The Wednesday letters page is excited about Santa Monica Studio revealing a new game, as one reader ponders the future of Final Fantasy.

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

Bridging the gap
I’m very interested in this idea that The Witcher 3 will be getting new DLC, nearly a decade since the last lot. It’s obvious it will be a story link between The Witcher 3 and The Witcher 4, but I wonder if it will also involve the death of Geralt. I doubt they’d make a new playable character just for DLC but killing off the old character to make way for the new would be a really neat idea, I think.

I know the voice actor is working on the new game, but it could easily be a flashback or as a ghost or something. That’s my guess anyway, but I hope whatever it is it’s something substantial and worthwhile, not just a glorified ad for the new game. The rumours mentioned a new map area, so that sounds very promising.

If this is successful, I really hope other games copy the same idea. Publishers don’t like single-player games because they don’t keep making money all the time, but this could change that. It could be like episodic content but from within an existing game.
Austin

Ancillary media
All the talk of God Of War/Santa Monica Studio at the State of Play on Thursday has got me really excited. I realise it’s going to be the most boring option that will be shown (the Metroidvania by a different developer) but the fact remains that Santa Monica Studio hasn’t announced a new game yet and Sony clearly has something special planned for this week.

I really hope it’s a new IP and I think there’s a good chance, as Sony are a lot better at giving them a chance than most other publishers. I think they understand better than most that games can be used for many other things, as you see from all their movies and TV shows. The Twisted Metal series has been dead for years now but somehow they made a really good series out of it.

Konami did the same with Castlevania, now I come to think of it, so making a popular game doesn’t have to be the one and only thing you do with an idea. We’re at the point now where something might not be popular as a game but could still be a hit as a show. They were going to make a Days Gone movie at one point, so Sony obviously gets it.
Klem

Science bit
I wouldn’t be surprised if a portion of the State of Play is dedicated to the PSSR update that is coming to PS5 Pro this year. If it can provide similar quality upscaling to FSR 4.0, without greatly increasing the burden on the CPU, it could suddenly make the PS5 Pro a more worthwhile proposition. The Switch 2 has shown what can be achieved with a good machine-learning upscaler and it’ll be the norm going forward for all new consoles.

On a related note, the new mobile chips from Intel seem really promising. The handheld PC space has stagnated a wee bit since most of the hardware is based around an aging AMD chipset. A bit of competition from Intel wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Magnumstache

GC: You may well be right about PSSR being in the State of Play.

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

All that remains
There’s a lot of talk about physical vs. digital lately on GC.

After downloading all of my old Switch games (I sold my original Switch three years ago, by the way) from my Nintendo online account onto my new Switch 2 I’ve noticed that Horizon Chase Turbo is missing but the downloadable content is still on there. Any ideas on why this has happened GC?

I’m just glad it was an £18 game and not a £60 one, not that I ever buy non-physical full price games.
Adams6legend
PS: I have tried re-downloading it but it wants me to pay again.

GC: We’re not sure, have you tried contacting the publisher?

Feverish pricing
Just out of curiosity I wonder why you felt Mario Tennis Fever’s price was egregious enough to mark it out as a con.

The RRP price of £58.99 digital/£66.99 physical (it’s actually £55 from many places, like Amazon) puts it on with par with other first party Switch 2 games and a bit cheaper than new first party PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X/S games.

The review also said Fever was the most comprehensive entry and stacked with content. It sounds like you’ll get a decent amount of milage for the money.

I don’t care about Fever personally. But if a new Virtua Tennis released that content rich I’d happily pay £60.
Simundo

GC: £67 seemed like a lot of money to us, kudos if it doesn’t to you.

Two extremes
It’s really funny to think that the two most wished for games of the last decade – Shenmue 3 and a Final Fantasy 7 remake – both turned out to flops. Shenmue 3 was a complete disaster but while I’m sure Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth made some of its money back it was obviously not enough, given this permanent price decrease and going multiformat.

It’s a real shame because I think they did a great job with the remakes and I’m really looking forward to the third one. I think they’re much better games than Final Fantasy 16 but given that didn’t do great either I’m not sure what direction Square Enix is going to go next, if neither nostalgia or something completely different worked.

