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Wikipedia gets an unofficial collectible card game with free daily booster packs

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Wikipedia gets an unofficial collectible card game with free daily booster packs
Move over Pokémon, Wikipedia card collecting is the new hotness (WikiGacha)

Fan site WikiGacha is already overwhelmed with traffic as it offers the joy of opening trading card booster packs without charging you a penny.

One of the big problems with collectible trading card games, like Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon, is that they’re a huge money sink if you want to play competitively or are a completionist.

That’s partially why Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket for mobile is so appealing. since you can earn cards daily for free, but the game still tries to tempt you to part with money. to more frequently open booster packs.

But the premise of an entirely free collectible card game is now a reality, thanks to one of the most charmingly strange fan creations we’ve seen in a while: a Wikipedia gacha game.

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Labelled Wikipedia Gacha, or WikiGacha for short, and created by someone known only as Harusugi, the website lets you open up to 10 booster packs a day; each of which contains five cards.

You can open more packs by completing daily missions, like opening five packs or actually visiting Wikipedia, and there’s also an achievement list to complete.

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The cards don’t just exist to be collected, though, as the site has its own battle system. It’s not super complicated, but every card does have its own attack and defence stat.

However, you don’t build decks, you just pick one card to fight another and whichever depletes the other’s health first wins. So it’s more like Top Trumps.

Attack is determined by a Wikipedia article’s popularity, with the number of pageviews it has multiplied by the rarity of the card. Defence, meanwhile, is determined by the content length of an article multiplied by card rarity. So, the more popular and dense an article, the stronger its associated card.

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Wikipedia Gacha booster pack result displaying card with a train on the front
The cards can literally be anything, from trains and politicians to fossils and award shows (WikiGacha)

As for how the game determines the rarity of each card, it’s based on another unofficial website, WikiRank, which grades Wikipedia articles on their popularity.

This is why, based on our own pulls, our anadasmus caliginea card is treated as a common card with low stats, while our Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary card is a Super Rare card with an incredibly high defence stat.

Currently, there are options to have a random battle (it’s unclear if it’s against other players or just an AI opponent) or take on a raid battle, with the site promising plans for a story mode of consecutive battles.

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We weren’t able to open many packs or test the battle system out much, since the website seems to be struggling with heavy traffic at time of writing, but that’s go to see.

The simple act of opening booster packs is inherently moreish and since it’s all completely free, all you’re losing is time. Although there is an option to donate to the creator’s Buy Me A Coffee page.

Plus, with how many Wikipedia articles there are, there’s a surprise factor to seeing what cards you’ll obtain. What other game has cards based on author James Maxey, the 1986 Virginia Slims of Arizona tennis tournament, and Hurricane Waldo?

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Wikipedia Gacha collection menu showing list of obtained cards
There are millions of Wikipedia articles so collecting a full set will take some time (WikiGacha)

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The 12 best pillows for side sleepers, tested for support and comfort

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The 12 best pillows for side sleepers, tested for support and comfort

Reviewed by Simon Lewis

Side sleepers often complain that pillows are too thin to support their necks. The answer would seem to be a thicker, firmer pillow – and that’s what we have here, in spades.

Panda’s hybrid pillow is five or six inches thick, which is just right for me but may be too much for smaller people or those with narrow shoulders, since there’s not much give in it. Being firm, it doesn’t lend itself well to sitting up in bed and reading, when you want to be able to fold your pillow.

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The reason it won’t easily fold is a cell of charcoal-infused bamboo foam at its core, which wicks away moisture and heat and neutralises odours. It’s full of holes to improve breathability and to keep those holes open it needs to be fairly stiff.

I actually like the uncompromising firmness. I also like the sheer width: it covers a lot of space, which means you can change positions a lot and always find a cool spot to lay on. If you’ve never tried bamboo, it is beautifully soft: a bit like cashmere but less fluffy and with a soothing effect. You don’t need a pillowcase (not many will be big enough anyway): you just remove the cover and machine-wash it.

I sleep brilliantly on the Panda Hybrid, but it might be a good idea to try one out in-store to check it’s not too thick for you.

In the same range:

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Panda’s standard memory foam pillow, which is a little thinner with more give, may be a better bet.

