Mick Wadge is squaring up for a 75kg deadlift in the Barbell School gym in Burnley in a singlet and shorts and – at my request – talking me through his favourite bits of his body.

‘I’m most proud of my triceps, oh yes!’ he says. ‘And my biceps are all right – not bad at all I suppose. But my triceps! I’ve put so much time into them!’

And with that, he flexes his arms and the muscles bounce about like little bricks under the skin. ‘But the odd thing is that everyone who comes always takes photos of my upper body – they never seem to notice my legs, and I’ve got some great legs, look at that thigh! Very strong!’ he says proudly.

And he’s quite right. Sticking out from his little blue shorts, his legs are not the longest – he’s barely 5ft 3in – but they are smooth, freckly and as solid as steel. Particularly when he starts dead-lifting – his knees bobbing like shiny pistons as he clears 75kg with barely any effort.

Which would be impressive on anyone, but Mick, a former Rolls-Royce designer, beer and damp-proof salesman, is 88. Yes, 88 years old.

And on top of that, he only started weight training seven years ago, when his beloved wife Margaret died shortly after their 60th wedding anniversary.

‘It was very traumatic and suddenly, without her, I didn’t have anything to do,’ he says.

At first he tried to fill the time meeting people for coffee and cake, and seeing his lovely daughter, Maxine, who lives nearby. And he spent a lot of time feeding the sheep grazing by his house.

The pensioner’s biggest fan is former model and movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger (pictured in 1977)

‘I’d give them bits of cake and biscuit, anything that took their fancy,’ he says. ‘They didn’t seem too keen on farm food, so they’d all come running down when I opened the back door.’

Then, one day he grabbed a broom handle and two milk containers filled with water and, as the sheep looked on in wonder, started working out in the garden.

‘I had a massive belly. I just ate everything and didn’t really move and was 18 stone, but I had to be doing something!’ he says.

Then, three years ago, he started training with Ross Starkie, the 35-year-old founder of Barbell, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Because if you follow the news or look at social media, you’ve probably heard of Mick already.

A month ago, Ross started posting their weightlifting videos on TikTok. Of the massive loads Mick was lifting in their training sessions. And suddenly Mick found himself an unlikely internet sensation with the videos getting nearly a million views.

Partly because of his extraordinary strength – his personal best deadlift is 110kg, nearly twice his bodyweight of 60kg. But I suspect just as much for all his lovely chat in his soft Lancashire burr. ‘At first I tried to edit the videos and keep it just to training chat, but I soon gave up on that and let it run,’ says Ross.

Fitness companies like My Protein and Gymshark started sending Mick boxes of products – protein powder, creatine and gym kits. And TV and radio stations badgered him to travel to London to appear on their shows – ‘Oh no thank you very much, I’m very happy here,’ says Mick firmly.

But then last week the great Arnold Schwarzenegger got in touch with the message, ‘Love what you are doing! Keep pumping!’

At first, Ross, who handles the social media, assumed it was a hoax. ‘But it wasn’t,’ he says. ‘Arnie has 6.5million followers and follows just 19 people and one of them is Mick!’

If Ross was surprised, the shock nearly did it for Mick.

‘He was always my favourite weightlifter and I’ve watched all his films loads of times,’ he says. ‘So when my daughter said, ‘Arnie’s contacted you!’ I nearly passed out on the floor!’

But it didn’t end there, because after Ross replied, Arnie, 79, said he would ‘love to introduce’ Mick ‘to two of my coaches in the US’ who could be ‘a great resource’.

They’re not sure whether that’s an invite to America, but if it is, they’ll go. ‘Of course! I’ve only ever been to France and Spain and maybe Italy,’ says Mick. ‘But oh we did have some lovely holidays, let me tell you about them…’

Mick is the sort of person you want to chat to all day. About everything from his decades as a semi-professional drummer playing at clubs four nights a week, to his job as a designer for Rolls-Royce which ended because he couldn’t face leaving his beloved Burnley when the company relocated to Derby.

Not forgetting his years as a judo brown belt – ‘I’d keep them all away from me with my big belly’. And how he met Margaret when he was just 21 at a dance at the Ritz Ballroom in Accrington and asked her to dance ‘because she was the best looking girl there’.

