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Taquitos is much more than a food truck and I’m shocked I haven’t been before

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Belfast Live

Our Justin got the Belfast street-style social media treatment when he was beckoned over to try one of these Mexican culinary bad boys

Taquitos is much more than a food truck

I got shouted at by some people in a van last week, and it rarely is a positive thing, but this time it was.

The guys from Taquitos were set up over by the big fish at the Lagan and I was walking by after work at the Waterfront Hall. They called me over to try a taco out.

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I will say that they caught me at a great time because I was hungry and I have always meant to try Taquitos because I do work in town.

The menu here is simple but does have quite a few options to customise it the way you like it. You can choose from chicken adobo, Mexican chorizo, fish, mixed meat, beef and vegan/ veggie option. From there you can choose them on a soft taco, burrito and a rice bowl.

I asked them what the bestseller was because I’m not a fussy eater, and I really wanted to try what they thought was best. I was glad when I was handed a taco because I’ve heard they were fantastic.

I got the chicken adobo, which had a seasoned chicken, topped with adobo mayo, pickled onion, shredded lettuce and topped with a grated cheese.

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This was a little spicy, but it was balanced out well with the mayo and cheese. I also love to see a soft taco on the menu because, in my opinion, it trumps the hard shell taco all day long.

The adobo mayo was the star of the show for me and I have thought about it since. They do sell jars of it so I might have to buy it the next time I head along.

While this is a food van, it does feel like more than this because of the idyllic setting beside one of our most iconic landmarks and along the river, with plenty of seating around to sit and eat.

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I had this around lunch time, and it was the perfect amount for lunch, so if you work in Belfast City Centre, this is a great lunch option.

Typically, we pay for all of the meals we review, but full disclosure on this one, the guys here insisted I try this taco free of charge, and there was no requirement to post anything, but I just wanted to share my experience with you.

However, this would have cost £12 as the soft taco and £13 as the burrito or rice bowl. This is a little on the expensive side for a casual everyday lunch, but it is a treat that is worth splurging on once in a while.

It is also worth being mindful of their opening days, which are currently Wednesday to Saturday, but with the nature of being a food truck, I’d keep an eye on their socials for any updates they have.

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All in all, Taquitos has stood the test of time over at City Quays for good reason because they’re offering some of the best tacos in the city in a really approachable way. To top it all off, the guys here were really good craic and up for a chat about the food, so I will definitely be heading back to try out the rice bowls very soon.

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Arsenal FC: Jurrien Timber lifts lid on ‘miracle’ recovery from groin injury after missing training

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Arsenal FC: Jurrien Timber lifts lid on 'miracle' recovery from groin injury after missing training

It seems that cameo did damage, though, as Timber was subsequently ruled unfit to represent the Netherlands at the World Cup. He made a long-awaited return to the pitch last week as Arsenal won at Sunderland, before starting for the first time in six months as the Gunners visited Brighton.

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Tories would prevent long-term jobless spending benefits on alcohol and cigarettes

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Kemi Badenoch

The Tories estimate the proposed changes would move about 350,000 claimants onto the lower rate of Universal Credit, saving around £538m a year.

Under the proposals, anyone fit to work would get six months on full benefits to find a job.

Every two years a claimant has previously worked would buy an extra year on the full rate of Universal Credit – but those who have not contributed enough would drop to a new “Subsistence Allowance”, worth 70% of the full rate.

The party said this would protect “those with a strong employment record”.

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For example, a 58-year-old who has worked since leaving school but has been made redundant would keep the full allowance up to state pension age.

Claimants who are sick, disabled or already in work would also be exempt, with only those judged capable of work affected.

The Tories said loading the “Subsistence Allowance” onto a pre-paid card, with restrictions on what the money can be spent on, would ensure taxpayers’ money supports claimants with essentials like food.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the current system “where someone who can work chooses not to, and earns more benefits than someone in a job” was “unfair”.

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“The best welfare is a well-paid job. So, we will be tough on those who exploit the system because the current system is unfair to workers, taxpayers and those who truly need support,” she said.

“Welfare must be a safety net for those who genuinely need it, not a lifestyle choice for those who can’t be bothered.”

