When you think of advanced futuristic clothing, what comes to mind?

Perhaps shirts that can detect and alert users to low blood glucose levels or socks that can track your running form, step count and speed? What about pyjamas that observe subtle bodily changes while you sleep leading to early detection of cancer or warn carers of imminent seizures? Imagine if all these were items that required no external power source, just the energy generated by your own body.

Although these products are not in the shops yet that day is not far off.

Researchers are already designing advanced textiles that look exactly like regular clothes or fabrics but come with with embedded electronic functions. These are referred to as electronics textiles, e-textiles or smart fabrics.

E-textiles integrate sensing, computation and power into fabrics so that the threads themselves become the sensors and the stitches become the circuits. These textiles can monitor health, temperature, motion and air quality. They can communicate wirelessly and harvest various forms of energy.

University and industry prototypes are currently progressing through clinical trials and are being tested outside labs. The global market for e-textiles is projected to reach over US$15 billion (£11.14 billion) by 2028.

Developments in e-textiles will revolutionise the way humanity views clothing; but at what cost?

A new type of waste

Electronic waste is the fastest growing EU waste stream with a record 62 million tonnes discarded in 2022.

Another 92 million tonnes of waste is generated globally from textiles; a figure expected to reach 134 million by 2030. Textiles alone account for 6.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions with the average European discarding a staggering 11kg of textiles per year.

Electronic textiles will bring a new kind of hybrid waste. E‑textiles commonly use mixed polymers, metal nanoparticle inks, and include components that create fire hazards within conventional textile recycling.

They can release toxic residues if incinerated or landfilled. This results in hazardous and precious materials becoming trapped within garments, leading not only to environmental and health problems, but to a loss of vital resources such as graphene and rare-earth elements. Silver, for instance, is used in conductive yarns, antimicrobial coatings, sensors and electrodes. We need to work out how to recover it because it is valuable as well as toxic to aquatic life in some forms.

So, it’s currently very difficult to recover the valuable materials used in smart clothing, after the shirt or socks are discarded.

At the current rate of e-textile growth, current disposal methods will need to change to cope with these new materials; particularly in the areas of reusability and recyclability.

The EU’s sustainable and circular textiles strategy is part of the EU’s plan to become the first climate-neutral continent. Regulators are now demanding clearer rules on recyclability, chemical safety and product lifespans, and starting to ask how e‑textiles will meet these requirements.

Industry practice is catching up more widely, and placing more responsibility on clothing producers. Digital product passports (these carry information about the materials and their environmental impact) and new recycling technologies are scaling up. These shifts mean manufacturers could face legal and commercial risk if they don’t consider the long-term impact of these products.

Preventing more waste

The good news is that sustainable e‑textiles are an engineering problem with practical solutions. Key measures that industry and funders could adopt now include:

1. design for disassembly. Removable electronic parts help separate electronics from textiles for recycling

2. material passports and transparency. Digital records of various components (such as polymers, inks and batteries) that enable safe sorting and recovery

3. biodegradable and recyclable conductors. Prioritising conductors free from precious metals and using alternatives such as screen printable carbon paste and recyclable conductive inks and yarns

4. energy-first design. Integrating textile energy harvesting (for instance, solar, thermoelectric, piezo/triboelectric nanogenerators) to reduce or eliminate batteries. Some garments embed antennas and wireless power receivers to avoid bulky batteries

5. standards for washability, durability and end-of-life testing. To ensure products survive real-world use and can be repaired rather than discarded.

None of these are optional extras: they determine whether e‑textiles become a public good or a new environmental liability. University research groups and industry consortia are starting to demonstrate printable, stretchable components and trial wireless power that reduce battery dependence, for instance. Printable, stretchable components are flexible electronic parts printed onto fabric that keep working as the textile bends and stretches. They make smart clothing comfortable, lightweight, washable and able to move naturally with the body.

Unless policymakers and industry players adopt sustainable design now, e-textiles could add a dangerous new layer to our global electronic waste mountain.

Governments need to set clear rules on recyclability and chemical safety for e‑textiles. University researchers must find methods to make e-textiles functional, affordable, sustainable and safe. Brands must publish material details and repair guides and ensure sustainable practices are being adhered to throughout their supply chain.

Investors should not fund throwaway novelty. Standards bodies must define test methods for washing, wear and end‑of‑life recovery.

