THE i PAPER

IMPARTIAL NEWS • INTELLIGENT DEBATE

£1.10

Tuesday 18 August 2026

No. 4,910

theipaper.com

INVOICE

Lost property: SAS rifle and £239 washing machine missing from MoD

EXCLUSIVE

SEND pupils far more likely to be shut in isolation rooms

» Concerning new data may pose threat to Labour school reforms

P10

LIFE

The millennial midlife crisis

We 40-year-olds are bitter... and broke

MONARCHY

William is still smouldering with rage at the brother who betrayed him by Jennie Bond

CULTURE

Harry Potter and the cursed cast

P41

Neighbours told: don't phone 999 to report next door's barbecue

• Fire chiefs warn public not to use 999 to report neighbours holding barbecues or bonfires in wake of Government's use of national alert system to millions of mobile phones on Friday
• Alert blamed for surge of emergency calls over the weekend - prompting fire and rescue services to urge public to reserve 999 for genuine situations where people may be in danger
• Episode raises questions over whether an alert intended to encourage people to report potentially dangerous fires may have added to pressure on emergency control rooms
• Met Office predicts chance of new heatwave by mid-September, despite some rainfall expected this week and night-time temperatures dropping to 3°C in parts of the country

P5

POLITICS

Home Office plan to stop migrants using their family to stay in the UK faces block

CULTURE

Why Ricky Gervais fans are so angry with him

P8

TRANSPORT

Free bus travel for disabled people

P11

TRUMP THREATENS TO BOMB OMAN

P12

VIRGIN TRAINS TO END EUROSTAR'S CHANNEL TUNNEL MONOPOLY

P14

---

TUESDAY

18

AUGUST

Quote of the day

An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought SIMON CAMERON

Birthdays

Victoria Coren Mitchell, writer/presenter, 54; Timothy Geithner, former US Treasury Secretary, 65; Mika, singer-songwriter, 43; Edward Norton, actor/film-maker, 57; Aphex Twin, musician, 55; Xand and Chris van Tulleken (below), doctors, 48; Christian Slater, actor, 57

Anniversaries

Wednesday 18 August 1227 Genghis Khan, the founder of the vast Mongol Empire, dies while campaigning against the Chinese kingdom of Xi Xia. He was over 60 and reportedly in failing health. His successors continued expanding the empire, which eventually covered much of Eurasia.

index

Crossword...25

TV & Radio...26

Puzzles...27

Culture...38

Money...42

Weather...47

The News Matrix

The day at a glance

COURTS

Jewish comic faced discrimination

A venue has accepted that it had discriminated against Jewish comic Philip Simon by cancelling his show at last year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Banshee Labyrinth pulled Stinson's act over his views on Gaza. The venue accepted that it had acted unlawfully, Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard yesterday.

SOCIETY

Anti-racism group holds vigil for Arday

A vigil organised by Stand Up to Racism for Professor Jason Arday took place at the National Gallery in London yesterday. Arday, who was found dead on Friday, resigned from his post as professor of sociology of education at Cambridge last week after allegations of plagiarism were made against him. PAGE 1

UNITED STATES

Trump fails in bid to appeal in Carroll case

The US Supreme Court has again rebuffed President Donald Trump's push to throw out a jury's 85m (£12.7m) award after finding that he sexually abused the writer E-Jean Carroll at a New York City store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her. The President's lawyers had asked the justices to reconsider their refusal to hear his appeal.

SCOTLAND

Swinney encourages people to give blood

Giving blood is "one of the many bonds that brings us together as a society", Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has said.

Swinney visited the Edinburgh Blood Donor Centre yesterday and said blood stocks were "low", as he called for more people to donate. During his visit he donated blood.

"We all play a part in making sure that we're supporting and enabling the provision of supplies of blood... because none of us know the moment at which we might need to have blood supplies donated by other members of the public," he said.

"That's one of the many bonds that bring us together as a society."

NORTHERN IRELAND

DUP MP to face court after assault charge

DUP MP Jim Shannon is facing court proceedings over a charge of assaulting a woman. The offence is alleged to have occurred on 1 October 2023. The case was mentioned yesterday at Newtownards magistrates' court in Co Antrim. Strangford MP Shannon, 71, did not attend the hearing.

The List

Signs that you are a morning lark

A majority of Britons (68%) describe themselves as morning people, while six in 10 feel more prepared for the day after waking up early and getting busy and almost a third say they cannot start their morning without coffee. Research from Nutella found that opening windows for some fresh air tops the list of signs you are a morning person. The other main signs are:

1 You open the windows - 55%

2 You make the bed - 48%

3 You love the sound of bird song - 43%

3 You feel most productive - 43%

5 You check the weather and plan your outfit - 38%

6 You make a pot of fresh coffee every morning - 31%

7 You fling back the curtains the moment you get up - 30%

8 You reply to messages before 7.30am - 29%

8 You smile at strangers on the commute - 29%

10 You pack lunches the night before - 25%

HOSPITALITY

Wetherspoon bans customers' music

JD Wetherspoon has banned customers from playing music or taking calls on speaker after complaints that the noise was driving people "nuts". The pub chain has introduced the ban in its 792 premises, saying such sounds had become an "increasing problem in recent years".

PEOPLE

'Mrs Brown's Boys' specials cancelled

The Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas and New Year's specials have been cancelled as the show's star Brendan O'Carroll, 70, faces an "unexpected medical issue" that has required "immediate surgery". He explained: "Following a CT Scan, it was found that I had two fractures in my mandible [jaw]."

ITALY

Lightning strike kills tourist on Etna

An American tourist was killed by a lightning strike on Sicily's Mount Etna while hiking in an area that was closed to visitors due to recent volcanic activity, Italian firefighters said yesterday. The 29-year-man from Kansas was recovered by helicopter after being struck on Sunday evening in an exposed area above the tree line and later died.

IRELAND

Martin 'shocked' by stolen car collision

There can be "no tolerance" for reckless driving. Ireland's premier has said, after a fatal head-on crash involving a stolen vehicle.

Five teenagers, all occupants of one of the vehicles, died and four people were seriously injured in the crash on the M9 motorway in Co Kilduve in the early hours of Sunday.

A body representing rank-and-file members of Ireland's police service, An Garda Síochána, said an instruction had been given not to pursue the vehicle the wrong way down the motorway.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was "shocked and saddened" by "an irresponsible and dangerous act".

The Page 3 Profile

LeBRON JAMES, HAILS SCOTLAND AS 'GOD'S COUNTRY'

Charting a new course...

All hail the new 'King James' of Scotland, back more than 400 years after the last one, to declare the kingdom as 'God's country'.

The US basketball legend LeBron James, nicknamed 'King James' due to his sporting prowess, visited the Highlands along with his former Cleveland Cavaliers team-mates for a spot of golf to mark the 10th anniversary of their NBA finals win.

In a video on YouTube, James said "To be able to reunite with these guys and do a trip like this means everything to me and I know it means everything to the guys.

"I mean this is a beautiful place, it feels like God's country out here when you look around."

A different ball game.

James has reigned supreme over the world of basketball since 2003, winning four NBA championships and three Olympic gold medals and is the all-time NBA leading scorer.

Not content with this record, he now plans a slam dunk in a whole new ball game - golf.

The 41-year-old Philadelphia 76ers player launched his own YouTube channel, which shows him visiting some of the best golf courses in the world, starting with Castle Stuart golf links at Cabot Highlands in Inverness.

Royal privilege down to a tee...

Fittingly 'King James' and his courtiers stayed at Aldourie Castle at Loch Ness, owned by the fashion tycoon and Scotland's richest man Anders Holch Povlsen.

"It's pretty special having my guys around and being able to experience something like this here in Scotland so I hope you enjoy it too," he said.

They even flew by helicopter for a round of golf at Loch Lomond, where they may or may not have made a visit to the 19th hole.

Sally Guyoncourt

NORTHERN IRELAND

Israeli cameraman assaulted in Belfast

A 30-year-old man has been arrested over reports that an Israeli TV crew was assaulted in Belfast.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the allegations were "deeply concerning" and the motive behind the incident "must be investigated".

Robinson said: "A cameraman was reportedly struck on the head with a glass after the crew's nationality became known.

"There can be no justification for violence or intimidation directed towards journalists because they are Israeli or Jewish.

"The circumstances of this, including its motivation, must be fully investigated by the PSNI."

Newspapers support recycling. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2024 was 37.2%.

© Published by Harmsworth Media, 9 Derry Street, London, W8 5HY. Registered in England and Wales No. 00084121. Printed at Newsprinters Holdings Ltd (Broadbourne). Newsprinters Holdings Ltd (Knowsley), KP Services (Jersey) Ltd; Newsprinters Holdings Ltd (Eurocentral), Lanarkshire, Irish Times (Citywest, Dublin), Ireland. Back issues available from Historic Newspapers, info@historic-newspapers.com Tuesday 18 August 2026. Registered as a newspaper with the Post Office.

---

NEWS 7-33

OPINION 11-22

TV 26-31

LIVE 24-27

CULTURE 30-31

SQUARE 32-35

SPORT 36-38

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

3

FILM

Depp talking about return to 'Caribbean'

Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed he is in talks with actor Johnny Depp to make a sixth film in the franchise. The series features Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and has been a big box office success. The last installment was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017.

TELEVISION

Actor 'going home' to 'EastEnders'

Actor Robert Kazinsky says he "can't wait" to return "home" to EastEnders, reprising his role as Sean Slater 17 years after leaving the BBC soap. He has made several surprise appearances in the soap since but will return for a protracted run this year as the character moves back to Albert Square.

ANIMALS

Monkey returns after Highland fling

A monkey has returned to his Highland home after escaping from an enclosure. Search teams were looking for young male Japanese macaque Luka yesterday after he escaped from the Highland Wildlife Park, near Aviemore. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland said he had returned "of his own accord".

PEOPLE

'Emmerdale' actress had crush on co-star

Emmerdale actress Casey Al-Shaquy has admitted to being starstruck by one of her co-stars, Jeff Hordley who plays Cain Dingle, saying: "I used to fancy him". The 30-year-old joined the ITV soap in June as Serena Sugden and has been part of the storyline involving the death of Dr Todd, played by Caroline Harker.

Letter from the

Political Editor

Caroline Wheeler

c@theipaper.com

Sounding the alarm

A smoke alarm going off while you are cooking is one of the most irritating sounds imaginable. It is also a sound that has saved countless lives.

Friday's nationwide wildfire alert offered a similar equation: was this a necessary alarm to address a growing national emergency, or an intrusion into millions of people's cars, sitting rooms and family evenings?

For some, it was plainly an unwanted intrusion. The shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, called it "political posturing".

For others, after 19 homes were destroyed in Stourbridge and firefighters battled wildfires, it was an entirely proportionate response to a terrifying threat.

The Government cannot turn off the heat, summon rain or extinguish fires from Whitehall. And if firefighting capacity was becoming stretched, there may have been little else it could do but push the biggest button available and tell millions of people not to light barbecues, bonfires or anything that could start a fire.

But that makes what happened next all the more troubling. The alert urged people to report fires to 999.

Within hours, some fire services were pleading with the public not to use emergency lines to report barbecues and bonfires.

Only weeks earlier, the Climate Change Committee had warned that extreme weather could put emergency services under severe strain. During the 2022 heatwave, 999 calls to fire control rooms soared by 500 per cent.

Friday's alarm may have been necessary. But if this kind of extreme weather becomes more common, sounding a national alarm cannot be the only answer. Britain needs more sophisticated ways of warning people.

SAMSUNG

The all-new

Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra | Fold8

Galaxy AI

Samsung account login is required for certain AI features.

Save up to £1,550

when you trade in an eligible phone. A new era of Galaxy foldables is here.

Ebola 19.08

A new Galaxy and Galaxy's new device, Vodafone's 2.0 Special Plus Credit Agreement with an Accreditor Plan. Your act and off your iPhone Pay stamp, which you do every year become Paying a 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or 1.5kV or

---

4

NEWS

POLICE

Roof arrest after two-day stand-off

By Eleanor Barlow

A man has been charged after police ended a two-day stand-off by climbing a ladder to arrest a sleeping suspect on a roof.

Greater Manchester Police released footage showing the moment an officer climbed the ladder onto the roof of a back porch in Salford, and grabbed the man, who was lying down. The man was pulled down the

ladder, with his trousers appearing to fall down, before being arrested by officers in the garden of the property.

Two police officers suffered minor injuries during the stand-off on Saturday, the force said.

Simon Harris, 37, of no fixed address, was yesterday charged with four counts of criminal damage, two counts of assault of an emergency worker, intentionally/recklessly causing a public nuisance, burglary

The stand-off ends when a suspect is arrested as he sleeps on a roof CAMPUS.

of a dwelling and theft. Detective Chief Inspector Helen Bagnall thanked members of the public following the man's arrest.

She said: "This was an extensive use of vital policing resources and clearly demonstrates the dangers our officers face on a daily basis in order to protect the people of Greater Manchester.

"Two of our officers suffered minor injuries during this incident.

"I would like to reiterate my thanks to the people of Salford for their patience and understanding whilst emergency service personnel dealt with this incident."

Mix and match

frames, tints and lenses

£40 off polarising, Reactions and mirror lenses

Book an eye test at specsavers.co.uk

Specsavers

£40 off lens upgrades: Cannot be used with any other offers. The lenses included with the £70-£70 ranges are 15 standard single-vision lenses (or 1.6 for £170 Reinkus ranges). This offer is for £40 off any lens upgrades but excludes safety eyewear, myopia management lenses and Aspheric 15 lenses. All lenses are scratch resistant. Additional charge for extra lens options which cost over £40. For any lens options that cost under £40, any difference in value will not be refunded, discounted off your purchase or provided in cash/ovouchers. Subject to suitability.

COURTS

Double killer Levy pleads not guilty to prison guard attack

By Tristan Kirk

Double killer Simon Levy is accused of stabbing a prison guard in the neck with a pen and trying to strangle him, a court has heard.

The 41-year-old, who is serving a whole life sentence for murdering two women in London, has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and intentional strangulation at maximum security HMP Belmarsh in February.

Levy (inset) appeared over a videolink at Westminster magistrates' court yesterday to deny both charges.

David Burns, for the prosecution, told the court Levy was finishing a meeting with Belmarsh guard Paul Dunne when it is said he "attacked him with a pen, stabbing him multiple times to the arm and neck".

It is said Mr Dunne fell to the floor and Levy then "grabbed the officer around the throat" before tightening his grip.

Levy's lawyer, Jason Lartey, told the court he denies the charges.

Levy, formerly of Tottenham, north London, was handed a whole life prison term last week for murdering grandmother Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, and mother-of-four Sheryl Wilkins, 39, last year.

The murders came after he had carried out a string of sexual assaults on the Tube and raped a woman in a car park.

Levy spoke during yesterday's hearing to confirm his name and date of birth, and to enter his not guilty pleas.

The alleged attack on the prison guard happened on 18 February when Levy was in custody awaiting trial for double murders, rapes, and multiple sexual assaults. He was jailed for life.

After the not guilty pleas were entered, deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram sent the case to Inner London Crown

Court for trial, with a hearing set for 14 September.

NATURE

Stag shot dead after injuring man

By Harry Goodwin

A stag has been shot dead in London's Richmond Park after it injured a man who was on a picnic.

The animal had come close to the man's group "looking for food" on Saturday evening, a spokeswoman for Royal Parks said.

The man, in his sixties, was taken to hospital with chest injuries described as "not life-threatening".

"Sadly, the stag's behaviour meant that it had to be put down as it was deemed to be a danger to visitors," the spokeswoman added.

She said the stag may have approached the picnic after it learned "to associate visitors with food".

"Deer in Richmond Park are wild animals and should never be fed, approached or touched," she said.

"Repeated feeding can cause deer to lose their natural wariness of people, creating risks for both people and wildlife.

"If visitors follow our advice, it is unlikely that they will exhibit this type of behaviour."

Richmond Park has been without Royal Parks police since November, when the unit was scrapped due to Met Police cuts.

---

MARCH 2023

THURSDAY 18:22

17 22:31

18:29 16:59

COLUMBUS 18:51

SUNDAY 19:31

SPORT 19:55

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

5

Grandad wins big on whisky

A grandad-of-eight's 55-year-old cask of whisky he bought for £130 is now worth £270,000. Angus Kerr, 81, bought the cask of Glenrothes single malt as an investment in 1971 shortly before the supplier went bust.

The commodity consultant intended to buy one cask a year to let them mature before selling them to pay for his children's school fees, but the trader went bust so he only bought one.

To his amazement, the barrel, which was filled on 2 January 1965, is now the oldest Glenrothes cask in existence and worth more than £270,000 - over 2,000 times what Kerr paid for it.

MARK LITTLEBOWNS

SECURITY

SAS rifle and £239 washing machine among MoD equipment lost or stolen

Exclusive

By Kyriakos Petrakos and Ben Sander

Weapons including batons, Tasers and a rifle have been lost or stolen from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and police forces across the UK over the past five years.

Thousands of electronic devices, including computers, laptops, memory sticks, tablets and hard drives, were also reported as missing by the MoD and 34 police forces across England, Scotland and Wales between 2021 and 2025.

A Colt Canada C8 assault rifle, among weapons used by the Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS) in close combat, went missing last year according to data obtained through Freedom of Information laws.

Survival packs, a £239 washing machine, eight helmets, 80 bullets, three body armour plates and "large missile cases" were also reported as lost or stolen last year.

According to the data, 787 devices - mainly laptops - were lost by police forces last year, down from 1,436 missing items in 2024.

Overall, more than 5,000 UK government and public sector weapons, pieces of ammunition and devices went missing between 2021 and 2025.

Authorities point to tools like device encryption as a safeguard against data exposure, but experts warn that lost hardware raises the risk of a cyber attack or other security breach.

Of the 4,413 technological devices reported as lost or stolen by police forces, at least 107 were recovered,

but the majority remained missing. Over the same period, 1,300 laptops, computers and memory sticks have been recorded as lost or stolen from the MoD, of which at least 44 have been recovered.

The department said that more than 300 of the devices were lost between January 2025 and April this year.

An MoD spokesperson said: "If any assets are reported lost or missing due to suspected criminal activity, we take the necessary steps to investigate, prosecute and recover the items."

The Metropolitan Police reported that two Tasers and four Taser cartridges were lost last year: the FOI figures show.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said numbers of lost or stolen electronic items have declined significantly since 2024.

"We continually review our procedures to help prevent future losses and maintain public confidence," they added.

A spokesperson for the City of London Police said: "As part of an IT upgrade last year, officers and staff were issued new laptops; we are in the process of reclaiming any obsolete laptops which have not yet been returned. These devices are encrypted and can no longer access City of London Police networks."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said the force takes the "protection of all information assets extremely seriously and complies with the National Policing Information Systems Community Security Policy".

PEOPLE

Last member of 'Libyan Desert Taxi Service' dies at age of 100

By Harry Goodwin

The last surviving member of a special forces unit which fought behind enemy lines in North Africa during the Second World War has died at the age of 100.

Jack Mann served as a radio operator in the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), which carried out reconnaissance and raiding missions

against the German Afrika Korps in the Sahara.

Born to Jewish parents in Cairo, he joined the British Army straight after leaving school at 17.

He was accepted into the Royal Signals in 1942 before transferring to the LRDG, dubbed the "Libyan Desert Taxi Service".

The SAS relied on the unit to transport commandos on perilous

missions behind German lines in the desert.

Mann went on to serve as a radio operator in the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) in the eastern Mediterranean. He risked capture on the Greek island of Serifos when he was invited to dance by a "beautiful" woman.

"I can't say I'm a hero," Mann stated many years later.

"My job was communications, and that's what I did. But I tell everyone - my children, my grandchildren - never forget, because war is terrible. I know, because I was in it."

News in brief

UNITED STATES

Megalodon tooth found on beach

An 11-year-old boy discovered a massive megalodon tooth on a beach in New Jersey in the US.

Bo Bowers and his father, Michael, found the four-inch prehistoric tooth while on holiday in Sea Isle City.

The megalodon has been extinct for about 3.6 million years. The large shark was about 24.3m long.

Bo discovered the fossil while digging through rocks on the beach with his father.

"I never in a million years would have guessed that we would have found something like this," Mr Bowers said.

MONARCHY

Eugenie names daughter Adelaide

Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, have named their baby daughter Adelaide Elizabeth Annina.

The latest addition to the Royal Family was born on 3 August in Lisbon, Portugal, weighing 6lb 9oz.

Eugenie said the baby's name was a tribute to "three people we love and admire past and present", including Adelaide's late great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, and to reflect the history of both England and Portugal - "two places we love and call home".

WILDLIFE

Recovered turtle takes plane to US

A rare sea turtle has recovered after he was found nearly dead on a beach in Wales.

Rhossi, a Kemp's ridley sea turtle native to the Gulf of Mexico, was found stunned by cold on a Welsh beach in December 2023.

He was nursed back to health for two years at Anglesey Sea Zoo, and took a transatlantic flight to Texas earlier this month.

"It looks like in a couple of years, he'll be fit for breeding out in the wild," Frankie Hiden, the director and owner of Anglesey Sea Zoo, said.

---

6

NEWS

COVER STORY

Don't call 999 to report neighbours

Exclusive

By Caroline Wheeler

POLITICAL EDITOR

Fire chiefs have warned the public not to dial 999 to report their neighbours for holding barbecues or lighting bonfires after Friday's use of the national alert system to millions of mobile phones.

Ministers were warned just weeks before they issued the emergency alert about wildfires that extreme weather could overwhelm emergency services – after a previous heatwave triggered a 500 per cent surge in 999 calls and left fire and ambulance services stretched to their limits.

The alert on Friday evening was blamed for a surge in 999 calls after warning people that there was a "very high risk of wildfires nationally" and urging them to report signs of fire immediately.

Cornwall Council became the latest of several areas to warn people not to dial 999 over their neighbours' barbecues.

It said: "Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service has received a high volume of 999 calls about BBQs, bonfires and campfires over the weekend. We understand people are concerned, but our fire control team needs to keep emergency lines clear for people who are in danger."

Surrey and Gloucestershire fire services issued similar warnings, saying 999 should be reserved for genuine emergencies or an immediate risk to life, property or the environment.

The episode has raised questions over whether an alert may have added to pressure on control rooms.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the Government's independent climate advisers, warned in May that the UK is becoming increas-

ingly exposed to more frequent and intense climate hazards, including heatwaves, drought and wildfires.

It noted that across the hottest days in July 2022, fire control rooms in England had a 500 per cent increase in 999 calls compared with the daily average. The surge led 14 fire services to declare major incidents, according to the CCC.

The nationwide emergency alert was issued on Friday evening as firefighters battled wildfires across England and Wales. Fire chiefs had requested an alert as crews dealt with tinder-dry conditions.

But the alert quickly created pressure over using emergency lines to report non-emergencies.

There were also concerns about the alert's potential impact on victims of domestic abuse. Women's Aid warned that the loud emergency alert could expose hidden phones used by survivors to seek help.

The Conservatives also criticised the use of the alert.

The shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, accused ministers of "an abuse of the system for the purpose of political posturing", suggesting that misuse of the system could undermine confidence in future warnings.

Ministers said the alert was justified by the scale of the wildfire threat and followed requests from fire and rescue services.

A 2014 Cabinet Office report explicitly warned against using alerts for "lower-level" incidents. "It should not be used too frequently and only for the most serious of emergencies," the report cautioned, warning that overuse could erode public confidence in the system.

UTILITIES

Water companies using tiered charges to encourage lower use

By Greg Barradale

Water companies are trialling tiered billing systems which leave heavy users facing higher prices.

In the trials – which could be rolled out across much or all of the UK if regulator Ofwat approves – prices increase when consumption hits a threshold, or "block".

A Severn Trent Water trial which began in February 2026 means the first 5,000 litres of water per month is charged at a lower-than-usual rate.

The second 5,000 litres is priced close to the normal rate, while the third 5,000 litres has a higher price.

On average, each person in the UK uses around 139 litres a day and bills are usually calculated by measuring

usage or depending on the value of the property.

South West Water also has a trial in which 500 households pay a cheaper rate for using a lower amount of water.

Across Europe this type of water pricing scheme is more common. Known as an Increasing Block Tariff, the method was used in around half of countries, a 2016 study found.

