It was a busy Friday night for officers as they made several arrests while on patrol
Rob Currell Live news reporter
21:29, 14 Mar 2026Updated 21:30, 14 Mar 2026
PSNI’s auto crime team made several arrests across Belfast last night, (Friday) for a number of offences.
Police announced they attempted to pull over one vehicle which failed to stop when signalled.
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A spokesman for PSNI said: “The driver was wanted to be recalled to prison and when signalled to stop by the team he made off creating a pursuit in which he drove dangerously from the vicinity of the Grosvenor Road to the Whiterock area.
“The Auto Crime Team were assisted in containing the vehicle by Roads Policing Interceptor officers all whilst he was driving at the officers in a bid to escape. They arrested the driver for his return to prison, and various motoring offences. Searches of the male recovered a quantity of Class A drugs and Class C drugs for which he has been further arrested.
“While the team were conveying the first driver to custody, other members stopped and arrested a drink driver in the Lower Falls Area who provided a breath sample over double the drink driving limit.
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“Shortly after returning to patrol, another vehicle was reported as having been stolen in the Ballysillan area. The car made it’s way to the Castlereagh Road area where the team located it and the suspect.
“This male has been arrested for the theft of the vehicle which has been recovered to be returned to it’s rightful owner.
“The actions taken by the team this evening have assisted in bringing offenders to justice to prevent further offending and most importantly have prevented harm being caused to the public.”
The airline has confirmed it will be operating a limited flight schedule to and from Doha
Qatar Airways has issued an update for passengers after temporarily suspending scheduled flights due to the ongoing closure of Qatari airspace amid conflict across the Middle East.
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The airline said it is working to help affected travellers continue their journeys before normal operations are expected to resume.
In a statement, the Qatar Airways said: “We want you to know that we are doing our utmost to support you with your journey, and to reunite you with your family and loved ones.
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“We recognise this situation may be unsettling and are working to keep you moving while we prepare for the safe return of our usual operations. Your patience and understanding mean a great deal to us, and we are truly grateful for your continued support at this challenging time.
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“Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe full reopening of Qatari airspace by the relevant authorities.”
The airline said ‘temporary authorisation’ from the aviation authority has meant limited operating corridors have been confirmed. It plans to operate a number of flights over the coming days.
These flights are intended to help passengers directly impacted by the disruption and will remain subject to regulatory approval and changing airspace conditions.
Flights are currently planned to depart from Hamad International Airport in Doha from Sunday (March 15) to several major international destinations including:
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London Heathrow Airport
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Frankfurt Airport
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
New York JFK Airport
Melbourne Airport
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport
Routes will operate in both directions. The airline also confirmed that additional flights arriving into Doha from major cities around the world are planned through to Wednesday (March 18) to help stranded travellers.
In addition to the limited schedule, Qatar Airways has organised a number of direct ‘point-to-point flights’ to help some passengers complete their journeys.
Passengers eligible for these flights will be contacted directly by the airline. However, the airline stressed that these services ‘do not constitute a confirmation of the resumption of scheduled commercial operations’.
Travellers have been warned not to go to the airport unless they have a confirmed ticket, as schedules could change or flights could still be cancelled depending on operational or safety conditions.
Passengers with confirmed bookings between February 28 and March 28, 2026 are eligible for flexible options, including a complimentary date change to travel on Qatar Airways flights up to April 30, 2026 or a refund for the unused ticket value.
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Passengers can check the latest flight information on the Qatar Airways website or mobile app, or through their travel agent. The airline said the next operational update is expected tomorrow as the situation continues to evolve.
The France defence coach signed off his interview in the perfect way after his side won the Six Nations
Shaun Edwards left pundits laughing after delivering a cheeky reminder of his remarkable Six Nations record following France’s astonishing title-winning victory over England.
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France edged a breathtaking contest 48-46 to seal the championship, capping another triumph for the legendary former Wales defence coach.
