Andrew Barlow, variously known as Andrew Longmire and Andrew Davies, lived in Bolton and Oldham at various times in the 1980s when he carried out a string of horrific sex attacks.

Barlow was dubbed “the Coronation Street Rapist” after attacking several of his victims in their own homes, which were often brick built terraced houses reminiscent of the soap opera setting.

The Prison and Probation Service Ombudsman confirmed that Barlow, by then known as Davies, died while a serving prisoner at the age of 69.

A PPO spokesperson said: “Adrian Usher, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, is conducting an independent investigation into the death of Andrew Davies on February 28, 2026.

“He was a prisoner at HMP Moorland”.

Andrew Barlow, pictured here in 2017 (Image: Newsquest)

Barlow’s string of sickening crimes, which ultimately saw him briefly become the most wanted man in the country, were carried out between 1981 and 1988.

He was finally caught after trying to shoot his way out of a confrontation with police officers with a shotgun and in 1988 was handed 12 life sentences.

The serial rapist was given yet another life sentence in 2017 when he pleaded guilty to raping a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint in Great Lever in January 1982.

Andrew Barlow was sentenced again at Bolton Crown Court in 2017 (Image: Phil Taylor)

But despite a total of 13 life sentences Barlow was at the centre of a highly controversial decision to release him under the supervision of the probation services in March 2023.

The move sparked widespread condemnation, including from Blackley and Broughton MP Graham Stringer.

The Ministry of Justice confirmed at the time that Barlow had been ordered to keep to strict conditions as part of his release.

These included being banned from the whole of Greater Manchester and ordered to stay at a specific address.

Barlow was kept under advanced supervision and monitoring and to keep out of an inclusion zone to avoid contact with his victims, while his use of electronic equipment was restricted.

But Barlow’s freedom in 2023 lasted only a matter of weeks after he was recalled to prison after breaching his conditions.

Barlow later tried to appeal against his recall but by the time of his death on February 28 this year was a serving prisoner HMP Moorland in Yorkshire.

A full report on Barlow’s death at HMP Moorland is expected to be published once Mr Usher has finished his investigation.

The murder of Agnes Wanjiru hangs over the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK).

The long-time training post is headquartered in the hometown of the 21-year-old single mother who was dumped in a hotel septic tank after being brutally murdered in 2012.

The man accused of killing her, Robert Purkiss, was stationed in Nanyuki for a training stint with BATUK.

It took two months for the Kenyan authorities to find Agnes’s body and 13 years for an arrest warrant to be issued for the former British soldier charged with her murder.

Her death has had such resounding impact, all these years on, that a Kenyan parliamentary defence committee launched a two-year inquiry into the conduct of the BATUK.

Last October, Agnes’s niece Esther told me that the spirit of her aunt cries out and that it will not rest until justice is served. The picture she described of Agnes’s suspended soul seeking resolution feels more real than imaginary.

A visit from a celebrated Kenyan-born British army chief to his training troops meant I was able to put questions to him on the grievances of Agnes’s family and others, who claim grievous harm at the hands of his troops.

General Sir Roland Walker responded to my request to share a message with Agnes’s family. He was firm and emphatic when he delivered a response.

He said: “This has got to follow all the way through to the full investigation and the legal proceedings, and this has got to be seen in the light of a court and judged in accordance with the laws of this land.

“That’s what has to happen – justice has to be done, and justice has to be seen to be done.

“That is a business for the courts, and the lawyers, and the police, and the investigation.”

Read more:
Niece of Kenyan woman ‘murdered by British soldier’ comes to UK
Agnes Wanjiru’s family welcome extradition proceedings

Rose, Agnes’s older sister who raised her late sibling’s daughter, is hopeful.

After years of Agnes’s murder being buried, Rose’s daughter Esther has managed to break through the stagnation and take meetings with UK Defence Secretary John Healey in Nairobi and London.

