A reader has no sympathy for Sony’s terrible week and blames them for the problems with Hideo Kojima and the poorly received Marvel’s Wolverine game.

I would hate to be any kind of exec at Sony PlayStation this week, considering everything that’s happened. When Xbox, who have been having their business meetings wearing clown shoes since at least the Xbox One era, are running rings round you, then you know things have got bad.

Sony has been off the boil ever since the PlayStation 5 came out, or at least after the first year or so when they suddenly stopped making games and stopped doing interviews or having execs appear in State of Plays. This is all about the time they started going all in on live service games, promising 12 by 2026, or whatever it was.

They were apparently so confident that would work out they stopped making single-player games and put all their award-winning studios to work on live service games and well… we all we know what a disaster that was. To the point where just finding out that Fairgames hasn’t been cancelled is enough to count as bad news for most people.

What people think about Fairgames was the least of Sony’s troubles this week, though, after it was announced that they were going to cancel Hideo Kojima’s Physint game and cut all ties with him. Now, you might say that probably they realised that they weren’t going to make much money from the game and that it was going to overrun and Kojima would be a pain to deal with.

That’s very probably true but how did they not know that before they signed the deal? Especially as they handled both Death Stranding games for him. Nothing has changed about Kojima, but a whole lot has changed about Sony.

Now Kojima has signed up with Xbox, so they get to be the heroes who support creative developers and Sony looks like the villain. Which is quite an achievement given how many of thousands of people Microsoft has laid off this year.

As far as I can see it’s Kojima that announced the Physint news, so I think he knew the embargo for Wolverine reviews was going to be on Thursday. I also think he knew the reviews weren’t going to be great. But then anyone could’ve told that from just reading the previews, which made the news for how bad they were. But apparently all the fanboys forgot that, possibly just so they could pretend to act shocked when they weren’t very good.

So on the same day, Sony ended up cancelling one of gaming’s most famous developers (and giving a free boost to Xbox), finding out their only Christmas game is a dud, and getting news of their live service game leaked. What an amazing day at the office that must’ve been.

At this point I have absolutely no sympathy for them. They’ve brought it all on themselves and all these problems have been bubbling under for at least five years now. They know everything they’re doing is the opposite of what fans want but they’re carrying on anyway because they also know they’re the only game in town, in terms of a high-end consoles, and that they’re making tons of money right now, so why change?

You can tell by how little effort they make in communicating with fans that they just don’t care what we think. Has anyone ever appeared anywhere to explain the digital-only, no disc decision? No, not once. We got one blog post (or was it just a tweet?) and that’s it, they’re clearly never going to mention it again. No exec has appeared at Gamescom or in a State of Play to try and make it seem like an unavoidable decision, they just don’t care: this is what they’re doing it and we can like it or lump it.

Every time they do something terrible they seem to handle it in the worst way possible. Like that time they removed all those movies just as they announced they were going all-digital. Or when they sent round the updated T&As, reminding people they don’t own anything digital, just as the PlayStation 5 boycott started. And now Wolverine and Fairgames right on top of Kojimagate.

Either Sony are unlucky, stupid, or they just don’t care. Personally, I think it’s the last option and if they don’t care then I don’t either. So forget you Sony. I’m getting a Switch 2 for Christmas. After all it’s not like I’ll be missing out on any amazing new games.

By reader Cranston

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed a significant victory on the Red Sea, tightening their grip on one of the world’s most important shipping lanes – as a critical oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia was struck by drones launched from Iraqi territory.

The Iran-backed militia is said to have seized Perim Island, a strategic point at the southern entrance to the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The capture would give the Houthis greater control over a vital maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis also captured the critical port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed pro-government forces, according to military sources. A Yemeni military official said the rebel group now control the entire Red Sea coastline. The rebels said travel trough the Strait was ‘safe’ for all but Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally urged US President Donald Trump to launch military action against the Houthis as the Iran-backed rebels swept across Yemen, according to two sources.

The Saudi ruler, the kingdom’s de facto leader, pressed the US leader to intervene directly as the Houthis made rapid territorial gains, CBS News reported.

But Trump is said to have resisted calls to commit American forces, instead offering intelligence and targeted support, the sources said.

A senior Trump administration official later told the BBC: ‘We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen government regarding regional stability.’

It comes after Saudi Arabia closed a critical oil pipeline after it was attacked on Thursday, threatening a vital route for crude exports and setting oil prices to rocket, dealing a further blow to global trade.  

Yemen’s Houthi rebels march during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, on Thursday

Following a week-long offensive that has left hundreds dead, government officials said the Houthis seized the Yemeni side of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. 