The win marked Edwards’ seventh Six Nations title — four with Wales and now three with France — but the statistic initially went unmentioned during his post-match interview with Topsy Ojo.
Instead, Edwards found himself fielding questions about France’s defence after a chaotic finale to the tournament in which Les Bleus conceded 96 points across their final two games, including 50 against Scotland and 46 against England.
Despite that, Edwards took the discussion in good spirits.
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“Another crazy, great game for the fans — those at home and at the stadium,” he said.
“Rugby at the moment, particularly the Six Nations, is just phenomenal.”
The veteran coach also defended the broader trend of high-scoring matches in the modern game.
“If it was just your team defending and conceding so many points, you’d be worried,” he said.
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“England have an excellent defence coach and defensive system and they’ve conceded more than us!
“Obviously it’s a bit frustrating at times, but that’s the way the game is going.
“Scores all around the world — Super Rugby, New Zealand taking 39 points off Australia last summer — it’s a regular occurrence nowadays.”
Edwards also highlighted the development of a young French squad he believes still has plenty of improvement to come.
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“It’s a group we are building. We feel they can improve in the future,” he said.
“We had a couple of young players — like Oscar Jegou — who has been phenomenal in this tournament. He’s a guy 100 per cent for the future.”
But it was Edwards’ final comment that stole the show.
As the interview wrapped up and he prepared to step away, the former Wales coach turned back with a grin and delivered one final line.
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“Thank you — that’s my seventh one, that, by the way!”
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The cameras then quickly panned back to the pitchside pundits, who had erupted in laughter.
Dan Biggar said to Mark Pougatch: “What did I say to you off-air? I said that was his seventh!”
Edwards is rightly revered as one of the greatest defensive minds in the game and his seven Six Nations titles is testament to that.
Former 90s TV star John Alford, known for his roles in Grange Hill and London’s Burning, has died at the age of 54 after being convicted in January of sexually abusing two underage girls
08:30, 15 Mar 2026Updated 08:33, 15 Mar 2026
What started as a seemingly harmless sleepover descended into horror for two teenage girls following their encounter with John Alford. The former TV pin-up, aged 54, has died in jail just weeks after being handed an eight-and-a-half-year jail term for child sex offences after abusing two adolescent girls at his mate’s property.
The ex-actor, recognised for his parts in Grange Hill and London’s Burning, gave the youngsters, aged 14 and 15, alcohol, the court was told, following a 4.30am trip to a petrol station where he splashed out £250 on cigarettes, snacks and booze – including rum, beer and flavoured vodka.
Alford, convicted under his birth name John Shannon, showed no remorse during sentencing after being found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child, plus two further counts of sexual assault and assault by penetration involving a second victim at St Albans Crown Court on September 5. The assaults occurred at his friend’s residence in April 2022, following an evening at the pub.
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The teenagers had been having an unplanned sleepover during their Easter school holidays at the home of a third girl, whose father was friends with Alford – of Hartham Road, Islington. Apart from Alford, all other adults in the house eventually retired to bed.
The court heard that due to the nature of conversations the disgraced actor had with the teenagers during the night, he was aware of their ages. After a trip to the shop, he provided the underage girls with Ciroc flavoured vodka, whilst he himself drank a bottle of beer.
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The father-of-four proceeded to have sexual intercourse with the 14 year old girl in the garden of the property and later in a downstairs toilet. He also inappropriately touched the 15 year old girl as she lay semi-conscious on the living room sofa.
In heart-wrenching testimony, the 14 year old victim disclosed that she was a virgin and had pleaded with Alford to stop “three or four times”.
She further testified that “I told him to stop because I didn’t want to have sex with an old man”. The court also heard Alford ask her “do you want this babe?” to which she replied “no”.
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The other victim testified that “We were all just like dozing off. That was when John started to touch me.”
The teenager also told the court that she felt “absolutely sick” after the assault, and once she had reached the safety of the other victim’s home she showered, and the two teenagers “spoke about everything that happened” in a bathroom together.