Purkiss is in custody in the UK while court hearings over his extradition continue. He vehemently denies murder, according to his lawyers.

Scrutiny on British troops in Kenya

The visit from the army’s operational chief is a huge moment for the British troops training there. The UK-Kenya defence agreement is being scrutinised by Kenya’s parliament and the public.

The two countries entered into a series of defence partnerships only months after Kenya gained independence from Britain.

For people in Nanyuki, the British never left. The market town was first set up as a white frontier settlement in the 1920s after the mass expulsion of Maasai from the Laikipia plateau by British colonial forces.

Kenyan MP Caleb Amisi believes that local communities in areas of British military activity still see them as colonial overlords.

He is on the parliamentary defence committee that investigated claims of BATUK violations and is calling for the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) to become more balanced.

Mr Amisi said: “[Kenyans] believe that UK takes advantage, being the superpower, against the third world countries like Kenya. UK is advanced, militarily, economically, and therefore they’ll be an interdependence of a country like Kenya towards the UK.”

Complaints against British unit

There have been thousands of complaints of violations of conduct by the BATUK from local communities, ranging from murder and rape to environmental damage.

The Lolldaiga Hills were damaged by a fire during a BATUK training exercise in 2021 that destroyed at least 7,000 acres of conservational land. The UK Ministry of Defence accepted responsibility for the fire and reportedly paid out £2.9m to thousands of complainants in compensation.

What does the British Army’s chief of general staff – born in Kenya and raised here until he was eight years old – make of the sentiment that the British military presence is an occupying force and extension of colonialism?

“I don’t recognise it,” Sir Roland told me.

“We are here at the invitation of the Kenyan MOD. We have no right to be here at all. We recognise this is an extraordinary privilege to be able to do what we do in somebody else’s country.”

Some families have faced irreparable loss. In one herding family in Samburu, a son was killed during a BATUK live firing exercise. Another young woman is now severely disabled after she was hit by a BATUK truck that drove off, according to her mother.

General Walker said: “We absolutely recognise that if they have suffered harm as a consequence of anything that we might be responsible for, it is very important, that they have a voice and that voice is heard.”

He added that “we want to facilitate them speaking to the correct authorities, so the right investigations take place, so the right remedies and redresses can follow. So due process is needed”.

For Agnes’s family, the loss is irreversible. Any justice achieved can lay the ground for closure and peace for them, but it will never bring her back.

K-pop supergroup BTS returns Saturday after a four-year break with a massive, free comeback concert in Seoul, where thousands of police are locking down a central boulevard for the Netflix-exclusive spectacle expected to draw tens of thousands of fans.

The performance at Gwanghwamun Square launches a months-long global tour spanning dozens of shows across the US, Europe and Asia.

All seven members of the band – RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – recently completed South Korea’s mandatory military service, and hope to reclaim their status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts.

The hour-long concert comes a day after the group released its fifth album, “ARIRANG”, which had already logged several million preorder sales since January.

The band’s management company, Hybe, said RM injured his ankle during a rehearsal Thursday but was expected to perform with some limitations.

Officials expect the BTS concert to draw more than 200,000 people to the Gwanghwamun area, including 22,000 fans who secured free seats in the designated viewing zone and others planning to watch on screens nearby. It will be streamed live on Netflix.

BTS debuted in 2013 and has a legion of global supporters who call themselves the “Army”. It became the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2020 with their first all-English song “Dynamite”.

Jung Dukhyun, a pop culture commentator, said that the impact of the BTS returning as a full-group after years of pause would be tremendous at a time when global fandom for K-pop has grown much stronger, as shown by the success of Netflix’s animated sensation, “KPop Demon Hunters”.

Police and city officials are imposing stringent crowd-control measures, closing nearby streets, roads and museums, halting the area’s subway and bus services, and sealing off dozens of surrounding buildings, in what amounts to a full-day shutdown of the district.

