Shameless Gianni Infantino has been given the ‘full support’ of FIFA’s top brass – and is set to remain as president – after summoning execs to crisis talks in Morocco. 

At the end of another extraordinary day in the World Cup sell-off scandal, which saw Luis Figo become the latest high-profile name to call for Infantino’s head in a blistering attack in Daily Mail Sport, a FIFA statement suggested its under-fire supremo survives, for now. 

In a searing 601-word assault Figo had described Infantino’s now-aborted plan to flog a stake in the World Cup to private investors as the ‘lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed’ and a ‘grubby, underhand plot’. 

His explosive words ramped up the pressure on Infantino, who had called a crisis meeting in Rabat as he attempted to cling to power. 

It would now appear, however, that he has managed to do so. A lengthy statement from FIFA late on Wednesday night admitted mistakes were made, but said they have now apologised in a letter to the various football associations and that a ‘review’ will be carried out. 

The statement said that, following the meeting, FIFA’s secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who had criticised Infantino, and other management board members in attendance ‘reaffirmed their full support for the president’. 

For good measure, it added: ‘FIFA will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation. 

‘There are always lessons to be learned, and FIFA will continue to improve its processes in light of this experience. In this instance, however, it is important to stress that, although mistakes were made, everything that was done was done in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework.’ 

Figo, the former Barcelona and Real Madrid star, who initially backed Infantino in 2015, branded the Swiss a ‘relic who should have no part in football’s future’ and accused him of ‘a litany of abuses’. 

Aside from the World Cup sell-off, he referenced the decision to suspend the ban for USA striker Folarin Balogun after his red card at the World Cup and the half-time show during the final which ‘broke the laws of the game’. 

‘Infantino has debased the office of FIFA president he promised to elevate,’ he wrote. 

‘He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve.’ 

Figo’s comments came after an attack by UEFA, which said it had lost confidence in Infantino, calling his proposal to flog commercial and event operations a ‘shabby, back room, opaque deal’. 

Amid heavy criticism and calls for Infantino to go, Grafstrom sent an all-staff memo describing the situation as ‘sad and reproachable’ and adding ‘individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go.’ 

However, second-in-command Grafstrom was pictured laughing and joking with Infantino at a women’s Africa Cup of Nations game following the meeting, ahead of the release of the statement. 

Should he survive, Infantino would face re-election in March, and would need 106 votes from Fifa’s 211 members to win another term in charge of the global game.

Infantino arrived at the crunch meeting in Morocco earlier on Wednesday amid mounting pressure.

He had summoned senior FIFA officials to the Moroccan city of Sale for crisis talks after plans to sell £3.1billion in World Cup stakes leaked last week

The Swiss football administrator has since scrapped the proposals after widespread opposition – including an internal rebellion at FIFA.

UEFA and CONCACAF – the body for North and Central America and the Caribbean – are both calling for Infantino to step down, with Europe declaring a lack of confidence in the FIFA president.

Pressure grew further after Jordan FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein accused him of blackmail, becoming the first Asian nation to rebel against the FIFA president.

Jordan became the 91st member association to move against Infantino, assuming all UEFA and CONCACAF nations follow the stance set by their continental bodies. 106 nations are needed to depose Infantino as president.

FIFA President Infantino arrived at an emergency meeting in Sale, Morocco on Wednesday

Infantino is facing mounting pressure over his failed plan to sell off stakes in the FIFA World Cup

Football legend Luis Figo became the latest high-profile individual to call for him to resign, while Arsene Wenger distanced himself from Infantino’s plans

A car carrying Infantino was seen arriving at FIFA’s Africa regional office in Sale on Wednesday.

The meeting comes hours after Figo became the latest major name in football to demand his resignation.

In an explosive piece for Daily Mail Sport, which further ramped up the pressure on the under-fire FIFA chief, the Portuguese legend described his now aborted World Cup sell-off as the ‘lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed’ and a ‘grubby, underhand plot’.

Across 600 no-holds-barred words Figo, who had initially backed Infantino in 2015, brands the disgraced exec a ‘relic who should have no part in football’s future’ and accuses him of ‘a litany of abuses’, also referencing the now-infamous suspension of the ban behind Folarin Balogun’s red card and the half-time show at the World Cup final which ‘broke the laws of the game’.

‘Infantino has debased the office of FIFA President that he promised to elevate,’ the former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan star writes. ‘He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve.’

Figo, now 53, is viewed by many as a potential successor to Aleksandr Ceferin, head of UEFA which is leading the war against Infantino.

Figo and Jordan’s Prince Ali had both previously stood against former FIFA president Sepp Blatter in the 2015 elections. 

Figo ultimately withdrew from the process, while Prince Ali pulled out after the second round of voting. Blatter announced his resignation four days after re-election amid a vast backlash.

