GameCentral takes a look at the third wave of Virtual Boy games for Nintendo Switch Online and comes across a forgotten gem and an overrated oddity.
Playing through the Virtual Boy’s back catalogue, via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service, has been a peculiar pleasure. Discovering old and obscure video games is always fun, especially those that were difficult to obtain even at the time of their release, but the Virtual Boy is made even more interesting by the bizarre nature of the console itself and the fact that it was a Nintendo product.
The Virtual Boy’s big gimmick is that it displays games in stereoscopic 3D but only using the colours red and black. We’ve already reviewed the initial batch of games and the second wave of additions, including Mario Clash and Mario’s Tennis. And now, this week, a third wave has added another five games (six if you’re in Japan but we assume Virtual Fishing had too much Japanese text to be brought over here).
That brings the total up to 12 in the West, out of a promised 16 – including two previously unreleased titles, in Zero Racer (a F-Zero spin-off) and Dragon Hopper. We’re definitely interested in seeing those but for all these games we’re continuing to use a five point review scale, to make it clear they’re not compatible with our normal review scores.
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Virtual Bowling – it won’t bowl you over (Nintendo)
Virtual Bowling
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Developer: Athena
A lot of Virtual Boy games were made by Nintendo themselves, but they also roped in other Japanese developers, both big and small. Athena, which went bust in 2013, is one of the small ones, being known for nothing more famous than 2D shooter Strike Gunner S.T.G.
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Virtual Bowling is exactly what you’d expect and, in truth, almost completely uninteresting, except for the fact that its 3D effect is genuinely impressive, especially when the ball clatters towards the pins. The gameplay and presentation is very bare bones though, with a golf game style control system that has you trying to stop a cursor at just the right point to alter the direction and speed of the ball.
It’s perfectly functional but, as with Mario’s Tennis, the fact that there are no multiplayer options for any Virtual Boy games make it seem utterly pointless, and a bad idea both conceptually and in terms of execution. And yet, incredibly there were two bowling games released for the Virtual Boy, this one in Japan and Nester’s Funky Bowling, which isn’t available on Switch, in the West. It’s baffling.
Score: 1/5
Space Invaders Virtual Collection – don’t take it lying down (Nintendo)
Space Invaders Virtual Collection
Developer Taito
By the time the Virtual Boy was released in 1995 (by which point the PS1 had already been out for a year) Space Invaders was 17 years old and seen as a prehistoric relic by most people. So, like so many Virtual Boy games – and the console itself – it’s hard to understand the reasoning behind the Virtual Collection.
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Its name alone is a deception, as all it contains is the original game and sequel Space Invaders Part 2 (which is basically the same game but with a few different alien types). Both are available in their original 2D form and as new 3D versions, and there’s also a time attack and score challenge mode… but that’s it.
Space Invader’s gameplay is timeless but while the 3D effect does give a good impression of depth it looks like the aliens are laying on the ground rather than looming over you. And because the Virtual Boy only does red and black it somehow manages to be less colourful than the original – which relied on a cellophane overlay on the arcade cabinet to add colour to the game.
Score: 2/5
V-Tetris – it’s just Tetris (Nintendo)
V-Tetris
Developer: Locomotive
We’ll get to the interesting stuff in a minute, we promise, but first there’s this. Despite only having 22 games in total, the Virtual Boy somehow managed to end up with two bowling games and two Tetris games. In both cases, one was for the West and one for Japan, with this one being the Japanese Tetris game. We already reviewed 3D-Tetris and found it to be one of the better games on the console, since it treats the 3D effect as more than just a gimmick, by trying to display the familiar Tetris field as a wireframe 3D display.
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V-Tetris doesn’t do anything like that, it’s just 2D Tetris as it’s always been, but with a couple of 3D backgrounds, one of which features a faintly disturbing looking clown. It’s actually a perfectly good version of Tetris, with very smooth controls, but unfortunately all the music tracks are ear-bleedingly awful. Other than that, the options are almost identical to the Game Boy version – although there is an extra mode that lets you shift a block left or right by using the shoulder buttons.
Considering the console itself automatically warns you not to play it for too long, it’s really not a good host for a game like Tetris, where you’re trying to keep your run going for as long as possible. So, again, why were there two of them? Nothing about the Virtual Boy makes any sense.