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Cars will be barred from the main road between Gwanghwamun and Seoul City Hall for more than 30 hours through Sunday morning. The government has stepped up anti-terror monitoring, citing global tensions and large crowds of international fans, while police deployed surveillance vehicles and jamming equipment to block unauthorised drones. The restrictions have forced nearby shops to close and deliveries to pause.

“The City of Seoul will do its best to make it ​flexible – to make (the performance) both safe and enjoyable,” said Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday as he checked safety measures put in place.

While South Korean officials have taken crowd safety more seriously since a deadly 2022 Halloween surge that killed nearly 160 people, critics say the controls are excessive and undercut the symbolism of performing in Gwanghwamun, seen as Seoul’s spiritual heart and most prominent gathering space.

Hundreds of thousands have gathered in Gwanghwamun in recent years to mourn, protest and celebrate as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval. The BTS concert comes about a year after waves of demonstrators filled the area, calling for the ouster of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. Those months-long rallies were marked by a festive atmosphere and a striking blend of politics and pop culture, with protesters singing and waving colorful K-pop light sticks, and ended without major safety accidents.

The new BTS album, “ARIRANG”, draws on a centuries-old folk song regarded as an unofficial anthem in both North and South Korea while Gwanghwamun and nearby Gyeongbok Palace form a sweeping historic backdrop to Saturday’s show.

South Korean officials are counting on the event to promote the country’s culture and growing soft power. In a statement Wednesday, President Lee Jae Myung said the BTS performance would provide “a special moment that people around the world will remember for long.”

“While one pillar of the album is defined by BTS’ identity, the other is shaped by the emotions they feel in the present, specifically universal sentiments such as joy, pleasure, and profound love,” Hybe said in response to questions from The Associated Press.

The 14-track record, with lead single “SWIM,” was recorded in Los Angeles as the group reconvened after years apart.

The group’s comeback follows a nearly four-year hiatus driven by South Korea’s mandatory military service, which requires most able-bodied men to serve 18 to 21 months under a conscription system aimed at deterring aggression from North Korea. BTS members began serving in 2022, with Suga the last to complete his service in June 2025.

Despite their years-long break, experts say BTS’s outlook remains strong, backed by its massive fandom and the continuous global rise of K-pop. South Korea’s SK Securities said Wednesday the group’s “ARIRANG” world tour is likely to become the biggest K-pop tour ever by scale and revenue, with 82 shows planned globally in stadiums of around 50,000 seats.

“They had a fairly long hiatus but still have a historically powerful fandom. As they come back, they’ll likely immediately enjoy a warm welcome and intense fever around the world,” said Ha Jae-keun, a cultural critic. “I think they’ll likely have a second heyday.”

Organisers of the concert, which will start at 8pm local time (1100GMT), gave away 22,000 free tickets, but the area is open to non-ticket holders who will be ​able to watch the performance on Netflix via giant screens.It will also be streamed live on the platform to 190 countries.

The junction of Longsight Lane and Hough Fold Way, was flooded with cars driving through several inches of flooding.

Residents across nearby streets, including those in and around Bradshaw Brow and Longsight Lane, reported waking up to no water or extremely low pressure as a result of a burst water pipe.

Residents wake to no water after burst main floods streets in Harwood (Image: NQ)

One resident said: “We had no water when we got up this morning at 6.30am and it was quite a shock. There were quite a few streets nearby without water.”

Another added: “We’ve been without water all morning, it’s just one of them things – there’s nothing you can do about it.”

A Longsight Lane resident described the situation as “a bit of a shambles”, saying ongoing works in the area had already caused disruption.

He said: “They’ve been doing works here for a couple of weeks and now this has happened – it’s going to delay them even longer.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to have a shower at some point today.”

United Utilities confirmed the disruption was caused by a burst pipe and apologised to customers affected.

A spokesman said: “A burst has been reported to us on the junction of Longsight Lane and Hough Fold Way and we can confirm this is the cause of the disruption.”

