The young star has shone in his breakthrough campaign at Anfield, scoring two goals and adding an assist in 29 appearances across all competitions for the Reds, who decided against replacing Luis Diaz – who joined Bayern himself – in favour of nurturing Ngumoha’s development.

“They discussed how to use the upcoming G7 summit at Evian, the next meeting of the ‘coalition of the willing’, and the Nato summit at Ankara to best coordinate further support for Ukraine based on its prioritised needs, including further pressure on Russia’s war economy and an increased pledge of military and defence support for Ukraine at the Nato summit.

The Monday letters page sifts through all the announcements from Summer Game Fest and Xbox Games Showcase, as a reader is not yet convinced by the new Fable.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Exclusive reasoning
I thought the Xbox Games Showcase was pretty good (finally, they’ve realised people don’t want to hear from execs!) but the whole exclusivity business makes no sense to me. I assume someone must’ve run the numbers, so what do I know, but the amount of people that are going to play Gears Of War: E-Day has now drastically dropped.

Forza Horizon 5 was massively popular on PlayStation 5 and I’m sure that’d be true of any decent Xbox game. Maybe the Reloaded remaster didn’t sell very well, and so they think E-Day won’t either, but it seems odd to me.

The only explanation that makes sense is what GC said about the game being basically sacrificed in order to please Xbox fans, which seems a crazy idea to me. Just think of all the people that worked on it and Clockwork Revolution and now they know their games aren’t going to be played by nearly as many people. I definitely don’t see it convincing anyone to buy an Xbox console.

If there’s another reason for it I can’t imagine but whatever it is, I think it’s going to be something they’ll do a U-turn on sooner rather than later.
Modul

Enjoying the show
A pretty good Xbox Games Showcase, I thought. Although the games I was most interested in where nothing to do with Microsoft, like the new Spyro, Crazy Taxi, and a couple of those indie games. I am potentially interested in Fable, but I still don’t feel I’ve got much of a bead on what the game really is.

It looks a lot like Fable 2 in some of the shots but is the game really going to be as basic as that in terms of gameplay? I can see a lot of effort has gone into the graphics, which are really impressive, but I’m going to need more than that.

As for the exclusivity announcement… I don’t get it and I’m not sure anyone else does but I can’t say I particularly care about either of those games, so it doesn’t bother me. Maybe that’s the point, because I imagine hardcore Xbox fans are going to be the ones that are most into Gears Of War.
Martin

GC: Spyro is published by Activision, which is owned by Microsoft. Most of the indie games were Xbox console exclusives too.

Bad ending
I caught the highlights of Summer Game Fest on Saturday morning, but I thought it was pretty good. Resident Evil Veronica and Alien: Isolation 2 were the most interesting to me, but maybe that says more about my taste in games.

It seems a long time since we’ve had an actually good mic drop ending for one of these things though. Obviously Final Fantasy has its fans but the final party of a trilogy, that they said was going to be a trilogy the minute they started it, isn’t exactly a shocker. I don’t even know what the one for Xbox was supposed to be, Call Of Duty I guess?

State of Play probably had the best one in that it had God Of War Laufey but that had been leaked before. The best things to finish on are complete secrets. Although I guess they’re heard to come by nowadays.
Colbat84

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Content reaction
I watch a bit of Twitch and over the years I’ve noticed how streaming has become ever more integrated into the PR machine for gaming.

I think in context of the recent talk of info being out on social media being boring, it’s more because that’s where the biggest concentration of ears and eyes are.

The wildest demonstration of this came during the Summer Game Fest show. A long-time streamer, Maximilian Dood, was re-streaming it. He’s big into the fighting genre but also a big fan of Final Fantasy.

Directly after the show he received a call from a Squire Enix rep saying if he’s available they could have Final Fantasy 7 Director Naoki Hamaguchi (the guy on stage at Summer Game Fest revealing the third instalment) come over to his house in a hour or two and have a talk live on stream.