In deeply distressing victim impact statements, the teenage survivors laid bare the horrific injuries inflicted by Alford and the devastating long-term consequences of the attack. For the 15 year old victim, this included attempting suicide and self-harming.
“This man destroyed my mental wellbeing. When I was 16 I tried to take my own life with sleeping tablets,” she described. “I was in so much physical and emotional pain I cut myself deeply. I used my mum’s lighter to burn the inside of my thighs as well.
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“I felt so suicidal and depressed, words cannot describe how I felt.”
She went on to detail the daily struggles she now endures following the assault, including travelling on public transport, going to the toilet alone at night, and confessed: “I struggle with men. I don’t want to think of every man as evil, but I do. I will never forget his face, his scent, his voice or him.”
The 14 year old victim revealed in her statement that even embracing her own father had become difficult after the attack. “I’m the victim of penetrative sexual assault. Being sexually assaulted has affected my family in every way,” she wrote.
The court was told that the sexualhealth examination she underwent following the assault proved traumatic and had to be halted due to the severe pain it caused. She was required to take emergency contraception and received injections to prevent HIV and other infections, which left visible bruising.
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“I was scared people were going to notice and wonder why I had them,” she said. The 14 year old victim also shared, “It has affected me severely with school. I didn’t care about my GCSEs as this was the only thing that mattered. I wasn’t bothered about my personal hygiene or appearance. I was just existing.”
She went on to say, “I was getting flashbacks. I’ve been getting dreams. I’m convinced he’s going to come through my door. I also find it hard being intimate with my boyfriend because of this.
“The assault by John has completely changed my perspective on life. It has made me look very differently at the world and I now have worries for my life and my future children. I will not let this assault define me, but it has been constantly in my mind.”
Tina Chummun, a member of the Counselling Directory, told the Mirror that the type of traumatic injury these teenage survivors have endured fundamentally changes how a “survivor experiences the world” and psychologically, there is no “normal” to return to.
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Tina, who specialises in trauma therapy for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse and has worked for The Women’s Trust, explained: “Recovery after sexual assault is not about ‘going back to normal’, because trauma changes how a survivor experiences the world. The survivor will experience their world through their trauma lens for some time that their body and mind needs for recovery – however long that takes, and it is dependent on the survivor.”
Alford’s appalling attack need not “define” his young victims, “but it will shape [their lives] in profound ways,” the trauma specialist explains. This occurs “because [the] nervous system is still living in survival mode. When someone experiences an intimate violation, their brain’s threat system becomes hyper-alert and struggles to tell the difference between what is safe and what is dangerous.
“Everyday stress, memories, smells, touch or even moments of closeness can trigger the same fight, flight, freeze or fawn responses as the original trauma. This is why survivors often live with flashbacks, fear, shame, self-blame, frequent triggers from daily experiences and difficulties with trust and intimacy long after the event.”
Ms Chummun said simply allowing time to pass is insufficient for recovery. “Healing involves more than time passing. It requires trauma-informed support in a safe, empathic, supportive, boundaried and non-judgemental space where the experience can be processed rather than pushed away. It’s the awareness, acceptance and then the acknowledgement to want to work towards changing thoughts and behaviours related to the trauma that will mean the survivor has processed it. The awareness and acceptance part of the recovery process are the most challenging. Without this, the body continues to carry the trauma as if it is still happening.
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“Psychological pain is experienced in the same brain regions as physical pain, so survivors are not being dramatic when they say it hurts. It truly does. Recovery looks like slowly rebuilding a sense of safety in their body, restoring confidence, reclaiming their power and choices, having a personal safety plan in place, can be worked on together with a therapist, and learning that life can be lived again without ‘fear’ being in their driving seat.”
Fletcher’s Family Farm stars Kelvin and Liz Fletcher shared their hopes that their children would one day take over the farm as they discussed their future plans
Abbie Bray Deputy Editor for Screen Time
08:30, 15 Mar 2026
Kelvin and Liz Fletcher expressed the hope that their children would eventually inherit the farm from them as they pondered the future. During the latest instalment of Fletcher’s Family Farm, which airs on Sunday, Kelvin and Liz discussed the Fletcher’s products they sell, which help “keep the farm thriving”.
