Dr David Gee, a zoology lecturer at the University of Derby, has said the warm spring is the reason behind large numbers of spiders being spotted.

According to the expert, hot conditions earlier this year had led to higher insect populations – providing spiders with more food and a higher survival rate.

“They matured a little earlier this year,” said Dr Gee, who specialises in invertebrate biology.

He told the BBC : “The very large house spiders that we often see running around our living room at night are now big enough that you can actually hear their footsteps.”

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Because more spiders are being produced, Dr Gee said male spiders were having to become more active to look for female counterparts.

“We’re really seeing increased spider behaviour as a function of the success they encountered early on in the growing season,” he said.

When male spiders become sexually mature, they stop building webs and become a “roving individual”.

“They go from being essentially heavyweight boxers with a very strong, large body and essentially become Olympic runners,” said Dr Gee.

Females stay away inside their burrows, surrounded by webbing, so males are having to go out into our homes to look for them.

“As males are all searching, they will occasionally run into each other and sometimes force each other out of an area,” the expert explained.

“This increased competition just leads to more and more spiders having this roaming mode of life and there’s a bit of a turf war going on in our homes.”

Dr Gee says spiders usually found in the south are heading north into even more homes across the UK.

“As a function of global warming – and we’re seeing our environment changing – you do find more and more species, not just spiders, but insects and other species, actually moving further north,” he said.

“As the climate changes, we suddenly find new species of grasshopper, crickets, more spider species that we may not have encountered in the north in centuries. We’re even seeing some species that have made it over the channel.

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“We’re actually seeing the whole dynamic of all of these ecosystems changing, which is interesting, but can throw a bit of a spanner in the works when it comes to actually maintaining our own populations of insects.”

Dr Gee also warned arachnophobes that the old adage of using conkers to keep spiders at bay is a myth.

“There’s no scientific evidence whatsoever to suggest that conkers produce any kind of noxious chemical and any volatile oils or anything like that that spiders might actually find unpleasant,” he said.

“It’s a futile effort, and the spiders themselves, they can’t hurt you anyway, so I wouldn’t really worry about it too much.”

Aston Villa are in the hunt for Champions League football this season but suffered a setback against Man United at Old Trafford.

Unai Emery described Manchester United as a team at a “high level” after Aston Villa’s defeat at Old Trafford. Michael Carrick’s undefeated run ended against Newcastle, but the interim boss bounced back against Villa.

Casemiro, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko got on the scoresheet for United in the second half. Ross Barkley briefly drew his side level, but United responded with two goals to seal the win.

Villa are competing with United to qualify for the Champions League, but their defeat in Manchester means they have lost ground in the race to return to Europe’s elite competition.

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Speaking to Match of the Day, Emery said: “Bad result. We played 90 minutes trying to continue in our mentality and the good form we had in Lille, but today was a huge challenge.

“The first half was equal. In the second half, we started poorly, they dominated more, and we needed to react and try to get control of the game.”

Emery was asked whether mistakes are costing his side and said: “Yes. This is the key. When you can keep the ball and try to stop them with the ball, it’s like we want. In 90 minutes a lot of things happen, some we did fantastic and some we missed momentum. Overall we needed to play smart with our idea.”

The Spaniard continued: “Manchester United are at a high level and to face them today was a huge challenge for us. We are competing and were with the same points,” he said.

“Today, we finish three points behind them. Keep going, we must use the points we had before to try to keep going, keep fighting and keep recovering tactically and with confidence.”

Spurs had shown this new-found spirit even before they suffered the blow of Dominik Szoboszlai’s 18th minute free-kick, a decent strike but one that a poorly-positioned Guglielmo Vicario, back in goal for the unfortunate Kinsky, should have kept out.

In Vicario’s defence, he later made a magnificent save when he turned Cody Gakpo’s shot on to the post. That moment kept Spurs in the game when a second Liverpool goal might have killed them off.

Richarlison, the pantomime villain, had the last word as he, above all, answered Tudor’s call to fight.

He still retains hero status at Everton for his brilliant performances and efforts when they just about retained their Premier League status in 2021-22.