However, Helen Barnard, director of policy and research at the anti-poverty charity Trussell, said the proposals were “deeply misguided”.

“Universal Credit already falls well short of what people need to afford the essentials like food and heating, forcing people across the UK to the doors of food banks,” she said.

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“We see people’s health being damaged and their ability to find and maintain work undermined by the severe hardship so many are facing.”

Reform UK’s economy spokesman, Robert Jenrick, said the Tories had left record numbers on long-term benefits and the proposals “won’t even put a dent” in the welfare bill.

The Conservatives have already pledged to scrap Personal Independence Payment, the main disability benefit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, for “low-level” mental health conditions to help cut the welfare bill.

The party also wants to make it harder to claim sickness benefits, which it said would mean more people are required to look for work.

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Spending on benefits has ballooned in recent years and is forecast to rise to £408.6bn in 2030/31, according to figures from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has insisted he will get the welfare bill down, for example by tackling but number of young people not in education, employment or training, but not through “crude cuts”.

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North Yorkshire RAF base given Whitby’s highest honour

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North Yorkshire RAF base given Whitby’s highest honour

RAF Fylingdales in the North York Moors has been given the Honorary Freedom of the Town of Whitby in “appreciation of, and gratitude for, the distinguished service of RAF Fylingdales and, in recognition of its longstanding association with the town of Whitby and its contribution to the defence of the United Kingdom”.

RAF Fylingdales, which is one of the most recognisable structures in the North York Moors, provides a continuous ballistic missile early warning service to the UK and US Governments.

At an extraordinary meeting of Whitby Town Council on Tuesday, September 22, councillors approved the conferral of the honour.

Arrangements will be made with the station for a suitable civic and ceremonial event to take place next year to formally mark the recognition.

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A spokesperson for Whitby Town Council said: “It is established civic and military custom for the Freedom of a Town to be conferred upon military formations or establishments, such as regiments, battalions, corps, or RAF stations.

“This recognises their collective service and enduring relationship with the town. Although individual personnel will change over time, the honour remains with the military unit or establishment to which it has been granted.

“In this instance, the proposed honour recognises RAF Fylingdales’ distinguished contribution to national defence and its longstanding association with Whitby, encompassing past, present, and future generations of personnel serving at the station.”

Holders of the title have the “right, privilege, honour, and distinction of marching through the town on ceremonial occasions with colours flying, bands playing, drums beating, and bayonets fixed”.

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Town councillors recently granted the same title to the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), and a special Freedom Parade was held to mark the occasion this summer.

The base, which is now an integral part of the UK’s Space Command and is described by the Royal Air Force as the United Kingdom’s primary military space sensor, has maintained a longstanding and close association with Whitby and the surrounding area since becoming operational in 1963.

A council report notes: “Generations of personnel serving at the Station and their families have lived, worked, and participated in the life of the local area, while RAF Fylingdales has maintained a visible presence within Whitby through its participation in civic, ceremonial, remembrance, and community events.

Raf Fylingdales. Google Maps

“The relationship represents an enduring connection between the town, the Royal Air Force, and the personnel who have served at RAF Fylingdales throughout its history.

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“As an important Royal Air Force station situated on the North York Moors close to the town, it has formed part of the wider Whitby community for more than six decades.”

For almost 30 years, the RAF Station was particularly recognisable for its three large radomes, commonly known as the ‘golf balls’, which became a prominent landmark on the North York Moors.

These were replaced by the present Solid-State Phased Array Radar, whose distinctive pyramid structure became operational in 1992.

The radar provides 360-degree coverage and is capable of detecting and tracking objects thousands of miles into space.

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RAF Fylingdales has maintained continuous operations for more than 60 years. Its primary operational role remains the provision of continuous ballistic missile early warning for the United Kingdom and its allies, providing vital warning and assessment of potential missile threats.

A Whitby Town Council report added: “The relationship between RAF Fylingdales and Whitby extends well beyond the geographical proximity of the station to the town.

“Since RAF Fylingdales became operational in 1963, successive generations of Service personnel, civilian employees, and their families have become part of the wider Whitby community, creating an association which has endured for more than six decades.

“Although the operational station is situated on the North York Moors, Whitby has long served as an important home and community for those associated with RAF Fylingdales, with service families having lived within and around the town.