These steps will steer the market toward durable, repairable and recyclable products that could change lives for the better.

Corrie’s Peter Barlow actor has been seen reuniting with some of his former co-stars from the ITV soap

Coronation Street legend Chris Gascoyne has been seen reuniting with some of his former co-stars, which comes days after he unveiled his TV return.

The actor is famed for playing Peter Barlow in the ITV soap, which is filmed in Salford, on and off, for 23 years, before he bowed out of the role in December 2023.

His final scenes saw his character, Peter, leave Weatherfield following his involvement in the death of serial killer Stephen Reid, leading to a break-up with his on-screen partner, Carla Connor.

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Chris confirmed his departure in July 2023 to pursue other projects and spend more time with his family, though the soap has suggested the door is open for his potential return.

And while he’s since been seen on the small screen in the likes of All Creatures Great and Small for its sixth series last year, Chris has taken to social media to tease that he is preparing to return to TV in another new role.

Following the news, Chris has been seen reuniting with his former co-stars, Simon Gregson and Angela Lonsdale, with the latter sharing a string of photos from their time together on Instagram.

Corrie fans will recall that Angela found fame as cobbles policewoman, and Curly Watts’ second wife, Emma Taylor, who met Curly when she arrived to investigate crimes in the area, from 2000 to 2003.

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They married on Christmas Eve 2000, and Emma gave birth to their son Ben on Boxing Day 2001. In 2003, the couple put number 7 Coronation Street on the market and moved to Newcastle. But when Curly made a comeback for the 2010 spin-off DVD movie A Knight’s Tale, he revealed that his marriage to Emma had since ended.

Meanwhile, Simon is famed for playing Steve McDonald in Corrie, with his first appearance in Weatherfield siring on December 6, 1989, when he was just 15-years-old.

Sharing pictures of the trio’s outing, which included a dog walk and a visit to a country pub, Angela wrote on Instagram: “Just three old bezzies in pursuit of Big Foot [crying laughing emojis] and belly laughs @fat_dracula @chrisgascoyneofficial! The latter we achieved in abundance… as for Big Foot to be continued!! Special guest appearance by Oscar.”

Corrie’s Tracy Barlow actress, Kate Ford, was among those responding to the post, writing: “Awww love this,” while another former Weatherfield favourite, Ryan Thomas, replied: “Beautiful scenes [heart emojis].”

The timing of the series feels right: part-Euphoria in its sex and drugs teen milieu (though weirdly chaste, in Murphy’s usual fashion), part-Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, with Manson references, and part-Heated Rivalry with its bland magazine eroticism. In fact, Murphy, forever style over content, is perfectly suited to this material: this is a watchable, dreamily shallow series about watchable, dreamily shallow kids, made by a watchable, dreamily shallow creator, which occasionally delivers on the horror. Suspense though? Sadly not, and that’s the real measure of excellence.

The first reviews for One Night Only, a bizarre new romcom starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro, are out – and the film has already proved fiercely divisive.

Directed by Easy A filmmaker Will Gluck, the film is set in a world in which the US has outlawed premarital sex for 364 days a year – leaving singletons just 12 hours annually to hook up.

It has been widely compared to the horror franchise The Purge, in which violent crimes are legalised for one day per year. Turner comes to the role amid talk that he’s leading the pack to become the next James Bond; Barbaro is best known for her Oscar-nominated performance as Joan Baez in the 2024 Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.

Reviews, however, have been polarised, with some critics describing the message of the film as being “strangely conservative” and even “fascist”.

Awarding the film zero stars in a review for RogerEbert.com, Marya E Gates describes One Night Only as a “putrid, regressive film that thinks justifying embracing fascism is okay if it’s in the name of love”.

“If this is what it takes to get a romcom greenlit these days, maybe we should just let them die. Death with dignity is surely a better fate for the genre than fascist capitulation,” they add.

In The Guardian, critic Benjamin Lee wrote that the film’s premise ought to be “the set-up for a grim Handmaid’s Tale-adjacent horror of a totalitarian state insisting extreme control over the body, but instead it’s used as the backdrop for a sunny meet-cute, screams of protest drowned out by a zippy Top 40 soundtrack”.

“If it sounds like far too much for a breezy summer romp to take on, then that’s because it most definitely is, an overstuffed yet undercooked soufflé that can’t quite, ahem, rise to the occasion…”

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Elsewhere, others have been kinder to the film, with several outlets singling out the chemistry between the two leads for particular praise.