Score: 2/10
Vertical Force – almost a great game (Nintendo)
Vertical Force
Developer: Hudson Soft
Here, at last, we come across something genuinely good. It’s by Hudson Soft, who are sadly no longer with us but were responsible for the PC Engine console and the classic Bomberman, as well the Star Soldier franchise – one of our favourite 2D shooters of the era. This isn’t technically part of the series, but it may as well be as the vertical scrolling action is very similar.
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However, it does have a unique gimmick and one that, unlike most Virtual Boy games, tries to take full advantage of the console’s features. As such, you control a spaceship in the normal shmup manner, but with the press of a button you can descend to fight at a lower altitude. Enemies and structures appear at both heights and its up to you to determine which is the optimum one for you to be at, at any given time.
That alone is great, because the 3D effect is really good, but there’s an unexpectedly wide range of ‘AI drones’ you can collect that all have different uses, from running off to attack enemies on their own to going back to repair you if you’re not actively attacking enemies at the time. If they get hit, you can store them away to repair them or you can sacrifice them to use them as a smart bomb.
The set-up is great but unfortunately there are some definite flaws, most notably the fact that many of the enemy bullets are hard to make out, given the monochrome visuals of the Virtual Boy. Hudson Soft try to compensate for this by giving you an energy bar, instead of you being killed in one shot, but that just ends up making it even less clear what actually killed you.
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That doesn’t matter as much as it might, because the game is surprisingly easy, but it’s also very short. Vertical Force certainly has its problems but it’s a shame it was never iterated upon, because there are some fun ideas here, including a recurring mini-boss that gets more powerful and learns from your previous attacks.
Score: 4/5
Jack Bros. – not quite as good as its reputation suggests (Nintendo)
Jack Bros.
Developer: Atlus
For many years, the character Jack Frost was the de facto mascot for developer Atlus. He may not be used in that capacity much anymore, but you can find him in virtually every Shin Megami Tensei game, up to and including Persona 5. Although, as a point of trivia, this was actually the first MegaTen game to ever be released outside Japan.
It’s immediately obvious that more effort, and budget, has gone into this than many other Virtual Boy games, with a proper intro and something approaching a plot, as Jack Frost, and his brothers Jack Lantern and Jack Skelton, find themselves trapped in the human world after Halloween.
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That interesting set-up doesn’t really translate to the gameplay though, which is essentially a maze game mixed with a dual-stick shooter. The Virtual Boy’s controller was relatively normal looking but had two D-pads, on the left and right. The translates easily to a modern controller, where you move the Jack of your choice with the left stick and aim his shots with the right.
Again, it’s an interesting concept but the game itself doesn’t make very good use of it. Although you’re constantly looking for keys, they’re clearly marked on the radar and there’s no actual puzzles, as you just blast everything in your way and avoid traps. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but you spend a lot of time shooting enemies that are just on the edge of the screen, which is especially frustrating when you’re peering into the Virtual Boy’s headset.
There’s some impressive enemy variety (the brothers also all have different special attacks) and the boss battles are a highlight, but it all comes across as being something of a rough draft and very under-designed.
Score: 3/5
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Calling the Virtual Boy and its games strange is really underplaying it (Nintendo)
The young girl was dangling from a ledge above a busy London high street as onlookers watched in fear as a police officer and member of the public carried out a rescue operation
The terrifying moment a toddler dangles from a ledge in London has been caught on camera, as horrified onlookers were forced to watch on below.
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The footage shows a young girl cling to a window ledge above a busy high street shop before losing grip.
The youngster is dangling above a pawnbrokers shop on Ilford High Road in East London, as a crowd gather to watch the tense moments.
People helplessly watch from the streets as the girl holds on as tight as she can.
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At one point a worried woman emerges from a lower window, shouting up to the child as a police officer and man are carrying out the rescue effort.
A topless man, in grey tracksuit bottoms positions himself directly underneath the girl, who is stood alongside an officer who has rushed to the scene.
Both men are stood on the roof in the moment when the young girl’s grip finally gives way.
Gasps are heard from the crowd at this heart dropping moment as the child plunges from the ledge.