Under the Metodo Tariffario Idrico, consumers in Italy are subject to a variable quota where prices rise with usage. A similar method is widespread in Spain.

In Dunkirk in France, an "eco-so-

cial tariff" introduced in 2012 means prices under a threshold for "vital consumption" are lower, subsidised by higher costs for those who use more water.

The scheme has resulted in 80 per cent of users making savings on their bills, and average water consumption fell by almost a fifth.

Targeting a 15 per cent reduction in water use by 2035, authorities in Lyon in France introduced a system where residents receive

12,000 litres of water free each year. Above that amount, prices increase with usage.

The French city of Montpellier has also implemented a similar tariff, resulting in a 3.5 per cent drop in water consumption.

About 30 per cent of Europeans face water scarcity, and climate change is expected to make droughts more common and more severe. Cyprus, Malta and Greece are among the worst affected.

ENVIRONMENT

Wessex Water imposes first hosepipe curbs since 1976

By Rebecca Speare-Cole

Wessex Water has become the latest utility to announce a hosepipe ban, the first it has imposed in 50 years.

The temporary use ban from this morning affects 1.4 million customers across Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.

Wessex Water last introduced a ban during the hot summer of 1976.

The company said its water supply network is facing increasing pressure amid record levels of demand combined with ongoing hot conditions and no significant rain forecast for the area.

Wessex Water's ban means that more than 27 million people across England have their hosepipe use restricted. The decision comes off the back of the UK's sixth heatwave of the year.

Land is parched across vast

areas of the country, with weeks of extreme heat and little rainfall bringing severe impacts to wildlife, farmers and emergency services as they battle wildfires.

Ruth Jefferson, Wessex Water's chief executive, said: "We know so many of our customers have already been taking steps to save water and we're incredibly grateful for their support so far this summer. It makes such a difference.

"But the prolonged and extreme dry weather has meant demand across our region has consistently remained at more than 400 million litres per day, 30 per cent above average for this time of year and the equivalent of almost half a million hosepipes running for a full hour every day."

Wessex Water said it is asking businesses who are high users to avoid non-essential use.

---

NEWS 2:33

SUNDAY 15:22

TV 22:31

TUES 15:27

CHICAGO 19:41

SUNDAY 22:31

SPORT 22:35

■ TUESDAY ■ 19 AUGUST 2026

7

using barbecues, public warned

WEATHER

Flood risk as rain and lower temperatures are on the way

By Clare Walsh

After six heatwaves, widespread drought conditions and a slew of broken heat records, the UK is set for relief in the form of rain.

While some parts of Scotland have had regular showers throughout the summer, for some of the driest areas further south this week's rain may be the first significant rainfall in months, and possibly some flooding.

The sweltering temperatures are already on the wane, with Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan saying: "It's turning cooler and more changeable through the week ahead for many of us."

Many might even see "some quite menacing skies" later in the week.

By tomorrow conditions will for the first time in weeks be fairly described as "changeable", with a chance of some heavy showers.

"By Thursday some heavy downpours, potentially quite slow moving, so some longer spells of rain for some," Morgan added.

It will turn cooler as well, with temperatures set to drop slightly below average for the time of year, and to 3°C at night in places.

However, while the forecast rain may bring some welcome relief to parched land and firefighters tackling wildfires, it will fall far short of ending the drought across most of England and all of Wales and there is a possibility of another heatwave by mid-September.

Professor Liz Stephens, of the University of Reading, said the south-east of England will take many weeks of sustained rainfall for vegetation to recover and rivers and reservoirs to return to normal.

Forecast, page 47

EUROPE

Wildfires still blazing across Greece and Belgium

By Sam McNeil and Sylvie Corbet

One of Belgium's biggest ever wildfires blazed out of control yesterday even as cooler weather and rain eased conditions for firefighters, while in Greece a fire briefly flared up near the main airport on the outskirts of Athens.

Belgium's King Philippe interrupted his summer holiday to visit emergency services fighting the wildfire in the eastern High Fens, about five miles from the German border.

The fire in Liège province has burned an estimated 12 square miles, leaving blackened trees and smouldering ground.

Dozens of firefighters were aided by aircraft sent from Norway, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands and local police with drones monitoring the fires.

Tourists have left the region and cancelled reservations, said Thomas van Sante, the owner of the Mont Dragon hotel near the park where the fire was raging.

"There's rain now but it is not enough," van Sante said.

In Greece, fire department investigators examined the area on the island of Salamina where a fast-moving wildfire on Sunday killed two people and injured another nine.

New wildfires broke out elsewhere yesterday, and dozens of firefighters along with two water-dropping planes and two helicopters raced to tackle one in Spata, an area east of Athens that includes the main international airport.

In south-western France, authorities said a fire in the Landes region was under control after four days of battling the flames, allowing about half of the evacuated residents to begin returning home.

Yesterday the French prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, was jeered by residents of Le Porge, Gironde, who were dissatisfied with the government's response to the fires.

Later Lecornu announced €12m (€10.3m) in aid for the Gironde and Landes region.

A firefighter battling the blaze in High Fens park in Belgium yesterday

UTILITIES

Reform pledges no hosepipe bans and more reservoirs

By Lucie Heath

ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

Reform UK has pledged to scrap hosepipe bans and to build more reservoirs for tackling water shortages if it entered government.

Climate change is making Britain's summers drier, leaving politicians scrambling to ensure parts of the country do not run out of water.

The Government's strategy involves boosting supply through a series of reservoir-building projects, reducing leakage and cutting the public's water usage by 20 per cent by 2038.

Reform claims it can shore up water supply without reducing consumption and says there would be no need for hosepipe bans if it was in charge.

But many of its proposals would face high costs and take many years to become reality, leaving it unclear who would shoulder the bill and how the party could ensure supply keeps up with demand.

The Government plans to do this in part by rolling out smart metering and ensuring new homes are built to better water efficiency standards. A public awareness campaign was recently launched to encourage people to use less water, including by taking shorter showers.

Reform said it would scrap these targets. Its home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, said Britain had hosepipe bans "because we've been governed by fools", claiming that countries like Singapore and Saudi Arabia have no water supply problems despite having fewer natural water resources.

But while Singapore and Saudi Arabia do not implement emergency hosepipe bans like in Europe, both have strategies to reduce individual consumption and restrictions on the use of drinking water.

It is unclear, if Reform abolishes hosepipe bans and gets rid of consumption targets, how it would be able to ensure that water demand does not outstrip supply.

Reform argued that Britain can build its way out of the current supply challenges and pledged to unleash a programme of reservoir-building if in government.

Labour has plans to build nine new reservoirs which, when completed,

will be the first large-scale reservoirs built in England since 1992.

Reform said it will get more reservoirs built by deeming any project that holds over 10 million cubic metres of water a "nationally significant infrastructure" project, meaning they will not face the same planning constraints. The Labour Govern-

ment already used this classification for three of the nine planned reservoirs.

Reform also said it would oversee the building of more desalination plants, which convert sea water into drinking water. Experts agree desalination should become part of the mix as the UK adapts to its changing climate. Anglian Water and South West Water are among those planning desalination plants.

Thames Water's plant has cost more than £500m to build and maintain, despite having only been run five times. The plants also have a high environmental cost due to the use of chemicals.

Reform UK was approached for comment.

SOCIETY

Adapt to heat and enjoy it, says Tice

By Will Hazell

Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice has said people should "enjoy" the hot weather which climate change is

bringing "rather than just be sort of doom and gloom about it".

Tice (inset) has previously dismissed the scientific consensus on human-driven

global warming as "garbage" and claimed "there's no evidence that man-made CO2 is going to change climate change".

Yesterday he said: "Of course climate change is real. It has always happened. It always will.

"Maybe the smarter thing to do is to adapt to it rather than think arrogantly that you can stop it.

"I'm old enough to remember 1976. This feels a bit the same.

"And if it means that English wine and sparkling wine gets better and better, fantastic!"

---

8

NEWS

MIGRATION

Crackdown on use of family ties to stay in UK questioned

Exclusive

By Caroline Wheeler

POLITICAL EDITOR

Labour's plan to crack down on migrants using family ties as a reason to stay in the UK faces a new obstacle.

A watchdog that independently assesses the quality of evidence behind new rules gave the Home Office's impact assessment of the changes a red rating, meaning it considered it "not fit for purpose".

It means that Labour MPs already angry at the plans will have a greater incentive to rebel, while migrants appealing against deportation orders in the courts will be able to argue that the new rules are flawed.

At the moment, Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) protects the right to family life, allowing migrants to avoid deportation by claiming family connections.

The Government said it had granted 77,000 applications for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) under Article 8 last year.

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's (inset) new rules in her Immigration and Asylum Bill would tighten this up by narrowing the definition of family to a spouse, parents, or a child under 18.

"A domestic abuser from Poland with convictions for violence was allowed to stay on the basis he was a 'father figure' to his nephew," the Government said.

But the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) said the Home Office had failed to demonstrate that it had properly considered alternatives to the proposed restrictions.

It added that its verdict was based on its scrutiny of the "evidence and analysis supporting the case for why regulation is necessary".

The Home Office analysis suggests around 55 per cent of applicants refused under the Article 8 reforms may remain in the UK without legal status.

Its impact assessment forecasts thousands more appeals as a result of the changes, along with significant additional costs.

But the RPC said the department had not provided a sufficiently robust explanation of the assumptions

77,000

The Government said it granted 77,000 applications for indefinite leave to remain under Article 8 last year.

Last week, a group of international students lost a High Court challenge over the Government's temporary ban on student visa applications from nationals of four countries.

behind its analysis or adequately assessed the wider consequences.

The criticism is all the more striking given how rarely the RPC issues a red rating.

Fourteen Labour MPs voted against the legislation at second reading, when it passed the Commons by 264 votes to 90 in July.

But the potential scale of the unrest within Labour is considerably larger than that vote suggests.

Almost 80 Labour MPs have signed a letter challenging the Government's plans to overhaul ILR, which would raise the standard qualifying period for settlement from five years to 10.

The MPs warned against applying the changes retrospectively to people already in the UK.

Those proposals are not contained in the bill and are instead expected to be introduced through changes to the immigration rules.

The letter also raised wider concerns about the Government's approach to immigration, in-

cluding its "hostile rhetoric" on asylum and migration, and called for ministers to "refresh the policy and unite our coalition".

The wider row has exposed the difficult political balancing act facing ministers: trying to show they are taking a tougher approach to immigration while keeping the support of Labour MPs.

The Labour peer Alf Dubs has accused ministers of "performative cruelty" and warned that the reforms risk putting basic human rights and compassion to one side.

The Government insists the measures are necessary to restore confidence in the asylum system, prevent abuse of legal protections and make it easier to remove people who have no right to remain.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The rating does not impact the Immigration and Asylum Bill's progression through Parliament.

"The opinion does not apply to the entire impact assessment.

"We welcome the RPC's feedback. We are working with the RPC in actioning their recommendations and will resubmit the relevant sections to them in September."

HOUSING

'Iran war behind housebuilding slowdown'

By David Lynch and Nina Lloyd

The Iran war is to blame for housebuilding slowing down, a minister has claimed as the Government is set to overhaul planning law to speed up new homes.

The housing minister Matthew Pennycook said building new homes is "extremely challenging" in large part because of the conflict between the US and Tehran, as he was pressed on whether he was confident the Government would meet its manifesto commitment to build 1.5 million homes over the parliament.

The conflict in the Middle East had seen "dampening demand", he told broadcasters.

The Government has reached just over a quarter of the way to its target to build 1.5 million homes in England, after two years.

Pennycook (inset) told Times Radio: "There is no doubt that house builders are finding things extreme-

ly challenging. The downturn that we inherited on coming into office and that we have pulled every lever to pull ourselves out of has been made worse by the conflict in Iran, and as a result, largely of that conflict, but not entirely, we're seeing dampening demand.

"People are buying less homes, first-time buyer numbers are drying up, and materials costs, in particular, for developers are going up - so it is a really difficult time for housebuilders across the country."

Asked whether he was confident the Government would meet its target, he said: "We stick by that target."

Asked whether the target is an ambition or a commitment, he said: "It's a commitment, it was in our manifesto, but to be very clear with your listeners, it is a really, really challenging time for the housing industry at present. Viability pres-

sures are acute in lots of parts of the country. That's why we're pulling every lever and why we're publishing today a new National Planning Policy Framework.

"This marks the culmination of a sustained effort over two years to ensure we've got a planning system that meets housing need in full and that unleashes economic growth and that will support developers through a faster, clearer, rules-based system that they can navigate."

POLITICS

PM messaged with US aide impersonator

By Nina Lloyd

Andy Burnham exchanged messages with someone impersonating US President Donald Trump's chief of staff.

The Prime Minister was in contact with an unknown individual pretending to be top White House aide Susie Wiles before he became suspicious of the activity.

Sources said a few messages of no significance were sent and the impostor was quickly reported.

A UK Government spokesperson said: "We do not comment on national security matters."

The British embassy in Washington was so concerned it raised the matter with the White House, two officials told Politics.

Downing Street declined to say whether any measures would be taken to prevent a similar breach happening in future.

Burnham is not the first high-profile British political figure to have come into contact with an impostor.

Footage of a hoax call in which then-foreign secretary Lord David Cameron believed he was speaking to former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko was released in 2024.

---

NEW 2-13

SUNDAY 18-22

THUR 22-31

SAT. 24-29

SUNDAY 30-35

MONDAY 42-48

SUNDAY 49-55

TUESDAY 17 AUGUST 2026

9

ENERGY

'Get it right' on Rosebank, Eno urges Burnham

By Katrine Bussey

Veteran musician Brian Eno has challenged Andy Burnham to make the "right decision" and reject the Rosebank oil field in the North Sea.

Eno (inset) is one of 211 musicians and artists who have signed an open letter speaking out against Rosebank - the UK's largest untapped oil field.

The letter was also signed by The Cure's Robert Smith, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Bobbie Gillespie from Primat Scream and Olly Alexander.

It argues that approving the development will fail to lower energy bills for households in the UK, with the vast majority of oil destined for export.

Burnham, when he was mayor of Greater Manchester, endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty.

Ministers are considering if drilling should be given the go ahead. A consultation on the plans closed yesterday.

LABOUR

MP suspended

over Covid business loans

By David Lynch

A Labour MP has been suspended as he faces questions about taxpayer-funded Covid business loans.

Bayo Alaba, the Labour MP for Southend East and Rochford, is understood to have referred himself to the Labour Party for investigation after facing queries about a Covid-era loan given to one of

He attempted to wind up one of his businesses before settling one of two loans he took out, The Times reported.

Alaba is now repaying both loans.

Bounceback loans worth between £2,000 and £50,000 were given to businesses during the pandemic to help them through the cashflow turmoil caused by the lockdowns.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Bayo Alaba MP has referred himself to the Labour Party so that these matters can be investigated.

"The party expects the highest standards from our elected representatives.

"We cannot comment further."

POLITICS

Reform plans 'would cut £50bn from benefits bill'

By Will Hasell

NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT

Reform UK has vowed to save £50bn from the welfare budget by slashing personal independence payments (PIP), banning foreign nationals from receiving benefits and forcing long-term claimants to do community work.

Unveiling the policies, the party's Treasury spokesman, Robert Jenrick, said the "broken" welfare system was a "moral and an economic catastrophe" and Reform would stop some claimants "taking everyone else for mugs".

Reform's policy has three main pillars. The first relates to how the welfare system treats foreign nationals. Under the plan, foreign nationals would be excluded from most benefits.

The ban would include EU nationals with settled status in the UK, though there would be a few exemptions. Jenrick said such a ban would save £21bn by 2029.

Second, Reform would shake up disability benefits through a system of "return to work cover". For the first two years of an employee being signed off sick, their employer would have to pay for them based on welfare rates. Jenrick said businesses would take out specialist insurance to cover this risk, offset by a cut to their national insurance contributions.

Those unable to return to work would go through a disability needs assessment, with a reduced caseload of eligible claimants receiving cash and in-kind support to help with living costs. Jenrick said only the most vulnerable would get PIP.

Third, people on universal credit for more than 12 months who are fit to work would be assigned to a welfare-to-work scheme, and required to provide 20 hours a week of community work.

If claimants were to refuse, they would "get nothing", and if councils refused to run the schemes, they would "face cuts to their funding", Jenrick asked.

Reform's ban on foreign nationals receiving benefits would require a renegotiation of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

However, it is not clear that Brussels would want to rewrite the agreement and the bloc would probably respond with countermeasures such as stripping British expats of benefits. Brussels could even launch retaliatory trade measures.

Reform has allocated £500m of

If Reform got into government, it would also be implementing other policies almost certain to strain relations with Europe. For example, it wants to use the Royal Navy to forcibly return migrants to French ports – something which France has said would violate its sovereignty and breach international law.

Robert Jenrick outlining the plans in London said the system was 'broken'

contingency funding to cover the potential cost of British citizens returning to the UK to claim benefits if their entitlement to welfare in the EU is withdrawn.

But the cash would only cover around 10 per cent – about 130,000 – of the 1.3 million British citizens living in the EU returning home to claim benefits.

Asked whether Europe would

want to cut a deal with the UK, Jenrick said: "I think we can negotiate with the EU a hell of a lot better than Kide Starmer or Andy Burnham will do. I trust Nigel Farage to cut a good deal with the EU. He's a strong leader who knows what he wants."

Jenrick said return to work cover would be modelled on the system used in the Netherlands.

He said his policy would give the "employers who know their workers best an incentive to help them back into work rather than pass the bill to the taxpayer".

He also said there would not be "any additional financial burden on businesses", promising a "commensurate cut" of 0.2 per cent to employer national insurance contributions.

However, it is not clear whether this would be enough to offset the extra costs which employers would be incurring.

My View, page 19

Welfare proposals Who could lose out?

PIP and universal credit health claimants

Most people receiving these payments would have their cash support removed or reduced.

Reform estimates 2.89 million people would have their payments modified or withdrawn over three to four years, against 2.16 million who would keep their full entitlement.

Long-term claimants

Those fit to work and who have claimed for more than a year would need to complete 20 hours of community work weekly or risk losing their benefits entirely.

Jenrick said: "If people who are capable of work refuse, then they'll get nothing. That's fair."

Employers

Firms with more than five staff would face a new obligation once statutory sick pay runs out after 28 weeks.

At present, employers typically move on to state benefits at that point, but under Reform's plan, employers

• or their insurers - would take on responsibility for a further two years through 'return to work cover' insurance, before the state stepped in. Reform says the cost of this would be offset by a cut to employer national insurance contributions.

Foreign nationals

They face the biggest change. Under the plans, EU citizens with settled status, along with those who have indefinite leave to remain, would lose access to universal credit, housing benefit, pension credit and child benefit, unless they hold British citizenship. That would require renegotiating the post-Brexit settled status agreement with the EU.

British expats

Reform UK MP Danny Kruger told BBC Breakfast that it would be "reasonable" for European countries to respond by denying British expats equivalent benefits in return and confirmed the party has budgeted £500m for the cost of expats returning to claim benefits in the UK.

How it compares to other parties

Reform is not the only party proposing changes to welfare.

Labour The Government's approach has been narrower. Introducing a lower universal credit health rate for new claimants while protecting those with severe or lifelong conditions. Ministers are awaiting the Timms review into PIP

eligibility, due to report in the autumn, alongside a separate review into rising youth claims led by Alan Milburn.

Conservatives

Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, has set out a £23bn package,

including ending eligibility for 'low-level mental health problems like anxiety' and reinstating face-to-face assessments.

Liberal Democrats The party's manifesto commits to increasing care's allowance, ending benefit sanctions, stopping unnecessary PIP assessments and bringing the work capability assessment back in-house, alongside removing the benefit cap.

Greens The party wants to end all benefit sanctions, increase universal credit by £40 a week, raise disability benefits by 5 per cent and work towards introducing a universal basic income over the longer term.

---

10

NEWS

EDUCATION

Far more SEND pupils are being taken out of class and isolated

Exclusive

By Keith Cooper

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are being pulled out of lessons and isolated at a far higher rate than their classmates.

Experts have warned the trend risks undermining the Government's flagship reforms to make mainstream schools in England more inclusive, with one leading academic warning the system is "increasingly pushing vulnerable children into isolation" instead.

The divide has been uncovered by analysis of previously unpublished figures on hundreds of secondary schools' use of internal suspension - often referred to as internal exclusion or isolation. It is a serious sanction involving the removal of disruptive pupils to separate classrooms for supposedly short spells.

It comes after a tribunal criticised a school for removing an autistic student to a room used for sanctions instead of a unit for anxious pupils.

According to data provided by hundreds of schools for the last academic year, 28.4 per cent of children with SEND were placed in internal suspension, compared with 16.8 per cent of children without a special educational need or disability.

This means children with SEND are nearly 70 per cent more likely than their non-SEND peers to be internally suspended.

The data was shared with The i Paper by The Key Group, which sells behaviour management software to schools. The firm says it wants to inform the national debate.

The software for collecting the data is reliant on schools self-reporting exclusions.

Academics, policy experts and headteachers described the growing divide as "worrying" and urged the Government to investigate. Minis-

The independent Education Policy Institute, which is researching 'under-the-radar' exclusions in schools, said that, as well as being more likely to be absent from school, SEND pupils were being 'pushed out' by high rates of permanent exclusions and internal suspensions.

ters want more children with SEND educated in mainstream schools which are far cheaper and often closer to home than private specialist schools. Councils are buckling under the cost of educating SEND pupils as the number spirals.

The Government's plans - in its February White Paper - will result in SEND being revamped with £3.7bn of funding. Dedicated units or "inclusion bases" in mainstream schools will be established.

It also includes plans to help schools avoid formal suspensions and expulsions by sanctioning

pupils with internal suspensions instead - which the new data suggest is being disproportionately applied to SEND children.

The Department for Education (DfE) said schools should scrutinise internal suspension data

to identify pupils who need extra support. But there is no legal requirement to collect this data or a standard method - meaning the figures cannot give a full picture of how long pupils were secluded for or why.

Anthony Benedict, chief executive of Manchester's Ambition Community Trust, said plans for more inclusive education came from a "good place" but that it risked running "blind" without proper funding, training and investment.

"These figures should make us question whether suspension is really an inclusive response, or simply exclusion by another name," he added. "When children with SEND are disproportionately removed,

we should be asking whether we are meeting their needs - or simply moving them out of sight."

The DfE said: "We are clear that the removal of any pupil from the classroom should only happen if absolutely necessary."

It planned to consult on the use of internal suspensions but "schools' legal duties to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils are non-negotiable".

Internal suspensions and SEND pupils

Internal exclusions in English state-funded secondary schools, by academic year

Without SEND With SEND

Share of pupils internally excluded at least once

Internal exclusions per 100 pupils

Source: The Key Group • Figures may be affected by the different ways schools record data

RESEARCH

Exclusion gap 'is getting worse' for SEND pupils

By Keith Cooper

Analysis of the Key Group data by Professor Neil Humphrey suggests inequality between SEND and non-SEND pupils is getting "worryingly" worse.

Among pupils with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), internal suspensions rose from 480 to 522 for every 100 pupils between 2024-25 and 2025-26, according to the figures. Over the same period the rate for pupils without SEND barely shifted from 203 to 212.

"There is clear evidence of disproportionate application of internal exclusion to pupils with SEND," Humphrey, a special educational needs researcher working at the University of Manchester, said.

"Worryingly, the data from the last two school years appears to show a widening gap between those with and without SEND.

"They expose a growing reality that threatens to directly undermine upcoming SEND reform efforts. Instead of becoming more inclusive, our system is increasingly pushing vulnerable children into isolation."

Tom Bennett, an adviser to the Department for Education, speaking in his capacity as an independent consultant, said the difference the data identified was "substantial" and should be examined - but cautioned against extrapolating further.

"It suggests a relatively small group of pupils may be experiencing internal exclusion repeatedly," he said.

"Schools could be asking themselves whether repeated sanctions are changing behaviour, and if other responses are required. But a disparity in outcomes is not, by itself, evidence of discrimination."

---

MARCH 2013

SUNDAY 18-22

TUE 22-31

FRI 24-29

SUNDAY 30-41

MONDAY 42-50

SUNDAY 48-55

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

11

TRANSPORT

Burnham to lift all restrictions on free bus travel for disabled across England

By Connie Dimsdale

POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Disabled people will be able to travel for free on buses all day every day across England after Andy Burnham lifted all restrictions.