A local official with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government said on Friday that the Houthis had ‘completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayyun Island’.

The Houthi’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said the ‘large-scale’ military operation was launched on September 3 in response to Saudi Arabia’s ‘blatant aggression’ against ‘our dear people’. 

A government military official later reported the group had also seized Greater and Lesser Hanish, the last two islands in the narrow waterway not under their control, as well as all of the neighbouring Red Sea coastline. ‘Everything that was under our control on the western coast has fallen,’ the military official added.

A witness said gunmen were ‘deploying along the Bab al-Mandab shore and are driving around in military vehicles’.

The capture of the islands, particularly Mayyun in the middle of the strait, heightens the Houthis’ ability to attack Saudi tankers, which they have been targeting since July.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, has relied on the Red Sea ever since Iran’s Hormuz blockade choked off its shipments through the Gulf.

Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, congratulated the Houthis on their ‘resounding victory’ on Friday.

Farea Al-Muslimi, research fellow at the Chatham House think-tank, said: ‘Now the Iranians don’t only control… the Strait of Hormuz, but they control the other most strategic chokepoint in the Middle East.’

A satellite image shows black smoke rising from an area of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline south of Medina, Hejaz Region, Saudi Arabia on Thursday

A satellite image shows black smoke rising from an area of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline south of Medina, Hejaz Region, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday

Saree said navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait was ‘safe’ for all but Saudi Arabia following the latest advances.

This week’s attacks come within days of the targeted attack of a critical oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom’s Ministry of Energy told state media on Friday that the critical oil pipeline had been attacked, injuring a number of people. 

The 1,200km (746 miles) pipeline had been relied upon by the kingdom to bypass Iranian restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, and export seven million barrels of crude each day.

‘The East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions was subjected to several attacks on Thursday morning,’ an official told the SPA news agency, adding: ‘The pipeline was stopped as a precaution, and the attacks resulted in some injuries.’

It is understood pump stations located next to the pipeline itself were targeted. A satellite image taken on Friday appears to show extensive fire damage at one of the pumping stations. It follows an image taken on Thursday of smoke billowing out of a separate pumping station.

Drones are believed to have been launched from Iraqi territory. Iraq has since condemned the attack and said its prime minister had ordered an investigation into those responsible, according to a statement from its armed forces. 

It follows Saudi Arabia’s decision to hold off on retaliation after Riyadh said drones launched from Iraqi territory struck its East-West pipeline. The impact of which has has ricocheted into global oil prices. 

Benchmark Brent crude settled at $104.56 a barrel on Friday, after rising more than 8 per cent over the course of the week, while average US diesel prices topped $6 (£4) for the first time. Prices spiked after news of the attack circulated on Thursday.  

It is not the first time the East-West pipeline has come under fire. The vital pipeline was attacked in April. But operations resumed rapidly after operations were restored by Saudi Aramco, the national oil company. 

A satellite image taken by Planet Labs PBC on Fridaty shows a general view of an infrastructure site after it was damaged by fire southeast of Medina along the general route of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline

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The developments are likely to deepen the Middle East war’s impact on international commerce, after months of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, which hailed its Yemeni allies’ advance on Friday.

The Houthi offensive has killed more than 500 people since its launch a week ago, according to sources on both sides. It has also displaced about 46,000 people, the UN migration agency said on Friday.

It is part of renewed hostilities in Yemen’s civil war that began with the group’s takeover of the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Houthi supporter Abdulhamid Dhaifallah supported the group’s ‘great victories’ in and along the strait. ‘They have been preparing for this front for four years,’ the Sanaa resident said.

Before the Red Sea offensive, the Houthis already controlled a large part of Yemen’s north. They have recently attacked government-held areas in Hodeida and Taiz provinces and swept down the coast, seizing the port city of Mocha and Zuqar Island, north of Bab al-Mandab, on Thursday.

Mohamed, 46, who fled Mocha in the middle of the night, said there was an ‘apocalyptic’ atmosphere in the historic city.

On Friday, the spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, Majed Abdullah Al-Nazili, said they had begun shelling areas along the Taiz-Mocha road, while residents said they heard airstrikes.

While Saudi Arabia has also hit back with airstrikes and ordered troop reinforcements from Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based, it has failed to stop the Houthis’ advance.

Houthi media said two Saudi strikes hit Mocha’s airport on Friday, while a local official said the city’s seaport was hit by six missiles of unknown origin.

‘I think the Saudis have tried everything they can to avoid this war, but I don’t think they have any more choice,’ said Mr Al-Muslimi.