Key specifications

  • Fill type: Charcoal-infused bamboo memory foam and bamboo and recycled polyester microfibre
  • Firmness level: Firm
  • Sizes available: Standard

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Donald Trump has made some bold claims on the US economy. But how do they stack up against the data?

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Donald Trump has made some bold claims on the US economy. But how do they stack up against the data?

In the annual State of the Union address in late February, the US president, Donald Trump, declared: “This is the golden age of America.” In a lengthy and wide-ranging address, the president told his fellow Americans that the nation was “bigger, better, richer and stronger” than ever before.

The US economy, and specifically the cost of living, was the key issue with voters in the 2024 presidential election. Exit polls from key states showed that, among voters who said the economy was the most important issue for them, 90% voted for Trump.

However, results from a more recent poll suggest voters are not happy with his economic agenda. Among the more than 2,500 adults surveyed, 57% said they disapprove of the way the president is managing the economy, 65% disapprove of the way he is handling inflation and 64% disapprove of how he is handing tariffs.

With mid-term elections coming in November, the economy is likely to continue to be a key factor with US voters. So are the president’s bold claims supported by the data?

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On the president’s claim that inflation is “plummeting”, he can indeed claim success. At the start of his second term in January 2025, inflation was 3%. By January 2026, this had dropped to 2.4% and is now closing in on the 2% target set by the Federal Reserve, the US’s central bank. The rate of increase in prices is slowing and this should ease cost-of-living pressures for US consumers.




À lire aussi :
Trump’s attacks on the Federal Reserve risk fuelling US inflation and ending dollar dominance


What about the claim that the US economy is “roaring like never before”? In 2025, the economy grew at 2.2%, lower than the 2.8% growth during President Joe Biden’s last year in office but above the average growth of around 2% achieved over the last few decades.

So while “roaring” might be an exaggeration, given there was a 43-day government shutdown in the last quarter of 2025 the US economy is achieving impressive growth. The International Monetary Fund expects the US to grow at the fastest rate among the world’s most advanced economies again in 2026.

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Trump is often keen to cite the US stock market as an indicator of how well the country’s economy is performing. In his address he said the stock market had set “53 all-time record highs” since his election.

This is true, and in early February the Dow Jones index crossed the historic milestone of 50,000 points. Overall, the US stock market gained 19% in the period from January 2025 until February 2026. However, analysis shows that when compared to stock market returns from other advanced economies, the US ranks 21st out of 23 countries with only New Zealand and Denmark indices doing worse.

Campaigning in 2024, Trump had pledged to slash energy prices by 50%. In his address, he claimed that reductions in energy prices that were like “another big tax cut” for US consumers.

However, in the 12 months to January 2026, electricity prices rose by 6.3%, more than double the rate of inflation. Natural gas prices rose by 9.8% during the same period. Energy-hungry data centres to feed the AI boom are a key driver of US energy prices and this trend looks set to continue in the short term at least.

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Job creation has historically been a key metric with US voters. On this issue the president told his audience there were more Americans working “than ever before”. With around 164 million Americans in work, this statement is true. The US is experiencing population growth, and so it is not surprising that the number of people in employment is rising.

However, the US unemployment rate was 4.3% in January 2026, a slight increase on the 4% rate in January 2025. The US added an average of 49,000 jobs per month in 2025, down from an estimated gain of 168,000 a month the year before.

Economic challenges remain

Tariffs have been the cornerstone of Trump’s second-term economic policy agenda. He even claimed they helped drive US stock market prices to historic highs, although there is little evidence to support this.

There was only a brief mention in his State of the Union speech regarding the US Supreme Court decision ruling against his liberation day tariffs, describing it as “unfortunate”.

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The US government is now facing more than 2,000 lawsuits from companies looking to reclaim US$175 billion (£131 billion) in tariffs they have paid since last April. Experts agree that the situation is a mess and the uncertainty around how or whether tariffs will be applied going forward will only deepen this.

It is not surprising that tariffs are unpopular with US consumers. Research from the New York Federal Reserve found that nearly 90% of the economic burden of tariffs fell on US firms and consumers. The Tax Foundation, aou non-partisan thinktank, estimates that tariffs amounted to an average tax increase of US$1,000 per US household in 2025. The US bombing of Iran could drive up oil prices and this may fuel inflation in the coming months.

There are also rising concerns among the president’s Maga base about the potential effect of AI on jobs and energy prices. Polling for the Financial Times found about 60% of Trump voters were concerned about AI’s rapid development and almost 80% believed the technology needed more regulation.