Labour argues the measure will improve access to workplaces and help to ease the cost of living.

Current rules – that limit free travel until after 9.30am in most parts of the country – mean a free pass cannot be used to commute to work in most instances.

From next April, time restrictions on disabled bus pass holders that limit free travel to between 9.30am and 11pm during the weekdays in most parts of the country will be lifted.

Bus travel is already free for eligible disabled people at the weekends, but it is up to local authorities to fund an extension of this to peak hours during the week, which charities warn sends a message that disabled people “can’t or shouldn’t work”.

Announcing the plans during his summer cost of living tour, Burnham said it is “simply not right” that many disabled people cannot use their pass at all times. He said that the action is intended to “give people some much needed breathing space on the cost of living”.

The policy will be backed by £60m funding, made up of a £40m contribution from the Department for Work and Pensions as well as £20m from the existing Department for Transport budget.

Officials said no new funding will be required to implement the policy, but it is not clear where the money will come from in existing budgets.

Charities have welcomed Andy Burnham’s decision to bring in free bus travel for disabled people, saying it will improve access to work TONY MELVILLE/GETTY

The Prime Minister faced criticism over how previous cost of living policies to cut VAT on energy bills over the winter and to cap bus fares at £2 would be funded.

Money for the bus fare cap is being reallocated from the existing Energy Security and Net Zero budget.

Burnham is travelling across the UK as he announces a string of changes aimed at tackling rising costs.

They have included measures to accelerate a policy introduced under Sir Keir Starmer’s government to make subscriptions easier to cancel.

Ministers hope the latest plans to

give disabled people unlimited free bus travel will address the current “postcode lottery” and remove barriers to accessing the workplace.

“We’re putting an end to this postcode lottery, so disabled people can travel on buses for free whenever they need, wherever they live,” the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said.

At present, disabled people in some areas such as London and Greater Manchester can travel on buses for free at all times as the local authorities have chosen to fund the extra hours. But people in other areas are limited to off-peak travel during weekdays.

The decision comes as the Government has a renewed focus on youth joblessness. Labour grantee Alan Milburn is due to give his final recommendations on how to help people not in education, employment or training (Next) this autumn.

In Milburn’s interim report, he noted that cash disability benefits are not always the best way of supporting young people into work, and that more must be done to remove barriers to the workplace.

The Work and Pensions Secretary, Pat McFadden, said the new rules show the Government is “serious about breaking down the barriers that have held disabled people back for too long”.

Jon Sparkes, CEO of the learning disability charity Mencap, welcomed the change, calling it a “welcome relief for disabled people struggling with the cost of living as well as the extra costs of being disabled”.

“Most importantly though it removes the inference that disabled people can’t or shouldn’t work,” Sparkes added.

James Taylor, executive director of strategy, impact and social change at the disability charity Scope, said making buses free for disabled people will put “money back in people’s pockets and remove barriers to everyday life”.

Eligibility for a disabled person’s bus pass is set out in the Transport Act 2000,

which defines seven statutory categories of disability, ranging from blindness and deafness to learning disabilities.

Earlier this year analysis of 100 accounts of internal suspension found that one 12-year-old boy became so distressed after being repeatedly placed in such rooms, he stabbed his mother in the hand with a cheese knife.

However, the use of an internal suspension room at a major academy chain has been successfully challenged at a tribunal, which found a school had harassed and discriminated against an autistic former pupil.

In a rare case, a tribunal found that a secondary school run by an academy trust had an “inflexible adherence” to its behaviour policy and failed to make a “reasonable adjustment” for a pupil’s disability.

The student’s father said it was the school’s inability to admit failings that compelled him to act.

“The school was adamant that they had acted absolutely correctly. This is why we took the case to the tribunal. We wanted to be able to say to our child, look, this isn’t your fault.”

The educational trust has since issued a formal apology to the family.

MEDIA

PM yet to back ethics inquiry over Arday

By Abbie Llewelyn and Nina Lloyd

Downing Street has declined to say whether Andy Burnham is considering a new inquiry into press ethics after the death of Jason Arday.

Arday resigned from his post as professor of sociology of education at the University of Cambridge earlier this month after accusations of plagiarism. The 41-year-old, who became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2025, was found dead in Battersea, south London, last Friday.

The media has faced criticism, with Cambridge’s chancellor yesterday saying Arday had suffered a “racist feeding frenzy”.

Lord Chris Smith of Finsbury told the BBC: “I do believe it is possible to hold to two principles at the same time: to believe in the importance of academic integrity, and where criticisms of plagiarism arise, about any academic, whoever they are, ensure that they are rigorously investigated.

“And also to refuse to join in

a racist feeding frenzy over a particular academic.”

There have been calls for a “Leveson 2” inquiry, following the earlier Leveson inquiry prompted by the phone-hacking scandal.

No 10 yesterday declined to say “at this stage” if the Prime Minister was considering an inquiry into Arday’s death, arguing it was “right for us to let processes conclude”.

Asked whether “Leveson 2” was something the PM was looking at, a

No 10 spokeswoman said: “So, you obviously have the PM’s words on this from the weekend, where he set out that this is a tragedy on so many levels, and that our thoughts are with everyone who knew Jason.

“And as he said, this is a moment for reflection... and as minister [Matthew] Pennycook has also been clear, this is a time to think compassionately about the situation without getting into a debate, and instead to think of Jason’s family and loved ones.”

Tributes

placed outside

Senate House

in Cambridge

to the

university’s

former

professor

Jason Arday

NORDIN CATICI

GETTY

Cambridge initially said claims of plagiarism over Arday’s thesis and some journal publications had been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the journals in question.

LJMU, which awarded Arday his PhD in 2015, concluded that he had not plagiarised work. But this month, Cambridge announced an investigation into his appointment.

Arday resigned, but said this decision should not “be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me”.

Meanwhile, the shadow Housing Secretary, Sir James Cleverly, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he felt Arday was used as “bragging rights by some universities”.

Cleverly, the UK’s first black home secretary and foreign secretary, said: “It could and should have never come this far if people within the university establishment, not just Cambridge, had done the robust due diligence.”

---

12

NEWS

MIDDLE EAST

Kushner and Blair fail to make breakthrough in Gaza peace talks

By Alexander Cornwell

Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and former UK prime minister Sir Tony Blair wrapped up two days of talks with Israeli and Hamas leaders without signs of a breakthrough in the Gaza peace plan.

Kushner and Blair, acting as envoys for Trump's so-called Board of Peace, met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel a day after meeting Hamas' political leader in Egypt.

The peace plan has stalled as Israel has carried out air strikes and seized more territory in Gaza despite an October ceasefire, while Hamas has refused to give up its weapons.

Trump last month announced that Hamas had agreed to lay down its arms in phases, under a 15-point roadmap put forward by his Board of Peace to advance the President's plan, as Israel's military withdraws from Gaza.

Hamas said it agreed to the road-

The Board of Peace envoy, Jared Kushner (left), meets the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, to discuss the Gaza peace plan SHALEV SHALOM/GETTY

ISRAEL

Minister supports killing '30 to 40' people nightly in Gaza

By Julia Frankel

An extremist Israeli lawmaker in Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition publicly advocated for killing "30 to 40" people in Gaza each night.

Minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir made the comments while speaking to a former Gaza-held hostage, Rom Braslavski, on Braslavski's podcast.

The two were discussing Israel's recovery from the Hamas attack of 7 October, 2023, when Ben-Gvir criticised Israel's recent reduction of strikes in Gaza.

"I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night.

"Not just those who pose an imme-

Itamar Ben-Gvir said there were people in Gaza 'not worthy of life'

diate threat – there are people there who are not worthy of life.

"They shouldn't live. They're not even people."

In the past, similar statements by Ben-Gvir and other Israeli officials were widely condemned.

Many have been presented to the UN's world court as evidence of genocidal intent. Israel denies it has committed genocide in Gaza.

But Israel's domestic media has made scarce mention of the statement, highlighting how once-fringe ideologies like Ben-Gvir's are surging in the lead-up to 27 October Israeli elections.

Figures like Ben-Gvir have become more popular among Israelis since Hamas' attack in 2023, when the militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage.

Ben-Gvir does not have power over the country's military and cannot order strikes on Gaza.

But, after operating for decades within Israel's far-right fringe, he is now one of the most influential people in the country.

He has substantial control over key parts of Israel's security apparatus, running the country's prisons – where thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank are incarcerated.

map but implementation depended on Israel first meeting its own commitments, including halting attacks and withdrawing.

Netanyahu, whose ruling coalition is trailing in Israeli opinion polls ahead of an October national election, earlier this month rejected the roadmap, insisting Israel would not withdraw until Hamas is disarmed.

An Israeli official indicated that there was no breakthrough in the meeting. They said that Netanyahu had made it clear the military would not withdraw from a demarcation line set out in an October ceasefire and would continue to carry out operations in Gaza as it sees necessary, including targeting those who took part in the 7 October 2023 attack.

Hamas has demanded Israel adhere to the ceasefire, while both sides have disputed the sequencing of how Trump's plan to end the war would be implemented.

More than 1,200 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since October, according to Gazan health officials and the Israeli military.

Nickolay Mladenov, Trump's Board of Peace envoy for Gaza who is widely seen as leading efforts to implement the plan, also attended the meeting, sources said.

The Israeli official said Netanyahu and Kushner agreed in the meeting that the reconstruction of Gaza would not begin until Hamas was fully disarmed, including of light weapons.

In a statement that characterised the meeting as "deep and constructive", the Prime Minister's office said that Israel and the Board of Peace believe that Gaza's disarmament should be "prompt and completed before any reconstruction happens".

It also said that Netanyahu had agreed with the Board of Peace to establish a working group on disarmament and demilitarisation, and another working group that focuses on sanitation, clean water and other public health matters in Gaza.

A Board of Peace official described the meeting as "in-depth and very productive", saying that the two sides had reached an agreement on a path forward.

The official did not elaborate.

Netanyahu is facing a tough re-election campaign and diplomats say it is unlikely the Prime Minister would make any concessions over Gaza before the 27 October vote.

Kushner previously met Hamas officials alongside US envoy Steve Witkoff in October 2025, helping clinch a deal that led to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of remaining hostages seized by Hamas.

UNITED STATES

Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it 'gets in the way' of Iran deal

By Parisa Hahori and Katharine Jackson

The US President, Donald Trump, threatened to "bomb the shit" out of Oman if it "gets in the way" of efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as a 60-day interim deal between the US and Iran expired with no sign of progress.

Trump also said that Iran "should put up the white flag of surrender", as Tehran warned that it was shifting to a "fully offensive" posture because of the failure to reach a permanent truce.

Oman is a US ally which shares sovereignty of the strait with Iran, and Muscat has been negotiating with Tehran in an effort to reopen the waterway.

Iran had said that the two countries were close to finalising a joint statement.

But when asked about the talks, Trump told Fox News: "If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the shit out of them." There was no immediate comment from Oman.

The President previously threat-

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz seen from Oman's coast yesterday

ened Muscat in May, saying: "Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we'll have to blow 'em up".

Last week, Trump said that he would designate the strait a US territory "pretty soon".

Iran's chokehold of the waterway, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil and gas supply transited before the war, has become the most intractable issue of the conflict.

Speaking to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, Trump also said that there were "back channel" discussions taking place with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

The President also used his Truth

---

MARCH 2024

SUNDAY 18-22

TUE 22-31

SAT 22-37

OCTOBER 28-31

MONDAY 22-31

SUNDAY 22-28

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

13

RUSSIA

Banker fired after criticising cost of war

By Alessandra Prentice

The chief economist at Russia's state development bank has been fired after warning of a "social crisis" over the war in Ukraine.

Andrei Klepach, one of Russia's most prominent macroeconomists, made the remarks to a financial forum in May but they were reported in Russian media only last week.

In this speech, Klepach, the chief economist for state development bank VEB, said the country was suffering mounting economic damage from the war in Ukraine.

"We will not win the competition in this war of attrition. We have the illusion that everything there [in Ukraine] will collapse. It has not collapsed and will not collapse. Our costs are mounting."

Drawing parallels with the 1917 revolution and the dying days of the Soviet Union, Klepach added: "In my view, the economy will hold up, but a social crisis could arise – and at a time when no one expects it."

VEB, which finances state projects, confirmed in a written response that Klepach was no longer its chief economist, but did not say why.

ANALYSIS

Putin fury muted as Russia downplays use of UK drones

Mark Galeotti

The news that Ukraine is using British-made drones in its deep strike campaign has prompted scornful

words from Russia and talk of potential retaliation.

British drones including the Callen-Lenz Nyan have been used in Ukraine's recent attacks well inside Russia, which have hit targets from oil refineries to retail warehouses.

Moscow is angry about the way the West is funding and arming the strikes, but has spun the story as good news: London is providing drones because it recognises that Ukraine is making no progress on the battlefield.

According to one of the so-called coyentory (pro-war social media commentators), "Kyiv's British puppet masters are trying desperately to delay a Ukrainian defeat".

The ultra-nationalist Tsargrad news site cited one defence expert saying that use of British attack drones against Russia was "an open secret", with another adding that so long as Britain was not actually sending troops, this was simply business as usual.

British weapons have been used by Ukraine since the start of the war, when Nlaw (next-generation light anti-tank weapon) shoulder-fired missiles proved highly effective against the invaders' tanks. More recently, air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missiles were used to strike targets on Russian soil.

Only a few hundred Storm Shadows were provided, simply because the UK's total stocks at the time was under a thousand. However, these drones represent a qualitatively different factor, accurate, easy to launch and relatively cheap.

The Storm Shadows supplied to Ukraine cost around £1m each and have a maximum range of around £50 miles; a Nyan has a similar range but costs under £100,000. Furthermore, while Storm Shadows need to be launched from a specially rigged Sukhoi Su-24 bomber, which can be shot down beforehand, the Nyan is projected from a mobile, ground-based catapult.

Of course, no one weapons system is a game changer. Nonetheless, given the tempo of Ukraine's drone campaign against medium- and long-range targets inside Russia, Britain's promise to Kyiv that it will provide it with over £50,000 drones over a year is a powerful practical gesture.

The Kremlin's defence experts

Kyiv has used British-made drones such as the Callen-Lenz Nyan

and intelligence agencies have known for months about the use of British-made drones against it, but now this has become public knowledge it must decide how to respond.

Moscow has ways in which it could respond over and above the arm's length campaigns of cyber attacks and disinformation. Vladimir Putin openly describes his "special military operation" as having become a proxy war with Europe, and many in Russia believe that Western companies supplying Ukraine should be considered legitimate military targets.

Last week, explosions ripped through two European facilities involved in supplying Ukraine: an arms depot in Bulgaria, and a factory producing artillery rounds outside Rome.

In both cases, the authorities are still investigating the causes, but they have highlighted concerns that Russia could escalate its campaign of sabotage against European factories and supply lines.

An alleged 2024 plot to murder Armin Papperger, CEO of Germany's Rheinmetall arms corporation, was disrupted, but there continues to be the threat that Moscow could go after the directors

The Kremlin is increasingly wary of public opinion in the run-up to elections

and engineers of companies actively seeking to supply Ukraine.

However, any escalation would be risky and would generate a Western response in return.

Given the inflammatory nature of Russian rhetoric these days, as well as the rock-bottom state of the relationship between London and Moscow, it is perhaps surprising that the Kremlin is not making more of the news about British-made drones. The initial decision seems to have been to downplay it, while hinting at possible retaliation somewhere down the line.

The Kremlin is increasingly wary of public opinion in the run-up to September's elections. Yabloko – the only party with a clear anti-war platform and even the faintest chance of getting the 5 per cent of the vote needed to make it into parliament – was last week barred from the ballot on very questionable grounds. There is no question that Putin was behind this.

The Kremlin seems at present unwilling to move beyond rhetoric. There is already a growing anti-war sentiment inside the country and his political technologists don't want to rock the boat before next month's parliamentary elections.

It is not that they won't be rigging those elections – they will – but that they don't want to have to do so any more than absolutely necessary.

Despite Ukraine's deep strike campaign, the Russian President seems to believe that this winter will allow him to force Kyiv into concessions, as his missiles hammer Ukraine's already degraded electricity grid and water supplies. He may feel differently if he has made no real progress by spring, and if more British drones are darkening his skies.

For now, though, it would seem that he does not want to introduce yet another unpredictable variable into the equation by, as he sees it, punishing Britain.

Panorama, page 32

Dr Mark Galeotti is a historian and lecturer specialising in Russian crime and security affairs

The Konkivskyi bridge near the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in Ukraine was destroyed using British-made Malloy T-150 drones KORSU/HKDA

---

14

NEWS

TRANSPORT

Virgin on track for Channel Tunnel services

By Anna Wise

Virgin Trains has been given access to tracks to run services between London and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2030, in a step forward for its plans to rival Eurostar.

Rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said it had granted approval for Sir Richard Branson's company to run up to 20 daily services through the Channel Tunnel.

The agreement covers the period between 1 October 2030 to 31 December 2040.

It means Virgin Trains has passed another key regulatory hurdle towards starting the international services, after being granted access last October to share Eurostar's Temple Mills depot in east London to maintain and store trains.

Temple Mills is the only depot that can be accessed from High Speed 1, the line that runs between London and the tunnel.

Eurostar has held a monopoly on

passenger services through the tunnel since it opened in 1994.

Branson has previously said that it was "time to end this 30-year monopoly".

Virgin plans to run services between St Pancras (inset, a computer rendering) and the same stations in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam used by Eurostar.

The ORR said the decision to grant track access was "an important next step", but that there was

"still more work to do" before the new services can run.

The deputy director of access and international, Martin Jones, said: "This is an important next step in bringing competition and growth to the market for international rail services, and we welcome the progress Virgin Trains and London St Pancras High Speed have made.

"While there is still more work to do, we are supporting Virgin and the wider industry to grow international services."

Among the issues yet to be re-

solved by Virgin Trains are securing access to other rail networks and obtaining safety approvals from the ORR and relevant regulators in the EU.

A spokeswoman for Virgin Group said: "Our plans for a new London-Europe rail service from 2030 are moving at pace.

"We welcome the ORR's pre-approval of our track access agreement and the opportunity to bring competition and Virgin's award-winning customer experience to the Channel Tunnel."

MOTORING

Drivers avoid fines due to broken cameras

By Harry Goodwin

Thousands of speeding drivers have dodged fines because of faulty cameras on major motorways.

A "technical anomaly" was identified last October with 154 speed cameras used on all smart motorways, including parts of the M25, M1, M5 and M6 and some A-roads. The fault resulted in some law-abiding drivers being clocked as speeding.

Ten months on, the cameras have still not been fixed and police forces are not issuing fines for speeding drivers caught by them.

The cameras still flash in the hope of deterring drivers from speeding.

The 154 overhead cameras, known as Hadees 3, cover two-fifths of the motorway and A-road network.

Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, has ordered an independent review into National Highways' handling of the matter.

Simon Williams, from the RAC, said: "It's very concerning that so many speeding drivers are not facing the consequences."

The Lanterns have a laugh

British actor Aaron Pierre and American star Kyle Chandler promote 'Lanterns' in London yesterday. Based on the DC comic 'Green Lantern', about an intergalactic law enforcement

agency, the drama follows new recruit John Stewart (Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Chandler), as they investigate a murder on Earth. The show also stars Kelly Macdonald. IAN WESTPIR

RETAIL

Sainsbury's halts AI after shoplift error

By Sally Guyoncourt

A Sainsbury's branch in south-east London has temporarily suspended its artificial intelligence (AI) facial recognition cameras after a genuine customer was escorted off the premises as a suspected shoplifter.

The supermarket chain said "human error" was behind the case.

Matt Arnold, a comedy promoter, had been shopping at the East Dulwich superstore before a stand-up event on 6 August.

He had scanned his items and Nectar loyalty card at a self-check-out till and was awaiting approval for an alcohol purchase when he was approached by management staff and told he could not be served due to a previous shoplifting case.

"They came over and said I had to leave," Arnold told BBC London. "The staff member said I'd been identified by the AI, and the cameras had flagged me."

He said the episode had been "horrendous" and "embarrassing".

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "We have contacted Mr Arnold to apologise for his experience.

"The incident was caused by human error, not the facial recognition technology."

POLICE

Murder inquiry over man who died after dog bite

By Sally Guyoncourt

Police are investigating whether a dog was incited to attack in an alleged fight which led to the death of a man at the weekend.

Officers received calls on Saturday reporting an altercation between two men on the old trainline footpath in the Calder Grove area of Wakefield in West Yorkshire.

During the fight, a man was bitten by a German shepherd dog. The injured man, aged 55, was taken to hospital in a critical condition but

died on Saturday evening. Officers are awaiting post-mortem results to ascertain the cause of death.

West Yorkshire Police have been given a warrant of further detention to question a 55-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder and being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control in a public place and causing injury.

Detective chief inspector Michael Cox, of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said: "We are continuing to question the man who we have in custody, and our enquiries

Police tape in the area of Wakefield where the incident took place

are continuing at a pace to understand the events leading up to this man's death."

They urged the public to "avoid speculation about those involved".

COURTS

Boy, 15, denies killing boy, 12, with car

By Sam Russell

A teenage boy has pleaded not guilty to the murder of a 12-year-old boy who was struck by a car in Essex.

Police were called to a road in Pilgrims Hatch at 5.40pm on 7 June to reports of a vehicle colliding with a child.

Bobby Bloomfield (inset) suffered serious injuries and later died in hospital.

A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared in Basildon Crown Court yesterday

charged with Bobby's murder. The defendant replied "not guilty" when asked for his plea.

William Lunnon, 43, is also charged with murder. He was not asked to enter a plea.

Both defendants, who are in custody, are due to stand trial at Basildon Crown Court from 9 November with a time estimate of up to six weeks.

Prosecutors told an earlier hearing that the deceased and his friends had been on private property when Lunnon asked them to leave.

---

NEWS

31

SUNDAY 18-22

TV

31

LIVE

4-37

CINEMAS

5-41

HONEY

2-31

SPORT

6-35

2 TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

15

PEOPLE

Tyler was 'loved by millions', her mourners hear

By Sean O'Grady

Bonnie Tyler was "one of a kind" and "loved by millions worldwide", the talent scout who discovered her has told mourners at her funeral.

Fans applauded and shouted "goodbye" as the singer's white coffin, etched with symbols including a microphone and a treble clef, was carried into Swansea Minster yesterday.

The coffin was carried to the soundtrack of Tyler's hits "If I Sing You a Love Song" and "It's a Heartache".

Tyler, whose real name was Gaynor Sullivan, was discovered by Roger Bell when she performed at a club in Swansea.

Bell said: "She was loved by millions worldwide, and has all the tributes, flowers, and cards from the Houses of Parliament, Prince and Princess of Wales, the Portuguese government, Cliff Richard, Rod Stewart, Nazi Quatro, and many, many more fans."

The singer achieved global fame in the 1980s with the release of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which shot to the top of the charts in the UK and the US.

Recognisable for her husky voice, Tyler released many other hits, including "Holding Out for a Hero", "Lost in France" and "If You Were a Woman".

Mourners gather outside Swansea Minster yesterday for the funeral of Bonnie Tyler, after the singer's death aged 75 HANNAH MCKAY REUTERS

UNITED STATES

Tributes paid to 'Nashville' actress Panettiere, after her death aged 36

By Max Melzer

Actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, has died aged 36.

A representative for the American actress said her family would remember her as an "incredible light" who brought "immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her".

A statement from her father, Skip, read: "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.

"She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her - and to the millions who watched her onscreen."

Her father also asked that her family be given privacy as they "take time to process this unimaginable loss".

No cause of death was announced. Panettiere began acting as a child, appearing in soap operas before gaining wider recognition for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans alongside Denzel Washington, and as the voice of Dot in Pixar's 1998 film A Bug's Life.

Panettiere later found fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes before going on to star as up-and-coming country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on the hit TV series Nashville.

Following her rapid rise to fame, the pressure of the industry began to weigh on Panettiere - with the actress previously revealing that she had struggled with addiction throughout her 20s.

In a memoir published earlier this year, Panettiere opened up about her struggles with mental health, the loss of her younger brother, Jansen, and her decision to give full custody of her daughter Kaya to her former partner, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, in 2018.

