A FESTIVAL celebrating Yorkshire’s ‘special crop’ kicks off today in honour of all things rhubarb.

The Rhubarb Festival celebrating Wakefield’s heritage crop will deliver a weekend of food, drink, family activity and discovery across the city to honour the pink vegetable.

Yes, it’s a veg not fruit. The delicate pink spears push up through the rich soil inside dark forcing sheds within the rhubarb triangle in West Yorkshire. The sweet, tender stems are harvested by candlelight in near pitch black in February.

At the heart of the festivities is the Food & Drink Market of 50 traders, in chalet-lined streets selling speciality cheese, jams and gins to brownies, beer and chocolate.

Photo of the popular Rhubarb Festival

Many of the regional and local produce come with a rhubarb twist.

Watch chef demos where the professionals reveal how to make delicious recipes with the vegetable.

Local musicians will play live in the Rhu-Bar, while Ruby Rhubarb and the Rhubarb Fairy perform street entertainment.

In partnership with Wakefield BID, the Rhubarb Food & Drink Trail returns with local bars, restaurants and cafés serving limited-edition rhubarb delights.

Pink and perfect – rhubarb is a jewel in Yorkshire’s foodie crown

Traders include North Chocolate, Forever Fudge, Livs Bakes n Cakes, preserves from A Sticky Situation and Cherry Tree Yorkshire, Rhucello for liqueurs, spirits from Hawkin’s Distillery, Prohibition Distillery and Forged Spirits, and beer from Bier Huis. Stop by E Oldroyds & Sons and pick up pies, crumbles, jams, chutneys and fresh forced rhubarb.

Discover more about the heritage of this prized Yorkshire crop and why it’s important to local history at Wakefield Museum at a hands-on workshop, and sow rhubarb seeds on Friday, February 20 with sessions at 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm.

The Rhubarb Festival is organised by Wakefield Council with events taking place across the city from February 20-22.

More at: experiencewakefield.co.uk/event/rhubarb-festival

You want a secure fit, waterproof or sweatproof capability and assurance they won’t bounce out of your ear, says Arj Thiruchelvam, performance coach at Performance Physique. He also looks for Bluetooth 5, which provides the best connection to wireless devices, ensuring a run isn’t interrupted by music or a podcast dropping out.

Having a decent microphone to take calls is a bonus, and he recommends going into the shops rather than buying online. “It’s pretty difficult to test every aspect when shopping online but, if you can get your hands on the headphones, pop them in and jump around a bit. Running is basically a series of jumps, so have a quick bounce around the store,” he says.

“Beats, Bose, Airpods and Shokz all have their claims to the top position” in terms of the best types of headphones for running, Thiruchelvam says. He favours the Shokz Air bone conduction headphones, but has clients from his personal trainer business who swear by Bose, claiming they boost their exercise performance.

2026 has seen Shona Platt (Julia Goulding) and David Platt (Jack P Shepherd) so far face quite a lot of drama in Coronation Street.

At the start of January, the couple were involved in the Corriedale crash. They were both rushed to hospital afterwards but there was a greater concern for Shona, who was pregnant with little Harper.

Fortunately, Shona, David and Harper were fine. Shona was transferred back to Weatherfield General, where she gave birth to her daughter.

Harper has been in hospital ever since as the baby needed a blood transfusion, and an operation on her neck shortly after being born.

It’s meant David and Shona have been juggling life at home, and visiting Harper in hospital. It’s a stressful ordeal, but another layer of chaos was added when Shona’s sister Jodie Ramsey (Olivia Frances-Brown) re-entered her life.

As far as Shona’s concerned, reconnecting with Jodie at a time when her life is already busy isn’t a problem. This might be down to the fact she feel guilty for leaving the family home when she became a teen mum, which subsequently left Jodie alone with their troubled parents.

While Shona has worked hard to get to know Jodie again, she remains unaware her sister is busy plotting revenge because of what happened when Shona upped sticks and left all those years ago.

Her plan so far has seen Jodie lie about an abusive relationship she had, and she’s also decided to try and get David to cheat on Shona with her.

