterly winds are likely to be light to moderate throughout the day.

Looking ahead to Sunday, as a new weather system arrives, the Met Office warns of the return of rain and the probability of hill snow before temperatures start to climb again.

Areas north and west of the town, potentially those elevated, can initially experience sleet or snow precipitation, which will later turn into rain.

Temperatures are set to increase slightly, peaking between 6°C and 8°C.

But, with periods of rain, a freshening breeze, and saturated ground, the day will still feel cool and raw rather than genuinely milder.

On high-altitude routes, low cloud, rain, hill fog, and patchy hill snow may occasionally reduce visibility.

Nonetheless, extensive disruptive snow at lower levels in the town is not strongly suggested.

Team GB’s men were left to rue a shocking first end as a stubborn fightback against hosts Italy in a throbbing Cortina Curling Stadium was not enough to prevent their first defeat of these Winter Olympics.

After winning their opening two matches, including against the Swedish rink who beat them in the gold-medal match four years ago, the British team went into their second high-grade encounter in two days in a strong position.

However, a horrendous first end – during which the Italians stole four points – left them chasing in front of a raucous home crowd armed with horns, bells and whistles.

These British players are the world’s top-ranked rink for a reason though, and they slowly reeled in Italy, levelling in the ninth end.

However, the local favourites held firm in the last to win 9-7 and add the scalp of GB to that of the Swedes, who they beat in their opener.

“We had to dig deep and we played nine really good ends and controlled it from there, but we just couldn’t do enough to get the win,” lead Hammy McMillan told BBC Sport.

Seven wins from the nine round-robin matches will guarantee a place in the semi-finals – fewer may well still be sufficient – so Bruce Mouat’s rink are still in a strong spot.

GB’s women are next on the ice, playing their second match against South Korea at 13:05 GMT. The men will return to the rink on Saturday, when they face the Czech Republic, also at 13:05.

Palestine Action’s ban under terrorism legislation has been ruled unlawful by the High Court in a humiliating blow for the government but the ban will remain in place until a further order by the courts.

Huda Ammori, co-founder of the group, took the Home Office to court over the decision to proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws, with her lawyers saying that the move was unprecedented.

Since the proscription last July, thousands of people have been arrested for holding up placards in support of Palestine Action. Hundreds of trials are expected throughout this year and into the next for those accused of taking part in protests, but they face being upended by the High Court’s ruling.

Justice Victoria Sharp told the High Court on Friday that the proscription of Palestine Action “did result in a very significant interference with the right to freedom of speech and the right to freedom of assembly”.

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She added that “the proscription of Palestine Action was disproportionate”, saying only a very small number of Palestine Action’s activities amounted to terrorism. She said that the group’s acts “had not yet reached the level, scale and persistence to warrant proscription.”

Dame Victoria Sharp, Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn have decided that the terror ban will remain in force until further legal hearings can take place.

Lawyers for Ms Ammori and the Home Office have till the 20 February to provide further submissions to the court ahead of more hearings that will decide whether the ban should be lifted.

In their judgement, Dame Victoria Sharp, Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn accepted that the terror ban had meant people were being forced to “self-censor” themselves and change their behaviour out of fear of falling foul of the law. They accepted that journalists, academics, and campaigning and civil liberties organisations could be impacted by the wide-ranging affects of the proscription.

While they described Palestine Action as a group that “promotes its political cause through criminality and encouragement of criminality”, the judges said that criminal law is sufficient to prosecute these acts.

The Independent revealed yesterday that the Home Office has spent £700,000 in legal fees so far fighting Ms Ammori’s case.

Then-home secretary Yvette Cooper took the decision to ban the group under terror laws after activists broke into an RAF base and damaged two military aircraft. Human rights groups have condemned the move as a “grave abuse of state power” and UN high commissioner Volker Turk called the ban “disproportionate and unnecessary”.

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During the court case, Ms Ammori’s lawyers insisted that Palestine Action does not advocate for violence, saying any examples of serious violence against property or person “are not the norm, they are rare”.

Ms Ammori responded to the news on Friday saying that the ruling was a “monumental victory for both our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people”.

She added: “It would be profoundly unjust for the government to try to delay or stop the High Court’s proposed order quashing this ban while the futures of these thousands of people hang in the balance, many of whom are elderly or disabled and facing up to 14 years’ imprisonment for this entirely peaceful protest.”

open image in gallery

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “disappointed” by the High Court’s ruling, adding: “I intend to fight this judgement in the Court of Appeal”.

As news came through of the judges’ decision on Friday morning, about a hundred people gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice building in central London started cheering and chanting “Free Palestine”.

Akiko Hart, director of human rights organisation Liberty, said they welcomed the court’s finding but said “the practical effect will depend on the government’s appeal”.

She added: “This case has exposed a deeper problem where the line between direct action and terrorism has become dangerously blurred, and this will continue to have a chilling effect on protest and free speech”.

Yasmine Ahmed, UK director of Human Rights Watch, said that the verdict was a “shot in the arm for British democracy”.

Areeba Hamid, a director at Greenpeace UK, said the government’s use of terror laws had been “the stuff of dystopian novels”. She added: “The Crown Prosecution Service should immediately drop the terror charges against the peaceful protesters who opposed this ban”.

This is a breaking story. More to follow..

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is appearing to take steps to name his daughter as his official successor.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it believes Kim Ju Ae, who is thought to be around 13 years old, is already providing input on policy matters, suggesting she may be being touted as a future leader.