The UN Security Council met on Thursday to discuss the conflict with Yemen envoy Hans Grundberg, who called for ‘the active investment of every member of this body to contain’ what could become a more dangerous conflict.

The ongoing exchanges risk reviving a war that killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The Houthis, after seizing Sanaa and forcing out the government, fought a Saudi-led coalition from 2015 until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022.

A federal jury on Friday found rapper Lil Durk not guilty of the attempted killing for hire of rival rapper Quando Rondo at a Los Angeles gas station, a shooting that resulted in the death of Rondo’s cousin.

The jury deliberated for three days before acquitting Lil Durk, the 33-year-old Grammy-winning Chicago hip-hop artist best known for the 2023 hit “All My Life,” of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder for hire.

Durk supporters including music stars Machine Gun Kelly and Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — appeared in the audience during the two-week trial in downtown Los Angeles. Big groups of fans, livestreamers and other content creators gathered outside the courthouse.

Durk’s co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death. But both were also acquitted of murder for hire.

“We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire,” Wilson’s attorney Craig Harbaugh said in an email. “We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal.”

Attorneys for Durk and Lindsey did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, remained in custody, pending a forthcoming trial on a racketeering count that was severed from this trial. He has been jailed since his 2024 arrest.

Prosecutors had alleged that Durk paid to have Rondo killed after someone from Rondo’s entourage fatally shot rapper King Von, a close friend of Durk’s and a member of his Only The Family hip-hop collective, at an Atlanta nightclub in 2020.

The prosecution alleged that in August 2022, a group of men flew to Los Angeles with funds provided by Durk, followed Rondo and his crew around, and three gunmen fired on his Escalade near the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles. Rondo survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was killed.

“Today, the jury delivered justice to the family of Saviay’a Robinson, finding defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey guilty of stalking resulting in Mr. Robinson’s death,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “While we are disappointed with the jury’s decision regarding Durk Banks, a.k.a. ‘Lil Durk,’ we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial.”

Durk won a Grammy earlier that year for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “All My Life,” which features J. Cole. He has been nominated for three other Grammys and was a featured performer on Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later.”

 Police have arrested an eighth person on suspicion of attempted murder after a ‘machete gang fight’ broke out in a KFC in Bromley. 

A man, 21, and three boys aged between 14 and 17 were rushed to hospital with stab wounds after the attack on Bromley High Street at around 2.15pm on Thursday. 

The man was previously in a critical condition, however, his injuries are now believed to be non-life-threatening.

Those four, plus another four boys also aged between 14 and 17 have since been arrested and remain in police custody.  

A witness described there being ‘a lot of blood’ after the injured were attacked with a large knife inside the branch. Another said they saw the use of ‘a machete’.

A bus driver who was at the scene minutes later said the victims had been attacked with a ‘zombie knife’. 

Police said there is currently no wider threat to the public, and as of Thursday the KFC was closed as the chain supported staff members following the ordeal. 

The driver, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘It was inside the KFC. People have been interviewed in there since I arrived – I’ve been stuck here for two hours.

‘Someone from TK Maxx said it was a zombie knife. They said it was really bad, a lot of blood.’ 

A security guard working nearby said the attackers were ‘a group of kids with a machete’.

‘I came off my break and saw a bunch of police cars come past – they surrounded the area and have cut off everything heading towards Bromley North,’ they added.

Forensic investigators can be seen at the scene on Bromley High Street in south London

It comes after witnesses said they saw the assailants use ‘a machete’ and saw a ‘lot of blood’

The town square and shopping centre were blocked off with a cordon put in place between Ringers Road and Ethelbert Road. 

Meanwhile, a manager of Merkur Slots gambling shop said she witnessed the fight ‘spill out’ onto the high street. 

She said that she felt ‘very worried’ and locked herself, as well as three customers, inside the building as they waited for the incident to de-escalate. 

Vinnie Guadagnino, who lives on the high street, said he saw a huge police response to the incident with several cars and at least ten officers on foot. 

He told the BBC: ‘Police cars kept coming, then within the next half hour there were multiple fire engines and people gathering.

‘Then there was a drone overhead and helicopters and an air ambulance – so a massive emergency service response.’

An air ambulance, the London Fire Brigade and the Met Police were dispatched to the incident. Detectives are treating it as an isolated event.

Bromley is one of the largest boroughs in the capital city and is known for its sprawling green spaces. It is generally considered a middle-class area. 

It is also ranked among the top ten safest boroughs in the capital city, with 67 crimes reported per 1,000 people, according to CrimeRate. 