Spurs will need him to do the same now as he showed here just how vital he could prove to be in tandem with the tireless Dominic Solanke.

Richarlison’s goal took him to 100 goal contributions (73 goals, 27 assists) in the Premier League. Roberto Firmino (132) and Gabriel Jesus (118) are the only other Brazilians to reach that milestone.

As for Liverpool, there was little comfort in this result as they missed the chance to move back into the Premier League’s top four, feeling the full anger of their fans at the finale.

The one shaft of light was a superb performance from 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha, selected ahead of Mohamed Salah. He received a standing ovation when he was substituted after 64 minutes, unlike the Egyptian, who simply could not do anything right when he came on.

As for Spurs, it remains to be seen if this excellent display is to be an exception rather than the rule – but for the first time in a long time there was light at the end of what has been the darkest of tunnels.

Viewers of the Oscars were left raging by a ‘disrespectful’ moment that could have tarnished a historic moment for the Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre

It’s supposed to be the pinnacle of your career, but one winner at the Oscars has been left seething – and fans are too. The stars arrived in Hollywood for the 98th Academy Awards and were all hoping to bag one of the coveted gongs.

Sadly, for the first K-Pop to win an Oscar, their moment was tarnished as the ceremony tried to wrap up their acceptance speech. As Golden, one of the hits from KPop Demon Hunters, became the first K-pop tune to win the best original song Oscar, Ejae, 24, Ido and Teddy Park also became the first South Koreans to win in the category.

However, while Ejae gave an emotional address, Mark Sonnenblick was devastated as the winners were cut off mid-speech. “Thank you so much to the Academy,” EJAE began her speech. However, when Yu Han Lee took to the microphone to share some words, he was cut off by the drowning out music.

READ MORE: Oscars 2026 LIVE: Michael B Jordan in surprise win after BAFTA racism rowREAD MORE: Leonardo DiCaprio Oscars moment disrupted as camera operator appears to stumble

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The melody is used to indicate the winners to leave the stage. But the moment left Sonnenblick jumping up and down in frustration on the stage.

And it was scenes that were also felt by viewers at home. “This was so disrespectful @TheAcademy #Oscars,” one user fumed as they shared a clip of the moment. They added: “Be respectful it’s not that hard.” Another agreed and raged: ” @TheAcademy @ABC You ruined the moment for the winners. How rude can you be?”

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Another admitted they had felt sorry for the winners, writing: “This is just terrible … poor guy”. And the same sentiment was given by another user, who wrote: “That was ridiculous. Completely unnecessary. They let other winners speak much longer.”

“Y’all disrespectful for cutting them off like that,” said another before one questioned: “I’m confused on why they thought it was okay to cut them off.”

Other wins on the night saw Jessie Buckley take home the gong for Best Actress. The Irish star has had an impressive few months on the awards scene, mopping up after her role in Hamnet.

She took the time to praise her family – and send a message back home to Ireland. “This is…this is really something. Thank you to the incredible women that I stand beside; I am inspired by your art and your heart, and I want to work with every single one of you,” she began.

She later went on to praise her husband and eight-month old daughter. “You’re my best friend, and I want to have 20,000 more babies with you, I do,” she told her man.

Michael B Jordan won the award for Best Actor in his first Oscars win. He was emotional backstage at the Oscars and he drew the biggest cheers of the night among the assembled press pack, our reporter in Hollywood, Tom Bryant, revealed.

Michael said: “It feels great. It feels I’ve been extremely blessed my life. It’s like when you know people are trying, are investing in you. I mean, I’ve been doing this for years for 25 years, you know. And there’s a lot of people who see me grow up in this industry, grow up in this town, and they looked out for me when they didn’t have to…they wanted me to do well when they didn’t have to.

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Styles, who is currently at the top of the UK album and singles charts, returned to the popular show as guest host.

He openly admitted how dull he had become during his recent hiatus.

The 32-year-old quipped that he is “tremendously boring” after keeping a low profile since his Love On Tour run of gigs came to an end in 2023.