US taxpayers are due to start receiving some of the US$4.8 trillion in tax cuts promised by the president’s One Big Beautiful Act passed in 2025. But with the midterms looming, it remains to be seen how much credit the president will get for this.

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Apple and tarragon loaf cake recipe

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Apple and tarragon loaf cake recipe

This recipe comes from Dee Retalli, co-founder of at Fortitude Bakehouse in London, where fermentation plays a key role in the intense flavour of the cakes. It’s optional here, but do try it if you have time. You might think apple and tarragon are an odd pairing, but it really works. The cake keeps well in an airtight container for a week.

Requires cooling and chilling time, and optional fermentation time

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Israel-Hezbollah fire escalates, Israeli troops push into south Lebanon

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Israel-Hezbollah fire escalates, Israeli troops push into south Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) — Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesday and warned residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group said it was ready for an “open war” with Israel in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

The development came after Hezbollah fired rockets and launched drones early Monday toward northern Israel. Israel retaliated with a wave of airstrikes that killed 40 people in Lebanon, including a Palestinian militant and a Hezbollah intelligence official in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

That death toll is a revised figure from an earlier one reported by the Health Ministry, which said Monday that 52 people died in the strikes. Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine told reporters on Tuesday that 40 died.

Lebanon also said 246 people were wounded and tens of thousands displaced.

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Hezbollah said on Tuesday morning it fired two salvos of rockets toward northern Israel while Israeli airstrikes overnight damaged a building housing Hezbollah’s TV and radio stations. Beirut’s southern suburbs saw a series of strikes early on Tuesday afternoon that came without warning, and the Israeli military later said it targeted Hezbollah officials.

The Israeli military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, warned residents of more than 80 villages and towns in southern Lebanon to leave, adding that people should not return to these areas until further notice.

A senior Hezbollah official said that after more than a year of abiding by a ceasefire as Israel’s strikes continued on Lebanon, the group’s patience has ended, leaving it with no option but to fight Israel. “The Zionist enemy wanted an open war, which it has not stopped since the ceasefire agreement,” Mohamoud Komati said.

“So let it be an open war,” added the Hezbollah official.

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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United States, France and Egypt on Tuesday that Hezbollah has been firing rockets from areas north of the Litani River.

The Lebanese government said in January that Hezbollah weapons and military facilities have been removed from the area south of the river and along the border with Israel, and that Lebanese troops are in full control of the area between the river and the border.

The Israeli military said Tuesday it has sent additional troops into southern Lebanon and took new positions on several strategic points close to the border. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the Lebanese army was evacuating some of its positions along the border.

Adraee, the Israeli spokesman, posted on X that the troops’ movements inside Lebanon is part of efforts to bolster Israel’s forward defense system and create an addition layer of security.

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Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the Lebanese army was evacuating some of its border positions.

A Lebanese military official confirmed to The Associated Press that Israeli troops had moved into several areas in southern Lebanon on Tuesday and that the Lebanese army was “repositioning” in the area. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, later Tuesday said its peacekeepers saw Israeli troops making forays across the border and then returning to Israel. It wasn’t immediately clear how many soldiers remained inside Lebanon.

Hezbollah began firing into Israel a day after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza. After months of low-level fighting, that conflict escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024 and Israel later launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.

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Israeli forces withdrew from most of southern Lebanon after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire halted the fighting in November 2024 but continued to occupy five points on the Lebanese side of the border. Israel also continued with near-daily strikes, primarily in southern Lebanon, saying that Hezbollah has been trying to rebuild its forces in the area.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry also said Tuesday that 397 people had been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon after the ceasefire took effect and before Hezbollah launched its latest attacks.

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Wimbledon champion slept with another woman while pregnant wife was in hospital

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Wales Online

Tennis legend Boris Becker has opened up about his affair during his first marriage, admitting to cheating but setting the record straight on the timing

Boris Becker has offered his version of events following allegations he was unfaithful to his ex-wife whilst she was in labour. The former Wimbledon champion has previously attracted attention for his remarkably complex romantic life alongside his sporting achievements.

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The German had earlier acknowledged being unfaithful to his first wife, Barbara Feltus, which ultimately resulted in their separation before he wed Sharlely Kerssenberg and subsequently his current wife, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro.