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“This physical presence has helped ensure that the relationship between the station and Whitby is not simply ceremonial but is reflected in the everyday life of the community.”

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New homes approved despite fears it will overwhelm ‘very poor’ sewage network

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Cambridgeshire Live

The village alreay experiences the highest number of sewage spillages in the region

A council has approved plans for new homes despite fears from residents of increased sewage spills in a village already suffering from the worst spills in the area.

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Huntingdonshire District Council’s development management committee met to decide an outline plan for up to 70 homes on land south of Blenheim Grove in Offord D’Arcy. Offord Cluny and Offord Darcy Parish Council had objected to the plans as they said wastewater treatment plants were already suffering from “capacity problems”.

Simon Young, a parish councillor, said figures from the Environment Agency show that Buckden has an average of 116 raw sewage discharges per year. He said this is 66 per cent higher than the second on the list – Kimbolton at 70 – and four times higher than the average across Huntingdonshire.

He said the villages have “long-been a supporter” of “appropriate developments” but that Anglian Water’s infrastructure is “not fit for purpose”. Anglian Water originally objected to the application in 2025, but this was because the applicant had not identified a suitable connection point to their network.

After two connection points were suggested, they removed their objection. They had always said there was “sufficient capacity” at the nearby Buckden Water Recycling Centre to accommodate the new homes after assessing dry weather flow.

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Cllr Young said: “The Buckden Works was discharging raw sewage on August 13, when we all know there’d been no rain for weeks. And the ten hours of discharges in June came after recent light rain – or almost no rain for days. As far as I’m aware, Buckden and the Offords do not have their own microclimate such that it rains more here.”

Cllr Julie Kerr, of St Ives West, said she was “very concerned” by the “high numbers of spillages”.

The independent councillor said: “There really shouldn’t have been any and you have a very poor network by the sounds of it in a village that’s already struggling.”

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Council officers advised that it would be “very difficult” to go against the advice of Anglian Water as they do not have the “technical expertise” to be able to defend their decision on appeal.

Cllr Tom Sanderson, of The Stukeleys, said they would not be able to use their decision to “deal with an existing issue”.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said: “Particularly as Anglian Water haven’t raised an objection now, they withdrew the objection they did have, I think it would be very difficult for us to object on that basis.”

Cllr Lara Davenport-Ray said she felt the benefits of the scheme did not outweigh the harms.

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The Green councillor said: “If Anglian Water is saying that they have capacity and that there is no problem, then there is no condition that we can word to mitigate a problem that on paper doesn’t exist. Our officers cannot identify harm because they haven’t been shown that there is any harm that’s been created because their experts have failed to do so, but we can.”

The committee first reached an impasse with five votes for and against the application and three abstentions – but it was approved on the second attempt with six for, four against and three abstentions.

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Can you lend me a hand? Researchers are developing wearable robotic limbs

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Can you lend me a hand? Researchers are developing wearable robotic limbs

How many times have you asked someone to hold open a door while carrying something, or fumbled with your front-door keys with your arms full of shopping? Wouldn’t it be great if you could give yourself the extra hand you need?

This is one of the goals of human movement augmentation, a new and growing area of research that aims to extend human capabilities beyond their natural limits. Within this field, researchers are developing and studying artificial limbs that can be added to the human body. These are known as supernumerary robotic limbs, or SRLs.

Current SRLs are largely experimental, but in the future wearable robotic limbs could help in a range of areas. They could have an impact in manufacturing, healthcare, space, music, arts, gaming and rehabilitation.


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Technology that boosts people’s physical and mental abilities is no longer the preserve of science fiction. In this new series, we explore cutting-edge ways that human capabilities could be augmented now and in the near future – and the ethics of these innovations.


Unlike prostheses, SRLs increase the overall capacity of the human body, rather than restoring the capacity of a missing limb. If you’re familiar with the Marvel universe, think of Doctor Octopus – his mechanical arms are fictional examples of this type of technology.

In the real world, scientists have created extra arms a little like Doc Ock’s (but benign) as well as additional legs and fingers.

These extra limbs don’t look or behave like actual human arms or legs. They’re combinations of rigid materials, motors and actuators – mechanical devices that produce force. They can be worn like a backpack or watch.