Data this year also revealed it was the most expensive area in south-east London to buy a property. 

The scene at Bromley yesterday, where there was a heavy police response to the incident

Statistics from Zoopla showed the average salary required to buy a home in Bromley was £92,000.

The average property price in the area sits at £518,000, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Meanwhile, as of June 2026, the average value of a detached property in Bromley sits at £1,074,000

Peter Fortune, the borough’s Conservative MP, said on X that he was aware of residents’ ‘safety concerns’ following the attack. 

‘The police are in attendance and have made a number of arrests,’ he said. ‘I will remain in close contact with the police as they continue to investigate this incident.’

Yesterday, a Met Police spokesman said: ‘At around 14:15 on Thursday, September 10, officers were called to reports of an altercation on Bromley High Street.

‘Officers attended the scene alongside the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance and found four men with stab wounds. 

‘Three of them were taken to hospital where they are receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. One is in critical condition.

‘Seven men were arrested, and they all remain in custody.

‘Police enquiries continue and there is not believed to be any wider threat to the public.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘We were called at 2.19pm today to reports of a stabbing on Bromley High Street, Bromley. 

‘We sent ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, an incident response officer and an advanced paramedic.

‘We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance. We treated four patients at the scene and took them all to hospital’.

A KFC spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that a serious incident took place this afternoon in our Bromley High Street restaurant. 

‘We are working with the police on their ongoing investigation. Our priority is supporting our team members and customers at this difficult time.’ 

Tessa Picken, 40, from Castleford, was a mum of three girls and one boy

A “beautiful” Wakefield mother-of-four who ‘lit up every room’ has tragically lost her life after being hit by a car while crossing the road.

Tessa Picken from Castleford in Yorkshire, died on Wakefield Road, Featherstone, shortly before 6.40pm on Tuesday, September 8. She was struck by a grey Cupra Born travelling towards Wakefield at the junction with Common Side Lane, reports Yorkshire Live.

The 40 year old, mum to three daughters and one son, sadly died at the scene. The motorist, a 26-year-old man from Pontefract, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Tessa’s sister Georgi Jenkins shared a heartfelt tribute on Facebook, writing: “My beautiful sister, Tessa. I will miss you so much. You were one in a million. You know how much I loved you. I know how much you loved me. That will stay with me forever. I will do my best Tessa.”

Friend Charlotte Baker has launched a crowdfunder to provide support for Tessa’s children. Charlotte said: “To everyone who knew her, loved her, laughed with her, made memories with her or simply crossed paths with her – please help us give her family the support they desperately need right now.

“Fly high, beautiful. ️You lit up every room you walked into, and now you’ll be lighting up heaven. Your girls and your boy will be surrounded by love. We will all do everything we can to make sure they know how special their mum was and how many people loved her. You will be missed more than words could ever explain.”

Saramay Barber said: “RIP Tessa Picken you’ll be missed by so so many people I’ll always be there for your babies fly high Tessa. You’re one in a million you lit every room you walked in you’ll be missed so so much sending all my love.”

Donations to the fundraiser can be made here. A balloon release tribute is scheduled in her memory at Verner Green tomorrow, Saturday, September 12, at 6pm.

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The bank has sent a message to customers explaining what they need to do before 5 October

Halifax has alerted customers that it will begin closing its app in October ahead of its rebrand to Lloyds.

In an email, the bank explained that customers will need to switch over to the Lloyds app to continue accessing their online banking services, as the original app will be shut down on 31 October.

The email reads: “Just a quick reminder that from 5 October, as part of the Halifax brand changing to Lloyds, we’ll start to close the Halifax app. To keep managing your accounts online, you need to move across to the Lloyds app.

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The correspondence continues: “In just a few easy steps, you’ll be up and running, with everything you need ready for you – your accounts, payments you’ve set up, and any letters and statements we’ve sent to your digital inbox.”

Lloyds stated that its banking app “should feel familiar and just as easy to use” and that switching over will “only take a few clicks”.

Halifax added that once its app is closed at the end of October, “you won’t be able to access your accounts from there at that point”. It is also shutting 13 branches in September as part of the broader Lloyds closure programme, reports the Express.

The banking group, which encompasses Lloyds, the Bank of Scotland and Halifax, will close at least 247 bank branches in 2026 and 2027, following the Group’s announcement of 79 new closures.

It stated that decisions are “based on a range of factors, including how customers are choosing to bank and the availability of nearby services”.

The use of mobile banking has rocketed in recent years, with approximately 87% of UK adults now using at least one form of digital banking, according to recent figures.