“In Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner, [the film’s] got two attractive, pleasingly grown-up leads whom you wouldn’t mind seeing get together; it’s set in New York City at its most invitingly balmy; it even has the odd one-liner that nets an actual laugh,” writes Variety’s Guy Lodge.

However, he adds, “it’s also saddled with a high concept so high as to neutralise all those considerable pluses, for once it’s introduced, not for a moment can you think about anything else.”

The dark and implausible fantasy at the heart of One Night Only’s premise has proved a major talking point (and source of mockery) ahead of the film’s release. The logistical challenges of enforcing a near-total “casual sex ban” have prompted rafts of questions from people who haven’t yet seen the film – and some who have.

In an interview that was widely shared on social media, Polygon’s Jake Kleinman sat down with Gluck to ask him detailed questions on the practicalities of the in-universe sex ban.

Explaining that the law was imposed following an act of congress (legislative, not sexual), the director speculates that the vote was “extremely close… I think it was about 50.01 to 49.9.”

Asked why people don’t just get married on a short-term whim in order to have sex, Gluck states that there is “signage” in the movie clarifying that newlyweds must wait one year and a day before getting divorced.

When it comes to the punishment US citizens face should they break the law, Gluck said: “My guess is, if you do it many times, there’s probably fines involved, and then if you ultimately continue to do it, there’s probably some sort of jail sentence, I guess.

“We didn’t wanna get that far into it.”

Gluck’s previous film was 2023’s Anyone But You, a more traditional romcom starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. Despite tepid reviews, that film became a huge box office success, making $220m from a budget of just $25m.

Publicity for One Night Only has been goosed by Turner’s prominence in the 007 rumour mill – but whether it can replicate Anyone But You’s success remains to be seen.

One Night Only is out in cinemas from 28 August.

Former Corrie costars Rob Mallard and Katie McGlynn have been reunited away from the ITV soap

A beloved Coronation Street couple have been seen reuniting in real life, seven years after they were involved in some of the Salford-filmed show’s most heartbreaking scenes.

Rob Mallard, from Oldham, and Rochald-born Katie McGlynn won high praise for their roles as newlyweds and new parents Daniel and Sinead Osbourne, who were torn apart by Sinead’s cervical cancer diagnosis, which she only discovered once falling pregnant with the couple’s son, Bertie.

Bertie was born on-screen back in January 2019, as he was induced at six months in order to allow Sinead to be treated with radiotherapy as soon as possible.

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Later, Sinead discovered her cancer had returned and set about hosting an early first birthday party for Bertie so that she could be around for the milestone. However, the event was ruined when Sinead received news that her cancer hadn’t responded to chemotherapy and she only had weeks left to live.

Fans of the ITV soap will then recall that in heartbreaking scenes, just weeks after they said ‘I do,’ Sinead died at the home they shared with their baby boy Bertie in October 2019.

Almost seven years after their on-screen relationship was devastatingly pulled apart, Katie and Rob, who have remained friends beyond the cobbles, have been seen reuniting.

Taking to Instagram, Katie shared a few selfies of the pair. In one, the soap stars could be seen beaming for the camera, while in another, Rob could be seen planting a kiss on Katie’s head. “Sinead and Daniel reunited… I’ve missed my onscreen hubby,” Katie gushed in the caption of the post.

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She added: “So good to finally catch up @rob.mallard #reunion #corrie #backtogether #twopeasinapod.” And fans were quick to respond.

@katiesgalaxyxox said: “Ayyyy I’ve missed this duo.” @lauraaa_diva commented: “Omg I ADORE this!!!” @john_daniel_jewellery replied: “Aww lovely pic! Miss you two in Corrie.” @simy_jc posted: “The reunion we never thought we needed.”

@amber.louise.moran shared: “Omg this is so cute I love it. Sinead and Daniel forever!” @norwichnerd wrote: “Oh my gosh, it’s wonderful to see you both together again.” @marsymur typed: “Aaaaww love this.” @cormachanleyking added: “Forever my fav corrie couple of all time.”

Ryan Dinnage, 32, was sentenced to eight years and six months after phone evidence placed him at the scene of the attack

A man who crept into a caravan and raped a sleeping woman has been locked up. Ryan Dinnage, 32, from Caithness Walk in Croydon, received an eight-year and six-month prison sentence at Reading Crown Court on Thursday (July 30).