It’s not the first time I’ve seen high level representatives of a game show up on a stream. Sandfall Interactive co-founder and director for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was on an episode of Dropped Frames when that was released and blowing up.
Simundo

GC: That doesn’t explain why the initial announcements are often so dull though. If it was something more exciting, like Summer Game Fest, that’d give streamers something to react to. There’s a limit to how excited they can pretend to be by a one sentence tweet.

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Short list
After a bit of negativity in the gaming world recently, it’s time for something positive. What a great looking release list of games on the Microsoft store. Wow! There’s at least eight games on there that I’d happily put on my ‘wants’ page, with most likely a few more still to come in the next few months.

There’s also a big sale on at the moment. My pick would be Sniper Elite 5 Complete Edition (that’s the base game plus all the extra content) for the princely sum of 18 quid (23 quid on the PlayStation Store).

There’s never been a better time to be a gamer, in my opinion.
Paul C.
PS: Currently farming skill points on Forza Horizon 6. It’s a bit boring, but it’s got to be done; still better than watching all the rubbish that’s on t’ telly.

God of not sure
I was quite surprised we got such an extended look at the new God Of War. The last mainline game doesn’t seem that long ago, but it’s now been nearly four years which is almost the same period of time between Ragnarök and its predecessor.

I can’t say I’m totally sold on the focus shifting to Laufey. I’d like to point out at this point I’m not an incel and I’m more than happy to play games with female protagonist. I’m sure that from a narrative point of view things will be interesting and Deborah Ann Woll will do a great job. My main concern is that Kratos’ hammer is such a great weapon and the gameplay won’t be the same without it.

I think in some ways I’d have preferred if it was a spin-off rather than considered a mainline edition. Whilst I enjoyed Ragnarök I don’t think it lived up to God Of War (2018) and personally I think it overstayed its welcome and by the end of Ragnarök I was ready for it to be over. I think I’d have more enthusiasm for a 10-to-15-hour game rather than one double that length.

Although can’t say I’m totally sold, I imagine nearer to the time I’ll be caught up in the hype and no matter my thoughts I hope the game does well. Some of the chatter has been depressingly predictable and I’d love to see the game exceed expectations even if only to quiet down the annoying manchilds that complain every time a game has a female lead.
matc7884

GC: It was an axe, not a hammer. We agree with you on Ragnarök though and worry that since then the whole franchise has felt a bit directionless.

Darker, more mature
I was surprised to see the drastic change in graphics in Fable in the showcase last night.

Gone were the colourful style graphics shown in earlier versions of the game, to a very bleak reality of what Fable is now going to be graphics-wise. It’s unrecognisable from earlier versions shown.
TWO MACKS

Two good shows
What an awesome State of Play and Summer Game Fest 2026 recently. The solid confirmation of a Resident Evil Code: Veronica remake is perfect for me. I remember the original one being possibly more scary than Resi 3 and maybe the original, until the remake of the original was released. Resi 2 will always be one of the most chilling games ever, due to the music and sound effects being unmatched even now, and of course the level design.

It was the angled camera movements and the darkness of Code: Veronica that did it, especially the prison part in the beginning and those creepy Ashcroft twins in their manor being just the perfect amount of evil that’s required. Oh, and the return of Albert Wesker being all super-powered up with a bunch of skills like the instant speed flash dash, that would become his signature move, used throughout future games and the films.

The new God Of War game Laufey caused a storm but more to the fact that her partner throughout the game is a cube with a sword! Okay, it seems slightly Disney and not really in line with the usual God Of War theme, but it’s certainly got people curious but hopefully not putting them off.

Alien: Isolation 2 and Fable are also interesting but they have to be of the standard of Fable 2 and the first Alien game. A 007 First Light new mission teaser would be nice, as the game itself was pretty good and a very acceptable Bond game if I say so myself. But overall two very interesting shows. No new IPs, though, which is a shame. But the year is only halfway and plenty of time for that to change.
Alucard

GC: A new 007 First Light mission was teased during Summer Game Fest.

