Santiago Martínez, who stared on the Netflix reality show “Love Is Blind: Argentina”, was sentenced on Wednesday March 25 for attempted murder, repeated assault, and unlawful detention
06:07, 27 Mar 2026Updated 06:09, 27 Mar 2026
A former “Love is Blind” contestant has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to kill his ex, whom he met on the show.
Santiago Martínez was sentenced on Wednesday (25 Mar) for attempted murder, repeated assault, and unlawful detention. Martínez joined the Netflix reality show “Love Is Blind: Argentina”, which premiered in November 2024, when he was 29.
Presenting himself as a young entrepreneur, he became one of 32 participants to successfully form a couple and married Emily Ceco, then 24, in a civil ceremony during the show’s final episodes.
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The couple had been planning an intimate wedding with close family and friends. However, in February 2025, Emily reported Martínez for gender-based violence after appearing with a black eye, leading to the cancellation of their engagement.
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A court issued a restraining order to prevent Martínez from approaching Emily, and he was removed from streaming programmes once the allegations became public.
The prosecution and plaintiffs had requested a 16-year sentence, but Martínez was handed 15 years after the prosecution rejected a plea deal that would have reduced his term, as reported by creatorzine.com.
Speaking to local media, Emily said: “I can’t believe it. I feel it’s over, I’m finally going to have peace. Justice has been done.” She recalled her first encounter with Martínez after their separation, during the reading of the sentence. “My whole body was shaking. I was terrified,” she said. “During his statement, he apologised and said he still loved me.
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“I didn’t respond, but my brother went too far and told him, ‘If you loved her so much, why did you almost kill her? You beat her up – coward.’”
Emily added: “I have 15 years of peace ahead. I don’t know what will happen when he gets out, but I hope the justice system continues to protect me. If he tried to kill me when I gave him everything, I can’t imagine what he might do to me or my family after 15 years of anger.”
Philip Parrish, aged 39, pilfered the items from addresses in the Bromley Cross area on February 6.
Parrish, who is of Pole Street, Tonge Moor, broke into the garage of one property before pinching the bottle of milk from outside another while making off from the scene.
Gaby McGrath, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court on March 24 that he entered the garage of the first property at around 4am on the day in question.
She said: “The occupiers of the address were at home at the time of the burglary.
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“They said that the garage door had been locked that evening when they went to bed. CCTV places the defendant in the area, walking towards the address.
“He was caught on Ring doorbell footage at the offence location. He was seen leaving the garage at 4.10am with a bicycle and a bag in hand.”
The stolen bicycle was worth £1400, with a Dewalt drill worth £140 and a ratchet worth £20 also being stolen.
The court heard that the ratchet was recovered, but that the other items were not.
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He was then seen on further doorbell footage at 4.29am, “stealing a bottle of milk” from another address nearby.
Parrish was identified by police from the footage and arrested the following day.
At interview he said that he “did not remember the last week”, following “multiple overdoses” of various drugs.
When shown the footage he said: “If it was me, I am sorry.”
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The case was heard at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Anthony Moss)
Parrish pleaded guilty to burglary of a dwelling and theft at a previous date.
He had 30 previous convictions for 74 offences, many of which were theft-related.
A victim who was in the house when Parrish burgled it said how he felt “spooked and angry” that someone had entered his property, while the person whose milk was stolen said that, while it was of a small monetary value, that “it is the principle” and that “nobody should be able to get away with any theft”.
Defending, Rachael Woods said that he recognises that these were “serious matters”, but described his offending as “pretty unsophisticated”.
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She said: “The defendant had relapsed due to a personal crisis, his cousin, who he regarded as a brother, had passed away 10 days previously.”
Ms Woods said it “hit him very hard” and he began using alcohol, diazepam and other drugs, suffering “three overdoses”, before committing the crimes.
But she said that Parrish has been doing “very well” in prison, being substance-free and having a “trusted position” in the kitchen.
Sentencing, Judge Abigail Hudson reflected on how the burglaries were “extremely distressing” to the victims.
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She reflected on his “wealth of previous convictions”, saying that the mandatory minimum sentence was triggered, but acknowledged that he was suffering “significant distress” following his bereavement.
Judge Hudson also recognised his relapse into drugs, but said: “The reality is, that relapse made you a danger to those around you and a risk to the general public.”
