Ben Shephard has spoken about how he has changed over the years, with The Summit presenter opening up a little more about the dynamic within his marriage to Annie

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Presenter of ITV’s This Morning Ben Shephard has said he is “ruthless” in sticking to one rule in his and wife Annie’s family life.

Ben, 51, made the admission after talking about how important his wife had been to him. Ben has been married to Annie for over 20 years and together they share two sons, Sam, 21, and Jack, 19.

Speaking with The Big Issue about what he would tell his younger self, and what would surprise younger Ben about current Ben, The Masked Singer star said it would be how strict he is about dirty laundry.

He said: “Probably that my bed is made and I get really annoyed that my boys don’t put their pants in the wash basket.

“I was not a particularly tidy teenager and now my teenage boys would argue that I’m the most ruthless when it comes to keeping bedrooms tidy.

“So that would be quite a sea change. I think my final words for my younger self would be just put your washing in the basket and be nicer to your old man.”

Before this, Ben said how much he values his life with his wife Annie. He said: “I am very aware that in my relationship, my wife is the most important person. I have learned more from her than anyone in my life.”

Ben has previously has talked lovingly about his partner in recent weeks, despite admitting they often live separate lives due to work commitments.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said that Annie, an interior designer, feels content while spending time alone.

He explained: “Annie is much more solitary than me. She’s much happier in her own company. Half the time she’s like ‘I need a bit of space. Can you leave me alone for five seconds, please?’.”

However, Ben was quick to point out how Annie is the most important factor in their family and that they enjoy spending time together whenever they can.

He added: “We do live quite separate lives. I’m off working, she has her job, which is garden and interior design. If I’ve got spare time I want to do something physical.”

Ben currently hosts The Summit, a new ITV show in which 14 contestants try to reach the top of a mountain on New Zealand’s South Island, with competitors aiming to win a share of a £200,000 prize.

For snooker’s biggest star, Ronnie O’Sullivan has played a relatively minor role in the story of this season and his rivals do not think the main character is being missed too much.

The 50-year-old has not been totally absent, playing in eight tournaments so far this campaign, but he has opted out of more events than he has entered.

Form struggles have also made this a quiet campaign for the Rocket, with early exits at the likes of the UK Championship, International Championship and recent World Grand Prix.

There has really just been one standout run, which came at the Saudi Arabia Masters in August where O’Sullivan made the final, only losing in a deciding frame to Neil Robertson.

The semi-final in Jeddah was even more memorable than that epic final thanks to the Rocket’s two 147s in a win over Chris Wakelin.

However, that was his highlight in an otherwise dull campaign, which could not spark into life at the Players Championship last week or the ongoing Welsh Open as the Rocket chose not to enter either.

World number one Judd Trump says that players are now entirely used to O’Sullivan not being around and feels he should not rush back, given his recent performances.

‘No, I don’t even think about it,’ said Trump at last week’s Players Championship. ‘It’s not until you mention it that I realise that he’s not here.

‘I just think he’s an amazing player, but the way he’s played recently, he’s been quite poor. So I think it’s better for him to take that time out and when he’s willing to put the work in and whatever it is…I think he’s still struggling with his cue as well.

‘I don’t think he’s found the right cue from what I’ve see him play, he’s nowhere near. The mistakes he makes he never made with his old cue, never.

‘And I think obviously the more you get older and the less he plays, the less sharp he’s going to be and it’s just going to get harder and harder.

‘So, I think it’s going to be difficult for him now. Ronnie can turn it on at any point, but I think he’s a little bit more vulnerable.

‘He used to be invincible against some players and he’d just have to turn up and they’d kind of crumble, wouldn’t they? Now it just doesn’t seem that that happens as much. People are a lot more comfortable playing him.

‘But I’m sure there’s going to be one tournament in the next year or two where he’s going to be unbelievable and he’s still capable of amazing things.’

Similarly to Trump, John Higgins feels it has become normal for a tournament to be without the Rocket, but any appearance he does make should be appreciated.

‘To be brutally honest, he’s not playing really a lot now,’ said Higgins. ‘So I think all the guys just enjoy him now, when he does appear, you know what I mean?

‘But he’s obviously got different things going on in his life, and he can’t be around forever. So just enjoy him while he’s still playing some events.’

‘I think it’s still too reliant on Ronnie. It’s mind-boggling at times’

Mark Allen does feel that having the Rocket in a field brings an added excitement to an event, but snooker has the ideal opportunity to create new stars as the seven-time world champion slows down his schedule.