Mick, from Laneshaw Bridge, Lancashire, began exercising at home with a broom handle and milk containers

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Here Mr Wadge is pictured with his wife. He began weightlifting after she died

Indeed, he could probably go on all day about how kind she was, and how good at finance and investing – ‘I’d have blown the bloody lot’ – and always helping others. And how brave she was in her long, hard battle with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. But eventually we get back to the weightlifting and how, after a year or two of lifting the broom handle with milk containers and adding wheelbarrow wheels for extra ballast, Mick eventually graduated to a proper barbell and 5kg weights – still in the garden with the sheep.

Then, three years ago, on his 85th birthday, his daughter (‘she’s the absolute best’) treated him to four sessions with Ross, who was a great pal of his grandson Jack.

‘I’d never done anything like it, but I needed to keep busy,’ says Mick.

‘And I’ve not been able to get rid of him since!’ laughs Ross, 35. ‘We’ve become best friends.’

Perhaps because Ross, a great bear of a man, is almost as chatty as Mick and doesn’t treat him like an 88-year-old. Or even a 70-year-old.

‘A lot of people treat old people like old people – giving them those little plastic weights and rubber bands and the first thing they do is sit them down in a chair!’ he says. ‘They’re too afraid of hurting them. I just treated him like normal and soon he was putting all this muscle on and the weights started going up and up.’

As well as the 110kg deadlift, he’s bench pressing 60kg, squatting 60kg and using 25kg dumbbells.

‘I’ve never known anyone put on muscle like Mick,’ says Ross. ‘I’ve learned so much from him.’

‘He makes me do it!’ cries Mick. ‘Every time I say, ‘Oh no, I don’t know if I can do that’,’ he says. ‘Of course you can, just get on with it’. And I can. It’s fantastic.’

Ross says they thought about going in for competitions, or trying Mick for the Guinness Book of Records. ‘But there wasn’t any point as there was nobody in Mick’s category, so it would have been an empty victory.’

Right now, they’re chasing a new personal best after Mick recommended Barbell School to his 77-year-old pal John, who came in and deadlifted 120kg.

‘We call him Strong John, but we can’t have that, so now we’ve got to equal it,’ laughs Mick.

As well as his session with Ross every Tuesday – ‘I’d see him every day if I could’ – Mick goes to the gym at the local leisure centre on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays when he does his own thing.

‘I’m just one of the lads there, not 88-year-old Mick,’ he says. ‘I like to warm up with 40 push-ups, 40 sit-ups and 40 triceps dips, before I start on the weights.’ Blimey.

Of course, as well as all the strength training, there’s nutrition. ‘With Margaret it was always bacon and egg – she’d sit in the armchair telling me what to do. But now there’s no one sat in the armchair so it’s always the same bloody thing – porridge with a swirl of honey.’

He also has a daily protein shake, takes creatine powder – a supplement that helps muscles and cognitive development – has a big salad in the evening and still eats quite a bit of cake at endless coffee mornings with pals throughout the week.

It is clearly doing the trick. Because he is as happy as he can be. ‘I don’t think you ever get over the loss, but it doesn’t grind me down any more,’ he says.

The bond between Mick and Ross is extraordinary. As well as all the training, once a month they go for coffee (and more cake) with Strong John. ‘Our collective age is about 350, but the chat is good,’ says Ross, who tells me that when Burnley football club was buying out its shareholders a few years back, Mick spent his returns – ‘thousands!’ – in the club shop on merchandise which he then gave away in local schools and on the street to Burnley fans.

His TikTok account, set up by his personal trainer about four weeks ago, now has more than 3,600 followers and 44,000 likes, while the videos have been viewed about 700,000 times

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Mr Wadge, whose personal best dead-lift is 100kg, is now considering entering a powerlifting competition and exploring a potential Guinness World Record attempt

Mick tells me how Ross is such a good man – ‘though he’s a bit overweight around the belly, mind, but I don’t tell him.’

And how he probably wouldn’t still be here without him. ‘He’s saved me.’

Neither seem remotely interested in fame or fortune. Ross, because he’s already booked solid with professional football players and athletes – ‘though Mick is my most famous client!’

And Mick because he says it isn’t real. ‘Sometimes – not often, mind – I get stopped in the street by someone who’s been watching me on TikTok. But it’s not a big deal and I prefer it that way,’ he says. ‘You can think you’re making a lot of pals, but they’re acquaintances, not the friends you spend half the day talking with.’

Maybe, but as we move between exercise stations, I can see why there’s been so much fuss. It’s impossible not to stare – at the way he springs on and off the rower like a man half his age, clambers into the chest press and japes about with 20kg dumbbells.