I know Square Enix talked to the team that made Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 so the hope is whatever they’re doing next is going to be like that, and turn-based, but I don’t know. I just can’t imagine making a massive budget turn-based role-player in this day and age.

If they do then I’ll be over the moon, but perhaps they’ll also make it more of a mid-budget game. I would be absolutely fine with that. I’d prefer it to be honest, if it means they can afford to get weird and experiment.
They clearly don’t know what woks at the moment, and I doubt anyone does, so trying a few idea out relatively cheaply seems like the perfect solution to me.
Minilla

Panic over
Please don’t worry about the future of the Like A Dragon series. Their main projects are Stranger Than Heaven and the new Virtua Fighter.

The numbered series has been released every four years for quite some time. Pirates last year or Yakuza Kiwami 3 this year are side projects with smaller budgets. Thank you.
Lucas

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Original name
People have been saying all the Overwatch women look the same for years, so I guess this new one was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. I don’t really care about that, but I was shocked to find out that they’ve stopped calling the game Overwatch 2 and just knocked the ‘2’ off the name. What a disaster.

The rush to try and get a live service hit reminds me very much of movie companies all trying to make their own cinematic universe, despite the fact that only one of them has worked and there’s no guarantee any others will.

There is at least more than one successful live service game, so I suppose you’ve got that, but it’s still only a tiny percentage that are ever a major hit.

Just as importantly, even the successful ones often don’t seem to know what they’re doing. Just as the MCU has come off the hinges, Overwatch was doing live service stuff before the term even existed and now look at it. The game’s a laughing stock and I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled the plug when this new update (and rename!) doesn’t work out.

At some point companies are going to have to accept that nothing lasts forever. We’ve already forgotten how close Fortnite came to disaster a couple of years, but it will definitely happen again.
Cankle

Inbox also-rans
I agree that the art style in Mewgenics is completely off-putting. I was really liking the sound of it, from reading your review, but seeing it in action, I’m just not interested.
Ivor

So what’s the betting for exactly how dumb the name for the next gen Xbox is going to be? Xbox Zero is my guess, but I can think of a lot worse (zero is for the number of customers, obviously).
Wotan

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The small print
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MORE: Games Inbox: What games will be in Thursday’s PS5 State of Play?

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MORE: Games Inbox: Is Bethesda overrated as a game developer?

There’s going to be a HUGE clamour for tickets for this one – as Take That star Robbie makes an unexpected return to the city this month as part of BRITs Week

Pop superstar Robbie Williams is to make a surprise return to Manchester later this month – for an intimate charity gig that has just been announced.

Robbie will play Manchester’s Aviva Studios on Friday, February 27 as part of the big BRITs Week series of gigs being held in the run-up to the music awards night taking place in Manchester for the first time this year.

The BRITS Week gigs are raising money for the War Child charity, and is being billed as “the biggest artists play the smallest shows”. It will also see pop star Olivia Dean play at Manchester’s Albert Hall and The K’s perform at Gorilla.

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Chart-topping star Robbie has just finished a run of UK shows in celebration of his 16th studio album, BRITPOP, that soared straight to Number One on release this year. It became his 16th chart-topping album – seeing Robbie beat the record formerly held by The Beatles for most number one albums ever.

Robbie is now confirmed to join the 2026 lineup for The BRITs week run of gigs, in what is set to be the hottest of hot tickets to see him back in the city where it all started. The 18 x BRIT Awards winner will be playing the recently-built Aviva Studios in Manchester city centre for the first time.

He will be joined by Leighs own The Lottery Winners, who Robbie has become pals with ever since asking them to join his mega arena tour across last summer.

Robbie will be performing tracks from his debut album Life Thru a Lens, which became his first number one solo album after he left Take That, as well as songs from his newest chart-topper BRITPOP on the night. So fans can expect to hear the likes of Robbie anthems Angels, Let Me Entertain You and Lazy Days from the 90s, as well as his newies like Rocket and Morrissey, his ode to the Manc music legend.

All proceeds from the shows go towards War Child’s essential work providing aid, education, specialist mental health support, and more while standing up for the rights of children whose lives have been devastatingly affected by war.

BRITs Week will take place around The BRIT Awards 2026 with Mastercard, taking place on Saturday 28th February in Manchester at Co-op Live.