The pair, who were recently left without a home due to a fire, devised a plan to generate income from the wool their sheep produce. Liz explained that it cost the couple to have the sheep sheared and that by transforming them into blankets, they could recoup some of the cost.
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She highlighted the harsh reality that farmers face, having to diversify their businesses to earn more money because “farmers are struggling”.
Expressing her dream for the future and how vital it is to her to have their children participating in the farm, Liz shared, “Having the kids involved and helping just makes me special, because they’ll one day, hopefully, take over me, and Kelvin can be in the Bahamas,” reports the Mirror. “So I’m hoping that the kids are doing all this, and we’re just sitting back, and they’re sending us money,” she laughed.
Kelvin chimed in, “You know what I would actually love, let’s say in, I don’t know, 20 years from now, that I’m just kind of the farm handyman, the farm labourer, and that the kids are running a big farming enterprise. “.
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“Yeah, do you think you’ll let go, though?” Liz asked. “Do you think you’ll let go of that control? Because, knowing you, I can’t imagine it.” Reflecting on it, Kelvin observed, “I think that’s probably the hardest thing for most farming families to let go.”
Liz light-heartedly joked, “I won’t. I’ll be on a cruise. I’m doing my shift, and then I’m enjoying the rest of it.” She added, “Maybe we should do a series. We’ll come back when we’re 80, we’ll still be here in the same room, boxing blankets. Kids will be doing something completely different.”
Elsewhere in the episode, the Fletchers prepare for their biggest event of the year in the form of a six-day-long Christmas celebration gala that welcomes families to the farm for festive fun.
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The family’s much-loved pet Ginger also gives birth to her puppies, and the flock gets lost in the fog.
Fletcher’s Family Farm airs on Sunday at 11.25am on ITV.
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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s powerful foreign minister said Saturday that there is no serious initiative to resume negotiations between the United States and Iran but that he believes Iran is open to back-channel talks.
The comments by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to The Associated Press in an exclusive interview came as Ankara is striving to stay out of the widening war in the Middle East.
Ankara, which has good relations with both Washington and Tehran, had attempted to mediate a solution between them before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran two weeks ago, triggering the war.
“The conditions are not very much conducive” to diplomacy now, Fidan said. The Iranians “feel betrayed” because for a second time they were attacked while in active negotiations with the U.S. over their nuclear program, he said, but added, “I think they are open to any sensible back-channel diplomacy.”
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Fidan, 57, served as Turkey’s intelligence chief for more than a decade before being appointed foreign minister in 2023.
Key role in formulating Turkey’s Middle East policy
In that role, he played a key part in shaping Turkey’s policy in the Middle East, particularly toward Syria, Iraq and Iran. He is considered to be one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’s most trusted advisers and one of the potential candidates to succeed him.
Turkey has maintained a neutral position in the war, criticizing both the U.S and Israeli strikes against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory actions against Gulf states that host U.S. bases. Fidan said he has been attempting to persuade the Iranians to halt those attacks.
Fidan said Turkey’s top priority is to remain outside of the conflict, even after three missiles believed to come from Iran were intercepted over Turkey by NATO defenses. Turkey is a NATO member and an air base in southern Turkey is used by NATO forces, including U.S. troops.
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Iranian officials have insisted that they did not fire at Turkey, although the available data shows that the missiles came from Iran, the Turkish foreign minister said.
He ruled out a military response at this stage, saying that NATO’s defenses were effective and that Ankara’s “primary objective” is to stay out of the conflict.
“I know that we are being provoked and we will be provoked, but this is our objective,” he said. “We want to stay out of this war.”
Fidan, who has regular contact with Iranian officials, said he does not know the severity of the wounds suffered by Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a strike earlier in the war, but that “what we know is that he is alive and functioning.”