Inbox also-rans
The fact that it had the proper music in it gives me a lot of faith for that new Crazy Taxi game, it’s amazing how much difference something like that can make when it comes to nostalgia.
Grant

So I guess we’re never going to get a sequel to Gears 5, huh? They’ve gone back to calling it Gears Of War too, so it’s basically a reboot now.
Muntz

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MORE: Games Inbox: Will Summer Game Fest 2026 be worth staying up for?

MORE: Games Inbox: Did Marvel’s Wolverine make a good impression in the State of Play?

MORE: Games Inbox: Will God Of War Laufey be a good game?

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A magnitude 7.8 earthquake centered at sea shook part of the southern Philippines early Monday, causing damage in a key coastal city, knocking down power and setting off 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami waves along nearby coasts, officials said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked people to immediately go to higher ground in Philippine areas vulnerable to a tsunami, and Indonesian and Malaysian authorities also issued warnings to their nearby coastal areas.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, and it was not clear if people were trapped or injured in the collapse of at least one small building in General Santos, a tuna-processing city of more than 700,000 people that is also a commercial hub in the south.

The strongest earthquake to hit the Philippines this year was was centered at sea about 13 kilometers (8 miles) southwest of General Santos and was caused by movement in the Cotabato Trench at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. It struck at 7:37 a.m., the institute’s director, Teresito Bacolcol said.

“It’s a major earthquake and we’re expecting damages and we’ve already some damaged buildings based on videos we’ve seen,” Bacolcol told The Associated Press.

DZRH radio station in Manila reported that the small commercial building where its provincial branch was located partly collapsed and staffers dashed to the ground floor without injuries.

It wasn’t clear if other people were trapped in the rubble of the four-story office building due to the quake, which struck before office hours.

Debris also fell from other buildings, hitting tricycle taxis parked below.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) were possible on some coasts of the Philippines. Waves up to 1 meter (3 feet) were possible on some coasts of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Bacolcol said 1-meter (3-foot) waves were monitored in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani by land-based tsunami watch stations. Smaller waves were monitored in at least one other province, he said.

Videos showing builkdings collapsing and locals screaming in fear as a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Philippines have been shared on social media this morning.

A tsunami threat has been advised for the Philippines after a huge earthquake struck near Mindanao, Philippines: Government via US Tsunami Warning System. An estimated magnitude 7.8 earthquake was felt in Davao City shortly before 7.40am local time on Monday, June 8, 2026. Residents reported strong shaking and people have evacuated buildings as a precaution.

Possilbe tsunami warnings have been issued in; Philippines, West coast of the United States, Indonesia, Palau, Yap, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea. Footage has been shared on social media showing buildings collapsing and

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has cancelled its tsunami watch warning for the country’s coast and its territories.The cancellation was issued by the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC) at 10.38am AEST.

“An undersea earthquake of magnitude 7.8 occurred at 9.37am AEST on Monday 8, June 2026 near Mindanao, Philippines,” the BoM statement reads.”No tsunami waves have been observed that pose a threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories.””THE TSUNAMI WATCH FOR AUSTRALIA IS CANCELLED. No further updates will be issued unless the situation changes.”

In one video the Plaza building, where LOVE Radio Gensan and DZRH News FM are located, dramatically collapses following the strong earthquake that shook Sarangani. People on the street just metres away can be heard screaming in fear as the plume of dust fills the air.

Follow our live blog for the latest updates by clicking here.

The project, backed by funding from the North East Combined Authority (NECA), includes 25 properties for social rent on the site of the former Easington Colliery Primary School.

The proposed development would consist of two-storey homes, bungalows and flats on the site of the former school, which was demolished in 2020. 

Earlier this year, Durham County Council secured £645,632 toward the development as part of NECA’s wider £22 million investment to support 1,122 new homes across the North East.