With the awards leaving the capital for the first time in its nearly 50-year history, organisers say BRITs Week 26 is expanding into a new era with artists playing in Newcastle, London, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Brighton and Manchester, giving more fans across the country the chance to see their favourite artists in the lead-up to the UK’s biggest night in music.

Through BRITs Week, some of the biggest names in music, including Fatboy Slim, Myles Smith and Katherine Jenkins, perform in the series of very special, intimate shows to help save lives around the world in raising funds for War Child.

Fans will be able to get tickets by either entering a raffle with a charity donation, or a limited amount of tickets will go on general sale with details all below.

How to get tickets

As Robbie at Aviva Studios is a special charity gig, it will be a different way of getting tickets for fans than a normal show.

Music fans can enter the official War Child prize draw to win a pair of tickets to see Robbie, or indeed any of the BRITs Week gigs, for just a £10 per entry donation to War Child. The entry system is on Crowdfunder here.

For the best chance of getting tickets, you can sign up for the pre-sale with War Child by clicking here. The pre-sale sign-up closes on 5pm Wednesday 11th February, and the pre-sale begins 10am Thursday 12th February.

A limited number of tickets will also be available on general sale from Friday, February 13 at 10am from the War Child website here.

Michael Carrick joked the viral fan hoping for a long-awaited haircut will not be making it into his team talk as Manchester United head to West Ham looking for a fifth straight Premier League win.

Frank Ilett has racked up more than two million social media followers since pledging in October 2024 to grow his hair until the Red Devils secured five victories in a row.

Erik ten Hag was in charge at the start of a challenge that could end after nearly 500 days if Carrick can continue his winning record since succeeding Ruben Amorim by beating his former club West Ham on Tuesday.

The former midfielder has not been keeping a close eye on the viral stunt but learned about “The United Strand” through his children.

“I can say I’m aware of it, yeah,” Carrick said with a smile. “My kids have made me aware of it, if anything, but it certainly won’t go into the team talk from a professional level.

“I can understand what’s going on with it and it does make me smile but it won’t have an impact ultimately in the end.”

Opportunity knocks for United, who can move eight points clear of sixth-place Liverpool with victory at the London Stadium. Arne Slot’s team face a stringent test at Sunderland tomorrow night, without a specialist right-back to select from.

Man Utd have lost each of their last three league games at West Ham though, while Nuno Espirito Santo also boasts a very respectable record against them. Across 11 league matches in charge of Wolves, Nottingham Forest and West Ham against United, Nuno has only lost three.

West Ham have won three of their last four games, and in the one game they lost in that run they raced into a 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge. A front four of Crysencio Summerville, Taty Castellanos, Pablo and Jarrod Bowen has been causing problems; let’s see if they stick with that front-footed approach against a United team who look potent.

Full team news on the way shortly.

For obvious reasons, the secretive world of intelligence agencies and the people who revolve in its orbit remains opaque. So much so, that some of those people may not even be aware of any involvement in the secret world.

The Epstein papers have thrown up speculation about whether the late financier and sex offender might have performed services for one or another of the big intelligence agencies. And in the wake of that speculation, it has been noted that the father of Epstein’s one-time girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was the late Robert Maxwell, well-known as a larger than life publisher and newspaper proprietor in the UK from the 1950s to the early 90s. He, too, was the subject of much speculation that he might have been involved in intelligence work.

Epstein is now better known for his sex trafficking network and Maxwell for stealing from his employees’ pension funds. But their examples point to how intelligence, high finance and influence work.

Generally speaking there are three main classes of people involved in state intelligence gathering. “Officers” are full-time employees of state intelligence agencies such as MI6. They run their groups of “agents”, who are not formally employed by the state but who deliberately and knowingly gather intelligence and perform tasks for intelligence officers. And there are what is known as “intelligencers” (or sometimes assets) who may not even know they are providing information to a spy agency.

The currency of human intelligence is access, knowledge and often the ability to compromise officials and influential people.

We often think that intelligence agencies and their agent runners seek to directly recruit people with the access and motivation to pass on state secrets. While this is undeniably the case – and the examples of the American Aldrich Ames and the Briton Melita Norwood provide good evidence of this – intelligence agencies are equally interested in recruiting what’s known as “access agents”.