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However, the member of the public manages to catch the girl as they are both stabilised by the police officer.
The crowd then echoes a sense of relief, with cheers and words of support. The girl was then passed back through the lower window from which the woman had emerged.
Both the man and the police officer then embrace as the crowd applauds them.
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The Met Police said officers were called to the scene shortly after 3.20pm on Tuesday following reports of concerns for a child’s safety.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Officers were called to Ilford High Road at 15:23hrs on Tuesday, June 9, following concerns for the safety of a child climbing onto a window ledge.
“The girl was bought to safety by 15:32hrs by an attending officer and member of the public.
NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have unearthed communities of marine life — including jellyfish, tubeworms and brittle stars — thriving on a millions-year-old whale graveyard.
These graveyards form when whale carcasses fall to the sea floor, becoming a sustaining snack for nearby critters. This one, located up to 23,000 feet (7 kilometers) below the surface of the southeastern Indian Ocean, spans the largest area and is so far the deepest and oldest found.
A whale’s sheer size and the unique chemistry of its bones are the keys to forming these unique underwater neighborhoods, said Xikun Song, a biologist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering.
“At the same time, the very nature of the deep ocean makes these sites exceptionally difficult for scientists to locate,” Song, who was involved with the latest find, wrote in an email.
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Researchers explored the remains during multiple deep-sea submersible trips in 2023, collecting samples and mapping the extent of the necropolis. They found five carcass sites and fossils, including skulls belonging to beaked and baleen whales. The oldest bones date back 5.3 million years.
Feeding and living on the carcasses were myriad creatures, large and small, including sea cucumbers, squat lobsters and saltwater clams. Many of them are likely species that have never been documented, according to findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
“The potential number of specimens is just astounding,” said paleontologist Stephen Godfrey with the Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland, who wasn’t involved in the research.
Many factors likely conspired to preserve the bones for millions of years, according to the study authors. They’re dense enough to outlast attacks from bone-eating worms, and located deep enough in the ocean to avoid getting buried by dust and loose particles. The bones also were coated with a light layer of minerals from the surrounding seawater, which may have prevented them from degrading.
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Why did so many whales die here? Maybe they were already living in the area and died of natural causes. A few could have perished from exhaustion or illness caused by deep-sea diving. The area’s shape, akin to the letter V, could also have funneled the remains to their resting spot, the authors wrote.
Such discoveries are important because they clue scientists into the vibrant communities that find a way even in remote, hard-to-reach environments.
Studying the whale graveyards “is important for understanding how life can adapt to such extreme conditions, not only due to the lack of light and oxygen but also to the incredibly high pressure,” said study co-author and paleontologist Giovanni Bianucci with the University of Pisa in Italy in an email.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
A ruptured water main in Cambridge has forced a road to close for emergency repairs. The burst pipe on Queen Edith’s Way was initially reported to Cambridge Water on the evening of Friday, 5 June, when it appeared as a sizeable puddle.
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Throughout the weekend, the leak grew significantly worse. Residents subsequently highlighted concerns about a “potentially serious traffic incident risk” due to the “major rupture” flooding into the middle of the carriageway. The road has remained shut since Saturday, 6 June.
Cambridge Water has stated that repair work was “delayed due to difficulties accessing a valve”. The repair is now underway, but to complete the work, the road is expected to stay closed for the coming week.
One reader, Amyalan1958, comments: “Could not access a valve surely after all the billions you have made, Cambridge water you should have had a few in stock just in case!”
Whynot2 says: “If the valve that they are trying to access was sitting on a shelf, the repair would be nearly done, but the valve is either under the water or under a ton or two of debris or both.”
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Freddly writes: “My advice to Cambridge Water is to take their time over this repair. Most of the journeys on Queen Edith’s Way are Deliveroo cars ferrying milkshakes, plus the odd trout-pouter taking the daughter to school in the princess carriage. Hopefully, the traffic on Cherry Hinton Road will be heavy enough to make a few drivers think twice about their journey.”
Rhodabike says: “As a result of the closure, motorists should be aware that traffic has been heavier than usual along Fulbourn Road and Cherry Hinton Road. Yes, this is exactly what happens when you close roads: other roads inevitably suffer from displaced traffic, and cars don’t evaporate. This reality is entirely contrary to what the anti-car campaigners keep telling us.”