Infantino is facing his own backlash following his World Cup plans, with FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour saying he was ‘deceived’ by the project and others, including chief of global football development Arsene Wenger, have distanced themselves from the hastily dropped plan.

Figo branded Infantino as a ‘relic who should have no part in football’s future’ in an explosive article for Daily Mail Sport

Figo, who had initially backed Infantino in 2015, claimed the Swiss official has ‘debased the office of FIFA President’

With morale among staff said to be ‘rock bottom’ according to insiders, secretary general Grafstrom sent an internal email to staff citing ‘a sad and reproachable series of events’ and perhaps tellingly pointing out that ‘individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go’.

Figo, a former FIFA presidential candidate, starts: ‘I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go.’

He adds: ‘I have loved football all my life. I was a professional player for 20 years. And believe me, I have met some rogues in my time in the game. But what I have seen exposed in the last ten days is the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed. The man who would do that – the man who would try to force through such major changes just to enrich himself and his friends – is a relic of the game’s past and should have no part in its future.’

The Portuguese, who won 127 caps for his country, then rounds on Infantino for a lack of transparency. ’If it was such a good idea, why not tell your members when you had them all in a room before the World Cup Final?’ he asks.

‘If it was such a robust plan, why not tell your members the risks as well as what you describe as the benefits?

‘If the scheme was a no-brainer, why not be honest about the fact that it was going to give you a $30m a year job at the end of it?’

Figo adds: ‘None of this was done. Because it’s not a good idea. It’s not robust when you fail to be transparent about the crippling returns that private equity always seek.

‘It’s not bold when you fail to explain that once you have sold your share it is gone forever and you have disinherited your successors from ownership of the World Cup.

FIFA legends have reportedly declined to publicly support Infantino amid the backlash to his plans

‘And it’s not honest when you fail to mention that, after you have delivered the head of the World Cup on a platter to your mates in DC, they are going to give you a job worth five times your current salary.’

Figo then highlights FIFA’s staggering level of wealth, asking how many shares the $5billion in its reserves ‘could buy in this grubby, underhand plot’.

‘Infantino has debased the office of FIFA President that he promised to elevate,’ he writes. ‘He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve…he should go. Now.’

According to The Times, allies of Infantino had been trying to persuade ‘FIFA legends’ to publicly support Infantino, but have been unsuccessful.

The FIFA legends are among former international players who have been paid to appear at the governing body’s events.

A food creator shared how swapping out mayonnaise for a light alternative in egg salad makes it just as creamy, with the added benefits of more protein

Salads and sandwiches remain lunchtime staples, and while the choice of ingredients and fillings is virtually limitless, eggs have long been a popular addition. Egg salad traditionally relies on mayonnaise to provide creaminess and boost flavour, yet this often results in an overly greasy texture.

However, cook and recipe creator Claire from Eat With Clarity has discovered a superior alternative to pair with eggs — Greek yoghurt. Following some experimentation, she opted to try Greek yoghurt, and this healthier take on egg salad was the result.

She said: “I was kind of sceptical at first, but honestly, it’s so good, and with the other ingredients in here, you can’t tell the difference between this version and the classic.”

Any variety of plain, unsweetened Greek yoghurt will suffice — whether dairy-free or regular — provided it contains no added sugar or flavourings.

Greek yoghurt not only serves as an excellent protein source, but is also typically lower in fat and calories than mayonnaise, making it a more nutritious choice without compromising on flavour, reports the Express.

Egg salad

Ingredients

• Six large eggs
• 50g of plain Greek yoghurt
• 25g of diced green onion
• One to two teaspoons of Dijon mustard
• Half a teaspoon of salt
• Quarter teaspoon of black pepper
• One to two stalks of celery, diced (optional)

Method

Begin by placing your eggs in a large pot of water and bringing to the boil. Should you encounter difficulty removing the shell, Claire recommends adding approximately one teaspoon of baking soda to facilitate easier peeling.

Once boiling, remove from the heat and leave to rest for approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle.

Carefully remove the shells and discard. Set the eggs aside to cool for around 10 minutes.

Once cooled, chop each egg into chunky pieces. The size is entirely down to personal preference; Claire favours a combination of larger and smaller pieces.

Some prefer to separate the yolks, mashing them to lend the salad a creamier consistency, before chopping up the whites separately.

Claire’s preferred method is to chop everything together — slicing the egg in half lengthwise, then in half again lengthwise, before cutting each quarter into two to four further chunks. There is no definitive right or wrong approach.

Once everything is combined, the yolks tend to break down and mash naturally anyway.

Transfer to a bowl with all the remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly until well combined. This is also the stage at which to fold in your diced celery, should you be using it.

Taste and adjust the seasoning as required, adding more salt, pepper, or perhaps a pinch of dill or red pepper flakes to suit your palate.

This wholesome egg salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days. Give it a thorough stir prior to serving to restore its satisfyingly creamy texture.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah can enforce its strict anti-gambling laws on prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, a federal judge ruled in a win for states seeking to rein in the popular betting platforms.