Customers have been urged to access in-person banking services at its other brands, including Lloyds and Bank of Scotland, where they can deposit cash, make withdrawals and pay in cheques.

Account holders can also make use of banking hubs, which are shared spaces operated by the Post Office, where customers of multiple banks can deposit and withdraw cash, receive face-to-face support and manage their accounts.

A spokesperson for Lloyds Banking Group said: “The way people are banking has changed, with over 21 million customers choosing our apps to manage their money. We’re providing more choice than ever before, bringing together the best in digital convenience with our people.

“Alongside our app, our customers can use any Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland branch, the Post Office or Banking Hubs for their everyday banking, and deposit cash at over 30,000 PayPoint locations.”

The wife of a British businessman has called on Andy Burnham for help after several pleas sent to his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer went unanswered amid his family’s fears that the 72-year-old may die behind bars in Dubai.

Ryan Cornelius has spent nearly two decades jailed in Dubai’s central prison in the Al Awir desert – a world away from the glittering metropolis shown by celebrities and influencers of the United Arab Emirates on social media.

The forbidding prison, famously dubbed Dubai‘s Alcatraz, has been repeatedly condemned by human rights groups as a grim, high-security ‘hell-hole’ where inmates face harsh conditions and overcrowding. 

Here, Mr Cornelius has been locked away in a cell the size of a shipping container, which he shares with six other inmates, despite demands from the United Nations that he be released, as it accused the UAE of ‘serious judicial irregularities’.

In 2008, he was arrested and accused of defrauding the Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) after taking out a $500million bank loan, which he and another Brit were using to fund investment programmes in the Gulf state. He vehemently denies the charges.

During his trial, prosecutors alleged he forged invoices for the construction of a luxury development called The Plantation, which includes a 200-room hotel, 100 villas, an equestrian centre and a polo club. 

Footage recently emerged of construction being carried out on the site as his family accuses the Gulf state of trying to keep Mr Cornelius behind bars ‘until he dies’ so the businessman can never ‘mount any kind of legal challenge against’ the UAE.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, his loyal wife Heather Cornelius spoke of her agony after her family’s pleas for her husband’s release have fallen on the deaf ears of the British Government for the last 18 years.

This upcoming Monday, she is set to hand the Prime Minister a letter calling for him to take action and help free her husband from the bleak Middle Eastern penitentiary.

‘I’d like to have an answer from Andy Burnham,’ Mrs Cornelius said. ‘We didn’t get an answer from Keir Starmer. I sent to [him] last year in April, and even my brother-in-law has written to the Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband. We’ve had no reply.’

British businessman Ryan Cornelius (now 72) was arrested in Dubai 18 years ago over a $500M bank loan used to fund a luxury development project (Pictured: Ryan with his wife Heather)

Ryan is held at Al Awir Central Prison (pictured), a overcrowded, high-security facility in the desert. He shares a cell the size of a shipping container with six other inmates.

Her brother-in-law, Chris Paggett OBE, who worked for the Foreign Office for 32 years, added they had delivered two letters to Sir Keir – one in November before he visited the UAE and another last April. Both went unanswered. 

He maintained the Foreign Office ‘just ignored Ryan’s case for 14 years’ because ‘it suited them to believe Dubai’s version of events’, adding that Sir Keir ‘never even bothered to reply’. 

‘To do otherwise was too inconvenient to their objective of having a close relationship with this wealthy country,’ he said. ‘We’re hoping that Andy Burnham will be different.’

‘This is a matter for the Prime Minister now. Burnham needs to involve himself in this because manifestly nothing else has worked.’ 

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the billionaire ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE, is one of the biggest landowners in Britain, and as of 2021, owned more than 40,000 hectares in London, Scotland and Newmarket.

In May 2008, Mr Cornelius, who was once a successful entrepreneur living with his family in Bahrain, was arrested by men in civilian clothes as he changed flights in Dubai and whisked away in an unmarked car. 

Initially, they approached him amid suspicions that he was carrying drugs. Although a search found nothing, he was still taken to Dubai’s police headquarters with his hands bound with zip ties and a hood placed over his head.

After hours of interrogation with no access to lawyers, family or the British Embassy, the accusations against him were no longer drugs but fraud, as they alleged he stole $500million from the DIB. 

Now Heather is set to hand a letter to Andy Burnham in the hopes he will finally take action after years of the British government ‘turn[ing] a blind eye’ 

Ryan Cornelius (right), pictured with his wife Heather and their three children, may have been tortured by authorities in the United Arab Emirates. UN human rights experts have warned

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But after serving his time, Ryan (pictured with his son) was brought to a closed-door hearing in 2018 with no lawyer or notice and handed a further 20 years in jail under Dubai Law no 37. 