However, the Pistol does not think enough is being done to push new talents into the limelight.

‘It is what it is. Ronnie’s just at that stage of his career,’ said Allen. ‘He’s always going to do what he wants to do. I think the good thing for the game in general is that it’s becoming more common, so it’s giving the events a chance to be popular without Ronnie.

‘I think there’s no doubt there’s a better buzz when he’s involved. I absolutely love playing him. The crowd and stuff, that’s basically what we started playing snooker for, to play in those types of matches.

‘But it’s up to WST and the media guys to really push the rest of the tour now because Ronnie probably doesn’t have a lot of years left and we have to try and create the next superstar.

‘I think it’s still too reliant on Ronnie. It’s mind-boggling at times, I understand he’s the big name in the sport, I completely get that, but you’re not going to create the next Ronnie O’Sullivan in the media if you don’t give them a chance.

‘There’s a lot of people that have been doing really well in recent years that haven’t got the coverage they deserve.’

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I’m standing in the middle of Belgorod’s central square, and I can see three white, squat structures around the perimeter.

Next to the theatre and the regional parliament building, they look out of place.

The word “ukrytiye” is printed in red on the side of each one. It means “cover”.

Follow latest updates on the Ukraine war

They are bomb shelters, and there are hundreds all over the city. Supposedly, they’re temporary, but two years after being installed, they feel increasingly permanent.

When the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine four years ago, bomb shelters on home soil were definitely not part of the battle plans.

Nor were the barricades at Belgorod’s bus stops. Nor the anti-drone nets draped over its schools and shopping centre. Nor the now frequent blackouts and power cuts.

But by exporting war, Russia also brought it home, and Belgorod has been on the frontline of Ukraine’s retaliation.

At 25 miles (40km) from the border, it is the closest Russian city to the fighting.

We meet 80-year-old Lyudmila outside her apartment block on the outskirts of the city, a few hours after it has been hit by drones.

One crashed into her bedroom while she and her husband Vladimir were at home.

“It flew in through the window, hit the floor, exploded and then flew into the other room,” she tells us, still in shock.

As we’re looking up at the charred brickwork, an air raid siren sounds.

“Again,” Lydumila sighs, before showing us inside to take shelter.

When the siren stops, we make our way up to her apartment, where I’m hit by a smell of burning as soon as the door opens.

There are cracks in the walls and scorch marks on the floor. The furniture inside has already been removed by emergency crews because there’s nothing left to salvage.

The blast would almost certainly have killed the couple had they been in the same room.

“We are so tired, you cannot even imagine,” she says.

“Lord, what did we do to deserve this? We lived in Ukraine, we were friends. And look at this, now we’re fighting each other.”

It is rare to hear people discuss the war so openly in Russia, where any criticism of it can land you behind bars.

But Belgorod isn’t like other Russian cities. The war can feel distant and detached in other parts of the country, but not here.

There is a constant threat of attack, as we find out first-hand.

‘Lucky escape’

We are on our way to the town of Shebekino, five miles (8km) from the Ukrainian border, when suddenly there’s a loud bang.

“Stop!” one of the team yells. “Quick, get out!” Our vehicle has just been hit by a drone.

We jump out and race across the ice for cover behind the wall of a derelict factory.

We don’t know where the drone came from. Our radar scanner didn’t show any threats.

We believe it was a “sleeper” drone that had been lying in wait for a potential target.

For some reason, its pilot, operating the machine remotely via an onboard camera, chose our car.

Laden with explosives, kamikaze drones are designed to detonate on impact.

This one didn’t. Instead, it lay smouldering in the road before the military arrived to take it away.

It was a very lucky escape and a terrifyingly close illustration of the everyday dangers for people in the region.

‘Alone in our grief’

Like Moscow, Kyiv denies targeting civilians.

But as in Ukraine, civilians in Russia have been killed in the war too, albeit on a much smaller scale.

At least 440 people have died in the Belgorod region since the fighting began, according to the local authorities, compared to more than 15,000 the UN says have been killed in Ukraine.

Liza’s mother, Viktoriya, died when Belgorod was shelled just over two years ago.

She had been out shopping with Liza, whose left leg was amputated after being hit by shrapnel. She was eight months old at the time.

“Those were very difficult days,” says her uncle Dmitri, who stayed with Liza in hospital for several months and adopted her.