Access agents

The value of an access agent is not the secrets they have access to, but the social and professional access they provide to people who do. People in high-end society, scientific research, banking, politics and culture make excellent targets for access agents. And from an agency’s point of view, the best thing is that these agents are deniable and under the radar.

Intelligence officers and their operatives require funding, mobility and a credible back story (known as a legend). Businessmen like Robert Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein had plenty of all three, making them excellent candidates to theoretically serve the needs of intelligence agencies.

But rather than indulging in speculation about Epstein and Maxwell, which is unlikely ever to be conclusively confirmed or denied, it’s more instructive to look at what we know about access agents. They are often business people, sometimes academics or journalists with a reason to travel and the opportunity to meet people in influential circles in the course of their legitimate business.

It’s worth remembering that Kim Philby, the most notorious of the Cambridge spy ring, cut his teeth as a reporter in Spain during the civil war, before embarking on a career as an MI6 officer (and Soviet double agent). Australian journalist, Richard Hughes – who appeared lightly disguised in novels by Ian Fleming and John le Carre – was believed by many to be an agent for British intelligence, working in southeast Asia during the upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s.

Perhaps the most famous businessman-agent was Cyril Bertram Mills who combined being the director of the Bertram Mills Circus with a four-decade career spanning the years before and after the second world war with British intelligence. Travelling widely in Europe, ostensibly to seek out circus acts, he provided his spymasters with evidence of German rearmament in the 1930s. He also recruited Garbo, one of the most successful double agents, who was instrumental in convincing Germany that the D-Day landings would be in Calais, not Normandy.

An access agent is trained “to be the friend the informant doesn’t have”. They can provide what their contact needs and cannot get hold of: whether that’s useful inside information of some kind, an introduction to someone important, a sexual partner or finance for one of their ventures.

MI5 is quite open about this on its website: “Agents operate by exploiting trusted relationships and positions to obtain sensitive information. They may also look for vulnerabilities among those handling secrets.

Secrets and lies

Determining truth in intelligence is complicated. Very rarely do we see a single piece of incontrovertible evidence that proves someone’s intelligence status or the ethics or efficacy of their actions. But then as we know, all of this is shrouded in secrecy and supposition.

In Maxwell’s case, historical scholarship and TV documentaries have provided unverified hints. In Epstein’s we have indicators such as the claim by former US attorney, Alexander Acosta that he was told Epstein “belonged to intelligence”, when he negotiated his plea deal. But it’s unlikely we’ll ever know the truth about either.

Panama’s supreme court invalidated a contract in late January that had allowed Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based firm CK Hutchison, to operate two ports on the Panama canal since 1997.

The decision, which ruled that the laws allowing the firm to operate the ports were “unconstitutional”, comes one year after the US president, Donald Trump, threatened to take control of the canal to limit Chinese influence over the waterway.

Beijing reacted to the ruling angrily, calling the judgment “absurd, shameful and pathetic”. It also said the Panamanian government will pay “a heavy political and economic price” for evicting the company from the ports. The ruling is the latest sign that China’s ambitions in the region are losing momentum.

Chinese influence in Latin America is a relatively recent phenomenon. Since 1823, when President James Monroe declared the western hemisphere closed to further European colonisation, the US has largely maintained strict control over the region’s affairs.

But that changed after the end of the cold war in 1991, with successive US administrations reducing their focus on Latin America. This allowed emerging superpowers such as China to assert their influence in the region.

China is now the top trading partner for South America and is becoming the largest for Latin America as a whole. It is also a major source of foreign direct investment and infrastructure lending for the region.

Chinese influence in what the US considers its own backyard has irked the Trump administration. Shortly after the operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, declared: “This is the western hemisphere. This is where we live – and we’re not going to allow the western hemisphere to be a base of operations for adversaries, competitors and rivals of the United States.”

The eviction of Panama Ports Company from the Panama canal will have been celebrated as a victory in Washington, which is looking to promote its own national interests in the region. But it is also possible that the incident could prompt countries throughout Latin America to address their reliance on China.

Over the past two decades, China has swamped countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with loans. However, unlike loans from the World Bank or International Monetary Fund that are contingent on structural and institutional reforms, Chinese loans come with few conditions attached. China generally requires governments to guarantee repayment through the future export of commodities such as oil.