It came amid concerns from Dubai authorities about the sizeable loan he and another Brit were using to fund investment ventures in the area amid the fallout of the global financial crash.   

However, Lord Clement-Jones, a lawyer and Lib Dem peer, who has fearlessly backed Mr Cornelius, said the original issue surrounding the loan and the receipts was ‘technical’ rather than fraud. 

But during his initial arrest, Mr Cornelius was ordered to sign a statement in Arabic despite not being able to read or speak the language – after hours of being interrogated in a windowless room with no contact with the British Embassy. 

Three years later, his case was brought before a Dubai court. He was handed a ten-year jail sentence and, alongside his three co-defendants, ordered to repay the loan and a £500million fine. 

But after serving his time for the charge of ‘theft from public bodies’, despite DIB originally being a publicly traded joint-stock firm, he was brought to a closed-door hearing with no lawyer or notice and handed a further 20 years in jail under Dubai Law no 37. 

And despite the UAE Constitution outlining that prisoners should not be jailed beyond the age of 70, Mr Cornelius’s application to be released at this age was opposed by the DIB and thus refused. 

Earlier this year, the experts at the UN found that his detention was arbitrary and once again called for his immediate release amid concerns the businessman had been ‘tortured’ behind bars. The European Parliament also made the same demands.  

But amid the government’s inaction and Mr Cornelius’s health issues, having contracted tuberculosis, Covid on two occasions, as well as his borderline diabetes, his family fear he may never be released from the desert prison.  

‘It’s a massive concern, and we are looking at that very possibility,’ Heather said. ‘We need someone to see that this is going nowhere unless we do get much more substantial help.’

Pictured: A screenshot from a video of construction taking place on the plot of land dubbed The Plantation which Ryan formerly owned 

The Plantation land seized by the DIB has been renamed ‘The Acres’ and is being developed by a Dubai Holdings real estate company

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Describing the last 18 years as ‘absolutely life-changing’ for not just herself but her children and her family as a whole, she added: ‘Nothing has been normal since Ryan was arrested.

‘[It’s] become more and more frightening every year because it’s just so difficult to get any justice.  

‘We just don’t get anywhere with, you know, getting anywhere with the British government, you know, standing up for the rights of British people like Ryan Cornelius.’

‘My family’s been devastated. Everything in our lives has been affected by this. And it is something we can never repair or get back. It just doesn’t get any easier. It is really difficult.

‘Every time you think that you might have some little bit of hope, it just gets dashed. We’ve had absolutely no help [from the British government] whatsoever.’ 

She added: ‘At the beginning, the very beginning, I thought, ‘I’ll get Ryan home. This has all been a big mistake.’ We all just tried to survive

‘But to tell you the truth, every single year since he was arrested, it has just got more and more difficult for all of us.’

In the fallout of his conviction, authorities in Dubai seized all of Mr Cornelius’s business assets, his personal properties including homes in London, and drained his bank accounts. His family was left homeless. 

Meanwhile, as of 2024 in Meeras, the Plantation land seized by the DIB has been renamed ‘The Acres’ and is being developed by a Dubai Holdings real estate company. 

It is marketed as a luxury development, comprised of 1200 villas – the cheapest priced at $1.5million.

Mr Paggett accused the British Government of ‘turn[ing] a blind eye’ and, as such, strengthening the UAE’s ‘feeling that they can act with impunity’ as ‘the world needs their money too much’. 

‘This is very much an issue for our times, and it’s one Western democracies like ours haven’t yet found an answer to.

‘But increasingly, autocracies, particularly rich autocracies, have the badge of traditionally being sort of friendly autocracies, friends of the West, are able to ignore what they want to ignore. The UAE has an awful lot of question marks over it now.

‘At no point has the British government given the UAE any reason to think that what it’s doing to Ryan would be anything other than cost-free.’

He believes that Ryan would not be behind bars currently if the British government ‘had the gumption early on’. 

Comparing their battle with David and Goliath, he added: ‘We’re just a family. We haven’t got any money. We’re facing a well-resourced machine.’

Meanwhile, Heather and her family, who once ‘loved’ living in the Middle East and was full of ‘great excitement’ at eventually moving to Dubai when her husband’s project was finished, have missed out on a lifetime with Mr Cornelius. 

Milestones such as birthdays, funerals, university excitement and even the birth of his first grandchild this year have all been robbed from the 72-year-old, who has but the tiny view of the sprawling desert from his cell. 

‘We’ve gradually lost, you know, anything that we did have. Ryan is bankrupt,’ Heather added. 