In upcoming episodes, Jodie’s hatred towards Shona is further fuelled as she has to listen to Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) and Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon) chat about how they think Shona and David are the perfect couple.

She decides to cause trouble by once again attempting to get close to David. When he returns home and finds Jodie with her arm down the back of a chair, she says that she thinks she can feel Shona’s wedding ring. Jodie notes that it’s just out of reach and needs David’s help. He crouches down next to her, and Jodie very much enjoys the close proximity between them.

Towards the end of the week, Jodie tries to cause friction by setting David up and claiming that he hasn’t done any house chores.

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Later, Shona opens up to Bethany and says that it feels like she hardly sees David at the moment as they’re always so busy.

Bethany has an idea, but will Jodie stick her nose in and ruin it?

Executive Producer Kate Brooks has already revealed in an interview that Jodie is on the street to set the cat among the pigeons and cause chaos for the Cobbles residents.

‘She’s a really interesting character. She’s a bit of a troublemaker, she’s got a bit of mischief in her eyes. All is not what it seems with Jodie and there’s a lot of layers to her. I think the audience are going to have a lot of fun unravelling who this person is, who Jodie is as a character and what she wants as well.

‘Keep an eye on her because there’s lots of secrets to explode and she’s going to bring an awful lot of drama to the Platt household.’

MORE: Coronation Street ‘confirms’ who will expose Jodie – and it’s the most unexpected of characters

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Spencer Benjamin was said to have links to the notorious Cali Cartel

A drug trafficker who was brought down after a meeting at Pizza Hut has been found dead in Dubai. Spencer Benjamin was jailed for 10 years for his role in an international drug conspiracy, after meeting with a Venezuelan drug lord who was said to be acting on behalf of the notorious Cali Cartel.

Undercover police spotted Benjamin meeting Ivan di Giorgio at a Pizza Hut in central London. The feared Cali Cartel controlled more than 80 per cent of the world’s cocaine market in the mid-1990s.

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Benjamin was described as the ‘organiser for the Liverpool end of the operation’ by a senior officer who led the investigation. It has been reported that Benjamin was found dead in a hotel room in Dubai, the Liverpool Echo reports.

It’s understood that Benjamin, formerly of Toxteth and later Halewood, was aged 53 or 54. A spokesperson for the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We have assisted the family of a British man who has died in Dubai.”

Benjamin was under the watch of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in 1999 when he was seen to meet di Giorgio. On one occasion, Benjamin was seen handing over a satchel to the South American, while at a second pizza parlour meeting a Wade Smith bag was passed to di Giorgio.

Police suspected cash was being handed over in return for drugs. When police finally raided di Giorgio’s London home, he jumped out of a first floor window in a doomed attempt to escape. When he appeared in court he needed a walking frame.

Benjamin went into hiding but undercover officers observed him spending thousands of pounds kitting out a flat above a Lodge Lane shop as a “safe house”. When arrested he told officers: “I’m innocent. I have got no involvement in drugs and I am not saying any more. I have no involvement in anything.”

Benjamin claimed to be legitimately employed as an “area manager” but the court heard he was the Liverpool end of an international drugs chain. He lived in a £120,000 house on a new estate in Halewood, holidayed in Mexico and wore a £10k Rolex Ebel watch. His unemployed girlfriend cruised around Liverpool in a Honda Jeep.

Detective Superintendent John Kerruish, of Merseyside’s major crime unit which co-ordinated the inquiry, said at the time: “The problem that we faced was that at this stage we had not fully identified exactly who di Giorgio was but it was becoming apparent that he was working for the Cali Cartel.

“As far as we are concerned, Benjamin was the organiser for the Liverpool end of the operation. We regard his conviction along with that of di Giorgio’s as particularly significant in the on-going fight to stem the tide of class ‘A’ drugs coming into Merseyside.”

The Cali Cartel was founded in the mid-1970s and broke away from Pablo Escobar and his Medellin associates by 1988. The organisation was a multi-billion dollar empire and was one of the most powerful criminal fraternities in the world. Its illicit activities were globally recognised following the hit Netflix show “Narcos”.