Not surprisingly, the videos garnered quite a response. And, er, any women expressing interest?

‘No. Unfortunately, no!’ he says.

And so finally, the million-dollar question, does he ever feel his age, or remotely near it?

He thinks before he answers.

‘Sometimes. First thing in the morning and when I don’t engage my brain properly – you have to engage the brain!’ he says. ‘And often I try and remember a name and just can’t catch it, which is very frustrating,’ he says.

‘But then some people forget where they live so I’m very lucky. I always say I’m the luckiest man on the planet.’

And with that, he starts limbering up again and says, ‘Shouldn’t we do some more lifting?’

So we get back to it. Mick pumping away with his 75kgs with not a bead of sweat, and me clutching a paltry 6kg weight and feeling every gram. What a man!

The trial of a man charged over the explosion which killed 259 passengers, crew, and 11 people on the ground above Lockerbie in 1988 has been postponed.

Lockerbie victims’ families say they are concerned for elderly relatives who may not be able to see the trial of a man charged over the explosion after it was postponed in the US.

Jury selection was due to begin on Wednesday in Washington DC for the trial of Abu Agila Masud. He is charged with making the bomb that destroyed the plane. All 259 passengers and crew and 11 people on the ground were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded above Lockerbie on December 21 1988, 40 minutes into its flight from London to New York.

On Monday, a federal judge in the US postponed the trial. The discovery of new evidence that defence lawyers want to examine was cited but the nature of the evidence was not specified in the order from US District Judge Dabney Friedrich. Masud, who was extradited from Libya to the US, has denied the charges.

The vice president of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 organisation – a group representing Lockerbie bombing victims – said there has been “astonishment” at the delay, which is expected to push the trial back by several months. She expressed hope that “as many of our family members as possible will live to see this trial”.

Vice President Stephanie Bernstein lost her husband Michael Bernstein in the bombing. Speaking to the Press Association, she said: “One of the concerns that I have is that many of our family members are elderly.

“A number of them were getting ready to travel to Washington for the trial. I hope and I pray that they will still be able to do that when a new trial date is set.”

She added: “That is a hope that we’ve had – that as many of our family members as possible will live to see this trial.”

Ms Bernstein, a retired rabbi who lives in the Washington DC area, said news of the delay so soon before the trial had been “stunning”.

She continued: “Having said that, our family group has worked for close to 38 years to find who did this, to bring to light as much as we can of the evidence.

“So, if this delay as a result of the new evidence results in a broader understanding of what happened, then it’s for the good.”

Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is the only man convicted in relation to the bombing, after being found guilty of 270 counts of murder by a panel of three Scottish judges sitting at a special court in the Hague in 2001.

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He was sent to prison in Scotland but was controversially granted compassionate release in 2009 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, returning home to Libya where he died in 2012.

A hearing is scheduled to take place in Washington next month to discuss the status of the case. Scottish prosecutors have always maintained that Megrahi acted with others in carrying out the attack.

Commenting on the postponement, Laura Buchan, head of the Lockerbie investigation team at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “I recognise that this adjournment will be disappointing for the families and for those who have followed this case over many years.

“As the matter remains before the court, it would not be appropriate to comment on the reasons for the adjournment. Although these proceedings are being led by the United States authorities, Scottish prosecutors and police officers remain fully committed to supporting the pursuit of justice.”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The “ economic onslaught ” that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has declared on Iran’s financial connections around the world may have one major caveat: China.

Beijing is Iran’s biggest trading partner and its leading oil buyer. While the U.S. is trying to isolate the Islamic Republic from its remaining economic partners, President Donald Trump also is preparing to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month to maintain a fragile trade truce.

Absent from Bessent’s remarks this week were specifics about how the Trump administration would target China, casting doubts on how effective the new campaign would be when the U.S. must balance putting maximum pressure on Iran and avoiding higher tensions with China that could be costly to the American economy.

“The announcement yesterday was very careful in my view to avoid specifics (against China), which could have led to a disruption in the summit,” Edgard Kagan, senior adviser and Freeman Chair in China studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Tuesday. “For Xi, a state visit to Washington is a big deal; and for Trump, hosting it is a big deal.”

That means both Washington and Beijing will have a dance to do, said Kagan, who served as U.S. ambassador to Malaysia from December 2023 until this February.