She said that only custody was appropriate, giving him 29 months imprisonment.
Trump said the talks with Tehran, which is yet to respond to the announcement, are going ‘very well’ (Picture: AP)
Donald Trump has said the US military will halt attacking Iran’s energy infrastructure for another ten days.
The US president made his announcement in a post on Truth Social, saying that he will pause the destruction of Iran’s energy plants until next month following a request from Tehran.
Trump wrote: ‘As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time.
‘Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media and others, they are going very well.’
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The move comes ahead of the one-month mark since the US and Israel started the war in Iran by launching airstrikes in Tehran on February 28.
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Iran has not yet publicly responded to Trump’s latest announcement.
Tasnim, a news agency with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that Iran’s conditions include ending ‘aggression and assassination,’ ensuring that the war will not happen again and compensation.
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As for the issue of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz causing turmoil to global oil trade, Iran insisted that its sovereignty over the passage is its legal right.
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Trump’s latest announcement saw oil prices dip slightly, with Brent crude benchmark reducing by 1.2% to $106.76 per barrel of oil.
Meanwhile, Trump has continued to lash out at US allies despite the tense situation and unhappiness among NATO countries over America’s action in Iran.
The POTUS insulted the UK’s flagship aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, comparing them to ‘toys.’
Members of the public are advised of potential disruption in parts of the city
The PSNI has issued a traffic disruption warning for parts of Belfast this weekend due to a number of planned events taking place.
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Members of the public are advised of potential traffic disruption in East Belfast and Belfast city centre on Saturday, March 28.
In the city centre, a parade is expected to begin at 12pm, assembling at Writers Square before proceeding along Donegall Street – Royal Avenue – Castle Place – High Street – Victoria Street and Chichester Street, ending at City Hall for a rally.It is expected that the event will have concluded by 2pm.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “There will be a significant police presence in the area to assist with traffic management, however motorists should plan for delays.”
Additionally, a football match is due to take place at the Oval stadium in east Belfast, with kick-off at 3pm.A build-up of traffic is to be expected in the area, both before and after the game.
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Lime bikes – it feels like they are everywhere in London.
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But whatever your thoughts about the controversial bikes are, their design is impressive.
Rain or shine, they can take whatever the British weather has in store, and can handle rough riding by cyclists who are not concerned about going over a kerb at full speed.
But even the sturdiest of bikes needs a bit of love every now and again.
A look inside the Lime depot in Tottenham, north London (Picture: Noora Mykkanen/Metro)
The mechanics, who are paid a London living wage, check each bike for any repair needs (Picture: Noora Mykkanen/Metro)
Now Metro has been given a peek behind the curtain of one of Lime’s largest depots, where hordes of bikes are unloaded from vans for repairs.
When entering the warehouse, which is like a chocolate factory for cycling fans, you can hear the signature bell ding as an army of mechanics check if the bikes are roadworthy.
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After the TLC, replenishment and wash, the aim is to get bikes back on the road the same day, ideally within 24 hours, Imaan, Lime’s senior operations manager, told Metro.
Most of the parts on a Lime bike can be replenished and replaced, including the baskets, which are often full of muck after being turned into mobile bins.
This bike, which is waiting to be cleaned, had attracted some graffiti scribbles (Picture: Noora Mykkanen/Metro)
The sea of Lime bikes waiting for their turn for a wash and scrub (Picture: Noora Mykkanen/Metro)
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To get the latest news from the capital, visit Metro’s London news hub.
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All Lime’s hardware and software has been designed in-house, meaning it can reclaim, reuse and recycle specific spare parts, Imaan added.
A dedicated team with a specialist background worked to replenish parts like electronics, saddles, and fenders.
‘The fact that we can swap and change different parts and are able to refurbish them really extends the lifespan,’ Imaan said. ‘Each one lasts about five years.’
Lime bike pedals take the brunt of the use in London, and some of them end up needing TLC (Picture: Noora Mykkanen/Metro)
When asked what happens to bikes that are broken beyond repair, she said parts will recycled but there is a high success rate of being able to use parts again.
Lime said it also has ‘rangers’ who go around boroughs checking on bike presentations on the streets. Lime, like other e-bike rental firms, has been forced to take action after complaints about bad parking blocking pavements.