“If your water looks discoloured, don’t worry – this can happen when natural sediments in the pipes are disturbed. We’ll continue to monitor the situation to make sure your supply returns to normal as quickly as possible.”

Engineers at the scene said the issue appears to be linked to an ageing pipe believed to be around 60 years old.

Workers said they have to dig up this area of concrete to identify the issue (Image: NQ)

One worker said: “We’ve been working on this road for the last two weeks but something underneath further along has caused this.

“It’s an old burst pipe so we’ll need to dig up the concrete to investigate.”

Water tankers were deployed across the area to help restore supply, bringing water in from other parts of the network.

Water on Wheels tank (Image: NQ)

Several “Water on Wheels” units were stationed around Harwood.

The disruption also forced the closure of Canon Slade School due to health and safety concerns.

In a statement, the school said: “We have liaised with United Utilities who have advised there is no estimated timeline for resolving the issue.

“We therefore had to make the difficult decision to close the school for health and safety reasons.”

Parents were asked to confirm arrangements for their children to leave site safely, while pupils eligible for free school meals were offered a grab bag before dismissal.

Surface water remained for several hours (Image: NQ)

Longsight Lane had already been closed due to separate works, adding to disruption in the area.

Flood conditions eased later in the day, after water became under control leaving behind large puddles on the roads.

Repairs are ongoing as engineers work on the scene.

It added: “The trial judge’s decision to raise this issue resulted, for the first time, in a real risk that the claimants, vulnerable victims of terrorism, could face devastating personal liability for legal costs as (a) finding of abuse of process would remove the claimants’ costs protection and require them to pay Mr Adams his full legal costs, a risk that Mr Adams inevitably exploited.

Chuck Norris, the martial arts grandmaster and action star whose roles in “Walker, Texas Ranger” and other television shows and movies made him an iconic tough guy — sparking internet parodies and adoration from presidents — has died at 86.

Norris died Thursday, in what his family described as a “sudden passing.”

“While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” the family said in a statement posted to social media.

Before he would become a star in movies and on TV, Norris was wildly successful in competitive martial arts. He was a six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate champion. He also founded his own Korean-based American hard style of karate, known sometimes as Chun Kuk Do, and the United Fighting Arts Federation, which has awarded more than 3,300 Chuck Norris System black belts worldwide. Black Belt magazine ultimately credited Norris in its hall of fame with holding a 10th degree black belt, the highest possible honor.

Born Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma, on March 10, 1940, he grew up poor. At age 12, he moved with his family to Torrance, California, and joined the U.S. Air Force after high school, in 1958. It was during a deployment to Korea that he started training in martial arts, including judo and Tang Soo Do.

After he was honorably discharged in 1962, he worked as a file clerk for Northrop Aircraft and applied to be a police officer, but was put on a waitlist. Meanwhile, he opened a martial arts studio, which expanded to a chain, with students including such stars as Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley, Donny and Marie Osmond, and Steve McQueen, whom he later credited with encouraging him to get into acting.

From one studio to another

Norris made his film debut as an uncredited bodyguard in the 1968 movie “The Wrecking Crew,” which included a fight with Dean Martin. He had also crossed paths with Bruce Lee in martial arts circles. Their friendship — sometimes, as sparring partners — led to an iconic faceoff in the 1972 movie “Return of the Dragon,” in which Lee fights and kills Norris’ character in Rome’s Colosseum.

He went on to act in more than 20 movies, such as “Missing in Action,” “The Delta Force” and “Sidekicks.”

“I wanted to project a certain image on the screen of a hero. I had seen a lot of anti-hero movies in which the lead was neither good nor bad. There was no one to root for,” Norris said in 1982.

In 1993, he took on his most famed role, as a crime-fighting lawman in TV’s “Walker, Texas Ranger.” The show ran for nine seasons, and in 2010, then-Gov. Rick Perry awarded him the title of honorary Texas Ranger. The Texas Senate later named him an honorary Texan.