Utah has been on the front lines of a battle between states and the federal government over who regulates the markets and whether they should be considered finance or gambling. The legal landscape is fragmented, with state and federal courts blocking restrictions in several states and allowing them in others.

Kalshi sued Utah in February, asking a federal judge to prevent the state from enforcing its gambling restrictions on the platform. The lawsuit came as Utah was on the verge of enacting legislation intended to undercut prediction markets from doing business in the state.

State law now bans proposition betting in sports — wagers on certain events happening in a game, rather than the game’s outcome — which is a significant source of revenue for the leading prediction markets.

U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby rejected Kalshi’s request to block the Utah restrictions Tuesday, saying the federal law that Kalshi cited in its argument does not prevent the state from enforcing its laws.

For now, Utah residents can still place bets on the platforms. The state’s attorney general, Derek Brown, said he will enforce state laws on Kalshi, but he was still exploring options.

“Gambling is gambling, no matter what any company calls it,” Brown said.

Kalshi said in a statement that it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal.

The company maintains that prediction markets fall exclusively under federal jurisdiction and are not governed by a patchwork of state gambling laws. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency responsible for regulating financial markets, agrees and has defended prediction markets in court.

Courts in Maryland, Nevada, Ohio, New York and Wisconsin have ruled against Kalshi in similar lawsuits, while judges in New Jersey, Tennessee, Arizona and Minnesota have sided with the company. Other states have been allowed to restrict certain aspects of Kalshi’s operations without banning them entirely.

The Trump Administration has been supportive of prediction markets, which allow anyone with a smartphone to wager on just about anything. The president’s eldest son is an adviser for both Kalshi and Polymarket, and an investor in the latter through his venture capital firm. Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, is also launching its own cryptocurrency-based prediction market called Truth Predict.

Utah leaders such as Gov. Spencer Cox have treated their fight to keep out anything they deem gambling as a moral crusade. The culture is rooted in the locally headquartered Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church, which views gambling as a vice that leads to selfishness and addiction.

Prediction markets are “causing tremendous harm to countless American families,” Cox said in celebrating the ruling.

Police and fire crews were called to the scene on Glencairn Road in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Police have launched a probe after a car firebomb attack in Dumbarton.

Emergency services were alerted to the incident on Glencairn Road in the town at around 1:25am on Tuesday morning.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service quickly extinguished the blaze and there were no reports of any injuries.

Shocking footage shows he Mazda CX-30 completely engulfed in flames outside a row of houses.

As a fire engine arrives on the scene, another huge explosion rocks the residential street.

Firefighters immediately scramble out the appliance and egin to douse the blaze.

The clip ends as the flames begin to fade and smoke billows into the sky.

Police Scotland confirmed the fire is being treated as deliberate and urged anyone with information to come forward.

Constable Emma Gibb said: “Thankfully no-one was injured as a result of this reckless act.

“Our enquires are ongoing and I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident and hasn’t already spoken to police to get in touch.

“I would also ask anyone who was in the area and who may have dash cam or private CCTV footage which could assist to contact us.

“Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 0202 of 4 August, 2026. Alternatively, information can be passed to Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.”

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Martha Stewart has candidly revealed the cosmetic procedures she’s had done to maintain a youthful appearance at 85.

The lifestyle guru denied ever going under the knife but admitted she gets fillers in a new interview with People on Wednesday.

Stewart, who celebrated her 85th birthday earlier this week, laughed off suggestions she had surgically enhanced her appearance, quipping: ‘I have not had any plastic surgery at all. I don’t think I need it.’

The cooking legend went on to share that Dr. Dan Belkin in New York City is the secret to her age-defying skin: ‘He is a very superb dermatologist.’

Stewart said she gets ‘a little bit of fillers’ during their quarterly appointments, adding, ‘I go maybe once every four months for touch-ups.’

Elsewhere in the interview, Stewart made it clear that major body enhancements are completely off the table, stating, ‘I’m not getting boobs done and hips and butts and stuff like that.’

The Queen of domesticity also credited facials and peptides for her glowing skin.

‘I do facial exercises and have the best facials from Mario Badescu and Georgia Louise,’ Stewart said. 

‘Peptides are very good. I take a few peptides. So that’s what I do. 

When asked how she stays ‘looking so good’, she praised the genetics she got from her mother. 

‘I have good genes. My mom looked great at 95,’ she said.

The entrepreneur then revealed the lifestyle habits she picked up from her mother.

‘We eat well. We don’t drink very much. We don’t smoke. We eat healthy food. We exercise daily,’ she said before adding that she frequently goes horseback riding too. 

As she continued about her beauty routine and habits, Stewart admitted she is ‘more a maintenance kind of person.’

It was also previously revealed that Stewart maintains her youthful appeal by eating all-organic food.

As for exercise, she reportedly takes private Pilates classes three times a week.