‘I think the damage done to all of us on mental health will continue to affect us for the rest of our lives.

‘Our children are very strong. Ryan’s strong. I’ve had to find some strength somewhere.

‘But I think there’s a limit to how long you can keep drawing on those reserves to get some strength.

She added: ‘There’s a greater hope now with the new Andy Burnham. They should do this for every British citizen, not just for Ryan.’

An FCDO Spokesperson said: ‘The UK Government continues to raise Mr Cornelius’ case with the UAE authorities and is providing ongoing consular support to him and his family.’

A woman has been accused of beating her husband to death with a flagpole in a luxury California gated community.

Vicky Kim, 65, was charged with murder after police found her husband bludgeoned at The Enclave, a neighborhood of rental condos in Palm Desert.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said deputies went to The Enclave shortly before 10 a.m., local time, last Friday on an “unknown trouble call.”

Upon arrival, deputies found someone with “traumatic injuries consistent with a physical assault,” and the person was pronounced dead, a press release issued Saturday read. Police are withholding the victim’s identity, citing the ongoing investigation.

Court records revealed that the victim was Kim’s husband and that she had inflicted great bodily harm on him using a flagpole, per SFGate. She was taken into custody and later booked into a local jail.

A spokesperson for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said that Kim has had several domestic violence cases against her that involve her husband.

“In January of this year, our office charged Ms. Kim with a felony, obtained criminal protective orders, and intended to aggressively prosecute her for her crimes against her husband,” spokesperson Molly Smith told SFGate.

Deputies went to an address in Palm Desert on January 20 for a domestic incident and found Kim’s husband with an injured nose, according to court records obtained by local outlet KESQ.

Kim allegedly admitted to a deputy that she hit him on the nose three times after an argument about finances.

“Despite our office’s clear objections, a judge resolved all of the defendant’s cases as misdemeanors, released her from custody, and terminated all protective orders that prosecutors worked hard to obtain,” Smith told KESQ.

Prosecutors filed five domestic violence cases against Kim from September 2025 to January 2026, according to the court records.

Everyone has their own take on the best spot for a classic Sunday roast but I think I’ve found the perfect spot

Aside from my mother’s roast chicken and stuffing there’s one place I will always head to should I need a Sunday dinner fix and it’s tucked behind a retail park with a massive B&Q in a bustling Welsh town where the food scene has come on leaps and bounds in recent years.

The Bunch of Grapes in Pontypridd has placed in the The Good Food Guide as well as swiping titles of National Pub of the Year and AA Pub of the Year for Wales, is on a funny little street, Ynysangharad Road, which takes you towards Pontypridd’s famous and lovely park at one end while at the other you’re into steep hill territory as you head towards Ponty Common.

Affectionately called ‘The Bunch’ by locals and regulars, this is a pub with a cosy bar stocked to the rafters with own-brewed ales and beers, a big fireplace on one side of the building and a fresh open restaurant area on the other.

The menu is full of exceptional pub food on a regular basis and they often do themed menus like their recent fried chicken specials. Having dined there many times there’s barely a bad pick and if the tandoori lamb or kimchi fritters are there don’t leave them behind.

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But you’re here for the Sunday lunch. I’m having the beef – non-negotiable – and you can choose it two ways with either a 12-hour braised brisket or a roasted rump. I tend to opt for the rump because they cook it perfectly pink in a way I wouldn’t be able to at home.

Served as two slices, it’s soft against a knife with that ideal level of chew. The brisket falls apart and comes with a Welsh stout jus (thinner gravy I suppose you could describe it as) and I reckon next time I’ll go I’ll pick that one.

Other meats on offer include roast leg of lamb and chicken supreme (done on the bone) and you can also get fish and chips or a nut roast. Their menu is seasonal and changes regularly.

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The quality of the food is second to none. The beef’s flavour oozes quality on top of its fresh, healthy beefy deliciousness. The accompanying vegetables – charred broccoli, braised carrots, and roast potatoes – may seem modest when your plate is popped down on the table but, let me assure you, come the end you’ll be more than full to the brim and ready for a Sunday afternoon snooze.

They too are flavourful due to their freshness and the standard side of leek gratin offers a rich, cheesy swirl that is all sorts of right when mixed in with the gravy (even though mixing cheese and gravy is instinctively a culinary crime to me). Pop some swede mash in the centre and it takes you right back to proper childhood Sundays.

Sunday lunch at The Bunch is slightly on the fancier end of the roast scale – but only due to high-quality components and presentation. It’s the number one recommendation I make to those going out for that special weekend dinner.