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So far, they tend to be controlled using another body part, most often the foot. By using pedals or shoes fitted with sensors, a person can generate forces or make movements with their feet that are then translated into movements of a robotic limb. Recent research has also investigated using the muscles around the ears for control.

Designers typically avoid using the arms and hands as controllers. This is to maximise the added capacity additional limbs provide.

The Third Thumb has been developed by body augmentation designer Dani Clode in collaboration with the University of Cambridge.

A common question is whether robotic limbs could be controlled by the brain. They aren’t yet, though scientists have explored the idea.

When the brain sends electrical signals through the nerves to control muscles, only certain frequencies of those signals actually convey information that instructs movement. There is essentially spare bandwidth in the body’s nervous signalling network.

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Some researchers have tried to see if this spare capacity can be harnessed – independently of actual muscle movement and non-invasively – to control SRLs.

Although promising, this approach has had a low success rate. Its complexity and the long calibration and training period needed for users probably makes it unsuitable.

Two arms good, four arms better?

Supernumerary robotic limbs are designed to provide something additional to the natural body. They should work alongside our natural limbs, without limiting their natural functions. The goal isn’t to create autonomous entities that can do a job in place of someone’s body. Rather, it’s to give people additional tools they can control and use.

For example, you might one day wear a backpack with two robotic arms attached and use these to keep a ceiling panel in place while you screw it to the ceiling. Or you could have a belt with two extra legs to keep you stable in an unnatural position, leaving your hands free to fix something. Or you could have a sixth finger, which could allow you to open a bottle with one hand.

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These examples might seem science fiction, but they’ve all been realised and tested in the lab.

Industrial uses are beginning to be explored. A future surgeon might operate four surgical tools at the same time, for instance. Or a rescue operator could immediately extract an earthquake victim while lifting debris, without needing to wait for support.

An experimental four-armed surgical system, with two additional arms controlled with foot pedals.

But for now, such uses remain ambitions. This field is still largely experimental, and the performance of SRLs is limited. Existing devices are often heavy, bulky and difficult to wear, and their speed is usually limited for safety.

Learning to use them well also takes a lot of effort, especially as current control interfaces tend to be complex and unintuitive. That said, studies of how people respond to using supernumerary robotic limbs have found that they can learn the basics of controlling a third arm or sixth finger in less than an hour.

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Feedback plays a key role in this learning process. Vibrating motors and electrodes that provide a small current can help people “feel” a robotic limb they’re controlling.

This is crucial for motor learning: when you try to play tennis or the piano, your haptic senses play an important role in allowing your brain to learn the correct movement. The same applies with a robotic limb. Sensory feedback is also essential for getting the brain to treat the SRL like it is part of the natural body.

Despite the challenges of learning how to use them, research shows that people become more adept at using extra robotic limbs over time, and that the brain seems to adapt and incorporate these extra limbs to the point that it feels natural having them. This suggests there’s real future potential in the field.

In the meantime, it’s important to raise awareness about human movement augmentation and SRLs specifically. Most people have no idea what human augmentation means or that these devices exist.

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Now that you know that they do, what would you use these limbs for?

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Robin Das: Essex cricketer charged with two counts of rape

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Robin Das wearing a black cricket helmet, carrying a cricket bat and wearing a purple top

Essex cricketer Robin Das has been charged with two counts of rape.

The 24-year-old will appear at Inner London Crown Court on Friday, 9 October after he was charged on 23 July.

Das was arrested on 27 August last year following reports of a woman being raped in Brixton in March 2024.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “Robin Das of Queens Road, Waltham Forest, was charged on 23 July 2026 with two counts of rape.

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“The charges follow his arrest on 27 August 2025 following reports of a woman being raped in Brixton on 30 March 2024. The woman continues to be supported by specialist officers.”

Das, a top-order batter, has made 60 appearances for Essex and last appeared for the club in a One-Day Cup match against Middlesex on 21 July, his only senior appearance in the 2026 season.

Essex have confirmed that he has been suspended since his arrest, two days after his last appearance for the club.

Essex said in a statement: “Essex County Cricket Club can confirm that a male member of the playing staff, currently under contract with the club, recently appeared in court in relation to an incident that took place outside club activities.