“I think the real question is, is there room to push (the Chinese) to reduce what they’re doing with Iran, to put more pressure on the Iranian regime in a way that doesn’t lead them to say, ‘This is unreasonable, and we’re not going to comply,’” he said.

China is likely to wait and see and do the minimum

In response to “Operation Economic Outcast,” which Bessent announced Monday, Beijing said its cooperation with Iran has always been “within the framework of international law.” China receives more than 80% of Iranian oil shipments but usually through indirect channels.

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said China-Iran cooperation “should not be disrupted or undermined.”

“China is closely monitoring relevant developments and will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its own rights and interests,” Lin said. He repeated China’s opposition to “illegal unilateral sanctions.”

Kagan described Beijing’s remarks as “a holding response” and said Beijing will try to do the least to comply without openly confronting the U.S.

“They’ve tended to be careful not crossing explicit red lines, but they haven’t addressed the spirit of what the U.S. has sought,” Kagan said, pointing to practices such as ship-to-ship oil transfers that obscure the origin of Iranian crude oil to evade American sanctions.

But “if the goal is to exert enough pressure for Iran to make concessions on the Strait of Hormuz and potentially ending the conflict, I think China can and will demonstrate its cooperation without having to completely sever ties with Iran,” Sun said. “China only needs to do enough to demonstrate it is cooperating, such as cut back on its oil import from Iran.”

With a planned summit between Trump and Xi weeks away, “neither side wishes to have a major escalation bilaterally at this point,” she said. “China needs to give U.S. something, and U.S. needs to understand and accept that it is not going to be everything U.S. asks for.”

US is not likely to act tough on China, analysts say

So far, the Trump administration has refrained from imposing sanctions on major Chinese businesses or banks connected to the U.S. financial system and thus vulnerable to American penalties.

The Treasury Department said Monday that it was penalizing nearly 60 Iran-linked entities, accusing them of involvement in Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, cyber activities and oil shipments.

It targeted a number of entities and individuals based in mainland China and Hong Kong for supporting Iran’s missile and nuclear programs. It sanctioned a China-owned crude oil tanker for transporting millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China this year as well as a Hong Kong-based business for its role in the shadow fleet that ships out Iranian oil.

With Xi’s visit coming up, Trump may not act tough on China now, said Ali Wyne, senior research and advocacy adviser on U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group.

“Given how keen Trump has been to maintain both a trade truce between the United States and China and his personal rapport with Xi, he seems unlikely to do a volte-face just a month before Xi’s state visit and adopt a highly confrontational posture,” he said.

Plus, Xi’s visit to the U.S. could pave the way for Trump to return to China in November for the leaders summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation grouping.

In his second term, Trump has been less hawkish on China than in his first presidency and frequently touts his good relationship with Xi following a major trade war last year that featured back-and-forth escalating tariffs. The U.S. business community also welcomes Xi’s visit, saying it’s a good sign if the two leaders meet in person, even when any substantial deals may be elusive.

“Beijing is betting that Washington will be reluctant to jeopardize the current leader-level dynamic by targeting major Chinese entities before the summit,” said Craig Singleton, senior director for China at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.

___

Amiri reported from New York. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.

British people are likely to be warned on how best to prepare for freak deadly weather and even missile attacks from rogue countries.

The Government will seek to educate people on how to best prepare for extreme storms, wildfires and even attacks from hostile states.

These will include stocking up on food and bottled water, the Guardian reported.

The updated ‘war book’ will aim to boost British people’s resilience in the event of a climactic event – whether man made or natural.

Sir Keir Starmer warned this year that ‘there could be an attack by Russia on Nato as soon as 2030’.

‘It won’t be anything like duck and cover’, one government official told the FT which told US pupils to hide under desks in the event of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War.

‘But there will be practical advice on things you can do to improve domestic resilience, like having some bottled water and tinned food. It will be common sense, not scaremongering’, they added.

The Cabinet Office said: ‘Safeguarding national security is the first priority of any government.

‘We’re committed to raising awareness of simple steps households can take to make themselves more resilient, as well as driving forward the home defence programme to build our country’s preparedness for various threats.’

It came amid growing concerns from British intelligence that Russia could employ ‘grey zone’ attacks on the UK easily deniable by the Kremlin.

There are fears that Moscow could hire gangs or mercenaries to carry out attacks on their behalf without threatening Nato.