"The idea that anyone would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking and couldn't be further from the truth," she told podcaster Jay Shetty after the release of her memoir in May.

Panettiere said her daughter had lived with her father full-time from a

Actress Hayden Panettiere earned two Golden Globe nominations

young age amid the actress's struggles with addiction.

She said: "I was struggling with mental health and anxiety and the postpartum and having to act my way through it."

Panettiere's performances in Nashville earned her two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress, while her singing on the

programme produced 11 entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

Her film credits include 2006's Bring it On: All or Nothing, comedy-drama film Raising Helen, and appearances in Scream 4 and Scream VI as Kirby Reed.

Scream co-star Melissa Barrera paid tribute to the actress in an Instagram story, writing, "Rest in peace sweet Hayden".

Commenting under Panettiere's latest social media post after news of her death broke, actress Selma Blair said: "I love you. Don't be gone. Don't be gone. Please. Please."

Singer JoJo wrote on her Instagram stories: "This is such devastating news. I am so sorry to hear of her passing. Oh My God".

Rosie O'Donnell shared a picture of Panettiere with the caption: "Oh my god - heartbroken."

Actors' union Sag-Albra, of which the actress had been a member since 1994, said in a post on X: "We mourn the sudden passing of Hayden Panettiere. Our hearts are with her daughter, family, friends & fans."

MUSIC

West to perform in Russia after European bans

By Maxim Rodionov

US rapper Kanye West will perform in St Petersburg in October, according to bosses at the Gazprom Arena, the stadium where the concerts are scheduled to take place.

West, who is also known as Ye, has faced concert cancellations and performance bans in several European countries including the UK this year following a series of antisemitic remarks, including praise for Adolf Hitler, and the use of Nazi imagery.

West apologised in January for the remarks, which he attributed to an undiagnosed brain injury and an untreated bipolar disorder.

If the concerts go ahead, West would become one of the biggest international music stars to visit Russia since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Ticket prices for the two shows, scheduled for 10 and 11 October, start at 9,000 roubles (£78) and the cheapest tickets sold out within an hour, state news agency Tass reported.

The most expensive are priced at 160,000 roubles (£1,390).

Gazprom Arena has a capacity of about 70,000 spectators.

ENTERTAINMENT

Hathaway thanks Dame Julie for Disney honour

By Sean O'Grady

Anne Hathaway has paid tribute to her Princess Diaries co-star Dame Julie Andrews after being named a Disney Legend.

Hathaway was joined by Jumanji star Dwayne Johnson, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Jonas Brothers as the latest stars to receive the honour at Disney fan event D23.

Disney Legend is a Hall of Fame award given by the media company to people who have "made a significant impact on the Disney legacy".

Hathaway began her career with Disney's The Princess Diaries in 2001.

She paid tribute to her creative family and said: "How lucky am I that my first studio picture ever starred perhaps the greatest Disney Legend of all time, the incomparable Julie Andrews. I learned so much from her when I was just 17."

Julie Andrews with Anne Hathaway in 2011 at Disney awards show

---

PORSCHE

WE RACE TO

BUILD SPORTSCARS

2026 CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD

What a season! Pascal Wehrlein secures his second ABB FIA Formula E Drivers' World Championship title, while Porsche claims its second ABB FIA Formula E Manufacturers' World Championship. We gave ourselves the perfect gift for the 75th anniversary of Porsche Motorsport.

This championship is our test bench. Every lap, every setup and every moment the Porsche 99X Electric was pushed to its limits taught us something new. The same championship-winning technology that led us

to victory, powers your Porsche on a Monday morning. This is Raceborn. It's not just what we build, it's who we are. To every driver who pushed the limits, every member of our works team, the customer teams carrying our DNA to raceracks around the world, the partners who support our journey and every fan who stands with us through victories and setbacks. You helped make this possible.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

RACEBORN 75 YEARS OF PORSCHE MOTORSPORT

Mobil II

DP WORLD

TDK

AVEVA

LOCTITE

TAGHeuer

SYNOPSYS

NetApp

---

NEWS

NEWS 2:33

THURDAY 15:27

TV 22:31

TUES 26:37

COLUMBUS 26:41

MONDAY 12:30

SPORT 22:35

2 TUESDAY 15 AUGUST 2026

17

ENTERTAINMENT

Parasocial activity: why people can end up emotionally attached to celebrities

Tom Holland and Zendaya attract fans thanks to social media. By Megha Mohan

I've seen the video so many times I've lost count. It's 2017 and Spider-Man actor Tom Holland is wearing a black wig, a latex corset, fishnet tights, and dancing to Rihanna's "Umbrella" with unembarrassed commitment. Watching on is his then co-star, now wife, Zendaya. She looks on in disbelief, then with unmistakable admiration. Many fans have since decided this was the moment she fell in love with him.

Now I, a grown-up woman who analyses gender for a living (I've even written a book on it), knows better than to get emotionally involved with two actors. And yet, here I am, undeniably emotionally involved with two actors who don't know I exist.

In many ways it's not my fault, I tell myself as I scroll TikTok. Who could escape the marketing machine of the two new films both actors appear in? Brand New Day and The Odyssey have taken roughly $2.77bn ($2.05bn) at the box office in a couple of weeks. They've already surpassed Barbenheimer's $2.4bn ($1.7bn). The film hasn't opened in China and Japan yet, so expect the figures to climb.

The joint press tours show the warmth between the couple (I'm sure some is real and some is more scheduled, the studios have every reason to make sure the aw moments arrive on cue): he blew her kisses on the red carpet, and joked her character couldn't have feelings for Matt Damon because "she's married to me".

Like the Rihanna lip sync dance, these moments endear us to them, and yet they don't really tell us anything about their personal lives. Why then do so many of us enter into parasocial relationships

with famous couples? A one-sided bond where one party feels a deep connection, while the other doesn't know they exist.

Parasocial attachment is supposed to run on access. We mistake exposure for intimacy: the Vague house tour, the crying Instagram reel, their podcast. By that logic these two should be the least parasocial couple alive. They give us nothing. No kitchen tour. No lifestyle brand. Confusion about the wedding (did it happen? No date. No venue reveal. No photographs.)

And yet, we're obsessed. Why?

Start with the climate they arrived in. Donald Trump was elected in 2016, the year they met. Incel culture, and the manosphere, was going mainstream. High-value male is now a phrase people use without irony.

The tradwife aesthetic sells women their own submission back to them, soft-lit and shoppable.

Teenage boys are coached through their phones by men who insist tenderness is weakness and a woman is a depreciating asset. This is not a Western story. The same content reaches boys in Lagos and Manila, dubbed and localised.

Into that steps a superhero in his gran's fishnets. The quality the manosphere insists will make a man undesirable is the one that got Zendaya (and millions of others) attention. It was one of the things I kept finding while writing HERLANDS: gender rules look inevitable before someone shows that they aren't.

When I watch footage, shared by Zendaya's relatives, of Tom turning up at a family party (one of the few white men present and looking extremely comfortable), and telling the world's press that his wife is the

Tom Holland with his wife Zendaya on the red carpet: the pair have been reluctant to share details of their life together, allowing people to project their own thoughts on to the acting stars, argues Megha Mohan (inset) EMMA McINTYRE/GETTY

more talented one, it feels like I'm watching a man who takes genuine delight in his partner's world and what matters to her.

This is not how modern men are supposed to win: the manosphere coaches boys for an inheritance regime they are not going to inherit. Tom seems to be playing the game in front of him, and winning it so well that Elon Musk felt moved to call him a cuck (Holland ignored it). He is compelling because he is the counter-example, an alternative.

After a decade of being told the aggressive man is the natural man, Zendaya and Tom decline to explain

They have withheld enough to be almost anything, and we have made them into an argument

themselves, and fans fill that silence with the argument we most need to win. They are not letting us know them. They are letting us hope.

We aren't attached to them, we are attached to what we project on to them. They have withheld enough to be almost anything, and what we have decided to make them is an argument, a referendum on whether a man can be soft and still be wanted, whether a woman can be, say, taller, or more popular, and still be adored. Every clip is entered into evidence. Every fan edit is a closing statement.

And finally, there is one aspect many of us skirt around. Zendaya is biracial, married to a white British man, and there is something profoundly affecting about watching a Black woman be publicly cherished – by a superhero

– in a culture that still so often denies it to women of colour.

Of course, Zendaya has clocked a lot of this fan adoration. On the NYT Modern Love podcast she said she understood the investment – that they had grown up in front of people and played characters who fall in love, and that she did not want to dismiss it by telling anyone to stay out of her business. A remarkable thing to say to the people watching – I see what you are doing, I know why, and I will not shame you for it.

And so your algorithm will remain full of their young love. Adoring them a little is harmless. Mistaking it for more is the trap.

Megha Mohan is the author of 'HERLANDS: Lessons from Societies Where Women Make the Rules', published by Harvill Sacker

FOOTBALL

Fifa sacks official for criticising Infantino

By Harry Goodwin

Fifa's chief operating officer has been sacked after he criticised Gianni Infantino's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to investors.

Kevin Lamour, a long-serving Fifa official, had said that staff at football's governing body had been "deceived" by Infantino, who abandoned the plan after an outcry.

A Fifa spokesman said: "Fifa can confirm that the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Fifa's chief operating officer has ended on 17 August 2026.

"Fifa thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future."

Fifa staff were reportedly told about Lamour's dismissal in a letter delivered last night.

Earlier yesterday, the Scottish Football Association withdrew its backing for Infantino.

A number of European FAs – including those in England, the Republic of Ireland and Wales – had already pulled their support for the Swiss-Italian.

Infantino (inset) remains under extreme pressure. Three football confederations accused him of "deception" over his private investor plan in an open letter last week.

Uefa, the European football federation, has threatened to boycott the World Cup if Infantino does not resign. But he still has the backing of many African, Asian and South American countries.

Sport, page 56

The Five-Clue Cryptic Crossword No 4910

Solution, page 49

Across

3 Pain, the result of using a needle? (6) 5/6 Army officer's vehicle sparking major industrial action (7,6)

Down

1 A perfume that's going up (6) 2 Left area of southern Europe for country further south (7) 4 Cartel somehow producing wine (6)

---

18

@theipaper

facebook.com/theipaper

@theipaper.com

Please include a contact address with all correspondence

The Opinion Matrix

COMMENT FROM HOME AND ABROAD

FARAGE'S REPUTATION

Reform UK leader avoids scrutiny

New Statesman

We all know what was going on here – Farage is simply happier hiding among supporters and GB News than he is risking scrutiny by outsiders who can't be trusted not to ask, say, why exactly Essex Police knew nothing of the security threat he'd claimed they'd warned him about. (Jonn Elledge)

Daily Express

Nigel Farage has endured a miserable few months, and while it is true many of the problems he faces are of his own making, he remains the voice of the ignored. Moreover, he remains hugely popular. (Giles Sheldrick)

SCOTTISH NATIONALS

Their legacy is starting to look empty

The Press & Journal

As the SNP heads towards a quarter of a century of continuous power by the next election, it is becoming less about promising the future and more about defending their past. (David Knight)

The Herald

There are some strange goings-on when it comes to Scottish independence. The SNP has done nothing to further the cause of independence, leaving Yes voters utterly frustrated. Meanwhile, successive UK governments have refused to engage with establishing a process by which a referendum could be held. (Neil Mackay)

UK FARMING INDUSTRY

Government help does not come easily

The Times

Nobody in power has cared much about farming in Britain for many years because it's assumed we can always fall back on cheap food from abroad. No longer. (Jenni Russell)

Financial Times

The UK Government has now promised help for farmers, including some extra funding for reservoirs, updated planning guidance, and temporary easing of access to water supplies during droughts, yet overall we find ourselves trapped in an overly complex, inconsistent planning system that is often delayed by government agencies. (Tom Bradshaw)

US AND SOUTH KOREA

Trump is being driven by rage

The Economist

By undermining regular joint exercises, Mr Trump may hope to entice Kim Jong-un to restart the diplomatic engagement they began during the President's first term. But his abrupt decision is more likely to send a different kind of message that the US's commitments to its allies are hollow. (Asia bureau)

The Atlantic

The US is now losing the Iran conflict. And so the President has taken the logical next step: He is punishing South Korea, a loyal American friend, and tempting US enemies to doubt America's will to defend its allies. (Tom Nichols)

LINDSAY CLANCY

Conspiracies could derail awareness

The Guardian

Lindsay Clancy's live-streamed trial has become fodder for amateur sleuths, operating accounts on TikTok and other social media platforms, to push viral conspiracy theories that experts say threaten to undermine efforts to de-stigmatise and raise awareness of postpartum illnesses. (Christopher Mathias)

Mail Online

Three innocent children were slaughtered. People are furious. It's natural for them to look for someone – anyone, perhaps – to blame. But Patrick Clancy shouldn't be blamed for his wife's crisis. (Kennedy)

BOURDAIN BIOPIC

'Tony' is more than coming of age tale

Fox News

Tony is a charming coming-of-age dramedy that gives a glimpse as to how Anthony Bourdain became the man the world came to love – and his biggest fans should certainly be delighted. (Joseph A Wulfsohn)

AZ Central

If it sounds like a kind of platonic ideal of a coming-of-age story, it's not. It's more complex than that. Tony washes dishes in Chef's modest little joint, and while there is excitement and a real vibrancy in the kitchen, there's also an element of danger. Tony is played as if he were a side character. (Bill Goodykoontz)

Quote of the day

I have always had unshakeable faith in myself. A delusional quality is quite helpful as an actor

Hannah Khalique-Brown The actress on her ascent to success

Life In Brief

JIMMY CRICKET NORTHERN IRISH COMEDIAN

With his 'And there's more' catchphrase and his distinct look, Jimmy Cricket, real name James Joseph Mulgrew, rose to fame on the comedy circuit in the 1980s. He had his own television show, And There's More, which ran for four series, as did his BBC Radio 2 programme, Jimmy's Cricket Team.

Cricket also appeared on the Royal Variety Performance in 1984, in his trademark cut-off evening trousers, evening tailcoat, hat and Wellington boots marked 'L' and 'R' for left and right, but each worn on the wrong foot.

His comedy was clean, using wordplay and silly jokes with a charm that disarmed his audience.

Mulgrew was born in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, the youngest of Frank and Philomena Mulgrew's six children.

His father worked a number of jobs, but died in 1953, after which his mother took on work to help raise the

family. Cricket was raised in Belfast and attended St Patrick's College, leaving school when he was 15.

He found casual work but then got his performing grounding when working as a Red Coat at the Butlin's holiday camp in Mosney, Co Meath. He continued to work at Butlin's and Pontins, honing his comedy skills and creating his character, named after Jimmy Cricket from Walt Disney's version of Pinocchio.

He got his break on television when he finished as runner-up in LWT's Search for a Star. This led to appearances on his shows such as The Good Old Days and Crackerjack, before he landed his own show.

He was one of the performers chosen to appear in the video for the 2007 Comic Relief single, a cover of The Proclaimers song 'I'm Gonna Be [500 Miles]' by Matt Lucas and Peter Kay.

Cricket was busy right up to his death, having performances booked throughout 2026.

While working at Pontins in Morecambe in 1972, he met May Tweedie, who was employed as a waitress and performed in a singing act with her sisters. They married in 1974 and had four children.

Cricket received a papal knighthood in 2015 from Pope Francis for his charity work, particularly for Francis House children's hospice in Manchester.

He said of the knighthood: 'I do what I love. If I can raise money by entertaining people, sure it's not hard work. To get an honour for doing something that you love is quite a blessing.'

He died following a short illness, aged 80. According to his son, Fr Frankie Mulgrew, he asked for the

last rites twice 'because like a good comedian he wanted an encore'.

After his death, the comedian and TV presenter Roy Walker described him as a 'sincere wee fella' that 'loved everyone and everyone loved him'.

The entertainer Christopher Biggins said Cricket was 'unbelievably fantastic, I don't think I met a nicer man ever'.

Cricket is survived by his wife and their children.

Born 17 October 1945 Died 3 August 2026 Jonathan Maynard

---

MARCH 2021

APRIL 10-22

TH 26-31

SAT 26-37

COLUMB 38-41

MONDAY 42-45

SPORT 46-48

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

19

My View

Rupert Yorke

Cutting welfare bill is the way forward

Tories and Reform UK recognise need to reduce spending

People attend the 'Welfare not Warfare' protest in London earlier this summer KRISZTIAN ELEKGETTY

You would be forgiven for thinking that the Conservatives and Reform UK now agree on something. If one looks past the different tactics – with the Tories putting forward a better thought-through set of options – both parties recognise that tackling our increasingly unsustainable welfare bill is crucial if this country is to regain any semblance of economic growth and prosperity.

The Government spends more on welfare and pensions than anything else – roughly the same as combined spending on health and education. And that amount is only going up. Before the pandemic struck in 2020, total welfare spending stood (in real terms) at around £280bn. This year, the Government is expected to pay around £352bn, with around £140bn on working-age benefits alone. By 2030-31, independent forecasters predict that total welfare spending is going to exceed £400bn per year – over 11 per cent of our national income. By way of comparison, we currently spend just under £70bn on our entire Armed Forces to keep our country safe.

There is no possible justification for this alarming trend. Many

commentators point to the pandemic itself, which saw the Treasury issuing emergency welfare payments to temporarily boost household finances – alongside furlough and other employment support schemes.

Whilst this was unavoidable at the time, attempts to wean the country off what had mistakenly become the drug of universal state support were lambasted by disability groups and Labour parliamentarians as unthinkable.

The result is a severely scarred labour market, in which the overall rate of employment has not returned to its pre-pandemic level. Compounding the problem, over one million young people are not in education, employment or training – potentially consigning a whole generation to a life on welfare, instead of work.

We simply cannot function properly as a society if there is an acceptance that the number of people dependent on the state is only going to increase, deprived of the dignity that comes with a decent job that allows them to stand on their own two feet. It would be morally unforgivable to perpetuate this situation further. Support should always be made available

for those who truly need it, but hard choices will be necessary to encourage those who can work and contribute to society to do so.

Even more importantly, this country simply cannot afford it. With an ageing population and higher borrowing costs than most other similar countries, the UK faces hard choices and trade-offs.

If we want higher defence spending, that must be paid for. If we want to address social care, that must be paid for. Our annual debt interest bill means more borrowing is increasingly impossible. And taxes have already been hiked to the highest levels in 70 years, squeezing an economy desperately starved of growth. That leaves only one option: cut existing spending elsewhere, so we can spend on other priorities.

"A key dividing line will be who is brave enough to cut spending, starting with benefits?"

Tackling benefits necessarily implies tough measures. These are not easy, and both parties are brave for raising some of the politically difficult decisions that will eventually have to be made. Indeed, whether consensus grows over doing the unthinkable – scrapping the state pension triple lock, which is a huge millstone around our country's neck – is difficult to imagine. But the right of British politics is at least diagnosing the problem and offering possible solutions. We are spending too much money as a country.

The Labour Party will never be able to deal with this issue. Keir Starmer not only stumbled over scrapping universal winter fuel payments, but he could not even convince his army of MPs – whom he led to a huge victory only a year previously – that welfare spending needed to be trimmed by a meagre £5bn. Andy Burnham has made more positive noises about tackling the problem, but there are no concrete proposals and it remains to be seen whether he prioritises this issue with his backbenchers over his ambitious plans for regional devolution or social care.

Pat McFadden's confession that all Labour MPs want to know who

can be taxed in return for higher benefits gives the game away. The result will be a Labour Government that refuses to cut spending and knows that it cannot borrow more money: that only means higher taxes. For now, those taxes will almost certainly fall on high-income families and wealth creators in the South. Once the PM realises that the tax lock in the Labour manifesto is depriving him of raising the revenue he needs to fuel higher spending, expect either a manifesto breach or a general election.

This is likely to emerge as the key dividing line over the coming months: who is brave enough to reduce spending, starting with benefits? It is abundantly clear that we are living beyond our means as a country. If we are brave enough to tackle welfare spending, we will finally be able to reduce our tax burden and focus our attention on other priorities. For the right of British politics, this is the right issue to try to unite behind.

Rupert Yorke is former deputy chief of staff to Rishi Sunak in 10 Downing Street and HM Treasury

i@theipaper.com

---

20

@theipaper

facebook.com/theipaper

@theipaper.com

Your View

Tweets, emails and letters to: The Editor, The Paper, 9 Derry Street, London W8 9HY

Green belt must stay... green

At a time when nature in the UK is dangerously depleted and physical and mental health are suffering across the country, building houses on the green belt is a backward step. I appreciate that we need housing, especially affordable housing, but there are many brownfield sites available and plenty of empty properties that could be used first.

Perhaps forcing developers to build on land they are already sitting on would be a good move. The green belt should be the last place we look to build on. MAUREEN RIGG SOUTH SHIELDS, TYNE AND WEAR

I am delighted to read that more houses are going to be built and that some will be near transport hubs. That makes sense. However, one must ask the $64,000 question: how many of these homes will be categorised as social housing? That is, homes rented at a reasonable rate so young people and families can access secure housing.

Since the days of Thatcher's council house giveaway there has been a scarcity of affordable rented accommodation. Now is the time to put that right.

IAN MÖWBRAY SUNDERLAND, TYNE AND WEAR

Not the time to get complacent

In my view, the Government's mobile phone alert warning that wildfires could be caused by barbecues or fireworks ("Burnham bans sales of barbecues as Britain turns into a tinderbox", 15-16 August) was timely. We all need to guard against complacency in light of

the all too visible effects of climate change.

I read that social media was awash with requests for information on how to opt out of the system. I only hope those who do opt out never find themselves, or their loved ones, in a life-threatening emergency caused by wildfire. PETER DAVEY CHIPPENHAM, WILTSHIRE

Following the debate about the necessity of Friday's emergency mobile alert, I'd like to point out that not everyone seems aware of the danger of fighting fires at the moment.

The day before, I tried to tell a father and son camping by a nearby lake that their small fire, over which they were about to cook sausages, could be a fire hazard.

The man indicated that the water in the lake was there to put the fire out afterwards and seemed reluctant to accept that ash and cinders could rise, ignite nearby trees and spread to houses.

My warning appears to have gone unheeded because the following day we noticed a burnt patch where the fire had been. I hope Friday's phone alert might make him think twice before doing the same thing again during this dry period.

SARAH GALL WIGAN, GREATER MANCHESTER

Stop mindlessly swigging water

The hydration trend ('Gadgets are offering to track our hydration levels – but are they worth the hype in the heat?', 17 August) is getting far out of hand and is one big marketing ploy.

Clearly we need to drink fluids to stay healthy, but water also comes from fruit and vegetables. People need

Some readers are in favour of alerts sent out by the UK Government urging caution over fire hazards GETTY

to be reminded to listen to their own bodies. They will tell them when they need a drink. That seems much more sensible than carrying a Stanley cup everywhere and constantly swigging water at every opportunity. SIAN LYALL CARDIFF

Tale of three brothers

Apropos Anne McElvoy's column about technical education in schools ('Burnham's retro education plans are on collision course with reality', inews.co.uk, 2 August), we need property staffed technical high schools.

France and Germany have long had separate academic and technical routes. I am the eldest of three brothers, all now in our eighties. At 11, I went to grammar school, the middle one attended a building school and the youngest went to a secondary modern. We all retired early.

The most financially

successful is the youngest, the middle brother became a primary school headteacher and I supposedly the clever one, am the poorest. COLINFORD RYDE, ISLE OF WIGHT

Move MPs into royal palace

The suggestion by The Times that Buckingham Palace could be turned into a prison now that it is no longer a home for the Royal Family is an interesting one. I have another idea. We own it, so why not turn it into the new House of Commons, with a second elected chamber?

This would remove the completely outdated and unelected House of

Lords, saving money in the process.

The exorbitant costs planned for bringing the Houses of Parliament into the twenty-first century would also be avoided.

A with-win solution. ANNA FREEMAN CHELTENHAM, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Talking about the car wash...

We need more reservoirs. We are short of water and in a drought. Why are car washes still allowed to operate? ANDREW WILLIS EPSOM, SURREY

Make rail travel cheaper for all

Railcards for all (Your

View, 17 August)? Why not simply reduce ticket prices? There would be less administration and more honesty all round. JOYCE WOTHERSPOON MORPETH, NORTHUMBERLAND

A step in the wrong direction

Louise Cave is right about the pointless research into the health benefits of walking upstairs (Your View, 17 August).