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Some baskets and fenders had also graffiti scribbled on them, which were removed in the wash outside along with final cosmetics checks and filling up the tyres.
Every bike is washed and scrubbed clean after any repairs (Picture: Noora Mykkanen/Metro)
Mechanics working for the Lime contractor running the maintenance are paid the London living wage.
Brooke, who has been a Lime mechanic for a little over a year, checked through a Lime bike with confident moves, including swapping out a broken basket and a phone holder before taking the bike for a test ride.
The chances are that you have never seen Lime bikes being picked up or unloaded from the parking bays.
This is because due to the busy London traffic, the teams typically work at night, Imaan said.
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Lime said the majority of the parts on the bikes can be repaired and replenished rather than throwing them away (Picture: Noora Mykkanen/Metro)
However, this modus operandi isn’t without issues, and residents in busy areas like Islington have complained about noisy late Lime bike collections. Overnight operations have since been stopped in some areas in the borough, Metro understands.
Lime said it is committed to minimising nighttime disruption, but ‘some overnight operations are essential’ to have bikes charged and ready for commuters.
The e-bike operator announced last week that it will bring the next-generation Lime to the UK. The new bikes, which Metro tested out, have smaller wheels and a lower frame for easier access.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he would sign an order instructing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents, while senators worked into early Friday to approve a funding package in hopes of ending a budget impasse that has jammed airports, disrupted travel and imposed financial hardship on workers.
The deal, which the Senate approved unanimously early in the morning without a roll call, would fund much of the Department of Homeland Security, except the immigration enforcement operations that have been central to the standoff. It did not include any of the restraints Democrats demanded as they sought to rein in Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
It next goes to the House, which is expected to consider it Friday.
“We can get at least a lot of the government opened up again and then we’ll go from there,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “Obviously, we’ll still have some work ahead of us.”
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But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the deal could have been reached weeks ago, and vowed that his party would continue fighting to ensure Trump’s immigration enforcement operation “does not get more funding without serious reform.”
With pressure mounting to resolve the 42-day stalemate over Homeland Security funding, the endgame emerged in the final hours before TSA workers miss another paycheck Friday. Trump announced his decision in a social media post saying he wanted to quickly stop the “Chaos at the Airports.”
The White House had floated the extraordinary move of invoking a national emergency to pay the TSA agents, a politically and legally fraught approach. Instead, Trump’s order will pay TSA agents using money from his 2025 tax bill, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly.
At the same time, senators worked through the night on the package that would fund much of the rest of the department, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Coast Guard, but without funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection.
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Airport lines grow as TSA workers endure hardships
Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers and nearly 500 of its nearly 50,000 transportation security officers have quit during the shutdown. Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, according to DHS. That is more than 3,120 callouts.
Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the union is grateful the TSA workers will be paid, but said Congress must stay in session to pass a deal “that funds DHS, pays all DHS workers, and keeps these vital agencies running.”
At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Melissa Gates said she would not make her flight to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after waiting more than 2½ hours and still not reaching the security checkpoint. She said no other flights were available until Friday.
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“I should have just driven, right?” Gates said. “Five hours would have been hilarious next to this.”
Thune did not disclose details of the new framework, but he said it picked up from a previous offer over the weekend, before talks with the White House and Democrats had broken off.
“Enough is enough,” he said.
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But as senators retreated to privately discuss the new plan, action stalled out.
Democrats argued the GOP proposals have not gone far enough at putting guardrails on officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies who are engaged in the immigration sweeps, particularly after the deaths of two Americans protesting the actions in Minneapolis.
They want federal agents to wear identification, remove their face masks and refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places. Democrats have also pushed for an end of administrative warrants, insisting that judges sign off before agents search people’s homes or private spaces — something new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said he is open to considering, but senators want to see in writing.
Trump had largely left the issue to Congress, but warned he was ready to take action, threatening to send the National Guard to airports in addition to his deployment of ICE agents who are now checking travelers’ IDs.
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“They need to end this shutdown immediately or we’ll have to take drastic measures,” Trump said during a Thursday morning Cabinet meeting.
The GOP’s big tax cuts bill that Trump signed into law last year funneled billions to DHS, including $75 billion for ICE operations, ensuring the immigration officers are still being paid during the shutdown.
Any deal almost certainly needs to involve a compromise as lawmakers on the left and right flanks revolt. Conservative Republicans have panned their own party’s proposals, demanding full funding for immigration operations.