Cyber threats are also a concern after hackers backed by Iran were blamed for a cyberattack that caused a UK power plant to be briefly taken offline.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has warned Russia of making ‘outrageous threats’ against the UK after providing Ukraine with blueprints to allow Kyiv to improve its production of long-range missiles.

Earlier in the month, millions of people received an alert on their mobile devices warning them of a ‘very high risk of wildfires nationally’.

It came after Andy Burnham described Britain as a ‘tinderbox’ and a temporary ban on disposable barbecues was put in place.

What you need to keep by your bed to survive Armageggon

Doomsday prepper Dan Goss suggests people have about three days of essentials at home, enough that you can survive without a trip to Tesco’s.

Here are some of his tips and things to have by your bedside:

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• Keep all documents, like passports and birth certificates, in an easily accessible place, preferably inside a waterproof bag stored in a fireproof safe
• A hard drive big enough to store backups of your digital information
• A small water filter and a large water bottle
• Battery lanterns or candles
• A first aid kit
• A ‘go bag’, a tough backpack with a waist belt and shoulder straps
• Weather-resistant clothing, including walking shoes
• Medications, such as antibiotics
• A compass and a map
• Long-life, calorie-dense food
• A tent
• A means of making a fire, such as the ‘humble and noble corner-shop disposable lighter’.

MORE: Mum of Yorkshire man who died on Ukrainian front lines says he lied about where he was going

MORE: ‘Yorkshire lad’ becomes first Brit to die fighting for Putin in suicide drone attack

MORE: Russia launches sabotage attacks on weapons factories in Europe

By JOHN-PAUL FORD ROJAS DEPUTY BUSINESS EDITOR

Published: 00:09 BST, 26 August 2026 | Updated: 01:22 BST, 26 August 2026

Dolly Parton had been privately battling cancer before her death at the age of 80 on Tuesday.

Parton’s representatives confirmed the country superstar’s death in a statement to People, sharing that the Jolene singer died following a ‘brief battle with cancer.’

They did not disclose what type of cancer it was.

‘After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,’ the statement read. 

An industry insider also told The Daily Mail that Parton had been quietly battling cancer in the months leading up to her death. 

‘I was told how a long time ago how sick she was but people really didn’t know. We knew she was going to die but we didn’t know it was going to be today,’ the source said.

‘She had cancer – that I know, but I don’t know what kind. We were all afraid to ask [for more details] because we didn’t want to know the answer.’

According to a source, who said people are ‘heartbroken’ by her death, those close to Parton have known about her cancer diagnosis for many months.

‘No one close to her [is surprised that death was close]. That was quite a while ago, like about 11 months ago, that she wasn’t doing too well,’ the insider said.

‘And then she got better for a while, but then she kept canceling stuff, so we knew.’

Meanwhile, Parton’s representatives further told People in their statement: ‘Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched.’

‘Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,’ the statement went on.

‘Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.’

The legendary country singer’s death was confirmed Tuesday in an Instagram video posted by her nephew Bryan Seaver, who also acted as her head of security.

She died Tuesday morning after being admitted Friday to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center with autoimmune and kidney problems, according to TMZ.

Parton’s representatives confirmed the country superstar’s death in a statement to People, sharing that the Jolene singer died following a ‘brief battle with cancer’; Pictured in 2025

An industry insider also told The Daily Mail that Parton had been quietly battling cancer in the months leading up to her death; Parton is seen in Nashville in March 2025 

‘She had cancer – that I know, but I don’t know what kind. We were all afraid to ask [for more details] because we didn’t want to know the answer,’ the source said; Parton pictured 2023

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Parton’s loved ones began racing to Nashville upon hearing news of her hospitalization, but not all were able to reach her while she was alive.

‘This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,’ Seaver said.

He hailed his aunt for having ‘lived in the light’ and said she was now ‘in the arms of Jesus’ and the company of her late husband Carl Dean, as well as her parents and ‘countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.’

Parton, who is often referred to as the Queen of Country, enjoyed an illustrious music career that spanned an incredible six decades and was arguably best known for her hits Jolene and 9 to 5.

Her passing came after months of health woes that saw her pull out of a string of public appearances, fueling fan fears for her wellbeing.

Seaver fondly recalled joining Parton on tour when he was a child in the 1980s, sharing that she ‘opened doors not just for me but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible.’

He characterized her as ‘a farmer, just like her daddy. He farmed the soil. She farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.’