However, clarifying what actually occurred, Becker dismissed the claim that he betrayed Feltus during childbirth, though he did verify that Feltus was hospitalised.

“There were no contractions,” Becker told The Louis Theroux Podcast. “She was in hospital, but there was no contractions. No.

“Fast forward, we settled in a divorce. I cheated on her, no doubt about that. We managed to have a relationship that’s built on respect.

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“She’s a wonderful mother to my two oldest boys. She actually moved to Milan this year as well.

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“So we moved on from that. There were a couple of scenes after our divorce.

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“Again, it’s so long ago. I have to really think hard about what happened that weren’t so nice from her.

“Without getting into too much detail, she had the power because I was the bad guy. She got a nice cheque out of it.

“She got a nice monthly support out of it. And she realised that nobody’s perfect.

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“I like to call myself a good father. I really looked after my two oldest, even though they weren’t living in Europe at the time, and they moved to Miami.

“So 25 years later, we really consider each other a close knit family, regardless of what happened.”

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Syracuse among cities to upgrade snowplows with video, AI and GPS

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Syracuse among cities to upgrade snowplows with video, AI and GPS

Residents of Syracuse, New York — America’s snowiest city — once barraged a service hotline with street neglect complaints during blizzards, even if plows had passed two hours earlier but the work was hidden by fresh snow.

Now public trust seems to be rising as Syracuse and other cities across the U.S. integrate upgrades such as video monitoring, GPS mapping and artificial intelligence into snow operations that once relied almost entirely on manual planning.

Syracuse was one of the first to revamp the way it deploys its snowplows, and complaint calls have dropped by 30% under the new system, said Conor Muldoon, the city’s chief innovation officer.

“People will look out their window and say, ‘Hey, you guys are doing a terrible job,’” Muldoon said. “And we can point to a public map and say, ‘Here’s all the breadcrumbs for when that plow was there.’”

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Snowier than usual in the US snow capital

Each winter, Syracuse averages 126 inches (3.2 meters) of snow, more than any other U.S. city of at least 100,000 people. Even before the blizzard that pounded the Northeast last week, the city had already surpassed its typical average due to a record 2-foot (60-centimeter) accumulation on one day in late December.

With a goal of clearing every street within 24 hours after a storm, Syracuse partnered in 2021 with San Francisco-based Samsara to put live GPS tracking and dashcams on city fleet vehicles including snowplows. Integrated with GIS mapping software, the system allows officials to monitor live video and plow locations in real time.

While residents can’t access live feeds, they can view a public map that updates every 5 minutes to show which roads have been cleared.

Samsara started incorporating AI into its products in 2019. This winter, for the first time, it has provided customers with footage from other cameras within its large network, helping officials better understand conditions on a street even when no worker is there.

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Kiren Sekar, the company’s chief product officer, cited an example of needing to dispatch the closest plow for a snow emergency in Plainwell, Michigan.

“Rather than having to sift through a list of vehicles, it can actually figure this out: ‘We’ve got Trevor in vehicle 203, 15 minutes away,’” Sekar said.

New York City’s approach

Samsara partners with communities of various sizes to upgrade their snowplow systems, but the nation’s largest city — New York City — developed its own.

Its tracking program known as BladeRunner monitors snow removal equipment (including garbage trucks with plows attached) while a human in a command center — not AI — analyzes the GPS data. The city is exploring AI in the future to process the thousands of 311 calls and online service requests it can get in a single day.

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The other way the big city’s approach differs from its upstate neighbor of Syracuse is that every block gets the same treatment, with each plow assigned a specific route during a storm. Typically 99% of the city’s roads will be plowed within the first four hours after a moderate snowfall under ideal conditions, but it didn’t quite meet that mark during last week’s historic storm, said Joshua Goodman, deputy commissioner at the city’s Department of Sanitation.

Goodman said all streets in New York City get the same treatment, regardless of whether they are main or side streets.

“So what it does is allow equity,” he said.

Cutting costs and insurance claims

With U.S. cities and states spending upward of $4 billion each year on snow operations, the new technology also helps assure roads aren’t overplowed or oversalted, which can cause environmental damage.

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Fayetteville, Arkansas, launched a public-facing snow removal map for the first time this winter. It reported improvements in plowing time, labor costs and fuel savings, despite enduring about double the snow from a year ago.