He said: “I took up jogging. There’s nothing interesting about that.

HARRY STYLES JUST KISSED A MAN ON SNL AND JOKED ABOUT QUEERBAITING THAT WAS NOT ON MY 2026 BINGO CARD

— rose🌻 (@xxteamlmxx) March 15, 2026

“But because I’m me, people pretend to find that interesting. 
I don’t run to be interesting. I do it for the feeling it gives me, that runner’s high. It’s just amazing.

“Watermelon sugar high, runner’s high. And if that doesn’t do it for you, I also love ecstasy.

“As a British man who spent a lot of his life in the public eye, I can assure you, there’s something nice about being boring. It’s better than the alternative.”

Harry Styles addresses “queerbaiting” allegations during SNL opening monologue

At that point the image of a shocked Andrew in the back of a police car following his arrest last month appeared on the screen.

Styles also took aim at those who had accused him of “queer-baiting” in the past and his use of fruit as a metaphor for sex in song lyrics.

Speaking about his time off, Styles said: “I realised I’d spent half my life in music – touring, playing albums, and making songs about fruit that people think are about sex.

“I just really like fruit, guys. I like sex, too.

“People seemed to pay a lot of attention to the clothes I was wearing, and some people accused me of something called queer-baiting.

“But did it ever occur to you that… maybe you don’t know everything about me, Dad?”

On Friday, Styles claimed a number one chart double for the second time following the release of his new album, the Official Charts Company announced.

The 2026 Oscars featured surprise wins, emotional speeches and some comical moments as stars gathered for Hollywood’s biggest night.

The ceremony saw action thriller One Battle After Another win the most Oscars of the night with six wins, including best picture. But there were a number of historic moments – including Jessie Buckley becoming the first Irish star to win best actress.

And in a shock win amid tough competition from Leonardo di Caprio and Timothée Chalamet, Michael B Jordan took home the best actor prize – the sixth black actor to win in the Academy’s nearly 100-year history.

Follow the BBC’s ongoing coverage of the Oscars here.

Psychic Jessica Adams, who claims she predicted Covid-19, has issued predictions about Iran in 2026 and flagged a key date for major changes.

A psychic who alleges to have accurately foreseen the devastating Covid-19 pandemic and Donald Trump’s election victory has another ominous prediction – this time it pertains to Iran and the ongoing conflict the nation is entangled in with the United States and Israel.

Psychic Jessica Adams scrutinises astrological charts and celestial movements to forecast future events and has been known to achieve some uncannily precise results previously.

Adams claims she possesses intuitive abilities, which she credits for her notable reputation as a psychic.

Now, she has another prophecy for Iran in 2026, having previously issued the chilling warning that ‘the world map will be redrawn’ this year, reports the Mirror.

The ‘seismic’ Iran prediction for 2026

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In predictions posted on her website on January 12, 2026, Adams stated: “The Iran astrology chart shows freedom.”

Adams utilised Iran’s April 1, 1979 at 12:01 in Tehran astrological chart to formulate her predictions, as it proved accurate nine years ago when the psychic predicted the “slow rise of people power after 2020 in the country”.

For 2026, there’s one month that will stand out according to the leading astrologer, and that’s June. Adams notes: “It is possible to see that luck is with the families, with the history, heritage and culture of Iran – in June 2026. In fact, it’s at a twelve-year high.”

Why is the date and time of April 1, 1979, significant? While the time itself is averaged, the date marks when Ayatollah Khomeini proclaimed Iran an Islamic Republic. Using this chart to formulate her predictions, Adams “foresees the continued rise of people power in Iran”.

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In her enigmatic forecast, Adams has cautioned to “watch these dates with Iran” as she anticipates a major event will occur for Iran, specifically on July 26 this year, particularly relating to religion. “The end of Karma for world religion”, reveals the psychic.

Clarifying that “three historic cycles are ending this year” – specifically “the end of years of confusion for world religion on January 26, the end of heavy restrictions on world religion on February 14, and the end of karma for world religion on July 26” – Adams has predicted that significant changes are on the horizon for Iran.