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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti, Kevin Freking, Rebecca Santana, Collin Binkley and Ben Finley in Washington, Lekan Oyekanmi in Houston, Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, and Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego contributed to this report.
FW Capital’s Tees Valley Catalyst Fund delivered £26 million in bond finance to 29 companies across the North East, enabling them to win contracts valued at nearly £330 million.
The fund supported the creation of 588 jobs and safeguarded a further 1,322.
Now fully repaid, the fund was backed by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund through the Tees Valley Combined Authority and offered short-term loans to help companies secure contracts or finance performance bonds and warranties.
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Joanne Whitfield, fund director at FW Capital, said: “The Tees Valley Catalyst Fund made a real difference businesses in Teesside, helping them win contracts that wouldn’t have otherwise been possible.
“Our commitment to assisting local businesses doesn’t stop with the realisation of the Fund. We’re currently working with businesses via the Teesside Flexible Investment Fund which we manage alongside backing from the Teesside Pension Fund.
“We want to encourage people to talk to us when looking to access bond finance and take advantage of the fund, which can help businesses successfully tender for contracts.
“This sits alongside our broader range of other funds under management, allowing us to provide flexible capital to back growth and innovation for all types of businesses across the region.”
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The fund supported companies in sectors such as manufacturing and construction, including Wilton Engineering and Hambleton Steel.
FW Capital continues to provide short-term loans for contract-related bonds through the Teesside Flexible Investment Fund.
Loans are available from £100,000 to £2 million to finance for example, advance payment guarantees, performance, warranty, highways and water authority bonds.
The first business to benefit from the new fund was Paralloy Group, a Teesside-based stainless steel alloy specialist and manufacturer.
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This backing has played a key role in Paralloy’s next stage of growth, facilitating activities that are generating new jobs locally, delivering a significant impact on the Teesside economy while meeting the increased demands from industrial markets and advances in new technologies.
The Teesside Flexible Investment Fund offers a variety of finance options for businesses.
These include loans from £100,000 to £2 million for contract-related bonds, with repayment terms of up to two years.
It also offers loans from £250,000 to £3 million for residential and non-speculative commercial developments, funding up to 100 per cent of build costs with repayment terms of up to three years.
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In addition, the fund provides loans and equity investments of between £250,000 and £3 million for management teams aiming to take ownership of businesses, with investment periods ranging from one to seven years.
DWP minister Torsten Bell has discussed the Government’s rationale behind state pension age changes and inheritance tax being extended to pensions
A senior DWP minister has addressed a major new tax affecting pensions. Torsten Bell recently appeared before the Work and Pensions Committee to discuss modifications to the state pension age. The state pension age will increase from the present 66 to 67, rising gradually between April 2026 and April 2028.
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Parliament has also approved legislation for the qualifying age to rise again, from 67 to 68, between 2044 and 2046. Mr Bell explored the consequences of requiring people to wait longer before claiming their state pension, alongside the Government’s reasoning behind these changes. He also faced questions about a substantial transformation in pension taxation, as inheritance tax will shortly include pensions. Inheritance tax is a 40 per cent charge applied to the total assets you leave behind when you die. Currently, pensions are excluded from your estate for inheritance tax calculations, but they will come under this tax regime from April 2027.
Labour unveiled this tax modification in its first Autumn Budget, in 2024. Mr Bell outlined the logic behind the alteration: “There is a long-standing understanding that the purpose of pensions, and why we provide exceptionally generous tax relief – which we rightly do, of about £70 billion a year – is because we want people to have a decent income in retirement.
“That is what it is for. That is what it was always for.” He argued that preserving pension exemptions from inheritance tax had generated perverse incentives, prompting individuals to utilise their pensions “not to provide a decent income into retirement but to avoid inheritance tax”.
Causing problems and confusion
Mr Bell said: “That is a very bad idea, because you do not want to see pension vehicles and how they operate getting confused about what the purpose is. We saw that causing real problems and confusion.
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“Obviously it needs to be done in the right way. All that the changes are doing is bringing us back to the world that we have always lived in.”
The minister went on to clarify that the tax incentives surrounding pensions are fundamentally designed so individuals can “smooth their income over their life”, reports the Liverpool Echo. He told the committee: “That is what it exists for.