The teenager has been increasingly visible over the last year, attending missile launches alongside her father and, in 2025, at China’s “Victory Day” parade, which marked her international debut.

The NIS said it will now look to see whether she attends the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress and how she is presented at the party’s biggest political conference, including whether she receives an official title.

“In the past, the NIS described Ju Ae as being ‘in study as successor’ but today the expression used was that she ‘was in the stage of being internally appointed successor’,” South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters following a closed-door briefing on 12 February.

If she does become leader, it would extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation.

Who is Kim Ju Ae?

Apart from her age and name, not much else is known about Kim Ju Ae, and even those details are unconfirmed.

While North Korean state media has never published her name, it does refer to her as Kim Jong Un’s “most beloved” or “respected” child.

South Korean media has previously speculated that she is the leader’s second of three children, and that the first child is a son. However, analysts have questioned the credibility of the reports.

North Korea, which is one of the world’s most secretive nations, has not confirmed whether Ju Ae has any siblings.

It is thought she is the child whom US basketball star Dennis Rodman called Mr Kim’s baby daughter after his trip to the capital Pyongyang in 2013.

Surprise reveal

Ju Ae made her first public appearance in November 2022, when she watched a long-range missile test launch with her father.

It came as a huge surprise to foreign experts as neither Kim Jong Un nor his father Kim Jong Il were mentioned in North Korean state media before they became adults.

Following her sixth public appearance in 2023, a North Korea analyst told Sky News there was a “theme” emerging.

Jean H Lee, who set up the Associated Press news agency’s first bureau in North Korea, said the events she has been attending tend to involve “weapons and missiles”.

She said the most striking images of Ju Ae were from when she attended a military banquet marking the 75th anniversary of the country’s army in February 2023.

“When you look at these pictures she’s front and centre. She is there. It’s like this tableau of father, mother, daughter. And I think what people noticed, of course, first and foremost was, ‘oh my gosh, he’s presenting his daughter’. What does that mean?”, she told the Sky News Daily podcast.

Her carefully crafted appearances have since included missile tests, military parades, and the launch of a naval destroyer in April 2024.

She also accompanied her father to the official opening of the Wonsan holiday resort on the country’s east coast, a concert, and a visit to the Russian culture minister, Olga Lyubimova.

How likely is she to succeed her father?

Mr Kim likely believes his daughter has the capacity and resolve to succeed him as leader, according to an analyst at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea.

“By accompanying her father on major events, it’s like she’s learning kingship and building a human network at a tender age,” Cheong Seong-Chang said.

However, South Korea’s intelligence service has a patchy record when it comes to confirming developments in its neighbouring country.

Dr Edward Howell, a lecturer in international relations at the University of Oxford, added that it needs to be remembered Mr Kim is only 43.

He said in the event of Mr Kim’s death in the immediate future, power would likely go to the leader’s sister Kim Yo Jong.

North Korean state media has never officially confirmed or commented on the succession plan.

Read more:
Who is Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong?

Does gender matter?

In the past, the NIS and other South Korean government officials have cited North Korea’s male-dominated power structure. Since its foundation in 1948, North Korea has been ruled by successive male members of the Kim family.

Dr Howell said crucial for the survival of the Kim dynasty is the “Baekdu bloodline” which ensures that any leader is a Kim, regardless of gender.

“Whatever pairs of chromosomes you might have, that doesn’t play a big roll compared to being a Kim, a member of the bloodline.”

Analyst Jean H Lee, told Sky’s Daily podcast in 2023 that Ju Ae’s appearances are a “cultivation of the Kim family, monarchy and dynasty”.

She said: “I’m sure there is in some part a strategy of trying to portray themselves, kind of like the Royal Family in the United Kingdom.”

The Met Office has forecast a mix of rain, sleet, and possibly snow over the weekend

The Met Office forecast says that show is ‘possible’ in the East of England this weekend. Temperatures will remain low in Cambridgeshire, with lows of 2C forecast.

The Met Office forecast for Saturday (February 14) said: “A cold and frosty start. Partly cloudy, but largely dry and bright. Hazy sunshine into the afternoon. Winds strengthening overnight, becoming cloudy with rain, sleet and some snow possible.”

The maximum temperatures expected for the East of England is reportedly 5C. The outlook for Sunday to Tuesday shows “cloudy with rain, sleet or snow and strong winds early Sunday” with “a band of rain following later.”

Weather site, WX Charts, have suggested that some parts of Cambridgeshire could see snow in the early morning of Sunday, but clearing later on. Areas affected include Cambridge and Ely.

BBC Weather does not indicate any snow on Saturday but states “any overnight snow will soon clear” on Sunday morning. This means that any snow is not expected to settle.

Drivers have been told to avoid the area

The A10 has been closed for more than 12 hours after a ‘serious’ crash in the area. The incident happened between the edge of Ely and Grange Lane in Littleport.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the A10 at 6:43pm on Thursday (February 12). Crews from Ely, Soham, and Chatteris attended.

The road has been closed from the roundabout at Comice Way to Littleport. Drivers have been told to avoid the area.

Cambridgeshire Police has said it will release more information about the incident on Friday (February 13).

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called at 6.43pm last night (Thursday 12) to a road traffic collision on the A10 between Littleport and Ely. Crews from Ely, Soham and Chatteris attended.

“Firefighters worked alongside police to make the area safe before returning to their stations.”

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