“It’s not violence for violence’s sake, with no moral structure,” Norris told the AP in 1996, speaking about the show. “You try to portray the proper meaning of what it’s about — fighting injustice with justice, good vs. bad. … It’s entertaining for the whole family.”

Norris also made a surprise comedic appearance as a decisive judge in the final match of the 2004 movie “Dodgeball.” He only on occasion had taken acting roles in recent years, including 2012’s “The Expendables 2” and the 2024 sci-fi action movie “Agent Recon.” He’s due to appear in “Zombie Plane,” an upcoming film starring Vanilla Ice.

President Donald Trump’s supporters later promoted “Trump Facts” in the same vein, and political pundits tried it as well, describing the commander-in-chief’s decision to seize Venezuela’s sitting president, Nicolas Maduro, as a “Chuck Norris Moment,” and its initial effect on oil prices a “Chuck Norris Premium.”

Norris was outspoken about his Christian beliefs and his support for gun rights, and backed political candidates for years — he even went skydiving with Bush for the former president’s 80th birthday. As for Trump, Norris endorsed him in the 2016 general election and wrote guest columns praising him without explicitly endorsing him in the days before the 2020 and 2024 elections.

Norris is survived by five children: stunt performers Mike and Eric with his late ex-wife Dianne Holechek, twins Dakota and Danilee with his wife Gena Norris, and Dina, the result of an early 1960s “one-night stand” revealed in his autobiography.

Norris celebrated his birthday just over a week before his death, posting a sparring video on Instagram.

“I don’t age. I level up,” he wrote.

The DWP stopped Marie’s pension when she was in hospital in Cyprus, and her local authority is now taking her to court over her council tax

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An 84 year old stranded in Cyprus after becoming ill, whose pension was stopped for being out of the UK too long, is being taken to court for not paying council tax. Marie Collins, from Narborough, Norfolk, flew out to the island for a fortnight’s holiday in September. But after she developed a serious chest infection, doctors told her she was not fit to return home.

She has not received any pension payments since the beginning of November. She said she has been told this was because the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) thought she had died.

Breckland District Council is also taking her to court because they say she owes £875 in council tax. Marie was ordered to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court – but she remains stranded in Cyprus with no funds to get home.

A spokesperson for Breckland District Council said that they were unable to comment on individual cases. They added: “We can confirm that when we are notified that a resident’s circumstances have changed, it will trigger a reassessment of their council tax bill and their eligibility for support and discounts.

“We have a responsibility to collect council tax from all our residents and to pursue any missed payments on behalf of the public purse. However, we always take a collaborative approach with individuals and work with them to understand their individual situation.”

Marie, currently living with friends, is still awaiting clarification from the DWP regarding her pension payments. After recovering from the chest infection, she suffered a fall and has since undergone physiotherapy, but still has limited use of her hand and “no pressure” in her fingers, leaving her unable to write properly, reports the Mirror.

She stated that doctors provided letters confirming she was unfit to fly, and both local and specialist medical evidence was sent to the DWP. Despite repeated contact from Marie, her niece, South West Norfolk MP Terry Jermy, and the British Consulate in Cyprus, her payments remain suspended.

Mr Jermy expressed his commitment to assisting Marie as a “matter of priority”. “My team and I are actively supporting Marie and have been pursuing every possible way of getting this situation resolved for her as a matter of priority,” the MP said.

However, Marie said: “They have still not given me a penny after five months. This keeps going around in circles. The DWP is just making excuses. They assumed I was dead.”

The ongoing struggle has taken a toll on Marie’s physical and mental health. “I don’t know how much longer I can live going on like this,” she said.

Marie recounted spending “weeks and weeks” attempting to reach the DWP’s offices by phone, often waiting on hold for hours before being disconnected. She asked her niece in Yorkshire to intervene on her behalf, but was told that the department could not speak to her niece without power of attorney.