“It is not there for for advisers to make money by saying to some people, ‘Don’t use your pension to provide an income in retirement. Use all your other wealth, maybe even sell your house, and do other things in a contorted fashion, because for some reason we have decided that a pension is not about providing income in retirement but is an inheritance tax avoidance vehicle.’ “
People drifting into the tax net
The Government previously stated that the extended tax will encompass most untouched pension pots and death benefits. Alex Pugh, a chartered financial planner from wealth management firm Saltus, characterised this as a significant shift and cautioned that many individuals may remain oblivious to its impact on them.
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She said: “Inheritance tax planning is already complex, but bringing pensions into the tax calculation from April 2027 really shifts the dial. Many people will drift into the tax net without realising it.
“After property, pensions are often someone’s largest asset, and with tax thresholds frozen since 2009, more estates are being pushed over the line. In truth, any individual or couple could now be affected – even those who never considered themselves ‘wealthy’. It’s a perfect storm created by rising asset values and outdated tax limits.”
Teacher Ali Martin, 45, first started taking GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) medication to manage herType 2 Diabetes in 2022.
She lost six stone after she was prescribed the drug by her GP, but in June last year she became weak and began to lose the use of her limbs before she suffered two falls and was admitted to hospital.
Medics treated Ali, from Dunfermline, for malnourishment and began to feed her through a tube before she was given a diagnosis of Sensory Ganglionopathy – a chronic illness causing numbness and pain.
She’s been left unable to walk, brush her teeth or use a knife and fork and is confined to a wheelchair.
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Ali told the Record: “I want to warn people that losing weight like this is not worth the risk to your health.
“Before I started GLP-1, I was a busy, active mum contributing to society and now I’m completely dependent on other adults to do everything.
“I can’t shower or walk unaided. I can only manage simple personal care at toddler level and I’ve also lost my peripheral vision due to being bed bound for so long.
“The doctors haven’t made a direct link to the fat loss tablets, but I think they have exacerbated this condition because I had nausea and vomiting andother digestive issues.
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“My symptoms make sense because the tablets suppress your appetite so I wasn’t eating and I was becoming increasingly more vitamin deficient, which I think has caused the malnutrition.
“I think the lack of nutrients must have affected my nervous system and my mobility.
Ali remains trapped in Cameron Hospital in Fife nine months after she was admitted as specialist teams work to provide intensive rehabilitation to help her rebuild her strength.
The mum-of-two said her was ordeal has been a “nightmare” for husband Graeme, 39, and kids Darcie, nine, and Luca, six as her worry for her family hugely impacts her mental health.
She added: “I’ve missed my kids‘ birthdays, parents nights, and sports games, and I have suffered several panic attacks because I feel so trapped and vulnerable in my own body.
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“I have been so down that I even asked my mum to wheel me off a bridge.”
Ali fears she will never return to normal and doctors don’t know what a full recovery will look like because the condition is so rare.
She said: “I hope to be able to regain my mobility and be back to my old self but I don’t know if that will ever be the case.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to walk or work again. Doctors can’t tell me what the future looks like.
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“I believe this is all because of the effects of the GLP-1 medication and it will now have a potentially life-long negative impact on me.
“All I’m left with now is a fear of the unknown.”
Ali has now warning others to take great care when using the medication.
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“My message to people taking this type of medication is to be very wary.
“I was prescribed it by a GP and still believe I have experienced horrendous results, so make sure you are going through proper channels and never buy medications from online pharmacies.
Ali’s family is now fundraising to have their house adapted for her needs when she gets home. To donate, click here.
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GLP-1 for diabetes and weight loss can be used to lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. They’re also used as a treatment for obesity as part of long-term weight management.
NHS Scotland advises individuals to speak to a healthcare professional if you’re thinking about taking weight loss medication.
Using these medications without proper medical supervision can worsen existing health problems and lead to serious side effects.
GLP-1s help people feel fuller by mimicking a natural hormone released after eating.
Some newer medicines, also act on a second hormone involved in appetite and blood sugar control.
In the UK, there are several licensed GLP-1 medicines including semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide, which are all sold under various brand names
“Licensed” means they have been assessed carefully by the UK medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and approved as safe and effective for certain uses.
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GLP-1s should only be used if you are overweight or diabetic, and not if you want to lose weight for aesthetic or cosmetic purposes.