“This is the first year some roads have ever been treated or plowed, and that goes right back to being able to see where we need to go and if we’ve been there,” said Ross Jackson Jr., the city’s fleet operations manager.

The township of Edison, New Jersey, reduced its spending on salt and brine by 35% and its insurance payouts by 60%, thanks to video that helped prove plow drivers usually weren’t at fault when the vehicles collided with another motorist’s car.

Video installed on snowplows in Iowa helped demonstrate that all but one of 12 snowplow accidents in a single day were the other driver’s fault, said Craig Bargfrede, the state’s winter operations administrator.

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“How can you not see this big orange truck with flashing lights ahead of you?” he said. “Boom, they just drive right into us.”

Kalamazoo County was the first county in Michigan to employ turn-by-turn navigation to dispatch snowplows during a storm. Rusty McClain, assistant general superintendent of its Road Commission, called it a huge improvement in efficiency.

“The old-school way of doing it, that bird’s eye view of where everyone needs to go to plow, was just in a large book with paper maps,” McClain said. “You’d have to pull over, find the page you’re looking for, call somebody on the phone and ask if they have plowed that area.”

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‘Unique’ Seaton Carew guest house and restaurant up for sale

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'Unique' Seaton Carew guest house and restaurant up for sale

The building, on Church Street in Hartlepool, is described as a “unique opportunity” to own a business on the coast.

According to the listing, the area has become a “thriving seaside hotspot” after recent investment and is a popular destination for both locals and visitors.

The ground floor space includes a “carvery style restaurant to the left.” (Image: Collier Estates)

A private gated car park lies behind the building, which the agent says is “rare” for the location.

Described as a successful business, the Church Street venue includes eight guest bedrooms.

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The listing notes the guest rooms cater for single, twin, double and family occupancy, and that the accommodation “has just recently enjoyed a refurbishment”.

The Church Street venue includes eight guest bedrooms. (Image: Collier Estates)

Visitors return year after year, according to the information provided.

The ground floor space includes a “large café to the right” and a “carvery style restaurant to the left,” described as being equal in size – both have been refurbished.

A main reception hall sits at the centre of the building, with stairs leading to guest rooms above.

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Courtyard. (Image: Collier Estates)

A fully equipped commercial kitchen is fitted to the rear of the main building, centrally located between the café and restaurant.

Wrapping around a private courtyard and beer garden, which is promoted as “an ideal space for guests to enjoy alfresco dining of evening drinks,” there is a large, single story apartment.

The apartment, which is currently rented out on a long term rental, has its own separate private access.

According to the listing, it could also be used by an owner or manager, provide extra guest accommodation, or potentially be used as games rooms or communal lounges.

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Access to the private car park is available via a gate beyond the central courtyard.

The location is also close to Hartlepool Town, Hartlepool Marina and a range of local amenities.

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Grandmother, 59, dies in rabies horror after dog scratch abroad

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Yvonne Ford was scratched by a dog in Morocco but was only diagnosed with rabies months later

An inquest into the death of a woman has heard how it was too late to save her life when she was diagnosed with rabies.

On Tuesday (March 3), Sheffield Coroner’s Court heard how Yvonne Ford suffered a variety of strange symptoms which stumped medics for weeks.

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The 59-year-old grandmother had gone to hospitals in Barnsley and Wakefield several times, reporting an insect bite above her ankle.

However, it wasn’t until she was referred to a mental health team at Barnsley Hospital last June that she was diagnosed with rabies, reports Yorkshire Live.

A rabies expert said doctors at Barnsley Hospital “were on the right track” as they struggled to find a diagnosis for Yvonne’s rare symptoms.

The Barnsley grandmother had been bitten by a stray dog in Morocco after she got up from a sunbed and startled it. The dog scratched her leg, but the family thought little of the wound, simply wiping it with a wet wipe and not receiving any additional treatment. Yvonne, who leaves behind two children and four grandchildren, died at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, assistant coroner Marilyn Whittle explained to the jury of nine women and three men.

The inquest heard how Yvonne was admitted to Barnsley Hospital on June 2 after several medical appointments in March and April. She was suffering from “severe headaches” and a range of other symptoms, including poor mobility, struggling to drink, hallucinations, anxiety, disorientation and severe agitation.