But other recent research suggested that walking downstairs may be even more beneficial than walking upstairs, which is no help at all if you live in a bungalow. BOB MERRISON EVESHAM, WORCESTERSHIRE

MORE COMMENT on theipaper.com

Our commitment

We take very seriously our responsibility to maintain high editorial standards, and are grateful to readers for pointing out any errors. This Paper adheres to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (ipso) code of practice. If you wish to complain about our editorial coverage, especially with relation to

Regulated

inaccuracy or intrusion, please write to The Editor, The Paper, 9 Derry Street, London W8 9HY, or email: readm@theipaper.com. You can contact: ipso directly at 10 Eastcheap, London, EC3M 1AJ. telephone: (0)00 123 2220, or by email: an inquiries@ipso.co.uk

One-minute Wijuko

How to play Place 1 – 9 once in the grid, obeying the sums between pairs of squares

Solution: page 49

Tomorrow, in

THE PAPER

LIFESTYLE

The eight types of people in a heatwave – and how to tell which one you are

Plus

INTERVIEW

Andrew Rannells

The stage and screen actor reflects on his career as the 'sassy gay friend'

---

NEWS 2-31

ORIGIN 118-22

TV 28-31

LIFE 38-37

CULTURE 38-31

HOURLY 42-31

SPORT 42-35

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

21

William is still smouldering over Harry's betrayal

MONARCHY

Jennie Bond

The word is that Prince Harry is planning to make more frequent trips back to the UK. He wants more of a foothold here and less drama. It's a novel idea because Harry and drama have walked hand in hand for the past few years. Much of that has been of his own making, but next year is going to be a flashpoint because it will be the 30th anniversary of the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. All eyes will be on two warring brothers.

Will William and Harry finally stand side by side at such a poignant memorial event – several are expected to be organised by charity The Diana Award – or will their bitter estrangement continue? Either scenario will be a drama.

Harry was 12 when his mother died. Next month he will be 42: an age at which surely the fire and fury

that have raged inside him should be melting away? But when he lost his court case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) last month, the red mist came down again as he declared the judgment a whitewash.

In the next week or so he will learn how much that court case has cost him – it could run into millions. His response could tell us whether he really is prepared to leave all the courtroom drama behind.

Apart from these occasional outbursts, it does seem to me that Harry is now a man with his eyes focused firmly forward. Perhaps he has laid his demons to rest by shouting about his grievances so publicly and relentlessly. But can he now really expect the family be lambasted so brutally to forgive and forget? It's a big ask.

The monumental task ahead for him is to regain the trust of his father and brother. So far, he has honoured his side of the pact to say nothing about his recent visit to King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove. That will have given some encouragement to Charles.

Despite his ongoing campaign to be given the security he believes he merits, the Prince has found a

The two brothers are far from reconciliation DOMINIC LIPINSKIAFF VIA GETTY

way to bring his family to the UK and show his children something of their heritage. Next year he will undoubtedly want to bring them to one of his most cherished causes, the Invictus Games.

If we do start seeing him at more charity events over here, as well as conducting his now quite regular visits to Ukraine, perhaps you could argue that he has achieved

what he asked for in the first place. Not quite half in and half out – but a way of doing traditional royal engagements even though he's not part of "The Firm".

It's something I think he and Meghan should have been allowed to do in the first place.

But the late Queen Elizabeth II was implacable. As a result the monarchy lost two people who

The task ahead for Harry is to regain the trust of his father and brother

could have helped forge important links between the Crown and Britain's diverse communities. And William lost his brother.

What a tribute it would be to Diana if her sons could finally be reconciled on the anniversary of her untimely death. But if Harry's fire has been quelled, the anger smouldering inside William – who is known to be stubborn – could be much harder to extinguish. He feels betrayed by the brother who sold the family secrets – or at least Harry's version of them – and now wants to be allowed back into the fold. If any truce is to be called, it will be William who does the calling.

The i Paper is part of Harmsworth Media, a publishing division owned by ANL's parent company DMGT – and has complete editorial independence

New Scientist Discovery Tours

Journey beneath the clearest skies on Barth in Chile

Explore pioneering research facilities, stargaze under spectacular night skies and discover the science that is transforming our understanding of the universe.

1 October 2026 | 13 days

Book the trip of a lifetime

newscientist.com/tours/chile-astronomy

---

22

@theipaper

facebook.com/theipaper

@theipaper.com

Hosepipe ban hypocrisy that will make you furious

ENVIRONMENT

Simon Kelner

To start the week, here is a quick-fire question and answer quiz. How many data centres have been built in the UK this century? 450. How many inshore wind farms have been built in the UK this century? Over a thousand. How many miles of new motorway have been built this century. Over a hundred. How many new reservoirs have been built in

the UK over the same period? None. Nada. Zilch.

In fact, not a single reservoir – vital for the prevention of water shortages and the management of river flows – has been built in the UK since 1992. Meanwhile, since 2000, approximately 20 new large dams or reservoirs have been built in Germany, and in France, there are more than 100 water storage

projects under construction. I use this litany of comparative statistics in case anyone is wondering why millions of households in the UK have hosepipe bans in force.

The management of one of the nation's most precious assets has simply not been a priority for more than three decades, which roughly coincides with the time that our water supply has been privatised, and the requirement to pay dividends to shareholders took precedence over the need to provide a reliable supply of water.

In March last year, Clive Lewis, the Labour MP for Norwich South and a vigorous campaigner against water privatisation, told Parliament: "In the 35 years before privatisation, almost 100 reservoirs were built. In the 35 years since privatisation, not one major English reservoir has been built."

Today, 10 of our water companies have hosepipe bans in force. But we haven't suddenly run out of water: we lack the infrastructure needed to capture, store, transport and conserve it.

Clearly, heatwaves have exacerbated the problem, but it's not as if climate change has suddenly come upon us. No, what has caused the current emergency is more than 30 years of neglect and

underinvestment. The heatwave is an easy excuse for the shortfall.

Construction is now under way on the Havant Thicket Reservoir project in Hampshire, which will help to secure water supply across the south-east of England, but will not be operational until at least 2030. Meanwhile, according to

the GMB union, 35 former reservoirs and bulk water storage facilities have been sold off since 2017. Their sale raised around £26m for the water companies, and many are now leisure parks or housing developments.

We are responsible people. Research by the

Government shows 66 per cent of the population support restrictions to conserve water. But increasingly we feel that we are paying the bill, while the water companies are running off with the profits. And the hosepipe ban should be a temporary fix, not the alternative to a national water conservation strategy.

So we won't water the garden or fill the paddling pool. We take our share of the responsibility because a hosepipe ban subtly suggests the blame lies with us. But the problem is not the homeowner with a garden hose. It lies with the companies who have plundered our national assets for private gain. And every dead tree or plant should remind us of that.

SOCIETY

Emily Watkins

More penury for us in our golden years

Predictions that the age for accessing private pensions is going to rise, from 55 today to 58 in the late 2030s, is another kick in the teeth for millennial finances. Experts say this would give workers longer to save for retirement, yet saving feels impossible when many of us don't have enough for right now.

Two-thirds of millennials worry that they won't have enough to live on during retirement. Frankly, even that proportion sounds low to me, given what we've had to contend with: from graduating into a financial crash at the older end to tripled university fees at the younger, from Brexit to Covid, from a runaway housing market to the ongoing cost of living crisis.

And if retirement seems far away for millennials, it isn't. The oldest of this cohort are in their mid-40s.

No doubt, it's a raw deal to

be ageing without any of the compensatory stability – yet here we are, many either renting (40 per cent) or living with family (roughly 20 per cent) and earning a relative pittance. Coupled with the ever-rising state pension age, this latest hike on the horizon only adds to the background hum of financial stress.

The introduction of workplace auto-enrolments means that the millennials with staff jobs will have been automatically signed up for pensions by their employers (not so if you happen to be a freelance writer with precisely zero in the way of retirement plans – and I'm far from alone).

Yet today's schemes tend to be much less generous than those enjoyed by past generations, which were often based on a final salary. With contemporary job insecurity and workplace-hopping, the average millennial's pension is more likely to be scattered than building cosy interest in one neat heap.

What's more our post-work lives will be much more expensive (the average life-long renter will need to find £10,000 per year more for retirement than someone who owns their home, for instance).

There is one morbid silver lining. Many millennials will receive significant wealth when their boomer parents die. But it's hardly a sign of a healthy economy for one generation to have to exit before another can thrive. Of course, those windfalls will be far from universal; just as well, then, that we millennials are used to protracted penury.

---

NEWS

NEWS 2:33

SUNDAY 18:22

TV 28:31

LIVE 24:37

CULVER 18:41

SUNDAY 15:30

SPORT 42:55

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

23

SCIENCE

AI helps doctors to see how cases of breast cancer could develop

By Storm Newton

Artificial intelligence (AI) has revealed previously invisible patterns inside breast cancer tumours to help doctors predict how the disease might progress.

The technology could pave the way for more personalised treatments, scientists at the University of Southampton said.

Centrosomes - tiny structures that help divide DNA evenly when a cell makes a copy of itself - have been a "hallmark of cancer" for more than a century.

But studying them in tumour tissues has proved "extremely challenging" because of their tiny size and as they are constantly changing.

In cancer, centrosomes multiply too much, driving the progression of the disease.

An AI platform, known as CenSegNet, was developed to analyse hundreds of thousands of cells in tumour samples.

The study, published in Nature Communications, included tissue from 127 breast cancer patients being treated at University Hospital Southampton.

Researchers analysed more than 330,000 centrosomes. CenSegNet uncovered two distinct abnormalities which had previously been considered as part of the same process.

One involved cells acquiring too many centrosomes while the other had abnormally enlarged centrosomes.

These defects behaved independently and occupied different areas of a tumour, the scientists found.

Salah Elias, one of the Southampton researchers, said: "For more

than a century, centrosome abnormalities have been recognised as a hallmark of cancer, but studying them in patient tissues has been extremely challenging.

"CenSegNet allows us to analyse these defects at single-cell resolution across entire tumours and uncover patterns that were previously impossible to see.

"Rather than viewing centrosome abnormalities as a single phenomenon, our study shows that

they have distinct biological states with different spatial distributions and clinical associations."

The platform also helped uncover a link between different centrosomes and features of cancer.

Tumours with high levels of enlarged centrosomes were more aggressive, and patients whose cells had lower levels had a better chance of survival.

Ellas said: "Specific combinations of defects may influence how a tumour grows, invades surrounding tissues and responds to treatment.

"This opens the door to developing new biomarkers and, ultimately, more personalised treatment strategies."

The team is also planning to combine CenSegNet with more data to explore if it can help guide treatment decisions.

The criteria given to GPs to refer women at risk of breast cancer for further tests miss up to 95 per cent of patients under 50 who go on to develop the disease, another study found earlier this month.

Cups of kindness for parents

Caitlin Renner and two-year-old Liam visit The Parenting Grind coffee van in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is touring with the van to highlight the emotional

challenges of becoming a parent and encouraging discussion around parental mental health and access to therapy. The van's coffee cups carry testimonial quotes on how therapy has helped parents. DAVID PARRY/PA

HEALTH

Book your winter flu jabs now, NHS urges

By Sally Guyoncourt

People have been urged to book their flu jabs earlier this year to protect the NHS from winter chaos.

The national booking system opened yesterday, allowing eligible people, including pregnant women and children, to pre-book their flu vaccination appointments for 1 September onwards.

Duncan Barton, chief nursing officer for England, said: "The NHS is kicking off its preparations for winter earlier than ever, with millions of flu jab appointments for pregnant women and children available to book ahead of vaccinations starting next month.

"It takes just a few minutes but it can protect you for months, helping to prevent serious illness, avoid hospital admissions and keep the most vulnerable people safe."

pital admissions and keep the most vulnerable people safe."

Other groups will begin receiving the jab from 1 October, including those aged 65 and over, adults in clinical risk groups, adults in care homes, carers and health workers.

The NHS hopes to ease winter demand after back-to-back heatwaves drove A&E attendances to a record 2.5 million in July.

SOCIETY

People 'afraid' to intervene on choking

By Ella Pickover

Too many people choke to death because bystanders "do not have the knowledge or confidence to intervene", experts have warned.

About 300 people die in England every year due to a choking incident, St John Ambulance said, after a poll showed less than half of people know how to help a choking person.

The poll revealed that 42 per cent know how to stop someone choking by giving back blows and abdominal thrusts, the charity added.

A survey of 2,000 UK adults, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of

300

Number of people who die in England each year due to choking

19%

Proportion of those surveyed who had not heard of abdominal thrusts

St John Ambulance, found that 19 per cent have never heard of an abdominal thrust, previously referred

to as the Heimlich manoeuvre. And 32 per cent said they did not know choking can become life-threatening in minutes without first aid.

The charity has launched its Save a Life September campaign, which aims to teach half a million people life-saving skills through free demonstrations and online guidance.

Jordan Davison of St John Ambulance said: "Choking is often dismissed as a minor incident, but the consequences can be devastating.

"Tragically too many people die because those around them do not have the knowledge or confidence to intervene."

HEALTH

Hop on a bus for cervical tests

By Harry Goodwin

Cervical screening buses are touring North West England to boost the number of women getting checked.

The Living Well buses started in Cheshire and Merseyside in 2024. They were so popular that NHS England North West has expanded them to Lancashire and South Cumbria. The service will start running in parts of Greater Manchester from October.

"Women can sometimes forget

about their own health," nurse Jill West told The Guardian.

"They've got children to think about, work to think about, they can't get a convenient GP appointment, or fit it in with their menstrual cycle.

"So the bus is perfect because women can come along and get screened without having to make an appointment."

The NHS "clinics on wheels" have a consultation area and a separate changing room.

Sue Mann of NHS England said: "Thousands more women have now had cervical screening they likely wouldn't have otherwise had thanks to these excellent roaming clinics-on-wheels."

---

EMERGENCY SURGERY

[LOGO]

MEDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS

HELP SUPPORT OUR MEDICAL TEAMS TODAY

A man carries a wounded child into the MSF-run clinic at Rafah Indonesian Field Hospital in southern Gaza. Photograph © MSF

DR BIRSEN GASKELL IS

AN ANAESTHETIST WHO WORKED IN GAZA.

"We arrived in Gaza and were immediately confronted by huge numbers of people crammed into the streets. You could hear the bombing and see the fear in people's faces.

We immediately got to work at the hospital. We treated a large number of patients for burns and trauma injuries, mostly people who'd been injured in explosions. There were a lot of children. I'd never seen so many burns patients in one place.

Some children were malnourished, and it was clear many were not eating properly. With post-operative care, it's vital that patients have a good diet to assist with tissue healing, but due to food shortages that just wasn't happening.

We were seeing around 180 patients every day. We didn't have the capacity to take everybody into the operating theatres – some procedures had to be carried out on the ward.

As an anaesthetist, one of my roles was to improve pain management. Due to shortages of medical supplies, there

have been a lot of incidents during this conflict when people have been operated on without anaesthetics. It's inconceivable that this has happened, but it has.

Some patients stick in your mind. There was a nine-year-old girl who'd been injured when her home was bombed and lost part of her jaw. She and her mother were the only survivors from their family. I changed her dressing every few days and gave her antibiotic treatment. One day, she gave me a hug and asked if she'd ever look normal. I didn't have an answer for her. Reconstructive surgery would really help her, but nothing like that is on offer in Gaza.

The situation in Gaza is getting worse and people's medical needs are growing. The fact that there are people there who have had to undergo medical procedures without anaesthesia is barbaric. It's an inhumane situation.

Yet, despite the carnage and the horror, the MSF hospital was an oasis of calm. I was so impressed by the Gazan staff, by their resilience. Many had lost family members and were living in tents, but they were still there every day, helping people.

The work MSF is doing in Gaza is needed now more than ever."

WE CAN'T OPERATE WITHOUT YOU

Every year, MSF teams carry out tens of thousands of surgeries. From treating war wounds to emergency caesareans and reconstructive surgery, our surgeons are at the frontline of our lifesaving care.

Each year, MSF teams around the world conduct 134,000 major surgeries. In the places where we work, demand for surgical services has never been higher. We need your support now more than ever to provide people with lifesaving medical care.

Please donate today to support our emergency medical teams.

£40 can provide six patients with antibiotics to prevent infections after surgery

£420 covers the cost of an MSF surgeon working in a hospital for five days

£170 could pay for emergency splints to immobilise injured limbs for 20 patients

THANK YOU

MSF UK receives no government funding. It's your support that enables us to provide medical care where it's needed most.

DONATE NOW

CALL 0800 055 79 81

Or search MSF SURGERY

to make an online donation

YES, I would like to support MSF's medical teams

I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION OF £

Please make your cheque payable to Médecins Sans Frontières UK

OR ☐ Please charge my VISA/Mastercard/Amex:

Cardholder name

Card number

Signature

Title

Surname

Address

Postcode

Telephone

Email

HEAR FROM MSF BY EMAIL

☐ Sign up to our Frontline email, which provides first hand accounts of our work. You will receive Frontline, occasional emergency emails, asks for donations and event invites.

Charity Registration Number 1026588

ARE YOU A UK TAXPAYER?

If so, you can make your gift worth 25% more at no extra cost. Please tick the box below.

☐ I wish Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to treat all gifts in the last 4 years, this gift and all future gifts as Gift Aid donations, I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year, it is my responsibility to pay any difference.

Date ☐☐/☐☐/☐☐☐☐

NB: Please let us know if your name, address or tax status changes, or if you would like to cancel this declaration, so that we can update our records.

RESPECTING YOU AND YOUR PERSONAL DATA

Your support is vital to our work and we would like to keep you informed with first-hand accounts from our staff and patients about the lifesaving impact your support is having, from combatting epidemics to providing emergency surgery.

We won't allow other organisations to have access to your personal data for marketing purposes and we won't bombard you with appeals.

By supporting MSF, you will receive our magazine Dispatches, event invitations and occasional emergency appeals with requests for donations by post. You can change how you hear from MSF UK by emailing uk.fundraising@tondon.msf.org or calling 020 7404 6600. Visit our privacy notice for more: msf.org.uk/privacy.

Please fill in this form, place in an envelope and return postage free to: FREEPOST RUBA-GYZY-YXST, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Bumpers Way, Bumpers Farm, Chippenham, SN14 6NG. Alternatively, you can phone 0800 055 79 81 (open 8am–10pm seven days a week) or make your donation online by searching MSF SURGERY.

giftaid it

MSFR0048

---

NEWS

NEWS 2-31

SUNDAY 18-22

TUE 26-31

FRI 24-27

SATURDAY 28-31

SUNDAY 17-20

SUNDAY 12-25

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

25

Comment

Trump is erratic, falling in the polls - and eyeing a third term

Simon Marks

With just 78 days to go before America's midterm elections, Steve Bannon - Donald Trump's no-again, off-again political adviser - is suddenly very worried.

The President's political Svengali told viewers of his daily War Room broadcast that he fears Republicans will take a pasting at the polls.

But Bannon believes there is still a way of saving the Trump project. He urged Republicans in Congress to underline their support for the President, warning the party's leaders that they are now complicit in a looming electoral disaster.

"If you treat President Trump as a lame duck... people are not going to show up" at the polls, he warned, adding that there was "zero enthusiasm for any of these [Republican] candidates" in key battleground states.

Republican politicians are increasingly concerned about how Trump's unpopular war on Iran will affect them at the ballot box.

But Bannon is one of several Republican strategists who believe the answer to the party's woes is more Trump, not a retreat.

A self-confessed "huge advocate of President Trump's third term", Bannon maintains that a way will be found to circumvent the constitution and keep the President at the helm for another four years.

Trump has repeatedly

threatened a third term. On Saturday, his social media feed included an image of him wearing a "Trump 2028" baseball cap. "We are going to win," read the caption.

Polling has shown that more than 60 per cent of Americans believe that Trump is serious about the possibility of serving a third term, but Republican voters are evenly split over whether they would back him in that endeavour.

With Trump's personal approval ratings crashing to record-low levels, talk about him seeking a third term has largely been silenced.

No members of his own government are publicly backing the idea, and the President's name has not been included in the handful of straw polls conducted at Republican Party events.

The President is flirting with the idea of declaring a security emergency ahead of November's midterms

Steve Bannon urged Republicans to back Trump to save themselves

None of that has stopped Trump pursuing the angle. In recent weeks, the President has repeatedly referenced the possibility of seeking a third term, and sidestepped a reporter's question about whether he would rule out the prospect of trying to secure one, despite it being against the constitution.

In another threat to democracy, the President is openly flirting with the idea of declaring a national security emergency ahead of November's midterms.

Trump - like Bannon - is particularly angry over the Senate's failure to pass legislation that would require all voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering for elections and photographic identification when they cast their votes.

Democrats claim that the proposed law amounts to an effort to limit minority voter participation.

Many Republican politicians now find themselves living in a difficult political reality, one that they can't seem to escape. The worse things get for Trump, the more they fear for their own skins unless they separate from him. But Bannon and other Maga voices argue that their retreat from Trump's orthodoxy is the reason for their potential immolation - and urge them to return to the fold.

With his back to the wall, Trump could become increasingly erratic. And in the remaining days of the campaign, anything could happen, as the Maga grassroots seek to protect their leader at all costs.

The grass is where Trump held a 4 July celebration ERIC LEE/REUTERS

UNITED STATES

Vandals blamed for grass damage

By Clare Walsh

Donald Trump has blamed vandals for large swathes of dead grass on the National Mall - in the same spot where the US President had a stage built and hosted crowds for his Fourth of July celebration.

Trump made the accusation in a social media post without saying why he believes it is the work of van-

dals, instead of trampled turf from the Independence Day festivities.

"Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly," Trump said.

On Friday authorities announced an arrest in connection with vandalism at the memorial.

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

No 4846 BY LARK

ACROSS

5 Rabbi's love for one prepared to learn (6) 7 Can drinking whiskey after French garlic ultimately yield gust from behind? (8) 11 City traveller must circumnavigate to get back (7) 12 A gold plate conducting current with variable physical property (7) 13 Death's edge about to slice one looking stunned (4,6) 14 Inappropriate looking dance, in retrospect (4) 16 Hotel program reader's to receive hot drink now at a discount (5,4) 22 Run boat's propeller and make a din (4) 23 Hide in Magaluf with Eco novel (10) 26 Newton with true confusion concerning particle (7) 27 Plain, quiet, less stuffy royal brought to the fore (7)

28 Fearless journalist to trade leaders: show restraint (4,4) 29 Briefly put off by court notice (6)

DOWN

1 Shower naked, holding cloth (7) 2 Mental image interrupted by extremely sexy companion (7) 3 Article about unknown American soldiers by the cut-off Israeli city (8) 4 Hit at random, unfortunately I fail (5) 6 Minister starts to emulate Rishi Sunak with a large U-turn? (8) 8 Writer's covering President endlessly, as before (6) 9 Appliances from Q's successor in antithesis of Bond film? (6) 10 Manure always contains organic compound (4) 15 Allow doing away with European era voting rights (8)

17 Don't be cruel talking about flavourless dessert (4,4) 18 Noisily eat cold late morning meal without starter (6) 19 Muse vaguely about a liberal prophet (6) 20 Obstacle arranged to block coffin bearer (7) 21 Nothing to support idea propagated by books and film (7) 24 Rings husband's dropped - how clumsy! (4) 25 Bird ascending east German mountain (5)

Solution to yesterday's Cryptic

Stuck on the cryptic crossword? For today's solutions, call 0905 789 3580. Calls cost 80p per minute plus your network access charge. If you are having trouble accessing this number, please call our helpdesk on 0333 202 3390.

Full terms and conditions can be found on page 29

---

Television Tuesday 18 August

CRITIC'S CHOICE

BEN WALSH

PICK OF THE DAY

The Georgians With Rob Rinder And Ruth Goodman

9pm, 5

In tonight's edition of the fascinating documentary series, unlikely duo Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman examine the coronation of King George IV in 1820, which was one of the most lavish and controversial royal events in British history. The ubiquitous Rinder (left) follows the fortunes of those at the heart of the royal court ("George IV loved the finer things in life"), while historian Goodman uncovers the lives of some of the ordinary people ("it's not a fancy life by any stretch of the imagination") caught up in coronation fever. The duo explore how the wealthy and the poor alike became part of a spectacle on an absurd scale.