Marie organised the necessary documents and dispatched them via recorded delivery in early January. Although tracking confirmed its arrival, her niece was subsequently informed that the department had no record of it and remained unable to discuss the case. At one point, Marie stated she was unable to make international calls due to exhausting her mobile credit, leaving WhatsApp as her sole means of communication.

The DWP has been approached for a response.

Professor Tim Spector has shared that these supplements may help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes

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A nutrition expert has revealed a widely-available supplement that may help reduce the likelihood of a severe health condition. According to Professor Tim Spector, regularly taking this tablet could lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

However, he admitted that we still don’t “fully understand” how this supplement works. And certain research indicates it might not be as advantageous as some claim.

During an episode of the Zoe Science and Nutrition podcast, Prof Spector explored the possible health advantages of taking vitamin D. Prof Spector, an epidemiologist and Zoe’s founder, detailed how scientific evidence regarding vitamin D’s effects has changed through the years.

This included vitamin D’s use for osteoporosis – a condition that weakens bones, leaving them fragile and at greater risk of breaking. He said: “I was a big promoter of vitamin D back in the day for osteoporosis.

“The early studies of vitamin D showed that it worked. And everybody worried about osteoporosis, trying to prevent it, should be on vitamin D medication. But when it actually got to the big studies with fractures, there was no difference.

“And that’s now why osteoporosis experts know that vitamin D is not useful for the vast majority of people in preventing fractures.” The Royal Osteoporosis Society confirms on its website that vitamin D assists your body in absorbing and utilising calcium, which maintains your bones and muscles “strong”.

Additionally, the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG) states that calcium and vitamin D support bone health. However, it recognises there is “little” evidence that vitamin D supplementation by itself decreases fracture occurrence, though it “may reduce falls risk”.

Prof Spector added: “It’s been promoted for a hundred different diseases, and I would say in 98 of them, it’s complete rubbish. It’s probably useful if you’re at risk of multiple sclerosis, reduces by a few hours if you take it during a viral infection.”

Vitamin D and diabetes

Prof Spector then summarised the connection between vitamin D and diabetes. He said: “But the latest studies show that it can reduce your risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

“So it’s a really interesting compound, which we still don’t understand.” A meta-analysis of research published in Diabetes Care journal in 2020 discovered that among people with pre-diabetes, consuming vitamin D could decrease the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.

During the research, the team identified eight suitable trials involving a total of 4,896 participants. They discovered that vitamin D supplementation “significantly reduced” the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

This advantage was observed in non-obese participants but not amongst obese participants. The reversal of prediabetes to normal blood sugar levels (normoglycaemia) was seen in 116 of 548 (21.2 per cent) participants in the vitamin D group and 75 of 532 (14.1 per cent) in the control group. The study’s authors stated: “Results from this meta-analysis show that vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of T2DM in participants with prediabetes. Reversion of prediabetes to normoglycaemia was significantly increased by vitamin D supplementation.

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“The benefit of the prevention of T2DM appears to be confined to non-obese subjects. Individual participant data meta-analyses are needed to confirm the overall result and identify subgroups that benefit the most from supplementation.”

Another study, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences in 2025, found: “Moreover, vitamin D has been reported to reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes by 15 per cent, particularly in doses higher than the traditional recommendations for bone health. Despite promising evidence, discrepancies in study designs, serum vitamin D measurements, and population-specific factors highlight the need for standardised methodologies and personalised approaches.

“In conclusion, vitamin D has complementary therapeutic potential in treating type 2 diabetes, revealing gaps in research, such as optimal dosing and long-term effects across populations.” However, a different review of studies, published in Cureus in 2022, discovered that “most studies” examining this topic demonstrated “no significant improvement” in blood sugar levels amongst type 2 diabetes patients.