And she also enlists a masseuse and chiropractor for further self-care.

The lifestyle guru denied ever going under the knife but admitted she gets fillers in a new interview with People on Wednesday 

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Stewart laughed off suggestions she had surgically enhanced her appearance, quipping: ‘I have not had any plastic surgery at all. I don’t think I need it’; (L) seen in 2003, (R) seen in 2025

The cooking legend said she gets ‘a little bit of fillers’ during her quarterly appointments with Dr. Dan Belkin; She is seen in a social media snap in 2020 

Stewart also noted that any cosmetic work on her body is off the cards in the future, stating, ‘I’m not getting boobs done and hips and butts and stuff like that’ 

When asked how she stays ‘looking so good’ Stewart praised her ‘good genes’ adding, ‘my mom looked great at 95’; Stewart pictured in 1989

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Elsewhere in the interview, Stewart dished on a recent dinner party she attended with Meghan Markle and claimed the Duchess of Sussex was ‘talking about’ her family’s trip to the UK to see King Charles.

Stewart said she recently attended the event in California, which the Suits star also went to, and the pair briefly spoke.

It came days after Markle and Prince Harry arrived home from a trip to Britain with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, having gone to visit the Duke’s father, the King.

‘I had dinner with Meghan Markle the other night. We were both guests at a dinner party in California. And she had just gotten back from the palace,’ Stewart said.

‘I didn’t talk to her really more than to say a couple words, but I know she was talking about it.’

The cookbook author also commented on how she felt about Meghan ‘stepping into [her] space’, following the launch of the Duchess’s cooking show, ‘With Love, Meghan’.

‘If you’re an actress, it’s hard to then transition to a princess and then from a princess into a homemaking guru on a television show,’ Stewart said. ‘It doesn’t sort of follow. So go from there.’

Pierce Brosnan‘s wife, Keely Shaye Smith, has shared romantic pictures from their 25-year marriage to mark their anniversary. 

The couple, who are often deemed one of Hollywood’s great love stories, looked more loved-up than ever in a series of photos shared on Instagram on Wednesday. 

Pierce, 73, and Keely, 62, packed on the PDA as they kissed during a glamorous black tie event before enjoying a romantic stroll on the beach.   

As they celebrated their silver wedding anniversary, Keely gushed over their incredible life together. 

After first meeting in Mexico in 1994, they still looked as happy as ever, as she also shared an up-to-date selfie of the couple in the sunshine.  

She wrote: ‘Happy 25th wedding anniversary my love! What an adventure life is with you. Looking forward to the next 25 years beside you @piercebrosnanofficial ♥️’

The couple, who have two sons together, are often deemed one of Hollywood’s greatest love stories

Pierce and Keely met when he was least expecting to find love – three years after the death of his first wife, Cassandra Harris.

Cassandra, whom he married in 1980, tragically died a day after their 11th wedding anniversary from ovarian cancer at the age of 43.

Together, the couple had welcomed son Sean, 41, and the Bond star adopted her children Charlotte – who passed away at 41 after fighting the same disease – and Christopher, 53, from a previous marriage.

‘There is an incredible cruelty in it all,’ Pierce told People in 1992, ‘losing a person you shared everything with. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever experienced bereavement, and it’s overwhelming.’

And it was Keely who helped mend his broken heart.

‘Ups and downs are what life is all about,’ Pierce explained to The Mail on Sunday in 2013. 

‘But the memory of Cassie and her fight against cancer is never forgotten. Keely has always been kind and compassionate and encouraged me to mourn Cassie.’

After starring in a few small roles in TV and film throughout the 1980s, Keely transitioned to journalism and documentary film-making.

The campaigner grew up in Oahu, Hawaii, and has dedicated much of her work to protecting the oceans surrounding the Pacific island as well as in Mexico.

Pierce and Keely first locked eyes in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in 1994, where then-TV correspondent Keely had been sent to interview Cheers icon Ted Danson.

After first meeting in Mexico in 1994, they still looked as happy as ever, as she shared an up-to-date selfie of the couple smiling in the sunshine

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As they marked their silver wedding anniversary, Keely gushed over their incredible life together as she shared a throwback picture 

Pierce, 73, and Keely, 62, packed on the PDA as they kissed during a glamorous black tie event 

Pierce and Keely met when he was least expecting to find love, three years after the death of his first wife, Cassandra Harris

She wrote: ‘Happy 25th wedding anniversary my love! What an adventure life is with you. Looking forward to the next 25 years beside you @piercebrosnanofficial ♥️’

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The pair crossed paths at a party, and sparks soon flew.

Upon meeting Pierce, Keely told People that she immediately found the Bond actor ‘captivating’ and that he had a ‘mischievous sparkle in his eyes’.

In the same 2011 interview, the actor said of his wife: ‘I found a great woman in Keely Shaye. Not if I searched a million times over would I find one as good.’