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Khamenei was appointed to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed Feb. 28 during the war’s opening salvo.
Fidan said “the process of electing a new leader and the medical conditions of the new leader, it created a gap” in Iran’s power structure and “I think that gap has been filled by the high command of the Revolutionary Guards,” referring to the paramilitary force reporting to the Supreme Leader.
A failed peace initiative
Before the conflict, Turkey tried to avert a war by offering to host talks in Istanbul that would have brought U.S., Iran and other regional countries together. Iran later opted for talks mediated by Oman, without the participation of regional actors and focusing solely on its nuclear program — talks that ultimately failed.
Fidan said that Iran had refused to discuss its missile program and the proxy armed groups it backs in the region, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and a group of Iraqi militias — both of which have now waded into the regional war.
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Turkey had proposed that “the Americans and the Iranians can discuss fully the nuclear issue and we as regional countries can come together to discuss the other two with Iran” as part of an initiative to build trust within the region.
Tensions with Israel
Turkey and Israel have tense relations, with Erdogan becoming one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Turkey has cut trade ties with Israel and frequently accuses Israel of committing genocide. Israel in turn accuses Turkey of supporting Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that launched the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack in southern Israel.
Since Israel launched its strikes on Iran, some have gone as far as to suggest that Turkey could be the next target. Fidan dismissed that possibility, while acknowledging that the war in Iran gave Turkey an increased incentive to step up its own production of weapons and air defenses.
“As long as Netanyahu is there, (Israel) will always identify somebody as an enemy,” he said. “Because they need it to advance their own agenda. If not Turkey, they would name some other country in the region.”
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He criticized Israel’s role elsewhere in the region, including in Syria, where both countries have strategic interests.
Turkey has been a strong backer of the current government in Damascus led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former leader of an Islamist rebel group.
Israel regards al-Sharaa’s government with suspicion and, since it took power in December 2024, Israeli forces have seized control of a swathe of land in southern Syria and launched airstrikes on Syrian military facilities, wiping out much of the country’s arsenal. Israel has said its presence in Syria is meant to secure its border from another Oct. 7-style attack.
“They are after not security, they are after more land,” Fidan said. “So as long as they don’t give up this idea, there will always be a war in the Middle East.”
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An ongoing role in Gaza
Turkey has also sought to play an active role in postwar Gaza. It has joined U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace — boycotted by many other countries that see it as an attempt to supplant the United Nations and criticize the lack of a role for Palestinians — and has offered to supply troops for an international stabilization force in the battered enclave.
Fidan said it was important for Turkey to join the Board of Peace, as an “opportunity” to stop the war, although “we are not under the illusion that the Board of Peace will address all the existing issues.”
Fidan said Turkey has not received a request to contribute troops to the stabilization force, which he attributed to the Israeli opposition, but added, “I think the Americans are quietly trying to settle the issue with the Israelis to allow Turkey to participate.”
Fidan said however, that Turkey’s priority was the establishment of an administration committee for Gaza, which is to be made up of 15 politically independent Palestinian administrators.
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“We expect them to go into Gaza and start their work,” he said. “This has not started yet, so we need to start from somewhere.”
Schools in the south of the city are predicted to be those most affected
A report set to go before Peterborough City Council has outlined how school admissions are likely to become oversubscribed in the city’s growing southern townships in the near future.
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On Monday (March 16), the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee will hear a forecast of how pressures on school admissions will affect both primary and secondary schools across the city over the coming years.
The report, which has been authored by Libby Walker, head of the council’s Admissions, Attendance & Transport Services, has outlined the Hamptons as an area where these pressures are most likely to be highest.
The data used to create the report forecasts primary school admission figures across the city’s north, central, west, Hamptons, Ortons, rural east, rural west, and Stanground/Fletton/Woodston areas.
Tables in the report show primary schools in the Hamptons will have by far the largest projected pressure over the next four years, with around 111 Reception pupils above capacity, indicating a significant shortfall in places by 2028/29.