Parton looked energized and happy in her last public appearance before her passing, as she discussed her ongoing ‘health issues’ with fans 11 days ago

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Aside from video appearances, Parton was last seen out and about on June 24 when she attended the grand opening of her truck stop, Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop

Family insiders indicated that a private service for close friends and relations will be held in Nashville within the next few days.

In an interview published just four days before her death, Parton had declared she still had ‘so many things I want to achieve’ and vowed to continue ‘working as long as I can to see everything come to life,’ via People.

She also admitted she had recently been having ‘hard times with my health.’

‘I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,’ she said, referring to her late husband, who passed away in March 2025.

Concerns about Parton’s health had loomed for months, with the pop culture icon frequently dispelling her fans’ fears.

She pulled out of multiple public appearances, including a residency in Las Vegas and the opening of a new ride, NightFlight Expedition, at her Dollywood theme park.

The star was supposed to attend the ride’s grand opening on August 14. Instead, a video recording of the star addressing her fans was shared on a screen at the park, which is now regarded as her last public appearance.

‘So my Nashville doctor has kind of clipped my wings, saying, “You ain’t traveling this week.” So I guess if your doctor tells you, “You ain’t traveling this week,” you ain’t traveling this week,’ Parton said in the video message.

The songstress, donning a bright pink top adorned in gems and enormous butterfly wings, looked energized and happy as she discussed her ongoing ‘health issues’ with fans.

‘I’m still in Nashville, and I’m sorry about that,’ she said in the clip. ‘I’m supposed to be there in person like we planned.’

She explained that she ‘sometimes gets a little dizzy’ and ‘dehydrated,’ which is why she couldn’t be there in person.

‘I’ve told you before, all my fans, that I’ve had a few little health issues and sometimes I get a little dizzy and I get dehydrated. And I’m dehydrated,’ she said.

She reassured her fans that she was still hard at work on projects like her new museum, Life of Many Colors, in Nashville, her new hotel and Broadway show, Dolly: A True American Musical.

She also insisted that ‘all was going well on the medical end of things.’

East Midlands Railway (EMR) has warned of major disruption on Sunday (August 30) and bank holiday Monday (August 31) due to strike action by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.

This is in addition to engineering work on the East Coast Main Line as part of the £1.4bn East Coast Digital Programme – as reported by The Press earlier this month.

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This upgrade – which will see digital in-cab signalling introduced between Welwyn and Hitchin – will affect journeys south of Peterborough towards London, with rail replacement buses set to operate for some journeys.

EMR will operate a significantly reduced timetable to and from London on both days due to the walkout, which is part of an ongoing dispute over safety concerns.

This could lead to extremely busy trains to and from London St Pancras, with reduced capacity coinciding with increased demand – which could affect people travelling from Sheffield or Nottingham.

Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at EMR, said: “We recognise how frustrating this disruption will be for customers, particularly following the three Saturdays affected by RMT strike action earlier this month, and we are very sorry for the impact this will have on August bank holiday plans.

“We strongly advise customers to only travel to or from London if their journey is essential on Sunday 30 and Monday August 31, and to check their full journey, including first and last trains, before setting out.”

RMT members have raised concerns about safety issues on Class 810 trains, including faulty air conditioning, broken doors, and non-functioning toilets.

Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT, said: “RMT is demanding that whilst these faults exist and until these trains are shown to be operating properly, they should be taken out of service.

“It is now time for EMR management to act on the safety concerns of our members.”

EMR said it is in ongoing discussions with the RMT and has met with the union six times in an effort to resolve the dispute.

For those who care about the man, the legend that is Ridley Scott (director of two of the greatest films of all time, Blade Runner and Alien, not forgetting the not-half-bad Gladiator), there was an unspoken collective “phewwww…” at last week’s world premiere for The Dog Stars. Because after the woeful (in varying degrees) House of Gucci, Napoleon and Gladiator II, here’s something, well, not half bad.

Lego Skylines, Path Of Exile 2 1.0, and Ontos were amongst the highlights for this year’s Opening Night Live event, as Gamescom 2026 begins.

With E3 now lost to history, Gamescom has, entirely by default, become the biggest gaming event in the year, dwarfing Tokyo Game Show and other similar showcases. Unlike E3 it’s always been open to the public but in recent years it’s been preceded by the Opening Night Live (ONL) livestream from The Game Awards host and organiser Geoff Kigheley.

It generally has less big name announcements than The Game Awards, and Keighley’s Summer Game Fest, but this year we did get the surprise reveal of The Witcher 3 Remastered. There were also lots of new trailers for existing games and a few smaller reveals during the two hour event.