Benjamin was an associate of drugs kingpin “Cocky” Warren during the 1990s, reported the Daily Mail. Warren is a former Interpol Target One and was one listed on The Sunday Times’ rich list because of the profits he made through the trafficking and supply of class A drugs.

Warren was arrested in the early 1990s after he and an associate sailed across the Atlantic to Venezuela, where a deal with the Cali Cartel to smuggle cocaine in steel boxes, concealed in lead ingots, was hatched. The scheme to import £250m of the cocaine into the UK resulted in Warren being arrested.

But it emerged one of Warren’s associates who joined him in the dock, Brian Charrington, was a police informant and the case collapsed. After his release Warren returned to Liverpool but later moved to Europe due to the ferocity of an armed gang war in the south-end of the city.

Warren has since served prison sentences in Europe, Jersey and the UK after investigators found him to have been involved in multiple drug conspiracies. He was released from prison in November 2022 and was sentenced to a suspended term in 2024 for breaches of his serious crime prevention order.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released under investigation following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, becoming the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released under investigation following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The former prince, who became the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested, stands accused of disclosing sensitive information to Epstein whilst holding the position of the UK’s trade envoy. Andrew was photographed slumped in the rear of a vehicle on Thursday evening as he departed Aylsham police station in Norfolk.

His brother, the King, said earlier that “the law must take its course” after expressing his “deepest concern” over the arrest, which came after millions of files were released by the US Department of Justice in relation to the Epstein scandal.

Thames Valley Police said he was released under investigation and searches at a property in Norfolk, Andrew’s home on the Sandringham Estate, had concluded.

Searches at his former address, the Royal Lodge in Windsor, Berkshire, are ongoing.

Andrew was detained on his 66th birthday following allegations that he shared reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore with disgraced financier Epstein.

He has denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.

After serving for 22 years in the Royal Navy, he became the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment in 2001.

He stepped down in 2011 amid the furore over his friendship with paedophile Epstein.

Jack Shepherd, a web designer, was was jailed for six years over the Thames joyride death of his date, Charlotte Brown, and was expecting to walk free on parole

Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd’s hopes of an early release from jail have been dashed.

Parole board chiefs have rejected the shameless web designer’s latest bid for freedom. Shepherd was jailed for six years over the Thames joyride death of his date, Charlotte Brown, 24, and was expecting to walk free on parole.

But Charlotte’s grieving family raised concerns about the continuing threat Shepherd, 38, poses to young women. Her dad Graham confirmed on Thursday he had been informed that his release was back on hold.

The 62-year-old man said: “As Charlotte’s family we are happy Shepherd remains in jail. We’re glad our objections were listened to regarding the dangers of releasing him back onto the streets and hope he will remain behind bars for longer.”

READ MORE: Brute in ‘blind rage’ left welder unable to walk or see properly after Christmas party attackREAD MORE: Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd warned he will be ‘chased out’ of town if he returns

Charlotte was thrown from Shepherd’s boat when the self-styled Casanova crashed on the River Thames in 2015. Shepherd was freed in January last year after serving half his sentence but hauled back behind bars for breaching the terms of his licence.

The web designer allegedly “controlled” and assaulted a new girlfriend, breaching the terms of his release. It is believed this was considered by parole board bosses, who have turned down Shepherd’s latest application for release. It means he must wait up to six more months for another chance to plead his case.

Graham, a civil servant from Sidcup, Kent, had told The Sun “prison was the best place” for Shepherd. He told the publication: “He’s back where he belongs. I’ve always believed that Shepherd is a narcissist.

“He’s never shown remorse for his part in the death of my daughter. I think about her every day. The pain is never far away. I’ll never forgive him and still believe he poses a risk to females.”

READ MORE: Killer of mum whose body was never found set to be released from jail

The tech professional, who lived on a houseboat in Hammersmith, west London, tempted around ten girls into bed before his disaster date. He wooed Charlotte with a £150 dinner at The Shard then drank more champagne before a late-night ride in his poorly-maintained 14ft boat.