“She and I were left alone in our grief.”

Dmitri was born in Belgorod, and that’s where his whole family lives, including his mother and grandmother. That’s why he’s stayed. But it means life is essentially on hold – spent largely indoors and under cover.

“I wish there was peace, for children to live full lives,” he tells me.

“Our children know what Vampire strikes are, what drones are, what an FPV [first-person-view] is. A child this age doesn’t need to know this.

“There should be a childhood, and not this situation.”

At an official level, Belgorod has embraced its role as a frontline city.

A local museum has put on a special exhibition called “Angels of Victory”, which honours Belgorod’s air defences.

Visitors are shown the remnants of Ukrainian missiles and drones that have been shot down.

There’s no mention of why Belgorod has come under attack. No word on who started the war. The only message is that Russia is the victim.

It is the same with the bomb shelters. They’ve inspired a new line of souvenir keyrings. A sign of danger turned into a symbol of defiance.

‘Together until victory’

There are many here who believe the narrative. At the local Communist Party offices, a group of elderly women are weaving camouflage nets that will be sent to Russian soldiers at the front.

“[The troops] are our protection, we are their protection. Together we are strong, together until victory,” Olga tells me, under the watchful gaze of Joseph Stalin, whose giant portrait hangs on the wall.

The women say they have been making the nets every single day since the war started, and promise to continue until it ends.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Raisa says, as an image of another icon of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin, looms large behind her.

“We’re just glad that we’re so strong and not tired of anything. We just want peace and a real life.”

While some have faith in Russia’s path, it is clear there is also frustration here.

And it seems to be growing, the harder life gets.

Galina, 73, has been living by candlelight for the past five days, following a Ukrainian strike on the local power grid.

But who does she criticise? The local authorities, for not fixing the problem when they said they would.

“We understand the military situation, we understand, but you can’t understand lies,” she says.

Read more:
How has war affected Zelenskyy and Putin?
Ukraine war ‘has changed fundamentally’

Thousands in Ukraine have been living without heating and electricity for several weeks during the winter because of Russia’s targeting of energy infrastructure.

But now people here are experiencing that too, as temperatures outside hit -20C.

Tatyana has her hat and coat on as she shows us through the gloom into her apartment. She fears the blackouts will continue.

“It’s been going on for a very long time, and it’s like we’re just licking our wounds, unable to recover quickly,” she says.

And that’s just it – no one knows when this will end.

For all the diplomacy, there are still no breakthroughs. Peace talks keep hitting a brick wall.

And even if Moscow does get the favourable end of any peace deal, many here may wonder whether it’s all been worth it.

The cost of war for Russia has been laid bare – the losses, the sanctions, the isolation. But the benefits? After four years, they are still unclear.

Volodymyr Zelensky declared on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine that World War Three had already begun.

His statement reflected the increasingly global nature of Russia’s war, which has seen troops from countries across the world brought in to either bolster Putin’s aggression or support Ukraine’s resistance.

Since February 2022, around 55,000 Ukrainians have been killed in bitter fighting on the frontlines, according to Ukrainian estimates. Russia has suffered an estimated 1.2 million casualties, including at least 325,000 deaths, according to recent analysis.

Some 20,000 men from overseas are now estimated to have joined Russia’s invasion. Many have been falsely sold the promise of lucrative employment away from the frontlines. Ukraine has offered professional soldiers fixed contracts paying rates higher than what they could earn at home.

Moscow has used foreign troops to alleviate the strain on its forces and, crucially, delay another round of politically contentious mobilisation – a move likely to spark public anger.

Ahead of the fourth anniversary of the conflict, The Independent looks at some of the countries dragged into Russia’s war in Ukraine.

North Korea

North Korea assumed a major role in the conflict in support of Russia in late 2024, helping to set back a bold Ukrainian counteroffensive into Russian-held territory.

The first reports of North Koreans training in Russia came in the weeks after emboldened Ukrainian forces launched a summer offensive into Russia’s Kursk region. Pyongyang would commit some 17,000 troops to Russia in total, according to recent British estimates.

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Most of the soldiers came from North Korea’s elite ‘Storm Corps’, which are trained for infiltration and sabotage operations. They remained in Kursk to help Russia recover control of its own region before mostly withdrawing.

The UK Ministry of Defence assessed in June that Pyongyang had likely sustained more than 6,000 casualties fighting Ukraine – a little over a third of its forces.