Arguably the biggest thing, other than The Witcher 3, was a new trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation and an appearance from director Naoki Hamaguchi. He didn’t actually say much that was new though, with the release date only narrowed down as far as spring 2027.

As the final part of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, Revelation will be multiformat from the off, and released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

The first two games have been surprisingly good, threading the needle between nostalgia pandering and trying to do something new and interesting with surprising grace. The whole experience is so substantially different from the original, in terms of story, gameplay, and visuals that it’s not really a remake at all, so we’re very much looking forward to seeing how it all ends.

In terms of the rest of Opening Night Live, there seemed like there were less on-stage appearances than previous years, with long sequences of trailer after trailer, usually for games that have already been announced and which, in many cases, are out this year.

Even so, the very FromSoftware influenced new game Nodus Fall, from HoYoverse, looked interesting, if completely unoriginal. We were also very pleased to see a new big budget turn-based tactics game, in the form of Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Tactics, which will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC sometime next year.

We’ve no idea what’s going on in indie game Lofsöng, but it certainly looked good and reminded us slightly of the excellent Cocoon. Meanwhile, War For Westeros continues Warner Bros. efforts to never make a console-based Game Of Thrones game, since it’s a PC-only real-time strategy.

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons looked enjoyably shlocky nonsense and along with Exodus is part of Wizards Of The Coast’s efforts to focus more on video game development. Although recent talk from the company, which is owned by toy maker Hasbro, suggests those ambitions have already been curtailed.

Afterworld from Paradox Interactive seems to be a grand strategy game, by the makers of Crusader Kings and Hearts Of Iron, but set in a Mad Max style version of America, while Stage Tour will give anyone that remembers the golden era of Guitar Hero déjà vu.

Strangely, Lego Skylines was only shown for a few seconds, but as peculiar as it seems to make a game based on such an adult-orientated title a Lego city builder does make sense and Cities: Skylines is definitely the modern day successor to SimCity.

Path Of Exile 2 1.0 was also only featured for a moment, but it was revealed it’ll be coming out of beta and getting a full release on December 11. Meanwhile, turn-based strategy game Heroes Of Might And Magic 3 is being treated to a full-blown remake.

No Law looked very violent and very much like it was trying to be Cyberpunk 2077, but the visuals are impressive and it’s out next year.

The most disturbing trailer of the night though was the one for Ontos, which is the spiritual sequel to Soma, from Frictional Games. It looked great, with more puzzle-based gameplay as well just survival horror thrills.

Overall, it was a decent line-up, but if there are any other big name game announcements to be made this year it’s relatively unlikely to be at the Tokyo Game Show next month. So that only leaves The Game Awards in December or a random livestream from the publisher.

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City of York Council has approved works at 3 and 5, Coney Street which are being converted to house a new shop and café respectively.

The building also form part of wider plans for the regeneration of Coney Street which includes the creation of a new public space overlooking the River Ouse.

Plans from Lanpro Services Ltd stated the works aimed to make the units ready for their new tenants and improve their appearance.

Council planning officers stated historic features in both spaces would be carefully redecorated, with investigations planned to uncover any hidden elements.

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It comes after separate plans to refurbish 3 Coney Street to house beauty store Space NK were approved in July.

The high street chain is set to open its York branch in the unit this autumn.

An application from Manchester-based café Federal to take over 5 Coney Street is currently awaiting a decision.

Its plans stated the company was very keen to bring its Australian-inspired offering to York.

Helmsley Group, the developers behind the Coney Street redevelopment plans, began work on the project in June.

Scaffolding was put up outside buildings at the St Helen’s Square end of the street, which includes Nos 3 and 5.

Space NK, in Coney Street, York (Image: LDRS)

Plans for the repairs to the Grade II-listed buildings include cleaning and repointing brickwork and repainting the outside of buildings, including their render.

Repairs to damaged slate on the buildings’ roofs are along planned, along with window refurbishments.

Works inside the building are also set to include repairing damage from earlier asbestos surveys.

The terrace at the back of 5, Coney Street is set to be levelled while masonry is set to be repaired and metalwork repainted.

Planning officers stated the works would allow the buildings to continue to be used.

Officers stated: “The proposed works are considered to have justification in securing the long-term sustainable viability to the city.

“They involve moderate disturbance to the fabric of the listed buildings, but there would be no harm to their special historic or architectural interest.”