The psychic further notes: “We’re also going to see an economic shock when Uranus goes to 27,28 Taurus in the Second House of sharemarkets and currency. That’s pretty close now, it will gather speed in March, April 2026. It’s going to Rock the Casbah.”

‘Total escape from reality of the current regime’

The psychic also analysed a modern 21st century astrology chart of Iran to make predictions about the country, revealing recent discoveries “like Neptune’s wife Salacia”. According to Adams: “She’s really important because she shows the total escape from reality of the current regime.”

On the surface, this forecast could have been alluding to the unexpected death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the US-Israel Operation Epic Fury after governing Iran with an iron fist for 36 years and six months.

His passing has sent shockwaves through the nation and triggered a substantial ripple effect on the administration and structural stability of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The astrologer said: “Salacia shows two worlds, neither of them real. This is not unusual with some religions. They bypass female equality, for example, or disappear into religious visions.”

Of the three dates the psychic highlighted to watch, the next significant one, July 26, is relatively near and according to Adams, it reveals “a three-way chapter close on a very, very long book”.

“It could not be better timing for Iran and that’s June 2026,” the psychic concludes.

While it remains to be seen whether Adams’ forecasts for Iran in 2026 will materialise, one thing is certain, transformation is approaching for this Middle Eastern nation, and rapidly.

Dressed in a red wig with heavy white make up, like the antagonist from the film, he could be seen playing table tennis with Chalamet in Marty Supreme, running across the stage of the Globe in Hamnet, in the car with Benicio del Toro in One Battle After Another and trying to get into the juke joint in Sinners.

The Hamnet star scooped the big prize in a historic triumph

Irish actress Jessie Buckley has etched her name into the history books after claiming the Academy Award for best actress in a groundbreaking moment for Ireland.

The 36-year-old has already secured a Bafta, Golden Globe and Critics Choice award for her portrayal of William Shakespeare’s wife in Hamnet during the 2025/2026 Awards Season.

Now, the Killarney-born star has completed the clean sweep, becoming the first Irish performer ever to claim the best actress Oscar.

In the film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, Buckley takes on the role of Agnes – historically known as Anne – Shakespeare’s wife, as the couple navigate the devastating loss of their son. The actress has previously described making Hamnet as a “life-changing experience” and expressed feeling “honoured” to receive her Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category.

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The County Kerry native continued her remarkable run through awards season last month when she picked up the Bafta for best actress for Hamnet, with industry insiders having strongly predicted her Oscar triumph. Buckley has previously revealed that the role sparked a “deep need” within her to become a mother.

Speaking to British Vogue, she revealed that portraying a character who had experienced the loss of a child fulfilled a “deep need” within her to “find” her own. Buckley married her husband in 2023, and the couple welcomed their first baby last year.

Earlier this month, she set the record straight about being a “lover of cats” after facing criticism from cat enthusiasts who were disappointed by her previous interview comments suggesting she disliked them. During an appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s American chat show, Buckley disclosed she had even auditioned for a feline role once, dismissing as a “misconception” any notion that she harboured animosity towards the creatures.

Hailing from Killarney, Buckley spent five years at an all-girls convent school before participating in the BBC talent competition I’d Do Anything in 2008, when she was just 17. The programme chronicled the hunt for a fresh face to portray Nancy in the West End production of Oliver! Buckley finished as the runner-up behind Coronation Street actress Jodie Prenger.

Buckley has opened up about her struggles with an eating disorder and depression throughout her adolescence. She subsequently trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (Rada) in London, earning her BA in acting in 2013.

Her theatrical journey began that very year with an appearance at Shakespeare’s Globe in The Tempest, before sharing the stage with The Holiday star Jude Law in a West End staging of Henry V.

Buckley subsequently took on the role of Marya Bolkonskaya in the 2016 television adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and made her cinema debut the following year in Michael Pearce’s psychological thriller Beast, appearing opposite Emma star Johnny Flynn.