Homes have been planned for the site of the former Easington Colliery Primary School. (Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL PLANNING PORTAL)

The application has been submitted by the council’s housing delivery department and has been recommended for approval ahead of a planning committee meeting on Tuesday (June 9).  

Welcoming the funding, Andrew Husband, council leader, said: “It will turn an abandoned, disused site into valuable and much-needed housing for people, with features that will keep living costs down.” 

County Durham’s council house delivery programme includes an ambition to deliver 500 homes over the next five years, with the Easington scheme the sixth major development to come forward. 

Latest council data reveals a current shortfall of 836 affordable homes per year. The unmet need for affordable homes has meant that families in need of a home have had to be placed in temporary accommodation while they wait for a suitable home to become available.  

“The proposed scheme is in a suitable location with the development having excellent links to local services and facilities,” the council added. 

However, a total of two objections have been submitted, raising concerns over a lack of car parking for residents, an increase in traffic and proposed access routes. 

The council’s affordable housing officer also raised concerns with the proposed first-floor flats, saying that they are “not satisfied that they would address a local need and therefore could remain vacant in the long term and would prefer a different house type to be provided”.

“We can’t wait to welcome customers through our doors and celebrate what promises to be a true Sephora Summer.”

One of the most-anticipated openings of the summer, the arrival of Sephora in Scotland is one thing beauty fans will be looking forward to. And they won’t have to wait much longer, as the beauty giant has announced the opening dates for its Edinburgh and Glasgow stores.

The LVMH-owned global beauty brand has revealed its now famous ‘Temples of Beauty’ will open at St James Quarter on Thursday, July 9, ahead of the Glasgow opening on Thursday, August 13.

Both stores will be stocked with Sephora UK exclusives and selective brands, giving fans the chance to shop the likes of rhode, Haus Labs, Makeup by Mario, Merit Beauty, INNBeauty Project, Tower 28 and Half Magic for the first time ever on Scottish soil.

Managing director of Sephora UK, Sarah Boyd, said: “This summer marks a major milestone in Sephora UK’s journey as we continue to bring out unique beauty experience to more communities across the country.

“We’re incredibly excited to be opening our first stores in Scotland, giving beauty lovers access to some of the world’s most sought-after brands and exclusive products for the very first time.

“We can’t wait to welcome customers through our doors and celebrate what promises to be a true Sephora Summer.”

Customers at both stores will be able to enjoy personalised redeemable beauty consultations, gift-wrapping and engraving services, as well as immersive in-store experiences designed to inspire confidence and creativity.

The new stores will also be among some of the first to introduce Sephora UK’s Beauty Scan technology, which allows Beauty Advisors to use an advanced lens to analyse a client’s skin for a more individualised consultation and personalised product recommendations, including oil and hydration levels and foundation shade matching.

Estate director at St James Quarter, Anne Ledgerwood, stated: “Welcoming Sephora’s first Scottish store to St James Quarter on 9 July is a landmark moment for the Quarter and for Edinburgh.

“Securing such an iconic global beauty brand for its Scottish debut reflects its position as the country’s leading retail destination and builds on the strength of our already diverse beauty offer.

“Excitement is already building ahead of opening, and we’re proud to be introducing Sephora to Scotland for the very first time, bringing an exciting new experience for guests to discover this summer.”

What’s more, in line with Sephora UK’s commitment to a seamless omnichannel offering, shoppers will also be able to continue the Sephora shopping experience via the Sephora UK app for exclusive product offers, as well as the MySephora loyalty programme. Through this, clients can earn points on every purchase in-store and online, unlocking exclusive rewards, surprise gifts, early access to launches and invites to special events.

Centre Manager at Silverburn, Diarmuid Donohoe, added: “Sephora opening at Silverburn this August is a really exciting moment for beauty lovers in Glasgow and the west of Scotland.