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“Throughout, the club has remained in contact with the ECB, PCA, the Cricket Regulator and the player with regard to the matter, which included an immediate and ongoing suspension. The club will continue to follow all appropriate legal processes and guidance.

“As a club we have strict safeguarding and HR procedures in place, and all employees of Essex County Cricket Club are required to meet the highest standards of professional conduct at all times.

“As legal proceedings are in progress, the club are unable to make any further comment at this time.”

Das made his debut for Essex in 2020 and has made nine first-class appearances for the county, along with playing 29 games in 50-over cricket and 24 matches in T20s during his career. Two of the T20 appearances were for Dhaka Dominators in the Bangladesh Premier League.

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How the emojis and fashion choices of Germany’s far-right supporters get around the ban on Nazi symbolism

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How the emojis and fashion choices of Germany’s far-right supporters get around the ban on Nazi symbolism

In the wake of the Alternative für Deutschland’s (AfD) electoral success in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, commentators both in Germany and internationally have expressed concern with the party’s extreme right-wing policies. Among these concerns are recent calls from party elites to adopt “remigration” policies.

The AfD has a lot in common with the far right in the US and echoes the more extreme rhetoric of the Trump administration. However, unlike in the US, where extremist symbols derived from Norse culture and associated with white supremacy have been conspicuous at political rallies, Germany’s criminal code explicitly forbids such public displays.

This law is so strong that rock band KISS had to use an alternative design for marketing in Germany, as the final letters of the band’s original logo too closely resembled the runic iconography of the Schutzstaffel (SS). Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, whose families were both persecuted during the Holocaust, vehemently denied any reference to Nazi symbolism in the band’s officially authorised autobiography, Kiss: Behind the Mask (2003).

Rock band Kiss adopted an alternative logo for Germany and other countries banning Nazi symbols.
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To circumvent these strict laws, which until 2018 included a ban on representing Nazi images in second world war video games, individuals who associate themselves with extreme right politics have embraced an increasingly wide range of symbols to communicate in public.

This includes the prominent use of Norse and Viking motifs and references. Since in Germany open display of symbols such as SS runes are banned, signalling of extreme right affiliation has moved into the coded, easily deflectable mediums of consumer fashion and the grammar of online emoji use.

Hiding in plain sight

The meaning of symbols derived from the Norse tradition is very dependent in context. As we are finding from contributions to the NorseMap project at University College Cork, there are diverse reasons for using runes and Norse imagery, from signalling pagan belief, to personal and academic interest in the period and culture.

There is usually no way to extrapolate a political affiliation from the display of a Norse symbol or tattoo.

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Unfortunately, the extreme right exploits this diversity in order to hide in plain sight. It’s a cynical strategy perfected under Germany’s ban on the display of traditional neo-Nazi symbols and the adaptations it forced on the extreme right.

Evolution of far-right fashion

Although some groups still adopt the traditional jackboot neo-Nazi aesthetic, it is more common for members of extreme right groups to use covert signals of their affiliation, adopting fashion choices that allow them to blend in.

Thor Steinar is a fashion brand which uses a bind rune as its logo and which sells a range of runic branded clothing, some of which refers to a “Viking race” and appears explicitly neo-Nazi. Wearing this brand is banned in the Bundestag (Germany’s national parliament) as well as regional parliaments and several sporting venues. The company has always denied any right-wing associations or that it attempts to appeal to neo-Nazis, saying: “For those who still haven’t understood, we sell clothing, not a political view.”

A belt with Nordic runic signs worn at a neo-Nazi rally.
Thor Steinar belt at a Neo-Nazi march.
Kai Schwerdt via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

Erik and Sons, whose founder Udo Siegmund previously worked for Thor Steinar, similarly uses a rune as its logo, calls itself a “Viking brand”, and favours black, red and white, the colour scheme of the German flag from 1933-1945. Its offerings range from bold slogans (“Viking lives matter”) through to more subtly branded fashion items.

The brand is listed as a trademark of the extremist right-wing scene by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency. An outlet selling its clothing in Berlin’s Europa-Center had its lease terminated due to the brand’s extremist connotations.