She went on to feature in Wild Rose (2018), a coming-of-age musical drama centring on Rose-Lynn, a troubled Glasgow mother of two and ex-convict pursuing her ambitions of country music stardom – a performance that earned her the 2019 Scottish Bafta for best actress.

In 2020, Buckley appeared alongside Jesse Plemons in the psychological thriller I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, where a trip to her boyfriend’s isolated family farm transforms everything she believed she understood about him. Her impressive television portfolio includes her portrayal of Lyudmilla Ignatenko in HBO’s 2019 drama Chernobyl, followed by her performance as Oraetta Mayflower in the acclaimed series Fargo.

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On the big screen, she appeared in The Lost Daughter (2021) opposite Olivia Colman, a performance that earned her maiden Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress, and featured in the period piece Women Talking (2022) alongside The Crown’s Claire Foy, which tells the harrowing true account of women in a religious community who come to understand the full scale of sexual abuse they’ve suffered at the hands of men after beginning to share their stories with each other.

Most recently, Buckley joined forces with Colman again in 2023’s Wicked Little Letters and appeared with Four Lions star Riz Ahmed and The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White in the science fiction romance Fingernails, exploring the story of a woman who starts doubting her relationship despite a contentious test confirming them as an ideal couple. In 2022, Buckley secured the Laurence Olivier Award for best actress in a musical for her interpretation of Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

Oscars fans have called for the Academy to apologise to one of its winners after the ‘extremely messed up’ moment when his speech was cut very short.

Tonight saw Netflix hit Kpop Demon Hunters take home two awards, one for animated feature film and another for best original song.

But while the lively tune Golden was being honoured, one of the most ‘painful’ moments of the ceremony also occurred.

Singer-songwriter Ejae accepted the trophy, having also belted out the track with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami in a stunning performance that saw the whole Dolby Theatre wave lights in the air.

She began her speech alongside co-writers Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park.

Visibly emotional, she said: ‘Growing up, people made fun of me liking K-Pop, but now everyone’s singing our song and all the Korean lyrics.

‘I’m so proud, and I realised, the song, like this award, is not about success; it’s about resilience.’

Indeed, the Huntrix lyrics have resonated with many worldwide, causing the single to top the charts and become the first K-pop song to win a Grammy and an Oscar.

However, when Lee took to the mic to deliver his acceptance speech, the higher-ups obviously had other ideas.

In a clip that has since gone viral on social media, he walked up holding a piece of paper, having prepared what he wanted to say.

‘I’d like to thank…’, he began, only able to get out four short words before his voice was drowned out by music, signalling that his time was up.

Fellow songwriter and composer Sonnenblick began jumping up and down in protest, while Ejae was clearly upset and begged for a few more seconds.

Unfortunately, despite their efforts, the Oscars were having none of it. While he continued trying to speak, the camera panned out, and a voiceover resumed, announcing that the awards for best director and best actor were coming up after the commercial break.

Taking to X after witnessing the carnage, @zakfilm raged: ‘This was absolutely shameful by the Academy to not stop the music even after they asked for more time. Especially after they just did a live performance for Golden, they deserved to have their moment to talk.’

@JamiUwUs declared that Lee ‘deserved his moment’, while @alamanecer said the film ‘deserved so much better than this’.

@pixielexiee called for a ‘formal apology’ and @WaashyV2 blasted the move as ‘disgustingly disrespectful’.

‘That poor guy, you can tell English isn’t his first language and he probably practiced a lot for that moment and they cut him off like that!!! [sic]’, said @Szamaximoff.

’Respectfully if they wanna save time they can cut down their unfunny useless jokes and give more time for the speeches’, @zendayaxhat quipped.

‘I could cry I feel so bad’, added @CoolwithaKatie. ‘the cast needs to record his speech and post it so we can hear what they so rudely cut off’.

Several others asked ‘where was this energy for Adrien Brody last year’, after the American actor, 52, took home best actor for his role in The Brutalist.

He delivered the longest-ever acceptance speech at five minutes and 40 seconds, opening by thanking his castmates and crew before reflecting on issues prevalent in society, such as racism, antisemitism, and war.