Emil Kastehelmi, military analyst and cofounder of the Finland-based open-source intelligence collective Black Bird Group, told The Independent that “after fighting in Kursk, they’ve taken a less active role against Ukrainians”.

He said that while multiple brigades were used in Kursk, no such force has since been transferred to Donetsk, the region of eastern Ukraine sought by Putin.

North Korea has been fighting its own propaganda war at home, glorifying the troops sent to Kursk with a new memorial complex and a housing district set aside for the families of slain soldiers. Analysis say such treatment is aimed at curbing public discontent.

Kenya

Harrowing footage showing the abuse of African soldiers by Russian troops sparked outrage late last year.

Francis Ndung’u Ndarua, 35, from Kenya, was filmed in viral footage with a land mine strapped to his chest as a Russian speaker hurled racial slurs at him and said he would be used as a “can opener” to assault Ukrainian positions.

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Anne Ndarua, his mother, told CNN that Francis had gone to Russia to become an electrical engineer. She was surprised to learn he was being forced into military training, and says he was sent to the front after just three weeks.

Families have petitioned for the Kenyan government to act in recent weeks as soldiers began to return home, recounting how they were lured in by lucrative job offers only to be sent to Ukraine.

A Kenyan intelligence report found this month that around 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight in Ukraine so far. Nearly 90 were on the frontlines this month, while one has died and several have come home injured or traumatised, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in its report. The government has recently tried to ban the conscription of Kenyan soldiers.

“They sometimes may not fully understand what is the battlefield they are entering,” Mr Kastehelmi said, adding: “Russians probably can pay better and they may have also more effective recruiting networks.”

Colombia

Both Russia and Ukraine have recruited soldiers from Latin America to fill in their ranks.

Colombian veterans are considered among the most valuable foreign fighters, arriving hardened from a decades-long civil war, and familiar with Western equipment.

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Mario Urueña-Sánchez, a security expert at Rosario University in Bogotá, told The Economist that casualty rates remain high as Colombians arrive to meet a very different conflict from the one at home.

“In Colombia, you can patrol for six months and there isn’t as much risk involved,” a Colombian Army veteran now fighting in Ukraine told El Tiempo. “Here, with every entry (into combat) you know you might not come back or you might come back wounded.”

Figures vary, and recruitment is often informal, but it is estimated that between 3,000 and 7,000 Colombians have fought in Ukraine, on both sides, since 2022.

In 2024, Colombian fighters were offered between $3,000 to $4,000 per month to join existing Ukrainian units on six-month contracts, according to CEPA.

India

More than 200 Indians have been recruited into the Russian armed forces since the invasion, India’s foreign ministry reported in December, amid rising concern about citizens being lured into the military.

At least 26 people were said to have been killed and seven were still missing at the time of the report.

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Dozens of families gathered in New Delhi in November to call on the authorities to bring their relatives home, as they too heard that they had been duped into travelling to Russia for paid work only to be forced into military roles.

Among India’s casualties are Ajay Godara, 22, and Rakesh Kumar Maurya, 30, who had travelled to Russia separately on student visas, before taking up non-combat roles as cleaners and helpers, according to their families. Their bodies were returned to their families last year.

British defence minister John Healey said this month that Russia’s military is increasingly reliant on foreign fighters as losses mount faster than Moscow can replenish its frontlines.

These troops are “often recruited under false pretences and press-ganged under pressure without necessarily realising that they’re destined for the Russian meat machine on the front line of Ukraine,” he said.

The vote could have huge ramifications to a law which has hugely passionate supporters and objectors

Today (February 24) Senedd members in the Welsh Parliament will debate the assisted dying law. The law would allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life.

It is a UK law which has to be passed by Westminster, and not directly a matter devolved to Wales but it does have an impact on areas of politics which are devolved to Wales so a vote has to take place here too.

There are often occasions where this happens, and the Senedd vote is a formality, but this one is expected to be different. Not just because of the magnitude of the law, if it passes, but also what it will mean if it doesn’t pass. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here

The vote on Tuesday will be seen as important and historic, but it’s important to remember – as we explain below – this isn’t a vote on Senedd members personally backing or opposing the introduction of assisted dying, it is a vote on the legal rules around how the devolved and Westminster administrations could enact it.

What would this change?

Currently it is a criminal offence, because of section 2 of the Suicide Act 1961, to intentionally assist or encourage the suicide or attempted suicide of another person. This law would mean that it would not be an offence if someone assists a terminally ill adult to end their life in accordance with procedures set out in the law.