A spokesperson for the drug’s manufacturer, which we are not naming for legal reasons, said: “Patient safety is of utmost importance, and we take all reports about adverse events from use of our medicines very seriously.
“The information included in the labels of products are agreed with the health authorities and does not include safety concerns about sensory ganglionopathy based on assessment of the totality of evidence from clinical trials and post-marketing report.
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“We continue to work with health authorities and regulatory bodies worldwide to monitor the safety of our products.”
A spokesperson for NHS Fife said: “We cannot comment on the care of individuals for reasons of patient confidentiality.
“In Scotland, GP practices are independent contractors and are responsible for their own prescribing decisions, in line with national guidance.
“Where there are concerns about any potential adverse reactions to medicines, this should be reported through the UK’s Yellow Card scheme, which supports ongoing monitoring of medication safety.”
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The Defence Secretary has declined to give a clean assurance that Iran lacks the firepower to hit the UK, even as he sought to calm fears by stressing that no strike on British soil is believed to be in the planning.
Michael D. Carroll and Peter Hennessy UK & World News Editor
05:57, 27 Mar 2026
Britain’s Defence Secretary has stopped short of guaranteeing that Iran doesn’t possess the capability to strike the UK, while attempting to ease concerns by emphasising that no attack on British territory is thought to be under consideration.
John Healey faced persistent questioning during a Sky News interview about whether London itself could fall within the range of Iranian missiles – a subject he addressed cautiously without categorically ruling it out.
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“We have no assessment of Iranian plans to strike London,” he said.
The discussion followed Iran launching missiles towards Diego Garcia – the distant Indian Ocean atoll that serves as a joint British and American military base. Healey had earlier informed Parliament the incoming projectiles landed considerably short of the island.
With the Government declining to rule out the threat of Iranian missiles striking the UK, questions about which specific areas could be vulnerable have become increasingly urgent, reports the Express.
Defence experts have offered a less comforting assessment than the Defence Secretary. Both the Israeli Defence Forces and the Institute for the Study of War have positioned London within what they characterise as a theoretical 2,500-mile threat zone – the maximum range of Iran’s most sophisticated modified intermediate-range ballistic missiles, which includes the Khorramshahr-4.
UK sites at elevated risk due to the Iran conflict Analysts have highlighted the following locations as facing an increased threat due to ongoing tensions between the West and Iran in 2026:
RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire – This airbase functions as Britain’s main departure point for US Air Force strategic bombers – including B-1B Lancers and B-52 Stratofortresses – presently striking Iranian missile installations, making it a prime target on any Iranian hit list.
Portsmouth and Devonport, Plymouth – These two critical naval hubs house approximately two-thirds of the Royal Navy’s fleet between them, rendering them clear choices for any assault designed to disable British maritime capability.
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GCHQ, Cheltenham – Serving as the hub of Britain’s signals intelligence and cyber defence capabilities, the distinctive circular facility would constitute a valuable target for any opponent aiming to disrupt rather than physically obliterate.
RAF Fylingdales, North Yorkshire – This radar installation on the Yorkshire moors carries out a role that renders it indispensable during any missile confrontation: monitoring incoming ballistic threats from launch. The BBC has flagged it as a key counter-force objective for exactly this reason.
Barrow-in-Furness – The Cumbrian shipyard where Britain’s nuclear submarines are built has been identified by analysts as occupying a precarious spot – important enough to draw scrutiny, yet described as ‘woefully exposed’ to the type of long-range assault Iran now has the capability to consider.
Another cluster of sites derives its risk assessment not from the present conflict alone but from the enduring strategic importance it holds – as the location of Britain’s nuclear arsenal, its main naval facility and its defence manufacturing base:
Faslane, HMNB Clyde – Scotland’s deep-water naval facility on the Clyde serves as the permanent berth for Britain’s Trident-equipped submarines – the physical manifestation of the UK’s nuclear deterrent.
Telford, MOD Donnington – Landlocked and unassuming, the Shropshire depot nevertheless anchors the supply network that maintains British armed forces equipped and functioning.
For the time being, Healey’s stance remains firm: no preparations, no immediate danger, no reason for alarm. However, with Iranian missiles already flying over the Indian Ocean and London featured in analyst risk evaluations, the room for comfort is getting tighter.
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