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Secondary school admission figures are set within the north, south and central planning areas of the city.
Once again, figures illustrate the south (Hamptons and Great Haddon) as showing significant and increasing pressure over the same period, rising sharply to 201 Year 7 pupils above capacity by 2028/29.
The figures are a reflection of the recent population growth across the south of the city, with significant expansion of residential developments seen across the Hamptons and Great Haddon – areas that are still continuing to grow.
Earlier this year, the council confirmed that Great Haddon Secondary School (GHSS) will be opening in 2029. Similarly, the ground has already been broken on the 420-place Great Haddon Primary School, which is set to open in January 2027.
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The forecasts featured within the report were created by using each city school’s Published Admissions Number (PAN), essentially the number of places a school has available to allocate. This number is based on the school’s net capacity, which is determined via assessment by the Department for Education.
Adhering to each school’s PAN, priority in Peterborough admissions is given first to children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, followed by looked-after or previously looked-after children, then children in the school’s catchment area (especially those with siblings already attending), children of staff, and finally other applicants outside the catchment area.
When there are more applications than places, schools use oversubscription criteria to decide priority. If a child is not offered a place, they are placed on a waiting list ranked according to the same criteria.
Using data sourced from Primary & Secondary National Offer days, the report shows that the number of applications to primary schools (reception class) across Peterborough as a whole has actually decreased steadily over the past five years, dropping from 3315 in 2020 to 2498 in 2025.
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Over the same period however, the number of applications to the city’s secondary schools (Year 7) has risen, from 2763 to 2926.
Ms Walker explains this in the report: “Nationally, the birth rate has fallen within the UK and this has created place issues for primary schools due to falling rolls.
“However, migration into the city has meant that as yet, we have not seen the same issues within secondary schools and have had to create additional places year-on-year into secondary schools to be able to meet demand.”
The stand-off between Ten Hag and Sancho lasted four months, before Sancho joined Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the season and helped them reach the Champions League final.
But they could not afford to keep him and, although United sporting director Dan Ashworth was credited with brokering the truce that allowed Sancho to join up with United in the pre-season of 2024, it was a temporary situation, which Chelsea seemed to solve by agreeing a loan that committed them to a permanent transfer at the end of the season.
Yet, after five goals in 41 appearances, Chelsea preferred to pay a £5m penalty to send Sancho back to Old Trafford.
This time, there was no olive branch. Sancho was placed in Ruben Amorim’s ‘bomb squad’ and had to train away from the first team until he joined Villa on 1 September.
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United have an option to trigger an additional year on Sancho’s contract, which otherwise expires in the summer. In public, they are reserving their position on that. No-one expects it to happen.
At 25, Sancho still has a lot to offer. There have been glimpses of quality during his time at Villa, but it is by no means certain he will stay there beyond the end of the season.
“Seeing Jadon close up, technically, he’s got an awful lot of ability,” said current United interim head coach Michael Carrick, who worked with Sancho as part of Solskjaer’s backroom team and managed him for three games during his short stint in charge after the Norwegian’s dismissal.
“In and around the box; his ball carrying; his little plays; the connections; his creativity; the way he handles the ball – he’s got natural ability.
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“He’s always had it all the way coming through. That’s one part of football.
“But – and I’m not talking about Jadon individually on this – it is just how it is and how it should be.
“You can’t just assume it’s all going to be smooth. It’s proven that it’s not always like that.
“You’ve got to find a way through it. If you are playing in a good team with good players and a good squad and depth, that’s part of the challenge to stay at the top.”
Staff will be reduced by a third in a bid to bring down costs
A Cambridge museum has been forced to reduce its opening days and staff numbers due to rising costs. The Museum of Cambridge, on Castle Street will close for an additional two days each week and will reduce staff by one third, with changes coming into effect from March 30.
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The museum, which is in the 17th century White Horse Inn, currently opens to the public six days a week during term time. This will be reduced to four days a week. The museum will open Friday to Monday, with the addition of Thursdays during school holidays.