At the same time, Chinese investments generally bring low environmental and labour standards. In a 2023 analysis of 14 Chinese mining, hydroelectric, fossil fuel, infrastructure and agriculture projects in Latin America, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights identified patterns of serious rights abuses. These included abuses against the rights of Indigenous people, as well as the rights to health, a healthy environment, water, food and housing.

Chinese investments also tend to focus on areas that give Beijing control over a country’s critical infrastructure. For example, China controls a majority stake in the strategically important Chancay port in western Peru and Chinese firms now control approximately two-thirds of Chile’s energy distribution. Under these circumstances, reducing reliance on China is probably in the interests of many Latin American countries.

In February 2025, Panama became the first country in the region to withdraw from China’s global infrastructure and investment project, the Belt and Road Initiative. The announcement followed a visit by Rubio, drawing criticism from Chinese officials over what they saw as US attempts to “deliberately sow discord” between China and Panama.

At a press conference, the Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino, said: “I do not know what was the intention of those who signed this agreement with China. What has it brought to Panama all these years? What are the great things that this Belt and Road Initiative has brought to the country?”

China’s choices

China itself already appears to be deprioritising Latin America as an investment destination, largely due to the region’s mediocre growth trajectory and frequent delays to loan repayments. It has scaled back on sovereign loans since 2020, while Chinese investment in large-scale Latin American infrastructure projects has reduced in recent years.

And it may be in China’s interests to accelerate this trend. The US capture of Maduro demonstrates the Trump administration’s willingness to induce dramatic changes in the Latin American political environment. These changes may undermine China’s ability to extract unpaid debts from governments in the region.

For example, analysts suggest there is a risk that the new Venezuelan government will attempt to challenge the legitimacy of the roughly US$10 billion (£7.3 billion) of debt it owes to China under a legal doctrine known as “odious debt”. This arises when a government argues that debt incurred by a previous regime did not benefit the nation and is therefore unenforceable.

The future ownership of the two ports previously operated by Panama Ports Company is unclear. The firm has announced it is launching international arbitration proceedings against Panama over the contract ruling, a process that is likely to last years. But it appears the high noon of Chinese economic domination in Latin America may well be over.

A GoFundMe page was launched to support Darren Southworth, 57, owner of Darren’s Barbers on Lee Lane in Horwich, whose shop was badly damaged when a car crashed into the building in the early hours of Saturday, February 7.

The shop was left boarded up due to the scale of the damage, prompting a show of support from the community and neighbouring businesses.

However, Mr Southworth later used Facebook to clarify that the fundraiser had not been set up with his consent.

He said: “I haven’t authorised any GoFundMe or fundraising on my behalf.

Darren’s Barbers is on 14 Lee Ln, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7BY (Image: Ruby Watson)

“I’ve asked the organiser to close it and return all donations.

“I’m genuinely grateful to the organiser, whom I don’t think I know and I don’t recognise from her photos, and for the thought behind it and for everyone who has already donated so kindly.

“I do have insurance in place, and I’m hopeful it will cover the financial losses once everything is processed.

“Please do not donate further.

“I have contacted GoFundMe to try to get this stopped because this does not feel necessary when I have shop insurance.

“Thank you again for the kindness and generosity you have all shown.

“I am extremely grateful.

“Your continued support and kind messages are enough.”

GoFundMe confirmed the fundraiser has now been removed and that no funds were released.

A spokesperson for the fundraising platform said: “The fundraiser was removed by the organiser.

“No funds were released and all donors will be refunded.”

Despite the misunderstanding, Mr Southworth has been touched by the support shown by the Horwich community.

Darren Southworth, owner of Darren’s Barbers (Image: Darren Southworth)

Nearby barbers have offered him a chair so he can continue working until his shop is repaired.

Well-wishers have also sent him messages of encouragement and support.

The crash itself remains under investigation.

Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that the collision resulted in life-threatening injuries, though there were no fatalities.

As Mr Southworth waits for repairs to his shop, he remains hopeful that his insurance will cover the majority of the damage.