---

Race Against The Tide

7.30pm, BBC Two

On a splendid Scottish beach - St Andrews to be precise - eight teams go head-to-head to produce amazing sand sculptures, while also competing against the incoming tide. The teams have a mere six hours to complete their builds - from the moment the tide goes out to when it comes crashing back onto the shore. Who can carve the best sand masterpiece before the sea washes everything away? Iain Stirling hosts this mildly distracting contest/reality TV.

---

Best Medicine

8pm, Sky One

Josh Charles makes a decent fist of impersonating/reinterpreting

Martin Clunes's grumpy medic in this US take on Doc Mortin. Martin is sceptical when Port Wenn welcomes an extremely friendly delegation from its sister city in Norway, while Louisa (Abigail Spencer) visits a specialist who happens to be one of Martin's exes. Plus, Greg (Stephen Spinella) believes that he is pooping little men, and Mark exhibits troubling symptoms that warrant an intervention. Deeply comforting TV and that's not a bad thing at all, but the early 1980s' hit Northern Exposure was both better and funnier.

---

Celebrity MasterChef

9pm, BBC One

Joe Pasquale should prove amusing on this new series of the cooking behemoth. He's joined by weightlifter

Emily Campbell, reality star Shakira Khan, broadcaster Jason Mohammal and former pop star Jay McGuiness. First off Grace Dent (an improvement on the previous host...) and new Judge Giorgio Locatelli ask them to serve up their signature dish.

---

The Great ADHD Myth?

8pm, Channel 4

NHIS derisk and writer Max Pemberton challenges conventional thinking about ADHD, to investigate if it really is a neurodevelopmental disorder, and whether modern living has contributed to a rise in diagnoses. The psychiatrist asks whether today's world is equipped to accommodate people with ADHD attributes and questions the ethics of medicating these, particularly in

	ONE	TWO	itv1	4	5	FOUR	4	itv2
Daytime	6.00 Breakfast (S) 9.30 Country/Six Treasures (R) 1.00 10.00 Garden Rescue (R) (S) 11.15 Homes Under The Hammer (S) 12.15 Bargain Hunt (R) (S) 1.00 BBC News At One; Weather (S) 1.35 BBC Regional News; Weather (S) 1.45 BBC News At One; Weather (S) 2.00 Money For Nothing (S) 2.45 Escape To The Country (S) 3.30 The Repair Shop (R) (S) 4.30 The Answer Run (S) 5.15 Pointless (R) (S)	6.30 Escape To The Country (R) (S) 7.15 Money For Nothing (R) 1.00 8.00 Sign Zone: The Great British Sewing Bee (R) (S) 9.00 BBC News (S) 1.00 Richard Osman's House Of Games (R) (S) 1.30 The Finish Line (R) (S) 2.15 Do You Know Your Place? (R) (S) 2.45 Animal Park Summer (R) 1.30 3.30 Serengeti (R) (S) 4.30 Vintage Antiques Roadshow (R) (S) 5.15 Flag (R) (S)	6.00 Good Morning Britain (S) 10.00 This Morning (S) 1.30 ITV News; Weather (S) 1.55 ITV Regional News; Weather (S) 2.00 Dickinson's Real Deal (R) (S) 3.00 Deal Or No Deal (R) (S) 3.55 ITV Regional Weather (S) 4.00 Topping Pulse (R) (S) 5.00 The Chase (R) (S)	6.30 The King Of Queens (R) (S) 7.20 The King Of Queens (R) (S) 1.45 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S) 8.10 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S) 8.40 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S) 9.10 Freeder (R) (S) 9.40 Freeder (R) (S) 10.10 Freeder (R) (S) 10.40 Freeder (R) (S) 10.50 Romney's Kitchen Nightmares USA (R) (S) 10.55 Channel 4 News Summary (S) 11.10 Find It, Put It, Flag It (R) (S) 1.10 The Great House Giveaway (R) (S) 2.10 Countdown (S) 3.00 A Place In The Sun (R) (S) 4.00 The Great B&B Challenge (R) (S) 5.00 Chateau DIY (R) (S)	6.00 Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine (S) 11.30 Storm & Alexis (S) 12.45 5 News At Lunchtime (S) 12.50 Matt Allwright (S) 2.20 FILM: Living Next To Danger (John Markowski) 2.20 2.20 The Man, daring Kristi Murdock (S) 4.00 Castle (R) (S) 4.25 Love Nature (R) (S) 5.00 5 News With Dan Walker (S)	Daily Star Chubby Room is among the competitors in the department of the Celebrity MasterChef Awards' Prize	May Penitentiaries at one we treat ADHD with Chubby	6.00 Backyard Builds (S) 6.30 Dress To Impress (S) 7.30 The Real Housewives Of Potomac (S) 8.40 The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills (S) 9.15 The Only Way Is Ease (S) 10.15 Dawson's Creek (S) 11.10 Charmed (S) 12.10 Deal Or No Deal (S) 1.10 Supermarket Sweep (S) 2.10 The Floor (S) 3.10 The Only Way Is Ease (S) 4.10 The Real Housewives Of Potomac (S) 5.00 The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills (S)
6pm	6.00 BBC News At Six; Weather (S) 6.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S)	6.00 Richard Osman's House Of Games (R) (S) 6.30 Bear Grylls: Wild Reckoning (R) (S)	6.00 ITV Regional News; Weather (S) 6.30 ITV News; Weather (S)	6.00 American Pickers (R) (S)	6.00 Gibraltar: Jewel Of The Med (R) 6.55 5 News Update (S)	Family Star Chubby Room is among the competitors in the department of the Celebrity MasterChef Awards' Prize	Family Star Chubby Room is among the competitors in the department of the Celebrity MasterChef Awards' Prize	6.00 Celebrity Catchphrase With Natalie Cassidy, Sam Aston and Lou Sanders (S)
7pm	7.00 The One Show With Roman Kemp (S) 7.30 EastEnders Rain turns to Zack for advice (S)	7.00 Nigellissima (R) 7.30 Race Against The Tide New series, Sand sculpting competition (S)	7.30 Inside The Langham Britain's First Grand Hotel (S)	7.00 Channel 4 News (S)	7.00 Police Interceptors (R) 7.55 5 News Update (S)	7.00 The Architecture The Railways Built (S) 7.45 The Flying Gardener (S)	7.15 FILM: Horizon Line (Mikadi Manzmaiah) 2020J Thriller, starring Allison Williams (S)	7.00 The Floor The 4.1 remaining contestants fight for more squares (S)
8pm	8.00 The Great British Sewing Bee (S)	8.00 Saving Lives At Sea New series, There's a 999 call about a fisherman who has fallen overboard (S)	8.00 Emmerdale (S) 8.30 Coronation Street Kit leaves Sarah to deal with Kacey's threat (S)	8.00 The Great ADHD Myth? Max Pemberton challenges conventional thinking about ADHD (S)	8.00 Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders (S)	8.00 To The Manor Born (S) 8.30 Keeping Up Appearances (S)		8.00 The 1% Club Quiz hosted by Lee Mack (S)
9pm	9.00 Celebrity MasterChef New series, Joe Pasquale, Jason Mohammal and Emily Campbell compete (S)	9.00 Emergency 24/7 New series, The emergency department at Southmead Hospital, Bristol (S)	9.00 True Crime Presents: No Escape - Married To A Stalker (S)	9.00 Celebrity Hunted Gloria Hunniford provides a safe haven for two fugitives (S)	9.00 The Georgians With Rob Rinder And Ruth Goodman The coronation of King George IV in 1820 (S)	9.00 On Camera: Photographers At The BBC (S)	9.00 FILM: 65 (Scott Beck, Bryan Woods) 2023J Sci-fi adventure, starring Adam Driver (S)	9.00 Olivia Attwood: The Price Of Perfection (S)
10pm	10.00 BBC News (S) 10.30 BBC Regional News (S) 10.40 FILM: The Untouchables (Brian De Palma 1987) (S)	10.00 Live At The Apollo (R) (S) 10.30 Newsnight (S)	10.00 ITV News At Ten (S) 10.30 ITV Regional News (S) 10.45 FILM: Octopussy (John Glen 1987) (S)	10.00 Gogglebox: I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! comes under scrutiny (R) (S)	10.30 James Bulger: The Trial The murder trial of Jon Vorables and Robert Thompson (R) (S)	10.00 Britain In Focus: A Photographic History (S)	10.50 FILM: The Woman King (Gina Prince-Bythewood) 2022J Historical drama, starring Viola Davis (S)	10.00 Family Guy (S) 10.35 Family Guy Peter bangs his head and develops amnesia (S)
11pm		11.05 The Vampire Lestat: Interview With The Vampire (S)		11.05 Secret Lives Of Gypsy Wives Trevkey's first rap song enjoys mixed success (R) (S)		11.00 The Secret Genius Of Plants (S) 11.55 Deep, Down And Dirty: The Science Of Soil (S)		11.05 Family Guy (S) 11.35 American Dad! Stan reveals his next-door neighbour is gay (S)
Late	11.35 The Hit List (R) (S) 1.25 BBC News (S)	12.00 Sign Zone: Uncanny (R) (S) 1.30 Sign Zone: Captive Nightclub: A Real American Horror Story (R) (S) 2.35 This Is BBC Two (S)	1.10 Drop On TV 3.00 The Summit (R) (S) 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S) 3.65 Long Lost Family: Born Without Trees - What Happened Next (R) (S)	12.05 Building Monaco's Superheroes (R) (S) 4.05 Romney's Hotel Hall (R) (S) 1.55 The Plane (R) (S) 2.45 FILM: Onion (Baup 2023) (S) 4.20 Couples Come Now With Me (R) (S) 5.15 A Place In The Sun (R) (S)	12.05 Serial Killer Wives (R) (S) 1.00 Cruise TV With Lawn/Beal (R) (S) 2.00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors (R) (S) 2.50 Castle (R) (S) 3.40 Friends (R) (S) (R) (S) 4.30 The Highland Vet (R) (S)	12.50 Britain In Focus: A Photographic History (S) 1.50 The Flying Gardener (S) 2.05 On Camera: Photographers At The BBC (R) (S) 3.05 Close	1.30 FILM: Ravenous Dickiana Bird 1993 Horror, starring Gips, Pointe and Robert Carlyle (S) 3.35 Close	12.05 American Dad! (S) 12.35 Bob's Burgers (S) 1.05 Bob's Burgers (S) 1.30 Flake (S) 1.55 Deep Fake Neighbour Wars (S) 2.20 Unwind With ITV (S) 3.00 Teleshopping

---

Games & Puzzles

4-page pullout

Dominoes

How to play All of the 28 domino pieces from 0-0 through to 6-6 have been placed once into the grid. Can you work out where each of them is placed?

3	1	4	2	5	2	1	4
5	6	0	4	3	0	0	1
1	5	4	4	1	1	0	6
3	2	0	3	4	6	6	4
3	6	6	3	2	1	5	2
4	5	5	2	2	0	2	3
6	5	5	0	0	1	3	6

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Journey Finder

How to play Move between the numbers in order 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4 and so on, starting with the grey 1 and ending with the grey 4. On each step you may move one square in any direction (including diagonally). You must form a continuous path that visits every square exactly once.

1	3	1	2	4	3
2	4	2	3	1	2
4	2	4	3	4	1
1	3	1	4	3	2
2	3	2	2	1	3
4	1	3	4	1	4

Making Tracks

How to play

Numbers around the outside indicate how many squares in each row and column the track passes through between A and B. The track either passes straight through a square or turns at right angles in it.

B

Binary

How to play Complete the grid so that each row and column contains five 0s and five 1s. The same number cannot appear in more than two consecutive squares in any row or column. In the finished puzzle, each row must have a different sequence of 0s and 1s to any other row, and likewise for each column.

	0	0	0		1
1	0	0
0			1	1
	0		1
	1	1		0
			1
1	1	0	0
0	1	0	0
				1
1	1	0

Acronym Argue Blindly Branch Canal Citizen Digger Frequent Hectic Humidity Impatient Mollify Onyx Quiff Snappy Yard

Chain Link

How to play Place the numbers 1-6 in each row, column and along each series of squares linked by the chain.

Number Hexagon

How to play Each hexagon is divided into six triangles. The sum of these six triangles is always 25. Place a number from 1-9 in each empty triangle to complete the puzzle; you cannot repeat a number within a hexagon.

Daily Quiz

1. What traditional Jewish dish consists of a crepe-like pancake wrapped around a sweet, creamy cheese filling and then pan-fried?
2. Which Sheffield theatre opened in 1971 has become a venue for theatrical and sporting events?
3. The title of which operatic aria from Verdi's Rigoletto translates as "woman is fickle"?
4. The drosera or sundew plant, found in English wetlands, exists on a diet of what?

Answers, page 49

Pathfinder

How to play Moving from letter to adjacent letter, can you create a continuous path that visits every square once and spells out all the words listed to the right of the grid? Start on the shaded square.

Battleships

How to play Locate the position of each of the ships listed below in the grid. Numbers around the edge tell you the number of ship segments in each row and column of the puzzle. Ships are surrounded on all sides by water, including diagonally.

Jigsawdoku • Zygolex • Codeword • Sudoku • idoku • Knight's Tour • Word Wheel »

---

Satay udon noodle soup

SERVES 1

1tbsp crunchy peanut butter

1tbsp Thai red curry paste

1tsp sesame oil

1tbsp soy sauce

1 spring onion

1 garlic clove

Half-inch piece of ginger

Half stalk lemongrass

100ml coconut milk

150g straight-to-wok udon noodles

Handful of bean sprouts

100g firm tofu

Small handful salted peanuts

1tsp chilli oil

Half a lime

Finely slice the spring onion. Separate the greens and the whites. Bash and dice the lemongrass. Peel and grate the garlic and ginger.

In a microwave-safe container or deep bowl, add the spring onion whites, lemongrass, garlic and ginger along with peanut butter, red curry paste, sesame oil, soy sauce and coconut milk. Mix well until combined (I use a small whisk).

Add beansprouts to the container and top with the noodles. Cut the tofu into small 1x1cm cubes and add to the bowl. Fill with 100ml water and microwave on high for four minutes. Mix and then microwave again for one minute.

To finish, add a squeeze of lime juice and top with the spring onion greens, chopped salted peanuts and a drizzle of chilli oil.

Recipe from MasterChef UK winner Brin Pirothapan for Russell Hobbs

INQUISITOR

PUZZLES

The country's best barred crossword every Saturday

Games&Puzzles

Kakuro

How to play Fill the white squares so that the total in each across or down run of cells matches the total at the start of that run. You must use the numbers from 1-9 only and cannot repeat a number in a run.

Jigsawdoku

How to play Place the numbers 1-9 once in each row, column and bold-lined jigsaw region.

Killer Sudoku

How to play Each row, column and 3 by 3 box must contain each number (1 to 9) only once. The sum of all numbers contained within grey lines must match the number printed in its top-left corner. No number can appear more than once in an area formed by grey lines.

Zygolex® In The i Paper every day

Find the missing words by following the RHYME, LETTERS and MEANING links – eg, a word that rhymes with 'cheek', has one letter different from 'pear' and has the same meaning as mountain, would be 'peak'. Full rules at zygolex.com.

Solution, page 49

RHYME LETTERS MEANING

Futoshiki

How to play

Place the numbers from 1-5 exactly once in each row and column. The greater than and less than signs ('i' and 'i') indicate where one cell is greater/less than the adjacent cell indicated.

Minesweeper

How to play Find all the mines in the grid. Numbers in certain squares indicate how many mines there are in the neighbouring squares, including diagonally touching squares. Mines cannot be placed in squares with numbers.

---

NEW 8:31

APRIL 10-12

TV 22-31

TUE 26-27

SATURDAY 28-31

SUNDAY 29-30

SPORT 30-35

• TUESDAY • 15 AUGUST 2026

29

Number Square

How to play Fill the empty squares with numbers that will make the across and down calculations produce the results shown in the grey squares. Each numeral from 1 to 9 must only appear once. The calculations should be performed from left to right and top to bottom, rather than in strict mathematical order.

Easier

9	-		-		1
+		-		×
	×	8	×		120
×		-		×
	×		×		48
56		-7		6

Harder

2	×		-		-1
-		-		+
	+		-		5
-		+		+
	×		-		47
-7		5		15

Codeword No 4588

How to play The numbers in the grid correspond to the letters of the alphabet. Solve the puzzle and fill in the letters in the key as you discover them. Three letters are provided to give you a start. The solution will be printed in tomorrow's paper, the solution to Monday's codeword is on page 49.

		24		12		21		6		18
	24	25	20	21	17	16		19	4	22	20	16
2		20		3		13		17		12		21
22	17	19	15	14		19	21	17	4	14	24	24
17		18		1		4		19				26
2	22	17	8		9	19	1	2	19	17	22	22
22		22		18				14		14		16
1	22	1	24	14	1	24	14		15	21	11	11
10				2		7		5		1		22
22	6	24	14	17	12	14		22	17	18	14	17
4		23		19		17		20		14		15
19	12	22	21	18		12	14	24	24	14	4
		7		14		14		15		17
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
	G	X									V
14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Need a little help getting started? Then call for up to four extra clue letters on 0901 2925204. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company's network access charge (if you are having trouble with the phone service, call the helpline: 0333 202 3390). Or text THEI CLUE to 85100 to receive your clues. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge (if you are having trouble with the text service, call the helpline: 0333 335 3351). Clues change each day at midnight.

Word Ladder

How to play

Convert the word at the top of the ladder into the word at the bottom of it, using only the five rungs in between. On each rung, you must put a valid four-letter word that is identical to the word above it, apart from a one-letter change. There may be more than one way of achieving this.

idoku Exclusive to i

How to play Each numeral from 1 to 9 must appear (once only) in the squares forming the red letter i.

8	7			6			9
2					5
			8			1	7	2
				1		7	5
	2						4
	9	1		8
4	3	2			8
			6					4
	6			2			8	7

Sudoku Harder

		3			4		1
	6	8			3
	4	1		2	6	5
4				9			7
1			3	6				2
	2			5				8
		2	1	8		7	9
8						2
	5		7		2			1

Tomorrow: Easier

ABC Logic

How to play Place the letters A, B and C only once in each row and column. Each row and column has two blank cells. The letters at the edge of a row/column indicate which of the letters is the first/last to appear in that row/column.

Word Wheel

How to play How many words can you find using the letters in the wheel? Each must use the centre letter and at least three others. Letters may be used only once. You may not use foreign words, proper nouns or pisarals though you may use verb forms ending in 's'. There is at least one nine-letter word to be found.

How you rate 9 good, 13 very good, 17 excellent, 20 genius

Terms & Conditions

Conditions

By using The i Paper's text services, you are agreeing to receive occasional SMS messages from DMG Media. You will not be charged for receiving these messages and may opt out at any time by texting STOP to the originating number. SMS services on this page are provided by BBA Digital Ltd, KT18 5AD, helpline: 0333 335 3351. Phone services on this page are provided by Spoke AL10 9NA, helpline: 0333 202 3390, and by Advanced Telecom Services, EC1M 4BH. Helpline: 0330 333 6946.

Concise Crossword No 4910

ACROSS

1 Scottish lake (4) 4 Loud noise (3) 8 Spanish rice dish (6) 9 Take (6) 10 One-piece work garment (6,4) 12 Group of seven musicians (6) 13 Small stone (6) 15 Sociable (10) 18 Disease of felines (3,3) 19 Renowned (6) 20 Female sheep (3) 21 Back of the neck (4)

DOWN

2 Gemstone (4) 3 Large flatfish (7) 4 Wharves (5) 5 Wedding (8) 6 Zodiac sign (11) 7 Rain-resistant clothing (11) 11 Reduction (8) 14 Groom's attendant (4,3) 16 Social blunder (5) 17 Dispose of (4)

Stuck on the concise crossword?

For today's solutions, call 0905 789 3590. Calls cost 80p per minute plus your network access charge. If you are having trouble accessing this number, please call our helpdesk on 0333 202 3390.

PUZZLE BOOKS

Our range of puzzle books includes crosswords, codewords, jigsawdokus, children's games, sudokus and more. Available on Amazon for £799 each

See the full range at minURL.co.uk/ibooks

Solution to yesterday's Concise Crossword

ACROSS: 1 Pat, 3 Tree (Patty), 7 Kedgeree, 8 Edam, 9 Grizzle, 11 Never, 13 Bluegrass, 16 Tardy, 17 Chasten, 19 Visa, 20 Lyricist, 22 Used, 23 Onus. DOWN: 1 Poetry, 2 Lag, 3 Then, 4 Elevences, 5 Trolley, 6 Dated, 10 Salad days, 12 Archery, 14 Latin, 15 Versus, 18 Glad, 21 Can.

Today's other puzzles Cryptic Crossword, page 25

Five-Clue Cryptic, page 17, One-Minute Wipiko, page 20

Puzzle solutions See page 49

---

30

GAMES & PUZZLES

Children's Corner Number Pyramid

How to play The value of each square in the number pyramid is the sum of the two squares directly under it.

Knight's Tour

How to play A chess knight visits each square of the grid exactly once, starting at 1 and ending at 100 (these squares are shaded). Deduce the whole path of the knight - some of which is already given - and thus complete the grid. The knight moves either two squares horizontally followed by one square vertically, or two squares vertically followed by one square horizontally.

Cells

How to play Divide the grid into square or rectangular blocks, each containing one digit only. Every block must contain the number of cells indicated by the digit inside it.

58	23
55				99		61	26	89	30
	57		51	62	97		31
49		65	100	81		63	92	87
			83			96			37
71			80
20	67	46	73						35
			68	45		1	78
12		8	15	74	17	6		2	39
		11							42

	2		3
	3		2		2
2			2	2
		3	3
					3	6
8		2		4	2

Word Fit

How to play Can you fit all the words into the grid to complete the puzzle? Some words may initially fit in more than one place, but there is only one way to fit all the words together to complete the grid.

Bridges

How to play Connect every island (represented by circles) into a single interconnected group. To do this draw bridges between islands. The number in each circle states how many bridges must be connected to that island. Bridges cannot cross each other, can only be drawn horizontally or vertically, and there can be a maximum of two bridges between any pair of islands.

Word Search

How to play The classic word-search puzzle: find all the words in the grid. Words may be hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and in either a forwards or backwards direction.

V	Q	V	X	V	W	L	H	A	L	F	P	I	P	E
B	A	B	U	O	I	K	R	A	C	W	V	H	L	F
N	E	C	N	F	B	V	Q	C	K	B	Y	O	L	Z
M	O	S	T	S	Y	C	M	R	P	M	Y	F	I	F
V	O	R	Q	M	V	C	A	N	B	R	V	R	H	C
J	H	L	D	W	G	M	Z	G	T	B	R	E	N	A
P	Y	U	A	I	E	M	Z	N	E	I	E	E	W	R
T	O	N	P	L	C	E	U	P	G	A	D	S	O	V
G	P	L	E	W	S	O	O	Y	N	P	W	T	D	I
U	I	T	E	Z	C	L	L	W	I	O	O	Y	A	N
Q	S	W	G	S	S	O	L	W	P	W	H	L	L	G
L	T	O	S	Y	L	U	G	O	M	D	C	E	P	R
N	E	O	R	H	W	Y	U	Y	U	E	Y	D	I	P
K	R	D	K	E	I	Q	F	P	J	R	L	R	N	J
C	H	A	B	G	G	V	N	L	A	H	W	E	E	B

Word Square

How to play Simply answer the clues alongside the grid, writing the answers in the respective rows. The solution must read the same horizontally in each row as it does vertically in each column.

ALPINE	LIFT
CARVING	MOGUL
CHOWDER	NORDIC
CROSS-COUNTRY	PISTE
DOWNHILL	POLES
DRY SLOPE	POWDER
FREESTYLE	SLALOM
HALFPIPE	SNOW
JUMPING	TELEMARK

Solutions page 49

Calcudoku

How to play Place the numbers 1-6 once in each row and column, obeying sums in bold-lined regions. The number in each region indicates the total for the region, and the symbol shows which type of operation should be applied to the numbers: addition, subtraction, division or multiplication. Numbers may repeat within bold-lined regions. With subtraction always take the lower numbers away from the highest number in a region, and with division divide the highest number by the lower numbers.