Dinnage, who carried out the assault after the Royal Windsor Horse Show, was convicted of one count of rape following a unanimous jury decision on June 8 at the same court. He was cleared of one count of sexual assault and one count of causing a female to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.

In the early morning of May 16, 2022, while the victim slept in her caravan, Dinnage gained entry and raped her. Police were notified of the crime later that same day, and Dinnage was taken into custody on May 17, 2022.

When questioned by officers, Dinnage at first rejected any suggestion of sexual contact with the victim. Yet forensic findings connected him to the crime, prompting him to alter his version of events by insisting any sexual encounter had been consensual.

Detectives also discovered digital material from Dinnage’s mobile device, which undermined his statement and confirmed his presence near the victim’s caravan when the offence occurred. Dinnage was formally charged via postal requisition on March 6, 2025.

Detective Constable Arshid Ali, the investigating officer, commented: “I am pleased with the sentence handed down, which reflects the seriousness of this offence. Thames Valley Police takes all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously, and we remain committed to investigating these offences thoroughly and bringing those responsible to justice.

“This has been a long and difficult process for the victim, spanning more than four years. I hope that the sentence handed down provides her with a sense of closure and allows her to begin moving forward with her life.

“I would like to thank her for the courage and strength she has shown throughout the investigation and court proceedings.”

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By SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER

Published: 11:02 BST, 6 August 2026 | Updated: 11:05 BST, 6 August 2026

An Afghan man accused of a car-ramming attack in Munich last year which killed a two-year-old girl and her mother will spend the rest of his life behind bars, a court has ruled. 

Farhad Noori appeared in court on Thursday accused of deliberately steering a car into a 1,400-strong trade union march last year. 

The Munich court ruled that the crime carried ‘particular gravity’, a designation that will make it much harder for the 25-year-old to be released from prison. 

Prosecutors had demanded he be given a life sentence with added conditions to make early release much less likely.

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The attack was one of several committed by foreign nationals in the run-up to last year’s general election that inflamed debate on immigration and security.

As well as two counts of murder, Noori initially faced 44 counts of attempted murder, but half of these were later replaced by counts of bodily harm, 19 of them serious.

The attack took place as the city prepared to host the Munich Security Conference, a major gathering of high-level figures from the worlds of politics and defence.

A Mini Cooper that was driven into the street rally hurled a 37-year-old woman and her young daughter through the air for 10 metres. They sustained severe head injuries, and they died several days later.

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An eyewitness quoted by the prosecution described people ‘being flung left and right, like a bowling alley’.

Farhad N. was born in Kabul and moved to Germany seeking asylum in 2016

Farhad N., 25, (pictured, centre) arrives in court on January 16, 2026

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Members of the emergengy services work at the scene where a car drove into a crowd in the southern German city of Munich on February 13, 2025 

The vehicle came to a halt after 75 feet ‘because its front wheels lost contact with the ground due to people lying in front of and underneath the car’, according to the charge sheet.

Prosecutors said Noori acted out of a ‘religious motivation’ and had uttered the words ‘Allahu Akbar’, meaning ‘God is the greatest’, after the car rampage.

However, he is not believed to have been part of any organised jihadist movement such as the so-called Islamic State (IS) group.

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His defence team has asked for him to be sent to a psychiatric facility despite court-appointed experts determining that his mental health problems did not reduce his degree of responsibility.

Noori arrived in Germany unaccompanied in 2016, when he was 15.

His asylum request was rejected, but he was able to stay in the country and find work.

Police said Noori worked in security and was heavily engaged in fitness training and bodybuilding.

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He is thought to have been radicalised in the months leading up to the attack by consuming content online from radical Afghan preachers.

Objects, including a baby carriage, lying on the street at the scene of the deadly crash on February 13 2025 

People place a candle in tribute to victims at the makeshift memorial set up at the scene where a car drove into a crowd in Munich, southern Germany on February 15, 2025

The attack came just days before the February 2025 general election, which saw the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieve its best-ever result of over 20 per cent.

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The centre-right CDU/CSU came first, and its leader Friedrich Merz became chancellor, promising to take a tougher line on immigration to stave off the AfD’s rise.