The Museum of Cambridge shares stories of everyday people of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire, and will be celebrating its 90th anniversary in November this year. Some of the attractions it offers include temporary exhibitions and free family activities.
Alex Smaridge, Director of the Museum of Cambridge, said: “Although this is something we would rather not have to do, increasing closure days at this time gives us an opportunity to act strategically and focus on what we do next, to ensure the long-term future of the museum. We are independent, and like many museums in the sector, we are facing rising operational costs and reduced footfall.
“We are working hard and looking forward to having events and activities on during the school holidays and making sure that everyone in Cambridge can continue to explore their local history.”
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Roger Lilley, Chair of Trustees at the Museum of Cambridge, added: “We are incredibly proud of the work of the Museum and want to ensure that we continue to provide an amazing experience for everyone who comes to visit us.
“The Museum has worked very hard coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure its future, but in the face of increased costs, the Board of Trustees agree that this is the right moment to assess our strategy.
“We remain grateful to the support of our donors and funders. Most importantly, we’d like to reassure everyone that they will still be able to access the Museum, attend our events and learn about their local history.”
The Museum of Cambridge is an independent social history museum which relies on entry fees, venue hire, donations, and grants to keep it running, along with the help of volunteers. The museum has been at its current location since 1936 and has a collection of over 40,000 objects.
Director Silvio Soldini’s wartime drama The Tasters is a gripping and deeply affecting film. Inspired by the testimony of Margot Wölk, who claimed in 2012 that she had been forced to taste Adolf Hitler’s food during the second world war, the film examines survival and moral compromise among those caught inside the machinery of the Nazi regime.
At its centre is Rosa Sauer (Elisa Schlott), a young woman who leaves Berlin in 1943 to live with her parents-in-law in rural East Prussia while her husband fights on the Russian front. Hoping to escape the bombing of the capital, she quickly finds herself facing a different danger when Nazi soldiers arrive and force her into a van with several other women from the village.
They are taken to the nearby Wolf’s Lair, Hitler’s secret headquarters, where the women are ordered to taste every meal prepared for the Führer to confirm that the food has not been poisoned. They sit together under guard to eat dishes prepared by the kitchen staff and then wait under supervision to see whether anyone falls ill.
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The women are fed and then observed for any signs of poisoning. MetFilm
The film unfolds within a muted visual palette that reflects the bleakness of its rural wartime setting. The countryside is drained of colour and the interiors appear subdued. This restraint extends to Hitler himself, whose presence is constantly acknowledged but never shown. The unseen dictator hangs over the film and shapes the lives of the women without ever appearing to them.
Elisa Schlott delivers a quietly commanding central performance. Her Rosa is observant and uneasy, a woman trying to understand a situation imposed on her without explanation. Schlott conveys the character’s anxiety through small gestures and careful silences, creating a performance with steady emotional weight which anchors the film.
The ensemble surrounding Schlott is equally impressive. The other women gradually come into focus, each drawn carefully with her own complexities. Emma Falck gives a strong performance as the wide-eyed and optimistic Leni, while Alma Hasun is compelling as the guarded Elfriede. Their shared circumstances create moments of closeness as well as distrust, so that survival becomes a matter of constant adjustment.
Rivalries emerge and alliances shift as the women spend long hours together under surveillance. Bonds form through conversation and secret gestures of care, and even within a system that treats them as expendable, the women continue to recognise one another as individuals.
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The Nazi soldiers are a constant threatening presence. Their authority over the women is absolute and the violence behind it surfaces in sudden moments. One lieutenant (Max Riemelt) begins to single out Rosa and the two enter a clandestine sexual relationship that offers brief escape for them both before the reality of their situation, and their own role in the horror of war intrudes.
Soldini’s patient, understated direction allows the story to unfold through confined interiors and careful observation. Composer Mauro Pagani’s impressive score carries an insistence beneath the action, evoking the war beyond the boundaries of the film. The conflict remains outside the frame, while the score intrudes at key moments and unsettles the fragile calm of the women’s routines.