Three years after their fateful meeting in Mexico, Keely and Pierce welcomed son Dylan, now 29, in January 1997. 

He was joined by brother Paris in February 2001, who is now 25.

That August, Pierce and Keely tied the knot at Ballintubber Abbey in Ireland and, in true fairy-tale fashion, celebrated at Ashford Castle. 

Now, 25 years later, they’re still going strong. 

However, their two-decade marriage has not been without its ‘hardships’.

Speaking with Fox News in 2023, Pierce endearingly said about Keely and their marriage: ‘We like each other a lot. We love each other a lot.’

He continued: ‘And we’ve been down the road, and we’ve seen many, many hardships as families do, as we all do,’ before adding: ‘But watching someone grow up with you and grow old with you is a very spiritual journey.’

Pierce has never been shy to compliment his wife in interviews and always defended her against cruel comments from online critics regarding her appearance.

On the secret to a long marriage, Pierce said: ‘It’s solving one problem after the other, whether it’s the washing machine or how far the finances are going to go or what your dreams are’

Pierce and Keely are pictured with their sons Dylan and Paris in 2017. They wed six months after Paris was born, in 2001

In a 2022 post, which has since been deleted, trolls commented on how her body had changed since first meeting Pierce in 1994.

Yet Pierce made sure to defend his wife as he replied: ‘Friends offered her surgery to reduce her weight. But I strongly love every curve of her body.

‘She is the most beautiful woman in my eyes. And also because she had our five children.’

He continued: ‘In the past, I truly loved her for her person, not only for her beauty, and now I’m loving her even more that she is my children’s mother.

‘And I am very proud of her, and I always seek to be worthy of her love.’

Pierce also often shares his love for and devotion to Keely on Instagram where the couple celebrate milestones including anniversaries and birthdays.

Celebrating Keely’s 60th birthday in September 2023, Pierce wrote: ‘Sixty roses for my brown-eyed girl on her 60th birthday.’

Referring to their first meeting, he added: ‘Forever happy and blessed was I to be sitting there when you walked around the corner early one morning in Cabo San Lucas.’

In June last year, Pierce discussed his marriage and detailed how he feels about Keely in the ‘blessed’ life they have created. 

He said: ‘Keely and I love each other and are blessed to have each other as companions in this life. And we’ve created a good life for ourselves of hard work and perseverance of life.’

On the secret to a long marriage, he went on: ‘You know, it’s just solving one problem after the [other], whether it’s the washing machine or how far the finances are going to go or what your dreams are…

‘But, ultimately, we just enjoy each other’s company enormously.’

Summer isn’t over yet and there’s still a ton of new tabletop games on the way, that includes video game tie-ins for XCOM and Cult Of The Lamb.

Unlike for video games, there is no summer games drought when it comes to tabletop games and the last few months have seen dozens of new releases and announcements. There’s been yet more video game adaptations, as well as animation crossovers for Justice League and Ghost in the Shell, and the latest for Warhammer and the Pokémon trading card game.

At the same time, the Disney Store in Oxford Street had to shut its doors, as crowds from all over Europe tried to get their hands on the latest Lorcana offerings, as Disney’s trading card game becomes ever more popular.

There’s never been so many excuses to hit your local gaming café, and take advantage of their aircon while building the perfect deck or plotting against friends over a cardboard map.

Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon launch box

11th Edition already? How time flies when you’re the biggest tabletop gaming company in the world. The battle for Armageddon returns with one of Games Workshop’s biggest Warhammer 40,000 releases in recent years, with a brand new clash between the Imperium and the Orks.

The launch box delivers two complete armies, including Space Marine units such as the newly sculpted lieutenant and tactical squads, alongside a brutal Ork force packed with characterful miniatures including Boyz, Nobz, and heavily armed war machines. The push-fit models make it an accessible starting point for newcomers, while veteran hobbyists have loved the updated sculpts.

Built around the streamlined Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition rules, the set introduces faster gameplay, refreshed mission systems, and smoother army building. With recent rumours about Games Workshop using AI put firmly to bed, this is more than a starter set, it’s a celebration of everything fans love about the 41st millennium.

Out now: RRP £150

Riftbound: League Of Legends TCG Vendetta

Riot Games is proving it means business with Riftbound: Vendetta, the latest expansion for its League Of Legends trading card game, that pushes competitive play deeper into the world of Runeterra. This set focuses on legendary rivalries, introducing new versions of champions including Shen, Zed, Mel, and Ambessa – alongside more than 160 new cards designed to shake up deck strategies. New mechanics such as flow, burn, and empower give you more ways to control battles, while unit-gear cards add another layer of customisation to champion builds.

Like previous Riftbound releases, the appeal comes from combining tactical card play with the personalities of League’s biggest characters. Whether you prefer aggressive champion-focused decks or slower strategic builds, Vendetta offers plenty of new tools for competitive players.