He was charged with manslaughter but fled to Georgia in 2018. After being convicted in his absence, he was later extradited to face justice. Prior to absconding, Shepherd had smashed a bottle over the head of a barman in Devon.

The Parole Board confirmed Shepherd’s application for release was refused via a “paper decision”. He now has 28 days in which to request an oral hearing before the decision becomes final.

Norton Town Council has thanked those residents aiming to improved where they live in their second annual awards.

The town council launched the scheme in late 2024 to recognise people and organisations who are based and work in Norton.

Mayor, Councillor Di Keal, said: “The town council wanted to recognise people in our town who support others and who ‘go the extra mile’ in their roles as charities or individuals.

“Norton is a unique place with many people contributing to our community on a daily basis who go unrecognised for the hard work they put in for others – the town council wants to acknowledge what they do and thank them.”

Two awards were presented at a ceremony at the Council Chamber, with winners receiving a unique plaque in recognition of their work.

Volunteers of the Year went to the Malton and Norton Tidy Group and was accepted on behalf of the group by stalwart supporter, Nick Fletcher, who said he was “absolutely delighted” to represent the group and was very pleased that the council had recognised their work keeping Norton looking clean and tidy.

Paying tribute to the group, which was founded in 2009, Cllr Keal said: “This award goes to a group that definitely makes a significant difference to Norton (& Malton) throughout the year – come rain or shine and sometimes in freezing cold, they are out and about with bin bags and litter pickers collecting discarded rubbish and debris and making the town look neat and tidy.

“They have recently broken their own records with an amazing – if quite appalling for the fact that it is discarding in the first place – 643 bags of litter in Malton and Norton in 2025!

“Not content with litter picking in the town centres the group also cover the roads approaching the towns meaning anyone driving into Norton (& Malton) isn’t greeted by rubbish strewn grass verges.

“Norton town council wants to recognise the amazing work this volunteers group does and thank them whole heartedly for all their efforts.”

The Awards also recognise a business or organisation that creates a shop window that contributes to making Norton look festive over the Christmas period by decorating their window. The 2025 winning window was created by Kayshia Skeet, who works at Derwent Lodge on Church Street, who put together a window based on the book and film Polar Express.

Cllr Keal said: “The town council refreshed our Christmas lights display again in 2025 and we are keen to encourage local businesses and organisations to join us each year and make the town look special for the festive season.

“We loved this display for its simplicity in telling a story – and the fact that it appeared to be made from recycled materials, with the Polar Express train created from discarded boxes.”

Cllr Keal thanked the winners and those who nominated them for the huge contribution they make to Norton through their volunteering and the organisations they work with: “As a community we should all be very grateful to you and I hope these awards will go some small way towards recognising your hard work and dedication to your organisations and the wider community of Norton”.

The Norton on Derwent Community Awards look set to become an annual event and the town council looks forward to even more nominations in 2026.

Pics shows: Cllr Di Keal presenting the Community Awards to 1) Kayshia Skeet with colleagues from Derwent Lodge & 2) Nick Fletcher from Malton and Norton Tidy Group

A hit Apple TV thriller led by an iconic Hollywood star is finally back for a second season

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Thriller enthusiasts can already pencil in their Friday evenings as the highly anticipated second series of one of the decade’s most gripping programmes has finally arrived.

Series two of The Last Thing He Told Me is unmissable viewing for Apple TV subscribers this week, launching today (Friday, 20th February).

Boasting an exceptional ensemble headed by Hollywood star Jennifer Garner, the acclaimed thriller draws from Laura Dave’s novel of the same title.

Garner plays Hannah Hall, a woman who launches a frantic hunt for her vanished husband whilst forging an unexpected connection with her stepdaughter, Bailey (portrayed by Angourie Rice).

Spoiler warning – the first series disclosed that Hannah’s husband Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) fled to safeguard his family after witnessing a crime perpetrated by a dangerous criminal organisation, reports the Mirror.