It would mean neither the registered medical practitioner, nor any other person who supports the terminally ill person to seek assistance under the Act, faces criminal liability for doing so.

It would amend the Suicide Act 1961 and regulate the assistance given to someone.

What is happening with the law?

The law, formally known as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, would allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life.

The bill has made it through all the stages of the House of Commons, passing the final reading by 314 votes to 291 in June 2025.

It is now being debated by the House of Lords and that process is not yet completed. More than 1,100 amendments have been tabled- a record number for this stage – and that process is ongoing.

What is happening in Wales?

The Senedd does not have the powers over to legalise assisted dying itself as the law is part of the Suicide Act 1961. Although suicide itself is no longer a criminal act, it remains a criminal offence for a third party to assist or encourage another to commit suicide.

But because this this is a law which has an impact on areas devolved to Wales – like health – there will be a vote in the Senedd on what’s called a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM).

A LCM is a formal vote used by the Senedd when Westminster legislates on devolved matters, it is politicians here in Wales giving their consent for a piece of legislation to also apply in Wales.

Although not legally binding, there is a convention which is that the UK Parliament will “not normally” legislate on devolved matters without consent from the Senedd. If, for example, the Senedd didn’t give its backing it would be quite a big deal if Westminster then overruled the will of devolved politicians.

What would the law mean in Wales?

Welsh health minister Jeremy Miles has said the law will mean Welsh Ministers will need to make regulations to make provision about voluntary assisted dying services in Wales, and that they will need to ensure that anyone involved in assisted dying can do so via the Welsh language.

The Welsh Government would only be able to implement assisted dying through the NHS if the Senedd agrees. When Mr Miles was asked to clarify what role the Senedd and Welsh Government have, he was asked by Senedd health committee chair Peter Fox whether NHS Wales can offer assisted dying, fall within devolved health powers: “If they are not made by the Welsh Government and consequently approved by this Senedd, the NHS in Wales will not be able to provide assisted dying services – is that the case?”

“That is correct,” Mr Miles replied, also saying that without NHS provision, assisted dying could become available in Wales through the private sector.

The Senedd’s health committee had looked into the law, saying it had taken a neutral position but it thought there would need to be a “wide-ranging public consultation” with people about the law, and for all Senedd committees to be given time to look at the regulations. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here

They also expressed concern about long-term impact on palliative and end-of-life care in Wales if the law came into force.

The LCM includes things specific to Wales, including that people can give information, have assessments, and get reports in Welsh; that Welsh ministers will be able to give guidance specific to Wales, allowing the Welsh healthcare system (including the NHS) to provide assisted deaths.

If it does not pass, then it would not block the law, alter eligibility, nor delay implementation but it could mean those Welsh-specific elements are withdraw, and there will not be a Wales-specific service.

Instead, it could mean only private firms deliver assisted dying services in Wales for a fee; Welsh residents could have to travel to England for both assessment and if they continue to an assisted death and there will be no specific Welsh clinical guidance or tailored oversight reflecting Welsh communities and health needs.

Why does the LCM matter?

Supporters of the law say that if the LCM does not pass it will result in a difference in the way this could be offered between England and Wales. For example, the Humanists say: “For over 50 years, abortion was legal in England, Scotland, and Wales, but not in Ireland or Northern Ireland, leading to a quarter of a million women travelling, often alone, to access it.

“This type of injustice risks being repeated between England and Wales if Welsh politicians vote down assisted dying proposals – as then, people will need to travel to England to have the procedure on the NHS. Humanists UK and My Death, My Decision are urging politicians to give terminally ill Welsh people the same options and choices that hundreds of thousands of dying people have around the world.”

They say the abortion ban disproportionately impacted people on low incomes, those living in remote areas, or socially vulnerable people and if assisted dying becomes available only through private providers or by travelling to England, people on lower incomes will face the greatest barriers.

Graham Winyard, director of campaign group “My Death, My Decision”, agreed: “It would be deeply unjust for people in Wales to be denied access to assisted dying through the NHS while people in England are supported to die on their own terms. Without NHS provision, those who cannot afford private services ,or who are too unwell to travel, may be left without any meaningful choice at the end of life.”

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What do opponents say?