With stunning alternate art cards and collector-focused Showcase cards, this is another major step forward in Riot’s attempt to challenge the biggest names in the TCG world.

Out now: Showdown Deck RRP £35

Disney Lorcana – Set 13: Attack of the Vine!

Disney Lorcana is rushing towards Spooky Season with Attack of the Vine, an expansion that brings fresh characters, clever new mechanics, and plenty of reasons for collectors to start hunting for those elusive Enchanted cards.

The 13th set sees the mysterious Vine spreading across the Inklands, introducing a new storyline alongside fan favourite Pixar worlds including Monsters Inc., Up, and Turning Red. The set also introduces dual-named characters, including combinations such as Sulley & Boo (I love their dedicated playmat), creating exciting new deck-building possibilities. While new abilities like temporary shift and floodborn shift add more tactical depth for competitive players.

With more than 200 cards to collect, top chase cards include my favourite Meilin as a singing red Panada using the Karaoke Queen ability and the iconic Belle and Beast card, which can fetch up to $2,000 on eBay.

Out now: starter deck around £20

Ravensburger Pokémon, 40,000 piece Jigsaw Puzzle

I definitely don’t have room left in my flat for anything Pokémon related, especially not a 6.8m by 1.9m puzzle, but I really want it even at its eye-watering price. This jaw-dropping 40,320 piece jigsaw puzzle is one of the biggest officially licensed puzzles ever made, turning Nintendo’s monster-catching phenomenon into the ultimate challenge for collectors with far more patience and floor space than me.

Featuring every pokémon area, from Kanto to Paldea, the enormous artwork is a colourful celebration of almost three decades of the franchise, packed with familiar faces including Pikachu, Charizard, Mewtwo, Eevee, Lucario, Greninja, Garchomp, Miraidon and Koraidon. The puzzle arrives split into multiple numbered bags, allowing you to complete individual sections before tackling the mammoth final assembly.

Even so, with a finished weight of around 20kg and a price tag of over £500, it’s a major commitment. But for diehard Pokémon fans looking for the ultimate time waster and display piece, this might just be the most ambitious piece of memorabilia released (so far) this year.

Available from 1st September: RRP £549.99

Warhammer: The Old World – Fantasy Battles In the World of Legend core set

Featuring an amazingly huge Chaos Dragon, the new Warhammer: The Old World core set finally delivers a true starter box, pitting the disciplined armies of Grand Cathay against the brutal Warriors of Chaos in spectacular rank and file battles. Packed with 54 beautifully detailed miniatures, an updated rulebook, and everything two players need to begin, it’s the strongest entry point the game has seen for those looking to build a new (overpowered) army.

The tactical gameplay is deeper and more demanding than Age Of Sigmar or Warhammer 40,000, rewarding careful positioning, clever manoeuvres, and old-school battlefield strategy. It also brings with it another way of playing the game in a more manageable way, with a lower point cost called Battle March.

Grand Cathay’s debut is a particular highlight, with stunning new miniatures that perfectly capture the faction’s elegant Eastern aesthetic, while the revamped Chaos range is every bit as intimidating as fans had hoped. It’s not the quickest game to learn, but for strategy lovers and long-time fantasy devotees, this is a triumphant return to the World of Legend.

Out Now: RRP £150

The Ghost In The Shell: Tabletop Roleplaying Game

While the new anime on Amazon Prime may have divided veteran fans with its freestyle animation and chortling Tachikomas I’m sold on its cuter style. However, this new role-playing game is based on the original Masamune Shirow manga and puts players in the cyber-enhanced boots of Section 9 operatives dealing with cybercrime, political conspiracies, and the blurred line between human and machine.

Rather than simply recreating the action of the films and series, the game focuses on what makes Ghost In The Shell so popular, with questions about identity, artificial intelligence, and what it means to be human in an increasingly digital world – something we can all relate to. Players can customise their cybernetic upgrades, investigate complex cases, and use advanced technology to tackle threats across a futuristic Tokyo.

With its mix of tactical combat, detective work, and deep world-building, this is a tabletop experience aimed at fans who want more than just another cyberpunk shootout and are looking for more depth than Cyberpunk 2077’s deck builder.

Out May 2027: Collector’s Bundle £149

XCOM: The Miniatures Game

There may never be another XCOM video game, but between this and Star Wars Zero Company, from some of the same developers, this is as close to a renaissance as you’re likely to get. The miniatures game isn’t out until next year, but from what I’ve seen so far it looks like a lot of fun and transforms the beloved strategy series into a tense tactical battle worthy of the franchise.

Anyone who’s ever watched a carefully planned XCOM mission collapse because a soldier missed a 95% accuracy shot will already know the series was practically born for the tabletop. XCOM: The Miniatures Game leans into that brutal tactical tension, swapping the screen for beautifully detailed miniatures while keeping the desperate squad-based action intact. Built on Ivan Sorensen’s excellent Five Parsecs From Home ruleset, you’ll recruit soldiers, research alien tech, expand your base and throw your elite squad into increasingly impossible missions against Sectoids, Floaters, Chryssalids and other familiar horrors.