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Other more mainstream brands have simply been co-opted, or “hate-jacketed”: unwittingly hijacked for use by hate groups. For example, New Balance sneakers, with their prominent N logo, have become a way of signalling “Nazi” among the extreme right. The company denies any far-right associations, saying it “does not tolerate bigotry or hate in any form”.

New Balance trainers next to rune-branded jackboots at a Neo-Nazi march
New Balance sneakers have been adopted by some far-right supporters because of the prominent letter ‘N’.
Kai Schwerdt via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

The British brand Lonsdale is also popular with German far-right groups. When worn under an open shirt or jacket only the letters NSDA can be seen. This is a sequence very close to the initials of the NSDAP or Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei: the full name of Hitler’s Nazi party. Lonsdale has consistently denied any links to the far-right and in 2003, launched a marketing campaign: “Lonsdale Loves All Colours”. The company also sponsors LGBTQ+ and immigrant aid charities.

The evolution of far-right fashion choices has been well documented, including by a dedicated research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund. The trend is towards mainstreaming, blending of styles, and ultimately deniability. It should be emphasised that not everyone wearing New Balance trainers at an AfD rally will be doing so to signal neo-Nazi sympathies.

Neither will the millions of consumers from all walks of life who wear black North Face jackets be aware that the brand has recently become a uniform of sorts at far-right rallies. The brand’s white logo and reference to the “north” is what appeals to far-right groups who fetishise both whiteness and a northern European identity. Its ubiquity also allows the extreme right to effectively blend in.

North Face has taken pains to reject any far-right associations and in 2020 announced it was boycotting Facebook, declaring: “We know that for too long harmful, racist rhetoric and misinformation has made the world unequal and unsafe, and we stand with the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and the other organizations who are working to #StopHateforProfit.”

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Coded emojis of the extreme right

As political communication has migrated online, so too have the symbols of white supremacy. One prominent expression of this communication has been emoji use, some of which are related to Norse and Viking culture. The following table outlines several prominent examples in online discourse.

Popular coded emojis adopted by far-right supporters.

Popular coded emojis adopted by far-right supporters.
Tom Birkett, Felix Lummer & Liam Waters, University College Cork, Author provided (no reuse)

Like the co-option of mainstream brands, emojis used to signal far-right extremism online are repurposed from a benign set of symbols. They would likely go unnoticed without the in-group or esoteric knowledge needed to interpret their meanings.

A good example of this are the mushroom and pine tree emojis. In some circles, and particularly when used in combination with runes in a social media bio, they can signal ecofascist or folkish affiliation.

But they are also popular in fantasy, the cottagecore lifestyle trend, and in nature and foraging accounts. As such, caution is necessary when encountering and interpreting these symbols.

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If extremists wear ordinary brands and use innocuous online symbols for in-group signalling, they don’t stand out as coming from an extreme place. Their views look more mainstream when their aesthetic also blends in with the rest of the community.

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Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown to avoid prison time with plea deal, lawyer says

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Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown to avoid prison time with plea deal, lawyer says

Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown plans to accept a plea deal on an attempted murder charge in Miami that avoids prison as part of an agreement that his lawyer was too good to turn down.

Brown is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 30 to make the deal final. He could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the charge.

Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025, and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.

“This was not an easy decision,” defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh said in a statement Wednesday. “Antonio believes in his innocence. He believes strongly in his Stand Your Ground defense, and he believes he would ultimately prevail at trial. But when prosecutors put an offer on the table that transforms a potential decades-long prison sentence into a significantly reduced charge and probation, there was simply no way he could reasonably turn it down.”

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Florida’s so-called Stand Your Ground law allows people who believe they face death or serious injury to use deadly force to defend themselves without a duty to retreat.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Wednesday, with spokesperson Ed Griffith saying the details would be “fully clarified” at next week’s hearing.

Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that others were trying to steal jewelry from him.

Brown, 38, spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay, including a Super Bowl championship with quarterback Tom Brady. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 88 total touchdowns, counting punt returns and one pass.

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Brown was extradited in November 2025 from Dubai, where he has business interests, after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June 2025.

Brown has dealt with several legal problems over the years. He previously had been accused of battery of a moving truck driver, several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents. During a 2021 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers and effectively ending his football career.