In the crowded field of second world war films, The Tasters is a rare story that places women at its centre. These women continue their lives as best they can within the constraints of their reality. They talk and confide in one another, and small acts of kindness carry enormous weight in an environment shaped by control and fear.
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Exploring the fragile humanity which persists within an oppressive system, The Tasters is a thought-provoking, compelling and quietly powerful film that will devastate you softly.
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Donald Trump has said that, despite Iran’s willingness for a ceasefire, he has refused
Donald Trump has turned down a ceasefire proposal put forward by Iran. Disregarding appeals for peace from the United Nations and world leaders, Trump stated that despite Iran’s readiness for a ceasefire, he had declined as the proposed deal wasn’t satisfactory enough.
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“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” he declared, adding that any conditions would need to be “very solid” for the US to consider negotiations. When questioned by NBC News about what terms he would accept to conclude the war, the 47th President of the United States responded: “I don’t want to say that to you.”
However, he did concede that Iran would need to abandon any remaining nuclear aspirations to secure a deal.
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He did inform NBC that the only power Iran possesses, “is the power of dropping a mine or shooting a relatively short-range missile”, reports the Mirror.
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Trump added: “But when we get finished with the shoreline, they’re not going to have that power either.”
He later said: “We’ve knocked out most of their missiles. We’ve knocked out most of their drones. We knocked out their manufacturing of missiles and drones, largely. Within two days, it’ll be totally decimated.”
He also told the NBC that US airstrikes had “totally demolished” most of Iran’s Kharg Island, before gloating that the American military ” may hit it a few more times just for fun”.
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Trump’s assertion that Iran has sought a ceasefire contradicts analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organisation that promotes informed understanding of military matters through research, analysis, and education. According to the ISW: “Neither Iran nor the United States is prepared to hold discussions to reach a ceasefire despite mediation efforts by Oman and Egypt, according to Iranian, regional, and White House officials speaking to Reuters on March 14.”
In its summary of the conflict for March 14, the ISW added: “Three sources familiar with the efforts told Reuters that the Trump administration rejected efforts by Middle Eastern allies, including Oman and Egypt, to start diplomatic talks to end the war with Iran.”
Meanwhile, during the same NBC interview, Trump also stated he has been informed Iran’s new Supreme Leader is “not alive”.
Trump went on to say that should he be alive, he ought to surrender.
Trump’s remarks about Mojtaba Khamenei follow the recently appointed Ayatollah’s absence from a scheduled camera appearance before his nation on Thursday, which had been widely expected. Khamenei, son of the Islamic Republic’s previous supreme leader who shared the same name, was due to deliver his inaugural statement as leader.
However, Khamenei did not appear, sparking worldwide speculation regarding his location and physical condition.
Trump told NBC: “I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him.”
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He added: “I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender.”
An unidentified source based in the Iranian capital of Tehran claimed that Khamenei, 56, reportedly lost at least one leg and suffered serious abdominal or liver injuries following a strike by the US or Israel, according to The Sun.
The source offered extensive details concerning the new leader’s purported medical state, treatment, whereabouts and security measures. The source indicated he is being treated at Sina University Hospital in the city’s historic district, where a section has been cordoned off and placed under heavy guard.
Iranian state television has confirmed that Khamenei was injured in recent explosions, but the anonymous source’s allegations cannot be independently corroborated, largely due to Iran’s ongoing internet blackout. In a conversation with the Associated Press, Türkiye’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan admitted he is unaware of the extent of Khamenei’s injuries, but “what we know is that he is alive and functioning”.
Fidan’s remarks follow assertions by Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who stated there was “no problem” with the Islamic republic’s new supreme leader. These statements were made after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested the Iranian leader is “wounded and likely disfigured”.
This week, Iran announced Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader following an airstrike that claimed the life of his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the Middle Eastern conflict.