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READ MORE: ‘Super intense’ thriller that keeps you ‘hooked from the start’ is now streamingREAD MORE: Handmaid’s Tale star lands very different role in thriller based on ‘addictive’ novel

Owen, now going by his true identity Ethan, returns in series two alongside fresh and familiar faces as the family attempt everything possible to restore normality to their lives.

A synopsis states: “When Owen shows up after five years on the run, Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey find themselves in a race to figure out how to reunite their family before the past catches up to them.”

Apple TV has announced that the series two line-up will additionally feature Augusto Aguilera, Josh Hamilton, Nick Hargrove, Michael Galante, John Noble, Michael Hyatt and Luke Kirby, with a guest spot from Judy Greer. Following an almost three-year hiatus since the first season concluded, the second season premiere is now available for streaming, with fresh episodes dropping every Friday through to 10th April.

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Whilst the inaugural season garnered somewhat divided opinions, a dedicated fanbase remains enthralled by the thriller and maintains it merits viewing.

“Loved the book and was very excited to see how the series would turn out,” an IMDb user said in a 10/10 review.

“Watching the trailer made me even more excited to watch it! The series did not disappoint me once. Great cast, great writers, great storyline, great directors and lovely locations.

“It was also so amazing to see these characters that I had fallen in love with whilst reading the book come to life on screen.”

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Another viewer enthused: “Loved this series! You have to watch all of it to truly appreciate it. Best show I’ve watched in a really long time.

“Each week left me on the edge of my seat awaiting the next week’s episode.”

A further admirer noted the programme “keeps you hooked” and remarked: “I think it was great.

“The suspense, storyline, actors. It has it all and keeps you not wanting to stop watching. I binged it all in a day which isn’t normal for me.”

The Last Thing He Told Me season 2 continues Fridays on Apple TV.

The star of Euphoria and The Last Ship has died, aged 53, less than a year after reporting his diagnosis

Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria star Eric Dane has died aged 53 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – a foirm of Muscular Neurone Disease. The US actor died less than a year after publicly revealing he had been diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative disease.

His passing was confirmed by his representatives in a statement to the Associated Press, who said he had been surrounded by friends and family. The statement said: “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world.

“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received.”

Dane’s career took off when he joined long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy as fan-favourite Dr Mark “McSteamy” Sloan. He played the suave surgeon from 2006 until 2012, returning to the show for a guest appearance in 2021.

Dane later reached a new generation of viewers when he was cast as Cal Jacobs, the conflicted antagonist of the HBO hit Euphoria. Other screen credits include roles in Charmed, Burlesque, Marley and Me and Valentine’s Day.

Between 2014 and 2018 he played Tom Chandler in post-apocalyptic action series The Last Ship. Dane married actress Rebecca Gayheart in 2004 and the pair share two children. Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018 but later filed to have the petition dismissed.

In December, she wrote for US magazine The Cut that while the two lived separately and dated other people, they shared “a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people. Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love”.

Dane later drew on his own experience for a guest role on the TV series Brilliant Minds in November 2025, portraying a firefighter diagnosed with ALS who struggles to share the news with his family.

According to the NHS, early symptoms of motor neurone disease (MND) often begin gradually and include weakness, stiffness, or cramping in limbs (particularly hands, legs, and feet), along with slurred speech. These symptoms often start on one side of the body, such as a weak grip, tripping, or difficulty climbing stairs.

Common Early Symptoms:

• Weakness or Stiffness: Muscle weakness, especially in the hands causing difficulty gripping, or weak legs causing trips and “foot drop”.
• Muscle Issues: Twitching, cramps, or spasms.
• Speech and Swallowing: Slurred speech (dysarthria) and swallowing difficulties.
• Mobility: Difficulty lifting arms (shoulder weakness) or dragging a leg.
• Physical Changes: Unexplained weight loss, often due to muscle wasting.

These symptoms are initially subtle and may be mistaken for other conditions. The NHS advises seeing a GP if you experience these symptoms, especially if they are getting worse, to secure a prompt referral to a specialist.