An inquest in to the death of the Strictly star has opened in which it has been revealed the impact being cut from the show had on him

Robin Windsor said he felt a “constant sadness” after being dropped from Strictly Come Dancing. An inquest into the death of the dancer has been opened, two years after he died.

Windsor left a suicide note when he died, aged 44, in 2024, the inquest heard. The star was found dead in his hotel bed by a receptionist with police and medics then attending the Hoxton in West London.

PC Emily Hampson discovered two notes near him. One of which was addressed to his ex, Ollie Augustin, and said his suicide was not Augustin’s fault.

The other detailed how being axed from Strictly in 2015 left him in “a dark place”. He wrote: “This all really started when I lost my job on Strictly and have been fighting it ever since.

“The way they treated me destroyed me…It started me on the road I’m still on. All I wanted from life was to be happy. I loved my job more than anyone else.”

He added that the “heartache, the loneliness, the constant sadness” all got to be “too much”. “I just live permanently in a dark place,” Windsor said. “I just can’t live like this anymore. It’s just too painful.

“I had a good run, I’ve done some incredible things in my 44 years and had an unreal life doing what I loved, but all things must come to an end, and my curtain has come down for the final time.”

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Windsor was partnered with big names Patsy Kensit, Anita Dobson, Lisa Riley and Deborah Meaden between 2010 and 2013, but suffered a back injury that meant he needed surgery.

Due to his injury he was unable to partake in the 2014 series and the following year bosses decided not to bring him back. His friend and former colleague, Kristina Rihanoff, told the hearing that the “psychological impact” of leaving Strictly was “very severe” as he “couldn’t do what he loved” due to his back pain. She added that is was “heartbreaking” to see him so “sad, subdued and burdened”.

The inquest heard that a post-mortem ruled Windsor’s death was likely an overdose on drugs and alcohol. Former Strictly executive producer Louise Rainbow said Windsor was one of three stars dropped ahead of the 2015 series and that though he was “very disappointed” when he was told, his reaction “wasn’t that different” to the other dancers and did not cause her concern.

She added that Windsor was offered work on the Christmas special and the spin-off, It Takes Two, both of which he accepted. She described him as a “joy to work with”.

Marcus Collins, Windsor’s ex-boyfriend, also testified. His witness statement read out by the assistant coroner said Windsor was inconsolable after being cut. He said: “The day he was informed he was no longer required really broke his spirit.”

His aunt, Alison Windsor, said he was “absolutely devastated”. She said on at the hearing: “He lived for dancing, breathed it, slept it. That was his vocation in life.

“Being called for Strictly is every professional dancer’s dream. I think things started with his back problems, when he was told he wasn’t required again. I do honestly 100 per cent believe that was the start of Robin’s decline.”

In another written statement, Windsor’s former dance partner Deborah Meaden said the last time she’d heard from him was a year prior his death. “We talked about his mental health problems, but he had come through the bad times and had plans for the future.”

The court also heard that Windsor has said to his ex Augustin that he “would kill himself”. He said that Windsor was on suicide watch over Christmas 2023 and that “he’d say things like he would kill himself if he couldn’t be with me”. However, as mentioned one of the notes insisted that this was not the reason Windsor committed suicide.

The inquest continues. The Mirror has approached Strictly Come Dancing.

If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch

Bad Bunny’s halftime show at this year’s Super Bowl drew a massive 128.2 million viewers, but fell short of the record set last year when 133.5 million viewers tuned in to watch Kendrick Lamar.

The Puerto Rican superstar’s showstopping Sunday performance came midway through the NFL championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, which was itself watched by an average of 124.9 million people, according to new data published by Nielsen.

Viewership peaked during the second quarter of the game when 137.8 million people were watching simultaneously, the highest peak viewership in U.S. television history.

While Bad Bunny may not have broken Lamar’s record, he did easily exceed the 6.1 million people who tuned in to the YouTube livestream of the right-wing organization Turning Point USA’s rival All-American halftime show, headlined by country singer Kid Rock.

The alternative MAGA event was held in protest of Bad Bunny’s selection as the 2026 Super Bowl halftime star. After he was announced last September, he faced a barrage of MAGA hate, including from Donald Trump, who slammed him as a “terrible choice” that “sows hatred” due to his past criticism of the president’s ICE raids.