Over on our Facebook page, Delbert B comments: “At least that bit will get a new tarmac coat for Christmas.”
Koce P writes: “Some unavoidable new tarmac coming, the only way to get any resurfacing done recently.”
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Dale L says: “Even without road closures for maintenance, Cambridge traffic is often congested. Road closures only exacerbate the situation in the surrounding area.”
Vincent P adds: “The water main that busted on Queen Edith Road happened on Saturday. The water company didn’t start work until Monday, three days if they started on Saturday, it would’ve been opened on Monday.”
Craig S writes: “Now that the elections have passed and the usual crowd are in control, normal behaviour resumes. Closing roads is the ultimate goal, and this helps serve it.”
Raymond C asks: “Why don’t you tell us in advance which road is closed so we can go round, or doesn’t that suit your plans to mess up any chance of people moving in cars and vans?”
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Graham B mentions: “All fenced off for safety and not a workman in sight. Typically, it will probably be fenced off for days before a workman will be seen. Just keep inconveniencing motorists.”
Darren S says: “The water company will leave the leak for 2 weeks, wasting water, then just add the concrete to the customer’s bill.”
Are you surprised at how long it will take to fix the burst water pipe? Comment below or HERE to have your say.
The iconic arena has recently garnered significant attention as a potential venue for her much-anticipated wedding to Travis Kelce.
Swift was seated courtside, sporting a blue T-shirt emblazoned with “Stevie Knicks” in orange lettering. She was accompanied by singers Este and Alana Haim, who also showcased Knicks-themed attire, wearing shirts that read “Knickole Kidman” and “Knickleback,” respectively.
Less than a year after their engagement announcement last August, reports regarding Swift and Kelce’s impending nuptials have intensified.
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The Haim sisters also showcased Knicks-themed attire (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)
TMZ and Page Six recently started insisting Swift and Kelce will marry at the Garden in early July, despite their close connections to everywhere from Kansas City, Missouri, and Nashville, Tennessee, to Cleveland and Rhode Island.
Swift and the Haim sisters were among several celebrities in the house, including regulars like Ben Stiller and Spike Lee. Swift and Kelce attended Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Knicks and Cavaliers, not far from where the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is from in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
This is the latest sporting event for Swift, who along with Kelce also attended a game during the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final a year ago in Sunrise, Florida.
The Madison Square Garden wedding reports remain unconfirmed, and a spokesperson for Swift has not responded to The Associated Press’ requests for comment about the wedding plans. The arena’s calendar of upcoming events lists nothing from June 29-July 6.
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Swift first performed at Madison Square Garden in 2009, during her “Fearless” tour, and she celebrated her 30th birthday at the arena 10 years later as part of iHeartRadio’s “Jingle Ball.” She has since graduated to larger venues when she swings through the New York area; her Eras tour shows were just across the river at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Kane’s status as captain, talisman and main marksman is illustrated very simply by his all-time record of 79 goals in 114 England games.
And yet, at 32, he continues to add strings to his bow in a fashion that now makes him the complete player.
In Orlando, there was further evidence that Tuchel has effectively given Kane a roving commission to link, create and score – all tasks he performs superbly.
In the first half, there was even the sight of Kane picking the ball up in England’s own penalty area as they played out from the back, linking comfortably with his defenders.
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And then, as half-time approached, he produced a stunning pass with the inside of his right foot from a deep position, taking out four Costa Rica defenders to find Anthony Gordon, who thought he had won a penalty only for the decision to be overturned after a video assistant referee review.
Tuchel’s willingness to allow Kane to roam freely, as he does for Bayern Munich, adds an intriguing layer to the German’s strategy.
It is clear that Kane possesses the natural game intelligence – described as “uncoachable” by former England striker Chris Sutton – to not only create but also still arrive with perfect timing in attacking positions.
Kane’s range of passing and vision enables him to find runners like Gordon or Saka, as well as Bellingham and Rogers when they make their trademark surges.
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It may just give Tuchel and England an X-factor if they drive deep into the World Cup and have to unlock superior opposition.