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Mike Tindall reveals his rugby-loving father Phil has died aged 80 after long battle with Parkinson’s

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Mike Tindall with his parents Phil and Linda at The Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire in August 2009

Mike Tindall has revealed his father Phil has died aged 80 after a ‘brutal’ two-decade-long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

The former England rugby star, 47, who is married to Princess Anne‘s daughter Zara Tindall, 45, said his father passed away last week.

‘Unfortunately, my dad passed away last week,’ he said on his The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast on Wednesday.

Mike thanked Otley Rugby Club in West Yorkshire after players marked Phil’s death with a special tribute.

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He said: ‘Big shout-out to Otley Rugby Club. They played Chester on the weekend, and they did a minute’s silence to my dad, who was captain in ’72, ’73’.

Mike revealed he had been sent footage of the tribute and had also read words about his father printed in the match programme.

‘That little moment, I got to watch it. Someone recorded it, sent it to me, and then they wrote a little thing in the programme as well, which I read,’ he added.

‘But thank you very much to Otley Rugby Club for it.’

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Mike Tindall with his parents Phil and Linda at The Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire in August 2009

Princess Anne and Phil Tindall are seen at the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall in July 2011

 Princess Anne and Phil Tindall are seen at the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall in July 2011

Phil was a talented rugby player and had strong links to Otley, the Yorkshire town where his son Mike was born.

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He made his first-team debut aged just 17 during the 1963-64 season, playing at fly-half and centre, before captaining the side in 1972-73.

Mike also shared a memory from his father’s younger years, revealing that Phil suffered a badly timed injury shortly before marrying his mother Linda.

He said: ‘He got married in ’69, broke his leg the week before, went down the aisle in a cast. I mean, it sort of all went wrong. He had to retire at 27.’

Phil had lived with Parkinson’s for more than two decades after being diagnosed in 2003 – the same year his son helped England win the Rugby World Cup.

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The illness became a major cause for Mike, who has been a patron of Cure Parkinson’s since 2018 and has repeatedly raised money and awareness for research into the condition.

Only four months ago, Mike gave a bleak update on his father’s health, saying Parkinson’s had taken a devastating toll.

‘My dad is not doing great at the moment,’ he said in May. ‘Parkinson’s is brutal and there is no let-up from how it attacks the body and changes people.’

Mike and Zara Tindall are seen at the Handa Mike Tindall Celebrity Golf Classic held at the Belfry in the West Midlands

Mike and Zara Tindall are seen at the Handa Mike Tindall Celebrity Golf Classic held at the Belfry in the West Midlands

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He said that after more than 23 years with the condition, Phil had been left ‘a shell of what he once was’.

Mike said at the time that seeing his father’s quality of life decline was why he was so determined to support efforts to find better treatments and ultimately a cure.

His mother Linda, a former social worker, had also taken on much of Phil’s care as his condition worsened.

Mike previously spoke about the impact Parkinson’s had on the family during a conversation with the Duchess of Gloucester in 2021.

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He said the decline in his father’s health had become particularly marked around the time of his 2011 wedding to Zara, when Phil needed a wheelchair for parts of the day.

Mike explained problems caused by the condition had affected his father’s spine and discs and had made moving around increasingly difficult.

He also described Linda as a devoted carer who was reluctant to leave her husband alone as his needs increased.

Mike’s personal experience of the disease has since driven years of fundraising.

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Cure Parkinson’s says he has supported the charity through events including his annual Celebrity Golf Classic as well as cycling and running challenges.

At this year’s golf event in May, which Zara attended on her birthday, Mike again spoke about why the charity’s work remained so personal to him.

Phil’s death comes after a lifetime in which rugby remained a strong bond between him and his son.

Mike has previously credited his father’s knowledge of the sport with helping him during a career which ultimately saw him lift the World Cup with England in 2003.

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Home Improvement icon Jonathan Taylor Thomas detained for resisting an officer after being drunk in public

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Jonathan Taylor Thomas was reportedly detained for obstructing or resisting an officer after he was deemed to be drunk in public; pictured 2013

Jonathan Taylor Thomas was reportedly detained for obstructing or resisting an officer after he was deemed to be drunk in public.