During Bad Bunny’s 13-minute, high-energy set, he managed to squeeze in a medley of at least 12 songs and a handful of celebrity cameos.

open image in gallery

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His performance, widely praised by critics, was a joyous celebration of Latin culture and a call for pan-American unity. Towards the end of his performance, the “DtMF” artist, 31, was handed a football with the words, “Together, We are America,” written on it. He told the crowd, “God bless America,” before listing the names of every country in the Americas.

The Grammy-winning rapper and singer not only smashed viewership records, but he also made history as the first solo male Latin artist to headline the event. He is also the first person to perform on the NFL’s most high-profile stage entirely in a language other than English. That detail didn’t sit right with Trump, who fumed on Truth Social: “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying.”

His all-Spanish set, however, didn’t appear to deter fans, who have since rushed to Duolingo to learn the language. The popular language-learning app, said that during Bad Bunny’s halftime show, its platform experienced a significant surge in users learning Spanish as viewers seemingly turned to the app to understand the lyrics.

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In a four-star review of Bad Bunny’s show, The Independent’s Mark Beaument declared it “might even be the moment that the Latin world steals away the global musical zeitgeist from a nation folding in on itself.”

“Because this — this wild, inclusive fiesta — was Old America at its best,” he wrote.

Police Scotland has launched an investigation into the deaths of six patients, including adults and children, believed to have contracted fatal infections at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

The inquiry follows a long-running controversy over hospital-acquired infections at the site, with concerns raised by families and clinicians about water contamination, ventilation systems and wider environmental safety within the hospital.

The hospital has been under scrutiny for several years after campaigners raised questions about possible links between infections and environmental factors within the building. The investigation will examine whether any such factors contributed to the deaths.

Modern hospitals are generally safe places to receive care. But infections remain a risk wherever large numbers of vulnerable patients receive complex treatment.

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), also known as nosocomial (meaning originating in hospital) or healthcare-associated infections, are infections patients contract during or after receiving treatment in healthcare settings that were not present when they were admitted.

These infections can occur not only in hospitals, but also in nursing homes, rehabilitation centres, outpatient clinics and dialysis units. They represent a persistent and serious threat to patient safety worldwide. Patients may develop bloodstream infections from contaminated intravenous lines or severe diarrhoeal illness after exposure to resistant bacteria on hospital wards.

Hospital-acquired infections are among the most common adverse events in healthcare globally. They can lead to longer hospital stays, higher costs, disability and death. Across the European Union and European Economic Area combined, surveillance data suggest more than four million patients are affected each year. In the UK, healthcare-associated infections affect hundreds of thousands of people annually and remain a major patient safety concern.

Most hospital-acquired infections are treatable. However, they can become life-threatening when they lead to bloodstream infection or sepsis or occur in already vulnerable patients. Many involve microbes that no longer respond to standard antibiotics.

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These infections are especially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, including older adults, newborn babies and patients undergoing surgery or intensive treatments. Healthcare workers are also at risk because of repeated exposure to infectious patients and contaminated environments.

Causes of HAIs

Hospital-acquired infections can be caused by many microbes, including bacteria, fungi and viruses.

One well-known bacterium is Staphylococcus aureus, which often lives harmlessly on the skin or in the nose but can cause serious infection if it enters the body. A particularly problematic strain is methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which has evolved resistance to several commonly used antibiotics.

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Another major cause is Clostridioides difficile, which can trigger severe diarrhoea and inflammation of the colon, particularly after antibiotic use disrupts normal gut bacteria. These pathogens have been major concerns for decades because they resist treatment and spread easily in healthcare settings.

Other emerging threats include carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, gut bacteria resistant to carbapenems, a class of last-resort antibiotics. These gram-negative bacteria have a cell wall structure that makes them naturally more resistant to many antibiotics and harder to treat. They frequently cause bloodstream infections and urinary tract infections in hospitals.

A growing fungal threat is Candidozyma auris, a drug-resistant yeast that has caused outbreaks worldwide and can survive for long periods on surfaces.

Viruses also play a role. Respiratory viruses such as coronavirus, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus can spread rapidly in wards. Norovirus frequently causes outbreaks of vomiting and diarrhoea because it spreads easily and survives well on surfaces.