No wonder Tuchel is reluctant to leave Kane out, even for a friendly, so central is he to his plans.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After a decade of roiling South Carolina and national politics, Rep. Nancy Mace finished a distant fifth in her state’s Republican primary for governor, leaving an uncertain future for one of the nation’s unabashed politicians.
Her campaign mirrored her whipsaw career. Mace courted the support of President Donald Trump after harshly criticizing him over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. She emphasized her fights with other Republicans to release files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
In the final days before Tuesday’s primary, she called for a law to prevent anyone not born in the U.S. from holding political office or serving as a judge. She suggested that Rom Reddy, another candidate for governor, wasn’t qualified because he was a naturalized citizen whose mother was from India and father from Italy.
“I didn’t come out of a slum in India,” Mace said during an appearance in Greenville County this month. “I am born and made here in America.”
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By the end of her campaign, she was only making sporadic public appearances. She struggled to raise money and had no presence on television. Mace mostly communicated through social media — a place she has used to her advantage since first being elected to the South Carolina House in 2017.
Mace didn’t give an indication of her next plans in her concession speech Tuesday night, although she posted Wednesday on social media that she was “headed back to the private sector” at the end of her current House term. She is backing Alan Wilson in the runoff for governor, even though just last year she accused Wilson of protecting child sex abuse defendants.
“When children needed him to act, Wilson looked the other way,” she said.
Wilson will face Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the runoff on June 23. Evette received Trump’s endorsement, spurring Mace to lash out on social media.
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“Pamela Evette is NOT ENDORSED by DONALD TRUMP,” Mace wrote, incorrectly. “Do not believe her LIES.” Mace posted an AI-generated image of herself posing with Trump.
Where does Mace stand with Trump?
Mace’s history with Trump goes back a decade, and, like many Republicans, it’s had its ups and downs.
She worked as a field director on Trump’s 2016 campaign, and he endorsed her first congressional run in 2020, albeit after she won the Republican nomination.
But their rapport fractured as soon as Mace got to Washington. After the freshman House member sought to hold Trump accountable for Jan. 6 and said his “entire legacy” had been “wiped out,” he labeled Mace as “crazy” and solicited primary challengers to take her on. Trump endorsed and campaigned for one of them, but Mace — with future Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita as her media consultant — won anyway, and Trump went on to support her general election bid.
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As Trump sought to return to the White House in 2024, Mace didn’t endorse him over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley until a day before the New Hampshire primary.
Mace lauded Trump during a primetime Republican National Convention speech and, after winning her own reelection, branded herself as “Trump in high heels” during the early days of her gubernatorial campaign.
But another fracture was on the horizon. This spring, while angling for Trump’s endorsement, Mace was among several Republicans who joined congressional Democrats to force the Justice Department to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump went on to back Evette, saying she had “never wavered” in her support of him. Evette had endorsed Trump early in the 2024 campaign.
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Four congressional Republicans were part of the initial group pushing for a discharge petition forcing the files’ release. Mace and Rep. Thomas Massie lost their races, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned in January.
In a lengthy statement posted after her Tuesday loss, Mace said she had “taken on the rich and powerful in both parties” and “voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that.”
From Waffle House to The Citadel to Congress
Mace dropped out of high school and worked as a server at the Waffle House before getting her diploma. She later attended The Citadel and became the first woman to graduate from the state’s military academy. And in recent years, she talked about the importance of defending victims of sexual assault and shared stories of being raped as a teen.
After her political career began in the South Carolina House, Mace got wide praise from Republicans in 2020 for winning back a U.S. House seat around Charleston that had flipped to Democrats for one term.
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“For those folks that are out there today that maybe weren’t with us yesterday, I’m asking for a chance — a chance to prove to you that I will be a compassionate leader, a good listener, an independent thinker,” Mace said then.
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Kinnard reported from Washington. Bill Barrow contributed from Atlanta.
A family-friendly estate has been forced to close due to a water outage “beyond its control”
13:06, 10 Jun 2026Updated 13:10, 10 Jun 2026
A popular attraction in Cambridgeshire has been forced to shut on Wednesday (June 10) due to a water outage. Owned by the National Trust, Wimpole Estate, near Arrington, has closed today due to a regional water outage “beyond its control,” they say.
The reopening time has not yet been confirmed and visitors have been advised to refer to its website for further updates.