The actor, 45, the former child star who starred in the sitcom Home Improvement, was a passenger in a vehicle that deputies pulled over in Westlake Village, California on Monday, according to TMZ.

Thomas stepped out of the car but refused a request by deputies to stay inside and became uncooperative, law enforcement sources told the publication. 

The publication was informed Thomas was drunk in public and resisted. 

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Jail records indicate Thomas was detained at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sherrif’s Station jail that same day, according to TMZ. He was released not long after. 

The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Thomas and the Malibu/Lost Hills Sherriff’s Station for comment but has not yet heard back. 

Jonathan Taylor Thomas was reportedly detained for obstructing or resisting an officer after he was deemed to be drunk in public; pictured 2013

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Thomas was a massive star in the 90s, with roles in The Lion King, Man of the House, and the series Home Improvement

Thomas was a massive star in the 90s, with roles in The Lion King, Man of the House, and the series Home Improvement

A representative for Thomas had no comment when approached by TMZ. 

Thomas was a massive star in the 90s, with roles in The Lion King, Man of the House, and the series Home Improvement. 

The hit show ran for eight seasons from 1991 to 1999, led by Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson as a suburban couple with three young sons played by Zachery Ty Bryan, Thomas, and Taran Noah Smith.

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Thomas, who played middle child Randy Taylor, quit acting in 2006, briefly returning to the screen only for a four-episode guest shot on Allen’s sitcom Last Man Standing from 2013 through 2015.

Since 2017, Thomas has served as a national board member of the media labor union SAG-AFTRA.

Smith left show business entirely after the show ended in 1999, and in the intervening decades has pursued such varied professional ventures as a vegan restaurant and a company that teaches people how to pilot submarines.

Bryan’s post-show life has taken the most fraught trajectory, with a string of arrests for offenses like domestic violence and DUI.

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In 2013 Thomas told People, ‘I’d been going nonstop since I was 8 years old. I wanted to go to school, to travel and have a bit of a break.

He later studied at Harvard and Columbia.

Thomas played Randy Taylor, the son of Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson in Home Improvement

Thomas played Randy Taylor, the son of Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson in Home Improvement 

Thomas with co-star Taran Noah Smith in an episode of the show

Thomas with co-star Taran Noah Smith in an episode of the show 

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Thomas, pictured 1996, quit acting in 2006

Thomas, pictured 1996, quit acting in 2006

The Hollywood icon appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1997

The Hollywood icon appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1997

‘I never took the fame too seriously,’ he added. ‘It was a great period in my life, but it doesn’t define me. When I think back on the time, I look at it with a wink. I focus on the good moments I had, not that I was on a lot of magazine covers.’

Allen recently remarked that his co-stars’ ‘issues’ have made the prospect of a Home Improvement revival ‘difficult, to say the least,’ via Us Weekly.

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‘They keep talking about how it could move forward, but they get stuck [because] there are some personality problems right now with the boys,’ he said.

‘They’ve got their own issues. I always thought it would be cool if it was a story about them. That’s a little challenging right now, to put it mildly.’

Home Improvement proved to be one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s, marking Allen’s emergence as a star actor after years as a stand-up comic. 

Home Improvement ran for eight seasons from 1991 to 1999

Home Improvement ran for eight seasons from 1991 to 1999

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Allen led the cast as a suburban father who hosts a TV show called Tool Time with a friend played by Richard Karn and a female foil, who for part of the series’ run was a character portrayed by Pamela Anderson.

Other than Allen, the actor on the show who achieved the greatest celebrity was Thomas, who in 1994 was also the voice of young Simba in The Lion King.

However his career fizzled after Home Improvement ended and he gave up on acting altogether in 2006, with the exception of his four episodes on Allen’s subsequent hit sitcom a decade later.

A couple of years ago, Allen claimed he had been ‘talking about a spinoff’ of Home Improvement with his onscreen sons and Richard Karn, per Entertainment Weekly.

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Patricia Richardson, however, disputed his story, saying she had spoken to Thomas and he denied Allen had contacted him about a new show.

Richardson noted further that Thomas was ‘not really interested in acting’ any longer and rather ‘wants to direct and write,’ on the podcast Back to the Best.

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