“Bringing the very best global brands to our community is what drives us, and each new arrival reinforces Silverburn’s position as the go to destination for beauty, lifestyle and fashion in the city.

“We know this is one our guests have been waiting for, and we can’t wait to welcome them to the new Sephora store this summer.”

The opening of stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow respectively feed into Sephora UK’s expansion strategy to open their iconic “temples of beauty” alongside the retailer’s new, small format boutique stores, which will debut this summer at Soho’s Carnaby Street on Thursday, July 23 and Shoreditch’s Old Spitalfields Market on Thursday, July 30.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Mindanao in the Philippines this morning causing buildings to collapse and now Government buildings in Alabel have been ‘suspended until further notice’

Government buildings in Alabel have been suspended until further notice after a huge earthquake struck the Philippines this morning.

Alabel, officially the Municipality of Alabel, is a municipality and capital of the province of Sarangani, Philippines.

The earthquake was felt in Davao City shortly before 7.40am local time on Monday, June 8, 2026. The earthquake was initially estimated at a magnitude 8.2, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has downgraded the earthquake to 7.8 magnitude.

A tsunami threat has been issued for several countries the world waits to see the effects of the quake. Possible tsunami alerts have been issued for the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Palau, Yap, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea and the west coast of the United States.

New Zealand and Australia both shared concerns of a tsunami earlier in the day, but later said giant waves are no longer a worry.

A statement from the Local Government Unit of Alabel said: “Upon the directive of Mayor Lilibeth “Ybing” J. Salarda, MPA, all classes at all levels and work in all government offices within the Municipality of Alabel are suspended until further notice due to the recent earthquake. Residents are urged to prioritize safety, remain in open areas away from buildings and other structures, and monitor official LGU channels for further updates.

“For emergencies and disaster-related concerns in the Municipality of Alabel, you may contact the Alabel Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) through the hotline below: 0970-025-7156”

President of the Republic of the Philippines Bongbong Marcos is yet to comment on the incident.

Follow our live blog for the latest updates by clicking here.

About 2,300 North Korean soldiers have died fighting for Russia against Ukraine, according to a BBC investigation. Pyongyang is also accused of supplying ammunition for Russia’s war effort in exchange for oil and aid, a development that has alarmed Washington and its allies, and quietly rattled China.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirate (AP) — Israel launched airstrikes early Monday targeting central and western Iran in response to missile fire from Tehran, attacks that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a regional war.

Iranian state television reported the sound of explosions being heard in Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz and Tehran, without immediately elaborating. A witness in Tehran described hearing at least one large blast somewhere to the west of the country’s capital city. Iran closed the airspace around Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main airfield, after the Israeli attack.

Iranian officials offered no details on what had been struck, nor any damage information. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said that Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles in its attack Monday morning, without elaborating.

The Israeli military at dawn in Iran issued a short statement as the strikes started: “A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force struck military targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran.” It did not elaborate.

The White House did not respond to messages about the strikes and whether they were done in coordination with the U.S.

For days, negotiations between Iran and the United States over the fragile ceasefire in the war had been stalled by the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah. Israel now occupies southern Lebanon and had moved into areas of the country it hadn’t held in a quarter century — leading to fears about them further widening their campaign.

On Sunday, Israel launched airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Iran retaliated with its own strike on Israel, which led to Monday morning’s attack by Israel on Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier told a Fox News Channel reporter that he wanted the Iranians to stop firing missiles and return to the negotiating table. He also said that Israel’s strikes in Lebanon earlier Sunday were not coordinated with the U.S. and “I’m not happy about it.”

A senior U.S. official said Trump had called Netanyahu to urge him not to retaliate immediately for the Iranian missile attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private phone call, said that Trump believed he had convinced Netanyahu to wait.

Trump “got Bibi to hold off for the time being,” the official said. The official would not offer any other details of the call, and there was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.

___ Matthew Lee in Washington and Michelle L. Price in Bridgewater, New Jersey, contributed to this report.