9+	1-		20+		3-
	14+
30+		2-	6+	1-
2+				2-	2-
3-		5+
1-		3-		5-

Hexalex

How to play Place each of the letters below once into the empty hexagons, crossing them off as you do so. Enter the letters in such a way that it is possible to find all the words listed alongside the grid by moving from hexagon to adjacent hexagon to spell out each word.

ACEHIJKLMNOPUVWX

---

WEST

THROUGH 18:30

TH 18:31

DAY 18:37

THURSDAY 18:38

MONDAY 18:39

SUNDAY 18:40

SUNDAY 18:41

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2016

31

children, and particularly when the long-term effects remain unknown. He meets a young family who want to see whether holistic lifestyle changes can reduce one boy's need for ADHD medication.

FILM

CHOICE

LAURENCE PHELAN

FILM OF THE DAY

Heretic

6pm, Sky Cinema Premiere

(Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, 2024) Plenty of movie creeps and psychos are able to expound a religious justification for imprisoning or terrorising young women. What sets middle-aged, cardigan-wearing and initially avuncular seeming Mr Reed apart - beyond the fact that he's played by Hugh Grant (left) - is that his theological musings are coherent, informed, interesting, even sane. So when he engages in discussion and mind games with the two perky female missionaries who enter his ramshackle lair thinking he wants to discuss the teachings of the Mormon church, one almost wants the evening to last and last - while increasingly fearing the worst.

---

Mission: Impossible

BBC iPlayer

(Brian De Palma, 1996)

A fresh-faced Tom Cruise stars in this retooling of an old TV spy show, which amusedly plays upon the paranoid absurdity of the Cold War-era original while it also delivers lots of stylish thrills with a straight face.

---

The Untouchables

10.40pm, BBC One

(Brian De Palma, 1987)

The script for this drama pitting incorruptible lawman Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) against Al Capone (Robert De Niro) comes from Ness's memoir by way of David Mamet; De Palma distills it into stylish, archetygal gangster cinema.

ON DEMAND

The Entertainer

BBC iPlayer

Michael Gambon is sensational in Nicholas Renton's adaptation.

Dark

Netflix

This supernatural German thriller is as compelling as Stronger Things.

King Of The Hill

Disney+

Haid and Peggy are trying to settle into retirement in this perceptive, droll animation.

---

The Vampire Lestat: Interview

With The Vampire

11.05pm & 11.55pm, BBC Two

This fruity Anne Rice adaptation ploughs on with rock star Lestat (Sam Reid, who looks like the sixth member of Def Leppard, circa 1987) haunted by his complicated past, lying to veteran journalist Daniel (Eric Bogosian) and lording it over Armand, while Louis (played by Game Of Thrones's Jacob Anderson) worries his waitress. It has more bite than Twilight but less than Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

i tv 3

6.00 George And Mildred (5) 6.35 George And Mildred (5) 7.05 Classic Emmerdale (5) 8.05 Classic Coronation Street (5) 8.10 Classic Coronation Street (5) 9.10 Agatha Christie's Poirot (5) 10.25 Agatha Christie's Poirot (5) 11.20 Heartbeat (5) 12.35 Heartbeat (5) 1.35 Midsomer Murders (5) 1.35 Classic Emmerdale (5) 4.05 Classic Emmerdale (5) 4.40 Classic Coronation Street (5) 5.55 Classic Coronation Street (5) 5.50 Heartbeat (5)

6.00 Hollyoaks (5) 6.30 Hollyoaks (5) 6.55 Roadfold Tube Shorts (5) 7.00 Caspian's on Dine With Me (5) 8.00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (5) 9.00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (5) 10.00 America's Funniest Home Makes (5) 11.00 Below Deck Radiotermines (5) 12.00 The Simpsons (5) 12.30 The Simpsons (5) 1.00 The Simpsons (5) 1.30 The Simpsons (5) 1.00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (5) 2.30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (5) 2.00 Modern Family (5) 3.20 Modern Family (5) 4.00 Modern Family (5) 4.30 Modern Family (5) 5.00 The Simpsons (5) 5.30 The Simpsons (5)

8.55 Find It, Fix It, Flog (5) 10.00 Four In A Bed (5) 10.35 Four In A Bed (5) 11.05 Four In A Bed (5) 11.35 Four In A Bed (5) 12.10 Four In A Bed (5) 12.10 Come Dine With Me (5) 1.10 Come Dine With Me (5) 1.40 Come Dine With Me (5) 2.45 Come Dine With Me (5) 2.50 Come Dine With Me (5) 3.20 Four In A Bed (5) 3.20 Four In A Bed (5) 4.00 Four In A Bed (5) 4.20 Four In A Bed (5) 5.20 Four In A Bed (5) 5.50 Car S.O.S (5)

6.00 Mornings (R) 6.30 Mornings (R) 7.00 Mornings With Ridge And Frost (R) 7.30 Mornings With Ridge And Frost (R) 8.00 Stargate SS-1 (R) (5) 9.00 Stargate SS-1 (R) (5) 10.00 Wild & Grace (R) (5) 10.30 Wild & Grace (R) (5) 11.00 The Simpsons (R) (5) 11.30 The Simpsons (R) (5) 12.00 Africa's Hunters (R) (5) 1.00 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (5) 2.00 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (5) 3.00 S.W.A.T (R) (5) 4.00 S.W.A.T (R) (5) 5.00 The Simpsons (R) (5) 5.30 The Simpsons (R) (5)

6.00 Fish Town (R) (5) 7.00 Fish Town (R) (5) 8.00 Billiams (R) (5) 9.05 Billiams (R) (5) 10.45 House Of The Dragon (R) (5) 11.15 House Of The Dragon (R) (5) 12.35 Homicide: Life On The Street (R) (5) 1.30 Homicide: Life On The Street (R) (5) 2.30 Billiams (R) (5) 3.35 Billiams (R) (5) 4.40 The Last Of Us (R) (5) 5.45 The Last Of Us (R) (5)

6.55 Heartbeat A read accident causes chaos (5)

6.00 The Simpsons Burt's mischief causes Mrs Krabappel to get fired (5) 6.30 Hollyoaks (5)

6.50 Car S.O.S Fuzz Townshend and Tim Shaw restore a Renault S.G.T Turbo (5)

6.00 Rob & Ramesh vs The Hill, The comedians meet and train with American football players (R) (5)

6.45 House Of The Dragon Return of the fantasy drama, starring Matt Smith (R) (5)

8.00 Vera The detective investigates a suspicious death on a remote island (5)

7.00 Hollyoaks (5) 7.30 The Simpsons Homer is accused of sexual harassment (5)

7.55 Grand Designs A Spanish architect and his wife build their dream home (5)

7.00 The Simpsons (R) (5) 7.30 The Simpsons Lila's but Go Wane a room with Bart (R) (5)

7.45 House Of The Dragon Titantry's questions Daimont's loyalty (R) (5)

8.00 The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer With Jodie Whittaker (5)

8.00 Best Medicine Port Winn welcomes a delegation from his sister city in Norway (5)

8.00 Little Bird Canadian drama, starring Darla Contois (5)

10.00 Grantchester Lemon's drinking lands him in a prison cell overnight (5)

9.00 Below Deck Down Under Tzarina and Lara clash once more (5)

9.00 PopMaster TV New series, Ken Bruce hosts the music quiz (5)

9.00 FILM: Bridesmaids (Paul Frog, 2011) Comedy, starring Kristen Wing (R) (5)

9.00 Little Bird Canadian drama, starring Darla Contois (5)

10.00 First Dates Pamper Mowry, Python star Carol Cleveland arrives in the restaurant (5)

10.00 2 Hours In A&E An 89-year-old man is admitted with acute abdominal pain (5)

11.05 2 Hours In A&E A motorcyclist is arrived to St George's after crashing into a bus (5)

11.15 Grimm A teenager is attacked while breaking into a house (R) (5)

11.00 Grantchester (5) 11.50 Trial & Retribution (5)

11.05 Gogglobo Opinions on Briboni Got Talent and Scared of the Dark (5)

11.15 2 Hours In A&E A motorcyclist is arrived to St George's after crashing into a bus (5)

11.00 House Of The Dragon Return of the fantasy drama, starring Matt Smith (R) (5)

12.55 Trial & Retribution (5) 1.55 George And Mildred (5) 2.00 Unveiled With ITV (5) 3.30 Taleshoping

12.10 Naked Attraction (5) 1.15 Below Deck Down Under (5) 2.10 Vanderyump-Balas (5) 2.00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA (5) 3.50 The Simpsons (5) 4.15 The Goldbergs (5)

12.10 1990 On The Front Line (5) 1.10 2 Hours In A&E (5) 1.40 2.5 Hours In A&E (5) 3.20 A Place In The Sun (5) 3.50 Close

12.10 Evil (R) (5) 1.05 The Fame: Manchester (R) (5) 2.00 Surprising Earth (5) 3.00 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (5) 4.00 S.W.A.T. (R) (5) 5.00 S.W.A.T. (R) (5)

12.15 House Of The Dragon (R) (5) 1.20 Billiams (R) (5) 2.30 Billiams (R) (5) 3.40 The Guest Wing (R) (5) 4.35 Barr (R) (R) (5) 5.45 The Guest Wing (R) (5)

Radio

BBC Radio 1

6.5am Newstead 7.00 Radio 1 Breakfast With Greg James 11.00 Ristic, Malick And Charlie 12.45pm Newstead 4.00 Matt And Jerry 5.30 Newstead 3.33 Going Home With Vick Katie And Jamie On Radio 1.5.45 Newstead 6.00 Radio 1.5 New Music Show With Jack Saunders 8.00 Radio 1.5 Future Artists With Stan Elon 10.00 Radio 1.5 Power Down Playlist With Stan Elon 11.00 Martha 1.00 Radio 1 Dance Drum & Bass Mix 2.00 Radio 1.5 Anthony 4.00 Radio 1.5 Pop Anthems 5.00 Radio 1 Early Breakfast With Dean McCullough

BBC Radio 1Xtra

6.35am Ultra Playlists 7.00 Ultra Breakfast With Nadia Jae 10.00 DJ Day Day 12.45pm Newstead 1.00 Gaylen Gobling 4.00 from Burgs 5.45 Newstead 6.00 Rami Burgs 7.00 DJ Target 9.00 Ultra's Alternative Selection With Cockfield 11.00 DJ Sports 1.00 Ultra's Friday Night Party With Izzy Bossy 2.30 Ultra's Friday Night Party With Izzy Bossy 3.00 Ultra's Salutes 4.00 Ultra's R&B Slow Jams Mix With Chaulo's 6.30 Throwback Thursday 5.30 Ultra's Throwback Party

BBC Radio 2

6.30am The Sara Cox Breakfast Show 9.30 Vernon Kay 12.00am Jeremy Hine 2.00 DJ Spoony 4.00 Jason Mardard 7.00 Prom Nights On Radio 7.9.00 The Jazz Show With Jamie Callum 10.00 The Good Groove With Melvin Osborn 12.00R (5) Dior 3.00 Dance Sounds Of The 9th With Vernon Kay 4.00 Owen Wyn Evans

BBC Radio 3

6.30am Breakfast 9.30 Essential Classics 1.00 Classical Live 4.00 Composer Of The Week Felix Wimbelssohn 5.00 In Tune, Moniki Dua - Equilot Meera Maharaj and guitarist James Girling, play live 7.00 BBC Promo 2005 The BBC Symphony Orchestra perform Shastakovich's Symphony No 10 10.00 Night Tracks 11.30 Round Midnight 12.30am Through The Night

BBC Radio 4

6am Today 9.00 Invisible Hands 9.30 Michael Steen Gets Into Character 10.00 Woman's Hour 11.00 Add To Playlist 11.45 Book Of The Week The Fire In The Mountain Scully Elma And Her People 12.00am News 12.04 Call You And Yours 12.57 Weather 1.00 The World At One 1.45 Human Intelligence 2.00 The Archers 2.15 Drama No. Prime Minister 2.30 Lady On Trial With Lucy Worsley 3.30 Heart And Soul 4.00 The Deadliest Book In England 4.30 What's Up Deca? 5.00 FM 5.57 Weather 6.00 Six O'Clock News 6.30 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz 7.00

The Archers 7.45 Front Raw Arts programme 8.00 Sports Young Men From Murder The Homeboy Story: A visit to the largest gang rehabilitation charity in the world 8.45 Touch. News for people who are blind or partially sighted 9.00 Crossing Continents. The work of New York's antiques trafficking unit 9.30 Scam Secrets. The fraud reporting service for England, Wales and Northern Ireland 10.00 The World Tonight With James Castrandamy 10.45 Book At Bedtime. Mr Sidhu's Post Office 11.00 Wild Hosts Ben Garrod and Jess French examine the alpine 11.30 Poetry Plaque. Spoken word artist Antony Sansone selects favourite poems 12.00R News And Weather 12.30 Book Of The Week The Fire In The Mountain Scully Elma And Her People 12.45 Shipping Forecast 1.00 An BBC World Service 1.50 News Summary 1.54 BBC Inside Science 1.52 Weather 1.54 Shipping Forecast 1.45 Power For The Day 1.45 Farming Today

BBC Radio 4 Extra

6am The Wild Far Hence 6.30 The Senior Partner 7.00 You Minister 7.30 The Milligan Papers 8.00 Whatever Happened To Baby Jane Austen? 8.30 Adrian Male The Capparcine Years 8.45 Agnes Grey 9.00 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz 9.30 The Essay British Film Comedans 9.45 Daily Service 10.00 A Good Read 10.30 Happy Birthday Neptune 11.00 The Wild Far Hence 11.30 The Senior Partner 12.00 The Milligan Papers 1.00 Whatever Happened To Baby Jane Austen? 1.30 Adrian Male The Capparcine Years 1.45 Agnes Grey 2.00 Haul 2.30 Life In London 3.00 A Pair Of Blue Eyes 4.00 A Good Read 4.30 Happy Birthday Neptune 5.00 The Wild Far Hence 5.30 The Senior Partner 6.00 You Minister 6.30 The Milligan Papers 7.00

Whatever Happened To Baby Jane Austen? 7.30 Adrian Male The Capparcine Years 7.45 Agnes Grey 8.00 Haul 8.30 Life In London 9.00 A Pair Of Blue Eyes 10.00 Comedy Club Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz 10.30 Comedy Club At The Spa 10.45 Comedy Club At The World's A Globe 11.15 Comedy Club 2005 Years Of Radio 11.30 Comedy Club Chain Stadium 12.00R A Good Read 12.30 Happy Birthday Neptune 1.00 The Wild Far Hence 1.30 The Senior Partner 2.00 You Minister 2.30 The Milligan Papers 2.50 Whatever Happened To Baby Jane Austen? 2.30 Adrian Male The Capparcine Years 2.45 Agnes Grey 4.00 Haul 4.30 Life In London 5.00 A Pair Of Blue Eyes

BBC 5 Live

6am 5 Live Breakfast 5.00 Rima Ahmed 11.00 Holly Hamilton 2.00 Marisena Spring 4.00 5 Live Driver 7.00 5 Live Sport 7.30 5 Live Sport 8.30 5 Live Sport 9.30 Test Match Special 10.00 Punch Perfect 10.30 Qua Alom 1.00 Dance Robbery 1.00 Make Up To Money

BBC 6 Music

7am Nick Grimshaw 10.00 Lauren Leanne 1.00 Craig Charles 4.00 Huw Stephens 7.00 New Music Flo Daily 9.00 Riley & Cox 11.00 6 Music Artist in Residence: Shagiri 12.00R 6 Music's Index Forever 1.45 From Menlo To Lovers' Rock 2.00 From Menlo To Lovers' Rock 3.00 From Menlo To Lovers' Rock 4.00 Music Live Hour 4.00 The 6 Music Playlist 2.00 Chris Hawkins

Classic FM

6.30am Classic FM Breakfast With Tim Lherney 9.00 The Classic FM Hall Of Fame Hour With Tim Lherney 10.00 Aled Jones 1.00 Anne Marie Mimbal 4.00 Margherita Taylor 7.00 Relaxing Evening With John Brunning 9.00 Classic FM's Composer Camuset With John Brunning, John Job in Her Zeb Soares, and today's focus is Ralph Vaughan Williams 10.00 Calm Classics 1.00 Bill Overrun 4.00 Early Breakfast

Absolute Radio

6am On the Ramp 10.00 Claire Sturgess 1.00 Ben Burnell 4.00 Hometime With Buck & Rette 7.00 Danielle Perry 10.00 Jay Lawrence 1.00 Dan Riddle

Heart

6.30am TV And Kelly Brook 10.00 Pandora Christie 1.00 Matt Wilkinson 4.00 Tim Howard 7.00 Heart's Fool Good Weekend With Doc Griffin 10.00 Ben Paterson 1.00 Guy Howard 4.00 Early Breakfast With Lindsey Russell

TalxSPORT

6am TalxSPORT Breakfast With Jeff Darling 10.00 Jim White And Smokin Smith 1.00 Hawksbee And Jacobs 4.00 TALXSPORT Driver 7.00 Rick Off 10.00 The Sports Dir 1.00 Extra Time With Paul Ross 9.00 Early Sports Breakfast

---

32

NEWS

Panorama

Around the world in 10 stories

UNITED STATES

Trump praises Kim and limits drills with Seoul

By Hyung-Jin Kim

IN HONG

South Korea yesterday said it is hoping for a resumption of diplomacy between the US and North Korea, after Donald Trump's order to cut military exercises with Seoul caused concerns it might hurt the allies' readiness against Pyongang.

Trump said he made the decision because of his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who views US-South Korean military exercises as invasion rehearsals.

But experts say the North Korean leader, now emboldened by his advancing nuclear arsenal and expanding military co-operation with Russia, is unlikely to return to talks unless he is assured of serious US concessions.

The 11-day summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began yesterday morning as scheduled and it was not known which parts of the training were being reduced.

Trump's announcement baffled many in South Korea, a key US ally in Asia where national security is a top priority due to threats from North Korea.

Trump said in a social media post

that the exercises are not only costly but "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his time in the White House.

Trump instructed the Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, to "substantially reduce" the exercises.

He added that he recently asked President Lee Jae Myung if South Korea would join the US in the "denuclearisation" of Iran, "and they said, 'No thanks!'" The trust many South Koreans have in the US has eroded amid a Trump-instigated tariff war and his transactional approach to security.

The office of South Korea's president said that the government hopes a "friendly relationship" between Trump and Kim would lead to "meaningful dialogue" between the US and North Korea. It said that South Korea will make necessary diplomatic efforts for that.

North Korea has shunned talks and accelerated weapons testing activities since Kim's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump broke down in 2019. Kim (inset) also has aligned with Russia over Ukraine and deepened ties with China. AP

DRC

Ebola outbreak is deadliest on record

By Constant Same Bagalwa

IN HONG

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's DRC's fast-moving Ebola outbreak has now killed more than 2,300 people and become the deadliest outbreak of the disease on record in the country.

The wave unfolding in one of the DRC's most vulnerable regions is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever, with 4,945 cases including 2,325 deaths.

This is the DRC's 17th and largest Ebola wave. The toll eclipses that of the country's

2018-2020 outbreak when 2,299 deaths out of 3,481 cases were recorded. The wave has killed more people at a greater speed than any other in history.

The World Health Organisation has said it is on track to surpass the 2014-16 outbreak in West Africa, the deadliest on record with more than 11,000 deaths.

There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for the wave across six provinces in the eastern DRC.

Trials for those are continuing in Ituri province, the epicentre. AP

New routine for Syrian children

Children take part in a ballet class at the Step Up Academy in Aleppo, Syria, established by 23-year-old instructor Sara Naum.

Having been unable to turn her dreams into a reality for years

due to the prolonged conflict and hardships in her country, Naum founded the academy as the city began to recover.

Her aim is to bring children who grew up in the shadow of war

INDONESIA

Independence day marked in wake of deadly quake

By Yacob Herin

IN KEC

Thousands of people were still waiting for aid on the island of Flores yesterday as Indonesia marked its 81st independence day, just days after a powerful earthquake killed at least 55 people.

Many residents on Flores in East Nusa Tenggara province spent the day mourning victims and waiting for aid to arrive to communities still cut off by the quake.

During Indonesia's independence day ceremony in the capital Jakarta, President Prabowo Subianto asked participants to pray for people affected by disasters while leading a nationwide moment of silence honouring the nation's independence heroes.

More than 1,300 homes were damaged when the quake struck East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday, with nearly 250 destroyed

on Flores alone. Around 5,000 people were forced into temporary shelters and more than 130 people were injured.

The quake occurred at a depth of six miles shortly before 6am on Saturday, according to the US Geological Survey. Residents fled

in panic as tsunami warnings were issued but later lifted. Authorities have since recorded at least 995 aftershocks.

Thousands of people on Flores camped outside collapsed homes overnight into yesterday because of the danger of more aftershocks.

"My house is just rubble now," said Rasyid Jafar, a clothing trader in the village of Reo, the hardest-hit area in Manggarai regency. "We need food, medicine and clean water urgently."

More than 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed and 275 tons of aid have been sent to the area. AP

UKRAINE

Russia targets energy facilities ahead of winter

By Hanna Arhirova

IN KYIV

Russia has attacked facilities of Ukraine's Naftogaz Group 13 times over the past week and has targeted its premises almost 300 times since the start of the year, the state energy company said yesterday.

Moscow hopes to sap Ukraine's will to fight by denying civilians light, heating and running water during the bitter winter months.

Russian drones and missiles struck facilities in several regions, with one asset hit multiple times during the week, Naftogaz said, reporting serious damage to equipment and production capacity. No employees were hurt, it said.

Both Russia and Ukraine are expanding their aerial campaigns. In the latest salvoes, Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russia killed seven, while four civilians died in Ukraine after strikes by Moscow's forces, officials said yesterday. AP

---

together through art and sport, to support their recovery and social integration. Naum also teaches Pilates, which seeks to bring benefits for the mind and body.

BAKR AL KASEMIANADOLUIGETTY

SPAIN

Three killed in suspected gang shooting

By Kyriakos Petrakos

A suspected gang leader's mother-in-law, his pregnant sister and a teenager were killed in a drug-related shooting in southern Spain, police said yesterday.

The alleged gang leader's 18-year-old nephew was also seriously wounded in the shooting on Sunday.

The triple murder is being investigated as a settling of scores between rival drug gangs in the El Rocio neighbourhood of Isla Cristina, a town near the border with Portugal.

The women killed were related to suspected gang leader "El Baba". The third person killed had no relation to the family.

Violence between the so-called Baba Clan and the "Moriña Clan" escalated after a deadly shooting in 2024. REUTERS

Postcard From... Bangkok

Leaves of sourdough bread now fill the display window of Suchart and Friends Gun, a firearms shop-turned-bakery in Bangkok's old quarter where pistols and rifles once lined the glass cases.

Like all the gun shops in Thailand, it has been banned from importing firearms since a 2023 shooting at a Bangkok mall - one of several mass shootings, including at a school and a childcare centre, that have periodically prompted tighter reputation in a country with the second-highest private gun ownership in Asia.

Five months ago owner Warintorn Boonyachai decided to start baking bread to cover

Bread at the gun shop, which has adapted to a firearms import ban

staff salaries, but would still like to see the gun-import ban lifted.

"I do still have hope, because selling guns is less tiring than selling bread," said Warintorn, who also owns a baking school.

That looks less likely after a 14-year-old gunman killed at least seven people in shootings at his home and school outside Bangkok this month, before fatally shooting himself.

Days later, a former MP

allegedly shot dead a local official in the same district in a row over money.

The prime minister, Anutin Charnivrakul, proposed a new law to suspend firearm purchasing permits and new gun ownership permits.

In 2017 Thailand had an estimated 10.3 million firearms in civilian possession, equating to around 15 guns per 100 residents - the second-highest rate in Asia.

Thititorn Bupparamae, president of the Firearms Traders Association of Thailand, said the suspension of permits would not fix the country's gun violence problem.

"They are not fixing the problem at the right places, because if they did, there would be less crime," he said, adding that the ban on the public purchasing of legal guns may force some people to turn to the black market. REUTERS

Juarawes Kittisilpa

INDIA

'Pakistan-linked terrorists' arrested

By Shilpa Jamkhandikar IN MUMBAI

India arrested more than 200 "terror operatives" linked to Pakistan, thwarting potential "subversive attacks" around independence day last week, home minister Amit Shah said yesterday.