The study’s authors stated: “Most studies conducted to discuss the effects of vitamin D on glucose metabolism supported the hypothesis that appropriate vitamin D supplementation may improve the metabolic regulation of glucose levels in type 1 diabetes; in contrast, most of the studies showed no significant improvement in the levels of hemoglobin A1C in type 2 diabetes with supplementation of vitamin D. As the prevalence of diabetes rises and vitamin D insufficiency is quite common, more investigations and research are required to figure out the exact link between vitamin D and diabetes.”

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NHS guidance

The NHS explains that vitamin D is essential for maintaining healthy bones, teeth and muscles. It warns: “A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.”

The majority of our vitamin D comes from exposure to sunlight. Consequently, Government guidance recommends that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement throughout the autumn and winter months.

The NHS website makes no reference to any connection between vitamin D supplements and diabetes risk. Should you decide to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms daily will be “enough” for the majority of people.

The health body advises: “Do not take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful.” This guidance applies to adults, including expectant and nursing mothers and elderly people, as well as children aged 11 to 17 years. Youngsters between one and 10 years old shouldn’t exceed 50 micrograms (2,000 IU) daily. Babies under 12 months shouldn’t have more than 25 micrograms (1,000 IU) per day.

Civil unrest in the US, stock market chaos and ‘the destruction of Europe’ are just some of the consequences of Donald Trump’s attack on Iran, warns Professor Jiang Xueqin

The Beijing-based academic who has earned himself the nickname “The Chinese Nostradamus” thanks to his uncannily accurate predictions of geopolitical events has laid out a chilling timeline for the next few years. Jiang Xueqin’s outline for the next “two to four years” culminates in a dramatic change in the world order that will include “the destruction of Europe”.

Professor Jiang uses a synthesis of detailed historical analysis and game theory to predict the outcomes of current world events with astounding accuracy. He has already seen two relatively recent predictions come true with startling accuracy. In 2024, he correctly anticipated that Donald Trump would win the election of that year.

He then predicted that if Trump did become president again, there “will be a very strong likelihood that the United States will go to war with Iran”. Both, as we now know, are totally accurate.

And now he has made eight more chilling predictions amid the current conflict in Iran.

1. US will use ground troops

In a new lecture, he predicts the US will be forced to deploy ground troops in order to retain control of Iran, which is a vast and mountainous territory four times the size of neighbouring Iraq. That, Professor Jiang maintains, will lead to the kind of domestic unrest we saw over Vietnam in the 1960s, when thousands of young Americans refused to be drafted into what they saw as an unjust war.

“A lot of young people are going to refuse to fight in this war. And this is going to create protest,” Professor Jiang predicts. “Then America will have no choice but to deploy the National Guard. And this will create the recipe for a lot of civil conflict in America.”

But the fallout from President Trump’s so-called “excursion” into the Middle East will have much more far-reaching consequences than that, he says.

2. Destruction of the GCC

Professor Jiang says the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] – an economic and military alliance that unites Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in a broadly US-friendly coalition – will be obliterated.

“What’s happening in this war is that the economies of the GCC are being destroyed and that’s part of the plan,” he says.

Unconfirmed reports from within the US military have said that US troops involved in the Iran conflict have been told by their commanders that President Trump was “anointed by Jesus” to wage a holy war against Iran — even saying this could trigger Armageddon and mark Christ’s return.

Professor Jiang says this obsession with the End of the World, what is known as eschatology, is prevalent among the Evangelical Christians who have come to dominate the current US administration.

3. Turkey & Saudi Arabia will enter the war

This, he theorises, forms the background to the next phase of the conflict. He explained: “The third thing we can expect is that Turkey and Saudi Arabia will enter the war… because you want to use this war to weaken opposition to these eschatologies.”

Involvement in the war against Iran will do serious harm to Turkey, as it will the GCC nations, Jiang warns.

Taken together with Turkey’s involvement in the Iranian conflict, this represents disaster for America’s former allies. “We can expect the destruction of Europe—the end of NATO basically,” Jiang warns.

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4. The Al-Aqsa Mosque will be destroyed

One of Islam’s holiest sites, the Al-Aqsa mosque lies at the very heart of Jerusalem. Professor Jiang pointed out this important site has long been a source of dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.