In a statement warning visitors of the closure, a spokesperson for the estate said: “We greatly regret having to close Wimpole Estate today, 10th June. Due to a regional water outage this is beyond our control.
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“We apologise for any inconvenience or disappointment that this may have caused. Please refer to the website about future reopening times.”
Wimpole Estate offers an impressive 17th-century mansion, an extensive garden and parkland with an array of wildlife to explore, an in-hand farm and a cafe known as The Old Rectory.
Visitors also regularly follow pathways around the countryside before ending up at The Old Rectory for some lunch. Its terrace even overlooks the garden.
The bill provides $38 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $26 billion for the Border Patrol. An additional $5 billion would cover unforeseen costs, according to the White House.
Trump signed the legislation in the Oval Office a day after House Republicans pushed the measure through by a 214-212 vote over the objections of Democrats. His signature ended a nearly six-month fight over Department of Homeland Security funding that began with shooting deaths of deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in January during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
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A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)
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A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)
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Democrats began demanding changes to immigration enforcement after the shootings, creating an impasse — and resulting in the longest agency in history — that ultimately led Republicans to go it alone on the funding.
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The agencies will be funded through the next three years. The new law front-loads routine annual funding, ensuring a virtually uninterrupted flow of money as the Trump administration seeks to deport some 1 million people per year.
The legislation had become sidetracked over $1 billion for White House security, including for Trump’s new ballroom, and a $1.8 billion fund to compensate his allies who claim to be victims of political prosecution. Both proposals became politically toxic and were scrapped.
The bill as passed focused exclusively on immigration enforcement, a topic that Republicans have treated as a defining issue between the two major political parties and one the GOP hopes will carry it to victory in November’s midterm elections.
Chris Blundell, director of Harrogate-based Providence Collection, makes his remarks announcing the company’s latest annual results, which have just been posted on Companies House.
During the year to August 2025, the company generated turnover of £3.9 million, representing an increase of 1.0% compared to prior year.
Gross profit increased by 8.2%, from £1,291,293 to £1,396,993.
In comments dated May 28 2026, Mr Blundell said this reflected “improved cost control and operational efficiencies.”
The operating loss reduced by 7.6% year-on-year from £716,659 to £674,643.
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The loss before taxation dropped from £1,393,212 to £1,279,440.
Mr Blundell continued: “Significant increases in labour costs and business rates were countered by both improvements in operational efficiencies as well as controlling overhead costs.
“In the coming year, the estate will be streamlined to ensure profitability going forward.”
The company has just announced the sale of The Black Bull at Moulton, The Punch Bowl at Marton-cum-Grafton and The Cleveland Tontine near Northallerton.
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Mr Blundell also warned: “The group operates in a dynamic sector that is subject to a range of external and internal risks. The economic environment remains a significant factor, with hospitality businesses being particularly sensitive to inflationary pressures, fluctuations in interest rates, and shifts in consumer spending habits.
“Labour market conditions also continue to pose challenges. Recruiting and retaining skilled personnel, especially in rural locations, is increasingly difficult, with wage inflation and staffing shortages contributing to operational pressures.
“The full year impact of the increases to Employers National Insurance will impact ability to recruit and availability of staff.”
Over the year to August 2025, staffing decreased from 115 to 110.
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Mr Blundell continued: “Regulatory changes also present a level of uncertainty, as the business must remain compliant with evolving legislation concerning health and safety, licensing, and employment.
“Seasonal variations and unpredictable weather further influence trading performance, particularly for rural sites that rely on tourism and local events.”
He added:” To manage and mitigate these risks, the group is focused on sound financial management, operational resilience, and the continued investment in team development and customer service. These measures aim to ensure the business remains agile and well-positioned for sustainable growth.”
Do you agree with Chris Blundell? What can government do to help our pubs and hotels? Is it to blame for any of these problems? Let us know in the comments below.
Crews from Malton, Sherburn and Pickering responded to the incident at 12.05pm on Scarborough Road in Rillington.
The A64 through the village was also closed while crews dealt with the fire.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “Fire crews extinguished the fire which had spread to the house interior, ventilated the heavily smoke logged premises and gave oxygen therapy to the occupier until the arrival of an ambulance.
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