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The balance, timing, and coordination it takes to achieve a successful, delicious, and perennially hot Sunday roast is no mean feat. It takes talent, practice, and a hell of a lot of patience and I take my hat off to anyone who cooks them en masse. It’s also why I go out to eat them.

Sunday lunch at the Bunch of Grapes is priced at two courses for £25 or £30 for three and you can find them at Ynysangharad Road, Pontypridd, CF37 4DA.

Michael Kors has made a case for the return of 2010s business casual at New York Fashion Week – complete with now familiar trend of capri pants, but accompanied by cropped-sleeve blazers and the high-low hem.

Kors, 67, has spent more than four decades refining his particular brand of American style, focusing on clean tailoring without appearing overly precious, designed as much for a busy city street as a red carpet.

His designs have been worn by some of the world’s biggest stars, from Michelle Obama and Nicole Kidman to Blake Lively, Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya. He is also familiar to audiences beyond the runway, having spent 10 seasons as a judge on US reality competition Project Runway, where his sharp one-liners became almost as recognisable as his clothes.

This season, however, was less about Hollywood glamour and more about the corporate wardrobe of the early 2010s that appeared to be on Kors’ mind.

The first model emerged suited and booted in a long black blazer, worn as a dress with stark-white heeled boots and oversized circular jewellery.

An all-black capri trouser suit followed, before a sculptural asymmetric black top and skirt established the collection’s predominantly monochrome palette.

Capri pants have been slowly creeping back into wardrobes over recent seasons, and Kors appeared determined to cement their reign.

There were cropped trousers, knee-length skirts, three-quarter-sleeved jackets and slim knits layered over shirt collars – even the corporate midi dress made an appearance.

But Kors then disrupted the black and white with flashes of saturated colour: coral red, marigold yellow and pea green appeared on shoes, handbags and entire looks.

Circles became a recurring motif. Models wore enormous round sunglasses and disc-shaped jewellery, while circular cut-outs punctuated dresses and tops.

Perhaps most intriguing were small leather wallets suspended like pendants around the neck – perhaps this is a trend to come.

The bags themselves remained unusually sensible by recent runway standards. Rather than the microscopic handbags or enormous totes that have dominated most collections, Kors offered slim, medium-sized styles and traditional top-handled bags.

There were also smooth pebble-shaped clutches for evening – another continuation of the collection’s fascination with curved forms.

Kors is synonymous with tailoring, but this season the designer played with classic cuts, experimenting with garments cut away from the body, with asymmetric hems and strong, sculptural proportions.

Cropped sleeves appeared on coats and jackets, while balloon hems brought volume to skirts.

Stripes later broke through the blocks of colour, appearing on skirts, dresses and preppy polo-inspired pieces.

Leather neck scarves also appeared throughout, suggesting the bandana and skinny scarf trend that dominated summer 2026 may have staying power for another season.

Floral embellishment provided another change of texture. Three-dimensional appliqué and oversized reflective discs covered otherwise restrained dresses and skirts, giving the clothes movement without abandoning Kors’ characteristically clean looks.

The high-low – or “mullet” – hem was palpable throughout the collection, shorter at the front and dramatically longer at the back.

Kors deployed it on several pieces, including a vibrant yellow dress, reviving a shape synonymous with the early 2010s at a time when the decade’s cigarette trousers, peplums and officewear are already undergoing a fashion rehabilitation.

Even the evening looks seemed entangled with the businesswear aesthetic. There were flashes of sparkle and daring cut-outs, but rather than relying on traditional red-carpet ready gowns, Kors created drama through asymmetric shapes, tactile embellishment and sharply cut silhouettes.

It was a reminder of one of the designer’s longstanding strengths: combining the luxurious with the practical.

American model Alex Consani closed the show in a black asymmetric high-low dress, before the models made their final walk to Harry Nilsson’s 1969 song I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City.

Kors then ran onto the runway for his bow in his own enduring uniform: an all-black suit, black T-shirt and black aviator sunglasses.

Among those watching from the front row were socialite Nicky Hilton and The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna.

The show fell on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The Michael Kors label took to Instagram to announce it had made a donation to 9/11 Day, an organisation which encourages people to mark the anniversary through good deeds and community service, “to further their mission of turning remembrance into action”.

For a designer who has repeatedly returned to New York as a source of inspiration, the collection was fittingly rooted in the city wardrobe – albeit one that looked suspiciously similar to a 2011 office.

Capri pants have already made their comeback, but if Kors has his way, cropped blazers, corporate midi dresses and even the much-maligned high-low hem could be next.