Those who oppose the law say there has been “inadequate” oversight of the bill and that it “undermines devolved independence in healthcare and poses unacceptable risks to patient safety and equity”. They say the law is “deeply flawed” – they are all quotes from a letter signed by 250 healthcare professionals sent to Senedd members ahead of the key vote.

It says: “We have worked across the nation with vulnerable patients, and in under-resourced health and social care services. Those who are distressed as they face a terminal illness deserve better. unachieved. We know that care provision currently fails too many, but this Bill is not the answer.”

The medics argue that the Bill “fails to recognise the risks from mistaken diagnosis or misinformation. Accurate prognostication is impossible…. Patients will be eligible to access lethal drugs if they feel a burden or because of a lack of services. Coercion is often covert and difficult to detect, particularly when undue influence comes from family or from a person with authority.”

You can read their comments in full here.

How many people would it impact?

An assessment by the UK Government was based on people being able to access it from October 2029, and working on financial years would mean between 17 and 80 people in Wales would likely apply in that year. By its tenth year, between 106 and 462 people would apply.

In terms of those having assisted deaths, in the first year, it would be between 10 and 48, by 2039, that would be 63 to 277.

What would it cost?

The impact assessment says that very roughly it would cost between £26,000 and £123,000 in the first six months, and between £163,000 and £716,000 by the tenth year (2039).

What do the governments say?

Both the UK and Welsh governments have adopted a “neutral” position.

How will Senedd members vote?

We don’t yet know how anyone will vote on January 20, but we’d expect the parties to give their members a “free vote” meaning they do not have to follow a party position. In October 2024, Senedd members did take part in a vote but it was symbolic and not legally binding.

However, that vote, which 19 members backed, 27 opposed and nine abstained on, was not quite the same as the law making its way through the Commons and it was about the whole concept of legal dying, not the legislative rules around it, as this is.

In that most recent vote, First Minister Eluned Morgan and Wales’ health minister Jeremy Miles both voted against.

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother three weeks ago has inspired a small number of volunteers to launch their own searches in the dense desert near her home in hopes of cracking the case.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said while it appreciates the concern for Nancy Guthrie, it asked people inquiring about volunteering to give investigators space to do their jobs.

“We all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,” the agency said in a statement over the weekend.

Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. Drops of her blood were found on the front porch, but authorities haven’t publicly revealed much evidence.

Despite the sheriff’s request for people not to search on their own, volunteers have continued to look. A small group reported finding a black backpack on Sunday, but it wasn’t the same brand as one identified in video surveillance that the FBI released of a masked person at Guthrie’s home the night she disappeared.

A sheriff’s spokesperson told Tucson television station KOLD that the bag and its contents didn’t appear to be viable leads. The Associated Press reached out to the sheriff’s department for comment on Monday.

Reminiscing over a picture of himself and friend Simon Bimpson at The Clothes Show in 1996, Vernon, 51, opened up about the moment that “changed his life forever,”

The Clothes Show was a British fashion show that was broadcast on BBC One from 1986 to 1998, and from 2006 to 2009 on UKTV Style and Really.

“We went to the show on our way to see a friend of mine who had just moved from Bolton Wanderers to Aston Villa,” Vernon said.

“He wasn’t settling in and said, ‘look guys, come and visit me,’ so we did.”

That visit would prove pivotal for Vernon.

Stopping along the way at The Clothes Show, Vernon caught the eye of modelling agent James Noel from Select Model Management.

Vernon said his friends teased him relentlessly, but he “didn’t care”.

“This happened on a Friday, and then on the following Friday I moved to London.

“The Friday after that I moved all my stuff down and never went back home,” he said.

“The rest, as they say, is history.”

Vernon grew up in Horwich and attended St Joseph’s RC High School before spending two years at St John Rigby College in Orrell.

He reportedly had his first job at 14, putting stickers on imported bananas, and later worked cleaning schools across Bolton.

Vernon graduated in environmental science from Manchester Metropolitan University before fate intervened at The Clothes Show.

Fast forward to today, his new quiz airing tonight called Do You Know Your Place? sees Vernon challenging famous faces.

Paul Gorton from The Traitors acts as an unreliable tour guide, setting questions in towns and cities across the UK.

The contestants must decide what’s fact and what’s fiction while taking part in fun studio games along the way.

The celebrity with the most correct answers wins each episode, with an overall champion crowned at the end of the week.

The show airs tonight at 6.30pm. However, Vernon continues to dominate UK radio, attracting 6.7 million listeners each week.