It’s fully playable solo or cooperatively, while an asymmetric mode lets another player command the alien invasion. The miniatures look fantastic and the campaign promises meaningful progression rather than one-off skirmishes. If Modiphius can capture even half the nail-biting panic of the video games, this could be one of the year’s smartest licensed adaptations and, yes, you’ll probably still blame the dice.

Out January 2027: pre-order £185

Cult Of The Lamb: The Board Game

Considering I own the plushie and double-fold vinyl for the video game, there’s not a chance that I would be missing out on Paper Fort Games’ Kickstarter, which has somehow bottled Massive Monster’s gloriously twisted mix of cute woodland critters and cult indoctrination into a tabletop adventure that looks every bit as chaotic as its video game inspiration.

And it’s not just another dungeon crawler, with devilishly familiar cute artwork slapped on. Every expedition into the wilderness is balanced by running your increasingly devoted flock back home. That means recruiting followers, constructing buildings, unlocking new doctrines, and making the sort of morally questionable decisions that somehow seem perfectly reasonable when everyone’s wearing tiny animal robes of plastic!

The adorable miniatures are an obvious highlight, but the gameplay looks surprisingly meaty too. Crusades promise tactical combat, meaningful upgrades, and plenty of replayability; while the worker placement mechanics should create just enough friendly sabotage between players.

Licensed board games don’t always survive the jump from screen to table (did we really need so many tabletop outings for The Last of Us?), but this one seems to understand exactly why I fell in love with Cult Of The Lamb in the first place. Equal parts cute, creepy and satanically unhinged, everyone please get on the Kickstarter and vote for the giraffe follower stretch goal, he’s my fave.

Out December 2027 – all-in pledge £249

Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution-Pitch Black Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box

If you’ve spent as much time as I have this month in the digital queue for the Pokémon Center, trying to get a chance at any of the 30th Anniversary TCG sets, getting hold of Pitch Black was a doddle in comparison. While it doesn’t have the kind of eye-catching chase cards fans coveted from Ascendant Heroes, it can’t be faulted for featuring the darker, more dramatic style of the Mega Evolution era.

Collectors are already setting their sights on stunning Mega Pokémon ex cards, including Mega Darkrai ex (Special Illustration Rare), Mega Darkrai ex (Mega Hyper Rare), and Morpeko ex (Special Illustration Rare).

With powerful pokémon, eye-catching artwork, and plenty of competitive potential going into the World Championship later this month, Mega Evolution-Pitch Black delivers the perfect mix of nostalgia and fresh strategy, before the deluge of 30th anniversary goodies hit the shelves. Even if you can’t make Worlds this latest Elite Trainer Box has enough tournament-winning cards to keep you happy at home.

Out now – RRP £49.99

Justice League Unlimited: The Roleplaying Game

The new Justice League game is looking to give DC fans the chance to create their own superheroes and fight alongside legends including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Green Lantern.

Co-written by legendary DC writer Mark Waid, this is the first officially licensed Justice League role-player in almost 20 years and lets you create original heroes from lineages including Kryptonian, Amazonian, Atlantean, and speedster. The system is built around more than just punching villains too, with your hero’s moral code defined through five ‘tacit clauses’, while ‘interlude moments’ encourage role-playing between the universe-threatening set pieces.

When things do go wrong, the clever entropy system and crisis die can throw the entire campaign into chaos with surprise alien invasions, time travellers, or other comic-book curveballs. The lavish miniatures are packed with fan favourites, alongside villains including Darkseid, Lex Luthor, and The Joker (I love his purple and green dice). Throw in two brand-new canon villains, created by Mark Waid exclusively for the game, and this already feels like a love letter to DC fans rather than another licensed cash-in.

Out May 2027 – all-in pledge $320 (£238)

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A heartbroken father revealed the final text messages he received from his ex-wife before she poisoned their four kids in what cops believe was a horrific murder-suicide. 

Brady Harmon’s nightmare began in June, when his children were found dead in an upstate New York home alongside their mother, Sarah Myers, 44, and grandmother, Amy Steadman, 64.

Myers and her mother are accused of orchestrating the murder-suicide that left her children – Harper, 13, Hudson, 11, and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn – dead.

Harmon previously said that the children primarily lived with his ex-wife and they were amid a custody battle before the shocking deaths. The children were set to visit him over the summer, marking their first time with their father since 2019. 

He shared the chilling last messages with Myers in a recent Facebook post following the Mechanicville Police Department’s announcement that the mother and grandmother duo planned to murder the children before taking their own lives. 

Chief Bill Rabbitt told reporters on Tuesday that the pair exchanged messages in the days leading up to the killings about administering medications to the children.

In light of the investigation update, Harmon shared the text messages between him and Myers, including exchanges on the day the horror began.