However, since then the CDU/CSU has slumped while the AfD has established a steady lead in opinion polls.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after a motorbike was stolen from a York suburb at 7.30pm last night (August 5).

“Officers responded to reports of two individuals wearing face coverings while pushing a motorcycle on Watson Street. Following a swift search of the area, officers located two suspects and recovered a motorcycle nearby,” said a spokesperson for the force.

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Two 13-year-old boys were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and were released on conditional bail while the investigation continues.

Anyone who was in the area and witnessed anything suspicious, or who may have CCTV, doorbell, or dashcam footage that could assist the investigation, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police online or by calling 101.

Please quote reference 12260151151 if providing information.

An inquest heard how the man’s car crashed ‘through trees and bushes’ before his death

A man whose car left the road and crashed into a verge was left with “fatal injuries”, an inquest has heard. Emergency services were called to a single-vehicle crash on the A10 near Littleport in the early hours of May 17.

A blue Vauxhall Corsa had left the road and crashed into a verge. The driver, named as Jacob Hawden, 33, from Chatteris, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquest into Jacob’s death was opened today (Thursday, August 6) at Vantage House in Huntingdon, and it was heard by Coroner Caroline Jones. The court heard how Jacob was travelling on the A10 from Littleport towards Ely on May 17.

During his journey, his vehicle “left the carriageway to the nearside and went down the verge”. His vehicle then “went through some trees and bushes” which “struck the front passenger door” and left Jacob with “fatal injuries”.

His post-mortem confirmed he died of “multiple traumatic injuries due to a road traffic collision”. His inquest will be held by Coroner Elizabeth Gray on December 1 at Vantage House. After his death, Jacob’s family paid tribute to him.

He was described as a “very charismatic” person. His family added: “Jacob was a loving son, grandson, brother, uncle, nephew and cousin. He was loved by many and will be sadly missed by all that knew him.

“Jacob was a very unique man and always loved to make people laugh, this was one of his special powers. He was a very charismatic, funny and also musically talented person. He will always be loved and in our thoughts every day.”

A 70-year-old woman and 93-year-old man, who was in the ambulance, died two days after the crash in 2023

A 60-year-old woman has avoided prison after a crash that killed two people. The crash happened on December 19, 2023 at around 7.30pm on the B1506 in Moulton, between Kentford and Newmarket.

Julie Ijere was driving a patient transport ambulance, which was operated by a private transport service. In the back of the ambulance was another employee and two patients, one of whom was Anthony Dawbarn.

The ambulance was heading towards Newmarket. A Volkswagen Golf, being driven by Jane Blampied was travelling in the opposite direction towards Kentford.

The ambulance drifted into the Golf’s path, resulting in a serious crash and the ambulance tipping on its side. CCTV from the area and dashcam footage from the time of the crash showed the ambulance crossing the broken lines in the middle of the road and into the path of the Golf. Jane, aged 70, and Anthony, aged 93, died two days later in Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

The investigation found that there was no evidence of distractions from inside the ambulance, or that Ijere had been on a phone. Ijere was on prescription medication at the time, but there was no evidence to suggest this affected her ability to drive safely.

In the absence of any other factor, it is the driver who is responsible for maintaining control of their vehicle and it is clear in this instance that Julie Ijere failed to do so, the reason for which is unknown.

Ijere, of Shakespeare Road, Stowmarket, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by careless driving at a hearing on April 27 this year. After appearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday (August 5), she was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 30 months.

She has also been disqualified from driving for five years and will have to take an extended retest. In addition, she will also carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, take part in a 15-day rehabilitation activity programme, pay a £500 victim surcharge and £187 in costs.

Victim personal statements from both families were read during the hearing, highlighting the impact the tragic losses have had on the families, friends and loved ones of Mrs Blampied and Mr Dawbarn.

Detective Inspector Dave McCormack, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This has been a tragic case for the families of Jane Blampied and Anthony Dawbarn to deal with. It has taken a long time to be brought to court and I thank the families for their patience.

“Julie Ijere has pleaded guilty and therefore taken responsibility, however this still doesn’t give the families the answer as to what caused the collision. This is understandably a cause of frustration for them.

“Drivers must fully recognise that they have a responsibility to other road users to drive safely, concentrate and be fit to drive at all times when they are behind the wheel. Sincere thanks should also be passed on to the members of public and emergency services for all efforts made to save the lives of the two victims on that terrible evening.”