The move would allow parents to take children out of school for ‘term-time holidays’

Headteachers are being urged to group together inset days to reduce term-time absences and enable families to book cheaper holidays. Travel company On the Beach said the measure would solve a problem that the Government “has run out of answers to”.

Most schools in England have five mandatory inset days per academic year, during which teachers work but pupils do not attend. Those in Wales have six.

Schools determine when their inset days happen, with the vast majority not grouping them together to form whole weeks. On the Beach has written to the headteachers of 25,000 schools in England and Wales asking them to implement inset weeks staggered by region.

The company said enabling families of schoolchildren to book week-long trips outside of term time would give them “access to holidays at a fraction of peak-season prices”. Analysis by insurer Go.Compare published in July last year found the average price of a package holiday in Spain was 20% higher during school breaks compared with term time, which was equivalent to an extra £337 per person.

Parents can be fined if their children have unauthorised absences from school. The daily rate is £80 if paid within three weeks, or £160 if paid within four weeks. Recent Department for Education (DfE) figures show nearly 460,000 fines for unauthorised family holidays were issued in 2024/25.

Zoe Harris, chief customer officer at On the Beach, said: “Families shouldn’t have to choose between following the rules and being able to afford time away together. The real frustration we hear is that parents can see cheaper off-peak holidays, but there’s no straightforward way to access them without their children missing school, and that’s exactly where inset weeks can help.

“Approximately 25,000 headteachers hold the key to getting more families on holiday for less, boosting attendance figures and solving a problem that the Department for Education has run out of answers to. Inset weeks are the answer.”

Andy Stirland, principal at Python Hill Academy in Nottinghamshire, which has had an inset week tagged on to the spring bank holiday every May for the past seven years, said: “Parents should not be faced with fines or enforcement for wanting to spend family time together.

“Inset week has allowed families at our school the option of cheaper holidays while maintaining our attendance figures. Our school attendance figures have been above the national average every year and I believe without inset week this would be a very different story.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “While academies and councils have the flexibility to set term dates that best suit their community, it is of utmost importance that no child loses out on essential learning time. More widely, through our Plan for Change, we have made huge progress in tackling the attendance crisis, with over five million more days in school last academic year and 140,000 fewer pupils persistently absent – signalling the biggest year-on-year improvement in attendance in a decade.”

Nigel Farage’s party plan to cut taxes and it would see cuts to vital public services, says Record View.

One of the worst aspects of modern politics is leaders making promises they know they cannot keep.

Former Tory prime minister Liz Truss was an expert at this dismal practice when her farcical government announced its disastrous mini budget.

But Reform seems intent on outdoing Truss with the most preposterous tax plan in the history of devolution.

The SNP government, while far from perfect, has over the last few years increased income tax on the wealthy to help pay for public services.

In Scotland, unlike south of the border, university tuition and prescriptions are free and we also have the Scottish Child Payment to help low income families.

These policies have to be paid for and the SNP government has made the decision to raise taxes.

Nigel Farage’s party, in an act of unparalleled recklessness, is planning to reverse all the tax rises at a cost of £2billion. This price tag also includes cutting tax rates to 1p below rates set at Westminster.

The problem with this reckless policy can be seen in Reform’s self-styled income tax “calculator”.

Scots earning £20,000 would receive a paltry £34.63 a year cut, while those on £1million would land a £41,431 boost.

The rare Scot earning £10million a year would receive an annual cut of £401,431.

Reform’s tax plan is a huge subsidy for the rich and benefits the likes of Farage and his Scots sidekick Malcolm Offord.

It would lead to huge public spending cuts with schools, hospitals and roads all crumbling.

Reform have proposed a bung to millionaires and it should be rejected outright.

Grasses a bargain

Last year, Police Scotland spent around £350,000 paying informants for information on criminal activity.

The amount was 12 per cent more than the previous year and more than double the figure dished out by cops 12 years ago.

The rising amount of cash paid out might raise eyebrows among those concerned about the correct use of public finances.

But this is money well spent by Police Scotland if it helps keep our streets safer.

Recently cops have tightened up vetting procedures and recruits are now known as Covert Human Intelligence Sources.

Former police chief Graeme Pearson says informants are a vital tool in the fight against organised crime – and good value for money.

Given the rise in gang violence last year across Scotland, the police clearly need every weapon at their disposal.

And if the information gleaned from these underworld sources puts more bad guys behind bars that is to be welcomed.

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