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Bloodborne viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV can spread through contaminated needles, blood products or failures in infection control. Other viruses, including varicella-zoster and measles, have also caused hospital outbreaks.

Hospital-acquired infections spread through multiple routes. Direct contact between patients and healthcare workers is common, as is transmission via contaminated equipment or surfaces when cleaning is inadequate.

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Environmental sources can contribute. Hospital water systems have been linked to outbreaks in some investigations. Surfaces and medical devices such as catheters and ventilators can harbour microbes if not properly sterilised. Research also highlights less obvious routes, including insects carrying resistant bacteria.

Antimicrobial resistance

One of the biggest challenges in tackling hospital-acquired infections is antimicrobial resistance. This occurs when microbes evolve so that medicines designed to kill them become less effective.

Hospitals use large quantities of antibiotics, creating pressure for microbes to develop resistance. Over time this can lead to superbugs that spread quickly, including among frontline healthcare workers. Clear communication about risk and prevention is essential.

Global surveillance indicates that antibiotic-resistant infections in healthcare settings are rising sharply.

Hospital-acquired infections can be fatal, particularly when they lead to bloodstream infection or sepsis. In 2019, antimicrobial resistance was directly responsible for an estimated 1.27 million deaths worldwide.

Outbreaks occur when infection rates rise above expected levels and may begin with a single infected patient, contaminated equipment or environmental sources. Once established, infections can spread quickly between wards.

Preventing hospital-acquired infections requires strict hygiene, sterilisation, environmental cleaning and responsible antibiotic use. Surveillance systems and rapid responses help contain outbreaks early. Improved ventilation, antimicrobial materials and better hospital design may also reduce transmission.

Hospital-acquired infections remain a major global public health challenge because they occur in places meant to heal. No one should enter hospital for treatment and leave with a preventable infection.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is refusing to consider Moderna’s application for a new flu vaccine made with Nobel Prize-winning mRNA technology, the company announced Tuesday.

The news is the latest sign of the FDA’s heightened scrutiny of vaccines under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., particularly those using mRNA technology, which he has criticized before and after becoming the nation’s top health official.

Moderna received what’s called a “refusal-to-file” letter from the FDA that objected to how it conducted a 40,000-person clinical trial comparing its new vaccine to one of the standard flu shots used today. That trial concluded the new vaccine was somewhat more effective in adults 50 and older than that standard shot.

The letter from FDA vaccine director Dr. Vinay Prasad said the agency doesn’t consider the application to contain an “adequate and well-controlled trial” because it didn’t compare the new shot to “the best-available standard of care in the United States at the time of the study.” Prasad’s letter pointed to some advice FDA officials gave Moderna in 2024, under the Biden administration, which Moderna didn’t follow.

According to Moderna, that feedback said it was acceptable to use the standard-dose flu shot the company had chosen — but that another brand specifically recommended for seniors would be preferred for anyone 65 and older in the study. Still, Moderna said, the FDA did agree to let the study proceed as originally planned.

The company said it also had shared with FDA additional data from a separate trial comparing the new vaccine against a licensed high-dose shot used for seniors.

The FDA “did not identify any safety or efficacy concerns with our product” and “does not further our shared goal of enhancing America’s leadership in developing innovative medicines,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement.

It’s rare that FDA refuses to file an application, particularly for a new vaccine, which requires companies and FDA staff to engage in months or years of discussions.

Moderna has requested an urgent meeting with FDA, and noted that it has applied for the vaccine’s approval in Europe, Canada and Australia.

In the last year, FDA officials working under Kennedy have rolled back recommendations around COVID-19 shots, added extra warnings to the two leading COVID vaccines — which are made with mRNA technology — and removed critics of the administration’s approach from an FDA advisory panel.

Kennedy announced last year that his department would cancel more than $500 million in contracts and funding for the development of vaccines using mRNA.

FDA for decades has allowed vaccine makers to quickly update their annual flu shots to target the latest strains by showing that they trigger an immune response in patients. That’s a far more efficient approach than running long-term studies tracking whether patients get the flu and how they fare. In an internal memo last year, Prasad wrote that the streamlined method would no longer be permitted – leading more than a dozen former FDA commissioners to pen an editorial condemning the statements.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.