In April 2024, during a wave of Iranian strikes against Israel, Iran’s then-supreme leader Ali Khamenei tweeted in Hebrew: “Al-Quds [an Arabic name for Jerusalem] will be in the hands of the Muslims.” With fresh tensions between Israel and Iran, Professor Jiang believes the mosque is likely to be be massively damaged or destroyed.

5. The Rise of Persia

The professor adds that as Iran continues to fight against impossible odds, its leaders will re-embrace its ancient name of Persia.

That, again, connects to the eschatological analysis of the situation – that this current conflict is a prelude to a wider war that ends with Persian and Russian forces uniting to face a joint Israeli force at Armageddon – now known as as Tel Megiddo – in northern Israel.

6. Israel ascendant

Jiang believes that, as America’s economy is eclipsed, some multinational corporations will gravitate more to Israel: “Think of companies like Nvidia, Oracle, Microsoft, Google. They’ll probably transfer themselves to Israel because that is where the power will rest.”

7. Russian victory in Ukraine

With America bogged down in Iran, and NATO fatally compromised thanks to infighting over the Strait of Hormuz, Jiang says that, President Putin will take advantage of the growing chaos to finally defeat Ukraine.

8. Destruction of Europe

The ultimate endgame of all of these machinations, Jiang says, is a Europe hemmed in by Russia on one side and Iran – now occupying all or part of Turkey – on the other.

Against these two massive adversaries – both of which have advanced drone and cyber-warfare assets – Europe is unlikely to survive.

He adds that it’s entirely possible that Donald Trump could simply realise his mistake and withdraw his forces from the region, attempting to reassure his MAGA base that the military adventure achieved its objectives.

But even that apparently sensible move, Jiang says, carries a hidden penalty. He explained: “What happens is that Iran says to GCC, ‘Hey man, you attacked us. You destroyed our infrastructure. You destroyed our economy. You have to pay compensation.’”

Given Iran’s effective control of the Straits of Hormuz — the sole conduit for around 20% of the world’s crude oil — it could extract a toll from the oil-producing nations in order to extract this “compensation.”

That would make a significant dent in the US economy. Professor Jiang added: “So all this money from the GCC, before it’s going to United States to fuel the US economy… it goes to Iran.”

The outcome, Jiang suggests, is a resurgent Iran that uses its newfound wealth to industrialise and rebuild on an unprecedented scale, becoming the pre-eminent superpower in the Middle East “in five to 10 years.”

The rational move for Israel’s leaders at that point, Jiang says, would be to make some sort of peace deal with the Iranians. Meanwhile, the US economy could suffer enormously. He added: “Because the entire US economy is based on the stock market, on finance, on AI, on investment from the GCC.”

This may leave Trump with an impossible choice: commit ground troops to invade Iran and face a long and bloody war that will inevitably be a political disaster at home, or withdraw from the region and suffer almost inevitable economic collapse.

While either outcome will strike fear into the hearts of more rational US lawmakers, the evangelical voices that increasingly hold sway over Trump’s inner circle will see these disastrous results as a way to hasten the Second Coming of Jesus as predicted in the Book of Revelation, Jiang claims.

With Iran also dominated by theological influences, the prospect of a measured, diplomatic approach to this crisis seems remote. And if Jiang’s predictions are correct, the second half of the 2020s looks to be a very dangerous time for the entire world.

Sometimes, a trend is born from the most practical of sources: convenience. The penchant for doubling up bags seen outside fashion shows from London to New York, Paris and Milan, and on the catwalk at Fendi, is a case in point. One of the best examples of this was a London Fashion Week attendee pairing a cherry red calfskin Chloe clutch with a larger, slouchier tote in large-scale leopard print. Did she do it because the duo looked chic, or simply because she had more to carry than the clutch allowed? Who cares. The point is, why carry one fab bag when you could carry two?