Doctors at Barnsley Hospital were unable to provide a diagnosis, the jury was told. Junior doctor Dr Awan said: “In view of her current symptoms, we were still trying to find the organic cause. At the moment when we asked about travel history, it was made known that there were some insect bites above the ankle. We were investigating some kind of tick bite encephalitis.

“We were still trying to find if it was neurological or if there was any other cause. There was unexplained anxiety. For the nausea, we weren’t too sure. For the dehydration, there was no working diagnosis. Essentially, there was no working diagnosis at this point.”

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On June 6, she was referred to the mental health liaison unit at Barnsley Hospital. Psychiatrist Dr Alex Burns reviewed Yvonne and admitted he had concerns about an infectious disease causing her hallucinations, agitation and anxiety.

Dr Burns said: “I had asked about travel, and I had asked about insect bites. It was very unclear what the diagnosis was. I wanted to think a bit more outside the box and think about rare conditions, including travel-related ones.” Yvonne’s husband informed Dr Burns they had travelled to Morocco in February. He told Dr Burns Yvonne was bitten by a dog on a beach after she startled it by getting up from a sunbed.

Dr Burns added: “I didn’t know all of the symptoms of rabies at that point, but after I spoke to Yvonne’s husband, I did speak to the medical team in the office, and that was to discuss what I had found out so far. At that point, because my knowledge of rabies was limited, I did look into it more regarding the symptoms, and it became clear that all of Yvonne’s symptoms could be explained by that diagnosis at that point.”

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Yvonne’s daughter, Robyn Thomson, told Dr Burns: “We see you as a turning point into mum’s care, and we thank you for that.”

Rabies expert Dr Katharine Cartwright, consultant physician at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, defended the medical treatment Yvonne received. “This was a rare presentation of something rare. This was incredibly rare,” she said.

“A rabies diagnosis is so unusual, so out of everyone’s experience, I think it’s not unreasonable for it not to have been considered within a few days. Half of the American rabies diagnoses were made post-mortem. The fact we got a diagnosis of rabies before Yvonne died is good.”

Dr Cartwright explained that there had only been 26 recorded rabies cases in the UK since 1946. Once bitten or scratched, rabies has a near-100 per cent fatality rate, she said, adding: “Once the symptoms start, death within a couple of weeks is the norm. That means the virus has started to replicate in the brain, and it’s not salvageable from that point.”

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Dr Cartwright said there was “no way to say when the virus reached her spinal cord”, after which there was no medical treatment. She said the cause of death was 1a rabies encephalitis.

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Trump hits out at Starmer over Iran: ‘This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with’

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Trump hits out at Starmer over Iran: ‘This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with’

Donald Trump has said he is “not happy” with the UK over its approach to the Iran conflict, declaring that Sir Keir Starmer is “not Winston Churchill”.

Speaking at the White House, the US president unleashed another rant about the UK, claiming Sir Keir had been “very uncooperative” and “ruined relationships” over Iran and the Chagos Islands.

The US president has hit out at Britain several times since the US launched strikes on Tehran, criticising Sir Keir for not immediately allowing the US to use British bases to attack Iran.

Speaking about support from European nations for US action in Iran, Mr Trump added: “I’m not happy with the UK either.”

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Appearing to refer to the Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands, Mr Trump added: “That island… It’s taken three, four days for us to work out where we can land there, it would have been much more convenient landing there as opposed to flying many extra hours, so we are very surprised.

Donald Trump has said he is “not happy” with the UK over it’s approach to the war in Iran, declaring that Sir Keir Starmer is “not Winston Churchill”

Donald Trump has said he is “not happy” with the UK over it’s approach to the war in Iran, declaring that Sir Keir Starmer is “not Winston Churchill” (AP)

“This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”

The US president went on to express his disapproval at Britain’s deal to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius, saying the UK has “ruined relationships” over the “stupid island”.

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“Spain has been very uncooperative, and so has UK. Now the second one is shocking, but this is not the age of Churchill,” he said.

“I will say the UK has been very, very unco-operative with that stupid island that they have, that they gave away and took a 100-year lease; having to do with, perhaps, indigenous people claiming the island that never even saw the island before. What’s that all about?”

Last week, the deal was plunged into fresh chaos after a minister suggested his plan to cede sovereignty of the British territory had been paused after Mr Trump urged him to scrap it. The Foreign Office later claimed that the minister “misspoke” and rapidly issued a clarification saying that “there is no pause”.