‘According to information released by the Mechanicville Police Department, messages were being exchanged on June 10 concerning the planned murder of my children,’ Harmon wrote online before revealing his own texts.

Myers and her mother are accused of orchestrating the murder-suicide that left her children – Harper, 13, Hudson, 11, and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn – dead, pictured above 

On the same day, Myers sent a text to Harmon saying their children had the stomach bug, police also found messages to Steadman about their plan to medicate the kids

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‘That was the same day I was told the kids had a stomach bug and was asked to postpone my scheduled FaceTime call.’

The messages between the former couple began on May 31 after a series of unanswered and outgoing video calls. Harmon sent Myers the flight information for the children’s planned visit. 

A few days later, they went over the flight information and Myers confirmed that the children could fly out before July 1st, asking in a separate message if Harmon could send a child support payment so she could buy them sneakers. Then on June 8, Harmon asked Myers for activities that the children enjoyed. 

‘My goal is to create opportunities for all of us to spend quality time together, stay active, enjoy the outdoors, make positive memories, and reconnect as a family,’ Harmon said. 

The father then asked for the children’s medical information, including their physicians, medications and allergies. 

‘I’ll talk to the kiddos about the stuff they would like to do over the summer,’ Myers responded. 

On June 10, Myers texted: ‘The kids have gotten a little stomach bug throwing up is it okay to switch your online visit to tomorrow night at 4 pm your time please.’ 

Harmon responded that he would continue painting instead, adding that he hoped the kids would feel better soon. 

The next day, he asked if the children were feeling better, and a video call went unanswered. 

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‘I have thought about sharing these final communications for a long time. I am now sharing the messages from May 31 through June 11 because they show what I was being told while I was planning for my children’s summer with me,’ Harmon wrote in the post.

‘I sent their flight information. I planned activities based on their interests. I requested their medical records, medications, allergies, doctors’ information, and other documents that were required under the parenting plan. I believed I was preparing to welcome my children home.’

Harmon said he believed the truth about his ex-wife and her mother would have come out if the children had the opportunity to stay with him in Utah for the summer. 

‘My children were not pawns to be sacrificed when control was slipping away. They were four beautiful human beings with personalities, dreams, fears, laughter, and an entire family waiting to love them,’ he wrote. 

Police uncovered messages between Myers and Steadman about their plan to medicate the kids. They were made on the same day Myers texted Harmon that their children had a stomach bug.  

‘Sarah Myers instructed Amy Steadman that the medications should be administered between 10.30am and noon so they could be finished before a scheduled telephone call at 6pm with the children’s father,’ Chief Rabbitt said at this week’s press conference.

He added that their plan appeared to take a turn later that morning, when ‘the children failed to respond in the manner that Steadman and Myers had anticipated. 

Police found handwritten letters believed to be written by Steadman and Myers, including a signed confession from the grandmother 

Harmon wrote in a post that his children were ‘four beautiful human beings with personalities, dreams, fears, laughter, and an entire family waiting to love them’ 

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Around the same time, Rabbitt said one of the women – without specifying which – sent the other a sinister message: ‘It’s not working. We need another option.’

Investigators uncovered evidence pointing to a mass poisoning, though it has since been revealed that 10-year-old Gavin was ‘repeatedly’ stabbed to death with a knife. 

The investigation found that Steadman had visited multiple pharmacies in the days leading up to the mass-poisoning event, the chief shared during Tuesday’s press conference.

Internet history recovered by authorities showed ‘searches about medication reactions, the effects of insulin on non-diabetics and the Utah court system,’ according to the chief.

Rabbitt said later searches included ‘Where is the most fatal place to be stabbed,’ which returned results detailing a specific artery as well as the neck.

Authorities also uncovered letters, including a handwritten confession signed by Steadman and unsigned notes believed to have been from Myers alleging that she and her children were abused while living in Utah.  

FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour told the Associated Press last week that the FIFA administration had been “deceived” by Infantino, while Portugal star Luis Figo joined the criticism earlier on Wednesday, saying Infantino’s conduct over FFE was the “lowest, most deceitful, and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed”.

A man has been charged over the alleged hit-and-run death of schoolboy Keaton Slater in Coventry more than two years ago.

Dolars Aleksanders was extradited from Latvia, where he was detained last month, and has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, West Midlands Police said on Wednesday night.

The 23-year-old Latvian man was taken into custody after arriving in the UK and is due to appear before Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Keaton, 12, died after being hit by a black BMW in Coventry on 14 June 2024 while on his way home from school.

Efforts to extradite Aleksanders had been under way since he was named by police as a person of interest shortly after the crash.

He was flown into Gatwick Airport on Wednesday and was then transported to a custody block in the West Midlands, police said.

Crown Prosecution Service spokesman Ben Samples said British and Latvian authorities, as well as international agencies, had worked closely together to “bring Mr Aleksanders back to face proceedings in a UK court”.