US president Donald Trump has criticised Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal (CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy/PA)

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US president Donald Trump has criticised Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal (CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy/PA) (CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy/PA)

Mr Trump added that he “loves” the UK, but criticised the government’s approach to energy and immigration as “horrible”.

The president repeated his calls for Sir Keir to open up the North Sea to drilling, telling reporters: “They’ve got windmills all over the place that are ruining the country, ruining the landscapes, ruining the beautiful fields.

“Open up the North Sea.”

Turning to speak about the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Mr Trump called him an “incompetent guy”, and also claimed the UK has “Sharia courts adjudicating law”.

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Earlier, Downing Street insisted the US is still a “staunch” ally after Mr Trump launched another broadside against Sir Keir over the Middle East war.

Mr Trump added that he “loves” the UK but criticised the government’s approach to energy and immigration as “horrible”

Mr Trump added that he “loves” the UK but criticised the government’s approach to energy and immigration as “horrible” (Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street)

Mr Trump had claimed Sir Keir had “not been helpful” and called the transatlantic rift “very sad” in an interview with The Sun on Monday.

“This was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe,” he said.

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“It’s not going to matter, but (Sir Keir) should have helped… he should have.

“I mean, France has been great. They’ve all been great. The UK has been much different from others.”

He had also told The Telegraph he was “very disappointed” in the Prime Minister, after the UK’s initial decision over the weekend.

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Ex-police officer accused of ‘lying down and taking selfie at murder scene’ | News UK

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Ex-police officer accused of 'lying down and taking selfie at murder scene' | News UK
16-year-old Daniel Gee-Jamieson was killed in Belle Vale, Liverpool, in 2018 (Picture: Liverpool Echo)

A former police officer took selfies while on duty at the scene where a teenager had been killed, a court has heard.

Ryan Connolly, 41, then a serving officer with Merseyside Police, was on duty at the cordon of the scene where 16-year-old Daniel Gee-Jamieson was killed in Belle Vale, Liverpool, in 2018.

It was then that he took photos of himself in the area, Manchester Crown Court heard, ‘instead of guarding the scene’.

Prosecutor Peter Wilson showed the jury photos found on Connolly’s phone, which included one selfie showing the officer standing up in his police uniform and another of him lying on the grass.

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The court heard nothing sensitive could be seen in the images, which also included pictures of police tape at the scene.

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The former constable of Huyton, Merseyside, denies four charges of misconduct in a public office.

A police officer took photographs of himself 'lying down' at a crime scene after a 16-year-old boy had been stabbed to death. Ryan Connolly has been sacked from Merseyside Police for a number of disciplinary offences while serving with the force. It has now emerged that Connolly had taken selfie photographs at the scene where Daniel Gee-Jamieson was fatally stabbed. Daniel died in hospital after he was stabbed during a fight on July 3 2018.
The officer allegedly took photos at the murder scene of Daniel Gee-Jamieson (Picture: Liverpool Echo)

Wilson said Connolly was arrested in February 2020, and when his mobile phones were seized, a number of photographs were recovered from the sent folder of the messaging app WhatsApp.

He said: ‘The images are mainly of members of the public who are clearly being dealt with by Merseyside Police.

‘They also include pictures of other police officers on duty or even selfies of the defendant himself whilst he is on patrol guarding a murder scene.’

Twenty-four photos found on devices showed people who were detained at police stations, hospitals or mental health premises.

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The jury heard some photos showed members of the public as they lay on hospital beds, were receiving treatment or were in handcuffs.

One image showed a missing child after he was found and taken to a police station, and another showed two people who appeared to be asleep in bed, the court heard.

In a statement read to the court, one woman, shown hiding in a cupboard in a photo, said she found it ‘degrading and upsetting’.

Connolly is also accused of taking pictures containing details of force systems, suspect images and police incident logs.

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Wilson said: ‘The prosecution says he has wilfully misconducted himself by taking inappropriate photographs where, we say, there is no professional need to do so. He’s then retained them and sent them on.’

He said Connolly’s actions had crossed the threshold and amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the police.

Mr Wilson said the defendant claimed the images, on his personal mobile phone, were taken for work purposes, but the court heard they had not been uploaded to police systems.

The trial is expected to last four to five days.

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