An operation against what Shah said was a terror group backed by Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was car-

ried out across 14 Indian states on 12 August, three days before India celebrated its 80th year of freedom from British colonial rule.

Pakistan's foreign ministry was asked to comment. Pakistan has in the past denied it backs militant groups blamed for attacks in India.

India and Pakistan both claim that the other abets terrorism in their country. The neighbours were involved in a four-day military conflict last year. REUTERS

CHINA

Memes turn 'terrible' flop into a must-see movie

By Sally Guyoncourt

Move over Spider-Man, sail on Odysseus - there is a new kid on the cinematic block and it is proving to be a bit of a cash cow.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey may have been the obvious summer hits but a small-scale animation movie made in China is now set to become a bovine blockbuster.

Niu Lai, which means The Arrival of the Ox, was widely panned by critics and social media when it premiered earlier this month.

Heavily criticised for its "unpolished" animation, crude production and complex plot about a calf and a skylark, Beijing News said it was "stiff and glitchy" with voice acting which is "jarring".

The film made only 7,169 yuan (£783) and drew in just 236 viewers it its first nine days, according to Chinese online ticketing firm Maoyan. But the distaste and disapproval appear to have been like

'Niu Lai' has gained interest for its poor animation and bad voice work

a red rug to a bull. After a weekend stampede of cinemagoers, said to have been spurred on by online infamy and memes, Niu Lai has now made more than 11.4m yuan at the box office and is forecast to hit a bullish 18.4m yuan within 30 days of release.

One social media review concluded that "it is a terrible movie but has a great name", while another insisted: "That's some serious craftsmanship."

MYANMAR

Military leader visits Putin to bolster ties

By Sally Guyoncourt

The head of Myanmar's military-backed government began an official visit to Russia yesterday to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin aimed at strengthening ties and strategic co-operation.

President Min Aung Hlaing and members of his cabinet were also to meet other Russian officials and discuss bilateral ties and economic, security and social affairs, state-run media outlet MRTV reported.

Russia, along with China, is a major supporter and arms supplier to Myanmar. Russian-made fighter jets are used in attacks on territory under the control of ethnic minority groups, including many allied with pro-democracy resistance forces.

The Kremlin has defended Min Aung Hlaing's military government in international forums while Myanmar has generally supported Moscow's foreign policy agenda.

Holidays are operated by Newmarket Holidays ABTA V7812, ATOL protected 2325, ABTOP 5505, a company wholly independent of Associated Newspaper Limited and Travel Offers. Price based on two people sharing. Single supplement applies. From price based on July 1, 2027 from Belfast International. Save up to £600 per couple offer is valid on select 2027 CrossEurope river cruise bookings made by August 31, 2026 and cannot be retrospectively applied to bookings already confirmed. Cruises are provided by CrossEurope river cruises. CrossEurope river cruises reserves the right to cancel, change or amend any cruise at short notice. Subject to availability and maybe withdrawn at any time. Prices shown include discount. Prices are correct at time of print.

33

---

Thirstyale

Culture

Ricky Gervais

Why the comedian is facing a backlash – and how he has changed

▶ Page 38

Comment

The wizards' curse

One question will follow 'Potter' actors around, writes Emily Baker

▶ Page 45

At 40, we are struggling – millennials were sold a big lie

The 27-year-old me believed I would be hosting 'Woman's Hour' and writing bestsellers after a stint living in New York, writes

Marisa Bate.

The reality has been far from it

When Lena Dunham turned 40 in May, it felt like a milestone for millennial women. "I don't

want to freak you out," she says as Hannah in Girls, the era-defining TV show she wrote and starred in 15 years ago, "but I think I might be the voice of my generation, or at least a generation..." The line was meant to be ironic, an embodiment of the disastrous mix of mid-00s entitlement and naivety. Yet Girls led many to give Dunham that exact accolade.

So when Dunham hit this mid-life birthday, it made me take stock. I'd turned 40 a few months before her. How many of us are where we thought we'd be? Dunham is married and has published a book. But what about the rest of us? I, like many of my friends, certainly don't have the life I thought I would now.

For starters, I'm financially dependent on my partner – something this millennial feminist swore would never happen. I have fallen into all the gendered traps I used to tweet about angrily: I work part-time and do the lion's share of childcare. My partner works in

finance; I am a freelance writer, so perhaps the financial discrepancy isn't so surprising. What is more surprising is I now want to work part-time and drop my son off at nursery every morning.

We also don't live in London: something once inconceivable to me became appealing when we started to think about buying a house. The 27-year-old Marisa – the age I was when Girls first aired – believed she would have been hosting Radio 4's Woman's Hour and writing bestsellers after a stint living in New York. I have done none of these things.

Of course, those in every generation have their own moment of realising that perhaps their lives will be

Lena Dunham has become a symbol of millennial success

more ordinary than they'd imagined. And yet the gap between where I thought I would be and where I am isn't entirely of my own making. For all of our alleged navel-gazing over flat whites and avocado, millennials are a generation pummelled by global catastrophe after catastrophe.

Many of us graduated into the job market in or around 2008 – the year of the global financial crash and worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. I fell into the bracket of those whose earnings took the

longest to recover. I wrote about this at the time, and clearly wasn't pleased: "I'm 28 and broke – so don't talk to me about payday treats!" Pretty quickly, the financial crash made plain that we

were not going to get what our Boomer parents had promised.

The story we'd been led to believe went something like this: work hard, go to university, get a job, buy a house, have kids, book a nice holiday.

Dr Eliza Filby, historian and author of Inheritocracy, says: "Millennials were told education, hard work and a decent career would deliver basic markers of adulthood: a home, financial security and the means to start a family. They're reaching mid-life realizing that they're becoming their parents, but often cannot afford to live like them".

We faced a broken housing market which would have long-term repercussions, stagnated salaries (one study suggested 15 years of wage stagnation made the average UK earner £11,000 worse off a year), and a shrinking economy, meaning fewer jobs, and which took five years to recover to a pre-recession size.

It broke the idea that children's lives are always better than their parents'. Filby says this has left

---

NEWS 2:15

SUNDAY 15-22

17 26-31

DAY 16-27

CENTER 29-31

SUNDAY 32-35

SPORT 40-45

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2024

35

many millennials "with a legitimate grievance: they followed the script, but the script stopped working".

In the 1970s, both my parents graduated, moved to London, could afford to rent, and found roles working in TV. There were no years of working for free or staying on friends' sofas. Instead, there were jobs with salaries that gave them skills that led to bigger salaries.

In their twenties, they were buying a large house in Surrey. My friend's parents bought a house in Stoke Newington, east London (admittedly it was far from its gentrified current incarnation). But a tiny house on the same street sold recently for £1.9m.

How many young couples have that? Things were possible then – and not through laborious self-optimisation strategies but because opportunity was accessible. My father, who worked in current affairs documentary-making, recently said to me: "I'd be on the streets if I had to do this today."

Opportunity and prosperity began to seem lacking on a much

We're burnt out, but cognisant of needing to work until we're 80

larger scale, too. We voted ourselves out of Europe and watched right-wing populism take off. To many millennials, the election of Donald Trump was yet more evidence of regression.

When our parents were coming of age, they'd watched the civil rights movements, women's liberation, anti-war movements, laws and culture shifting in the direction of progress.

I remember my mum waking me up in 1997 to tell me Tony Blair had won the general election.

"Things Can Only Get Better" was the soundtrack to those years. Since 2008, and after the heady election of Barack Obama, things have arguably only got worse.

And then there was the greatest plot twist of all – a global pandemic that shut the world down. Throw in inept prime ministers

Marisa Bate is financially dependent on her partner, despite the best intentions when it came to gender equality TIM GANGER

FAST FACTS

HOUSES AND WAGES

The average price of existing housing across the UK has increased from £58,000 in 1990 to £340,000 in 2025, an increase of 486.2 per cent

The average house price for terraced houses in London was £92,000 in 1996, and is £711,000 in 2026, an increase of 672.8 per cent

The average gross weekly earnings in 1990 in the UK were £263.10 (£13,681 annually) and in 1996 were £351.60 (£18,283 annually). Housing was on average worth about four times the average salary

The average gross weekly earnings in 2025 were £766.60 (£39,863.2 annually). Housing was on average about 8.5 times the average salary

The average age of a first-time house buyer in the UK is now 34 years old. In the mid-1990s, the average first-time buyer was aged 29

messing with mortgages (under Rishi Sunak, mortgages for 20- to 40-year-olds rose twice as large as the rise for those over the age of 60), and a war in Ukraine, and the past few years have been marked by an interminable cost of living crisis. Is it any wonder a few of us are finding we've drifted quite some way from where we hoped to be.

I think a lot of us are feeling quite existential – knackered, burnt out, but cognisant of needing to work until we're 80," says Lucie Greene, founder of Light Years, a forecaster and strategist. "We're questioning everything. Because the reality is the contrast between employment and even the state with us has fundamentally shifted, the veil has been lifted. Now I see a lot of people exploring radically different

Historian Eliza Filby says people cannot keep pace with their parents

routes and redesigning their lives to make it work – realising that the structures we've inherited from wealthy boomers fundamentally don't work."

My partner and I didn't try for babies during the pandemic because I didn't want to give birth at that time. Now we may have left it too late to have the family we'd like.

Other friends can't afford children, or don't want to bring them up in the insecurity of renting. The falling fertility rates attest to the inhospitable economic landscape to raise a family.

More friends are renting than they'd imagine. Single friends in their forties still find themselves flat-sharing in London, long past an age where they ever dreamed they would be. Others have moved home to live with their parents. In 2018, the Resolution Foundation released a report that predicted that one in three millennials would never own a home, with half of them still renting in their forties.

Some friends haven't holidayed abroad in years – something my mum was always able to afford in the 90s, even as a single parent. Friends causally "joke" about having no pension, but there is an edge to their tone because we know there's nothing to joke about. A recent study confirmed this: six in 10 millennials struggle to save for a pension.

Meanwhile, the friends who have earned well are starting to question what it's all for. To earn well now demands such a huge toll on time and life, and the rewards are less obvious. Houses are expensive, hotels are expensive, eating out is expensive. A lawyer friend who has made partner at a successful London firm recently texted: "Dangerously close to burnout."

"Many who have reached professional maturity are hit with massive disillusionment due to fiscal drag and tax brackets," says

Greene. "I see many having strived for years, working long hours, climbing the ladder, building, now trying to earn less and starting to simplify their lives to have more meaning and free time." Some millennials are also now entering their "sandwich" generation era; looking after small children and ageing parents – on top of everything else.

Today the only people living a boomer lifestyle – the lifestyle we thought we would be at by the age of 40 – are the extremely wealthy. The rest of us have been priced out, and thanks to social media, anything less than that can feel like a failure. I think many of us are experiencing a paralysis, a crisis of confidence in what to do next.

People can't figure out the best next move because there are no good options – we're living at home longer, moving away from friends

and closer to parents to help with childcare, staying in jobs we don't like to pay the mortgage. Many of us believed we'd be settled and sorted by 40. Most of us feel lacking, off course or hugely compromised.

Greene says many are having an inverse midlife crisis: "[I think of] Steve Martin in Father of the Bride II, where [upon learning he will be a grandfather] rushes out to get an earring, a haircut and sell the family home. The Gen X/boomer midlife crisis was to rebel from the norm. Have an affair, buy a sports

car. For millennials it's the opposite. What Martin was running away from is actually their ideal. Stability is the new luxury."

However, Filby points out, it's important to put things in context: "This doesn't mean this generation is simply having a worse midlife." She points to choices we have now that previous generations didn't.

More choice over when we marry, have children and how often we change careers. For women especially, the expansion of economic and professional choice has been significant. You can have children and return to work, become the breadwinner, start a business or reinvent your career in a way that would have been so much harder [before]". She's right; we do have these choices. If only we could afford to make them.

There is a silver lining: inheritance. Almost two-thirds are set to inherit from boomers who own houses and have savings. However, if our parents need help in later life, that will come out of the inheritance, and as many live for longer, that money can't be relied on.

At 40, we can't claim to be the worst off any more either. Gen Z has it pretty bad, a report confirmed last week. And midlife women in their fifties are finding getting employment just as tough, if not tougher, highlighted by the work of former editor Stacey Duguid.

I remember my mum at 40. Even as a 10-year-old I thought she was impressive. She had a big job in the civil service, and was a single mother of two.

She was adventurous and bold. By contrast, I feel out of control, re-examining life, career and money decisions. The may we were given was wrong, and now I'm not sure where I am. While I reroute, I'm trying to save money, be grateful and believe people when they say good things are coming my way.

Greene is hopeful: "We have no choice but to continue. I think the shift that's happening now is that feeling has shifted to creativity, questioning and agency. No one is going to help us. Where next, and what can we do to finally build the lives we want?"

Dunham has considered writing a "where are they now" update of Girls. I have some insights: they're renting, relying too much on their parents, spending too much time on their phones, surrounded by small kids or IVF needles, trying to think about how they'll pay their bills, let alone save for their retirement, and wondering how the hell they got here.

---

36

01 Lifestyle

When a bride is walking down the aisle, the only sounds anyone should hear are muffled tears of joy.

But as the moment came at a wedding in Italy this summer, what Harriet$^{1}$ heard was the buzz of a drone circling above. "It was absurd," she recalls. "A string quartet was playing at this breathtakingly beautiful ceremony, and then we heard this buzzing sound rising above the crowd. Everyone turned around to look."

Then the couple kept going missing from their own reception, an absence that was only explained later, when the bride posted on Instagram. "It was all heavily produced clips of them doing various things they must've been shooting while we were at the reception," says Harriet.

"I felt like I was watching an advert for their wedding."

It might sound like something out of a Black Mirror episode, but this is the very real world of wedding content creation: a booming industry fuelled by couples looking to capture every moment of their special day one tightly edited clip at a time.

Ostensibly, it makes sense. When many of us are sharing the highlights of our lives, documenting and curating every moment, why wouldn't we want to present our wedding to the world in the slickest form possible?

A survey of 2,020 newlyweds across the UK conducted by wedding planner Hitched shows that wedding content creators are significantly more popular in the UK than elsewhere in Europe, with 6.6 per cent of UK couples having hired one.

"I knew my wedding was quirky and I wanted that captured," says Sian Downes, 37, who recruited a content creator to work at her wedding in 2023.

"We mapped out bits of the wedding that would look best in a [vertical video] format, including a Love Actually-style surprise featuring a gospel choir singing 'All You Need is Love'." Downes's content creator worked alongside a photographer and videographer, each working to separate briefs.

Downes insists her content creator didn't disrupt the day whatsoever.

Another bride, Samantha Tattersall, 41, forwent a photographer altogether in place of a wedding content creator for her wedding in July.

"My content creator stood in the background with an iPhone the entire time, blending in like a guest. I'm so glad I didn't get a photographer; I would not have been able to do anything with 300 stills on my phone, and I don't care for photo albums or printed pictures. Content is what was important for my wedding."

The wedding content creation industry appears quite casual, with some falling into it by accident.

Matt Dallara, 30, was working in marketing when he met a drummer who was looking for someone to film him at parties, gigs and events.

Then came his first wedding: "I had absolutely no idea what I was doing," Dallara recalls. "Back then, there weren't that many wedding content creators, so I was lucky to find my own style before the industry really exploded. It's a very different landscape now. The barrier to entry is incredibly low, so almost anyone with an iPhone can call themselves a wedding content creator."

It's easy to see how this can go wrong. Incessant content creation

The rise of the wedding content creator

Forget the grainy videos of the 90s: many of today's brides want heavily produced clips for social media. By Olivia Petter

Couples now take breaks from the festivities to create video content with the help of hired teams GETTY

can be annoying enough over dinner with friends – is there anything worse than someone insisting on re-arranging your plates umpteen times to get the perfect photo before you can eat? – but at a wedding, the stakes are much higher. Get it wrong, and you risk ruining someone's experience entirely.

"The mother of the bride actually stood up during the ceremony and asked the content creators to get out of the way because she couldn't see her daughter getting married," says Harriet of another destination wedding she attended in Oman.

"It was a beautiful beach wedding

but the content creators, all dressed in black, stood out like a sore thumb." Even if there are no major slip-ups, having that many lenses on you can be discombobulating as a guest. "It was hard to focus when cameras were pointing at us from every angle," says Betty$^{1}$, 27, who attended a wedding in the south of France this summer that featured a staggering number of content creators.

"I noticed three women making iPhone content and about 20 professional photographers. I kept freaking out about my hair – and it stopped me drinking too much to avoid any terrible photos of me!"

Wedding content creation requires a specific skill set to be carried out properly. Some do it well, and others are clearly still figuring things out.

"I think the role of a good content creator shouldn't detract from the authenticity at all," says Millie Sharer, who began creating content for weddings after her dad, a wedding planner, asked her to help with filming.

"You're there to capture the authenticity, not create moments that look good. I've grown up working in the industry as a planner myself, so I'm very aware of how to stay on

---

MARCH 2013

THURSDAY 18:02

17 20:31

DAY 18:27

COLUMBUS 20:41

MONDAY 19:20

SUNDAY 20:33

THURSDAY 19, AUGUST 2024

37

Top: Sian Downes recruited a content creator alongside a photographer and videographer; above, Samantha Tattersall forwent a photographer and hired somebody to make content with an iPhone

schedule and stay out of the way when needed."

Sometimes the less authentic moments are led by the couple themselves, rather than the content creators, who are just following a brief: "I once had a bride walk down the aisle four times because she wanted to make sure everything felt exactly right," says Dallara.

Opinions on the rise of wedding content creators are mixed across the wider industry, with some planners embracing them while others remain sceptical.

For Matthew Shaw, creative director at Sauveur Studios, it's about encouraging discretion.

"Turning your wedding into a film set does indeed kill the vibe," he says.

"At Sauveur, we firmly believe in designing weddings for people and their experience, not the camera. We're seeing some couples opting for 'unplugged' ceremonies and discouraging the use of phones throughout the celebrations. The difference is remarkable when your guests are really living in the moment and connecting."

Still, there are clearly those who disagree, or find that their appetite for wedding content surpasses an offline experience.

Perhaps the key to pulling it off is understanding the emotional nature of the role, as well as the logistics.

"You're working on documenting one of the biggest days of somebody's life," says Dallara.

"You need to understand how weddings work, how to work alongside other suppliers, how to anticipate moments before they happen and, most importantly, how to look after people when emotions are running high. The filming is only half the job. Everything else is what people are really trusting you with." "Names have been changed"

CONSUMER

Waitrose wishlist: the 13 things I always buy in the high-class supermarket

Some of the products are simply not affordable, writes Sophie Morris, but there are staples I cannot resist

There's plenty to love in Waitrose - food and drink heaven for those with deep pockets. But one of my favourite things about

this middle class favourite is what it leaves out. As supermarkets have grown in size, they have evolved into the French hypermarché model: selling everything from games and toys, to books and fashion.

If you haven't been in for a while because of cost, you're not alone.

As fanciness goes, this is a supermarket with its own farm! But Waitrose has done some careful work in extending its Essentials lines, showing customers what they're paying for and running frequent discounts.

I enjoy going there knowing it's rarely for a big shop - it's too expensive to get everything.

This means I can focus on my fun and delicious favourites rather than boring everyday must-haves. This is what I'd always add to my basket.

LOCAL PRODUCTS

There's always a stand of local products near the front of my nearest store, encouraging customers to explore their home turf.

For me, living in Kent, this week that means bottles of Gaddis' Dogbolter Dark Porter from Ramsgate Brewery, wine from Chapel Down, a great value English producer, and Kentish Oils cold-pressed rapeseed oil, a tasty and reasonably priced (£9 per litre) alternative to olive oil that works on salads and in cooking.

FRESH HERBS

I've written before about the low price of fresh herbs in some of the discount supermarkets, but they never have much variety.

We miss out on the distinctive taste of many herbs when we don't grow them, and they're tricky to find in shops. If I want dill, chives, sage, dill or tarragon, I head to Waitrose.

THE WET FISH COUNTER

I'm lucky enough to live closer to a fishmonger than a supermarket but it closes at lunchtime and Waitrose is the next best thing. There's 20 per cent off some products on Fridays for My Waitrose cardholders.

WILDFARMED BREAD

Mass-produced bread has been at the centre of fears over ultra-processed foods (UPFs), owing to the large number of additives it contains.

Wildfarmed is one of very few widely available bakers to offer UPF-free products, including sourdough, sliced bread, rolls, crummets and baguettes, using regenerative farming methods that protect and enrich the

land. This will cost you. The sliced seeded loaf is £4.09 a kilogram compared with £2.06 a kilogram for a Hovis sliced seeded loaf.

PIZZA

I recently chose the Waitrose No. 1 wood-fired smoky five-cheese pizza as my favourite supermarket pizza to pick up for a World Cup TV dinner.

I couldn't look at another pizza for weeks after eating around 20 for that piece, but when I spotted this cheesy beast in Waitrose last weekend I was very nearly tempted, especially given the current offer of two pizzas, usually £6.75 each, plus a bottle of Prosecco for £16.

COORS' INGREDIENTS

This inspiring range encompasses everything the home cook might need from many kinds of fresh chillies to vanilla pods.

I can find most of these at other supermarkets but when I need more obscure items such as pasko breadcrumbs, I try Waitrose first.

OLIVE OIL

Waitrose has an outstanding range at both ends of the spectrum, with its own brand extra virgin from £8 a litre and some of my favourites such as Belaza, Odysea and Karyatis, right up to Alziari at a whopping £45 a litre (not today, thanks).

My current squeeze is all-purpose Good Phats, simply because it comes in one of the restaurant-style plastic condiment bottles popularised by chefs on social media.

It's so easy to use. The Good Phats Spanish oil is £16 a litre, but Waitrose also has La Espanola, which isn't extra virgin but is £8.60 a litre and ideal for cooking and dressings.

MICHELIN-STARRED

READY MEALS

Kind of. Chef Angela Hartnett, who has a Michelin star for her Mayfair restaurant Marano, has developed a new Italian line for Waitrose which launched in June.

These fresh pastas and sauces, and an outstanding lasagne, are the

dishes you should treat yourself to when you don't want to cook but accept that popping out for dinner or ordering in is wildly expensive.

Most of the pastas are £6 and the sauces £4. I loved the meaty choices - slow-bruised beef & veal quadratini and slow-bruised pork & beef girasoli - for their depth of flavour, while the focaccia is exceptional.

CANADIAN MAPLE SYRUP

Protest the tariffs: buy Canadian. Waitrose is one of few shops that sell different kinds of maple syrup.

If you're a fan of cooking with it as well as using it on pancakes and in dressings, this matters. The darker syrup comes from the same trees as the amber syrup, but is tapped later in the season, which gives it a deeper, more treacly flavour, while the lighter syrup is more like caramel.

REMEO ICE LOLLIES

You can buy these lollies online but I haven't seen them in any bricks-and-mortar store apart from Waitrose.

Blackcurrant has a brilliant flavour and is a woefully underused ingredient. These are mouth-puckeringly good.

FROZEN RASPBERRIES

AND CHERRIES

You can make almost instant frozen desserts with frozen fruit, and Waitrose has a really good range.

This summer I am going for cherries, which I blitz in the food processor with a little maple or agave syrup and lime juice. I usually add a bit of whatever dairy I have available for texture, such as Greek yoghurt or coconut milk.

You could slurp this up as a frozen smoothie, or hang on for half a day while it firms up in the freezer.

For recipes, find Ixia Belfrage's cherry and coconut sorbet on Instagram. Cheaper than splurging on the Ninja Creami gadget I last after.

ENGLISH WINE

Waitrose has a wide selection of home-grown wine, and even more online at Waitrose Cellar - from its own Leckford Estate English Sparkling to Ridgeview and Nyetimber, along with two still wines that I love from Simpsons: a pink Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay.

ALL OF THE CHEESE

Waitrose carries an extraordinarily strong range of cheese, from fridge staples like cheddar and parmesan to award-winning farmhouse products like Cropwell Bishop Stilton, Appleby's Cheshire and Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire, the holy trinity of brilliant British cheese.

The bride's mother had to ask the content creators to get out of the way

---

Gumpta

Quote of the day

How can I learn my lines if I'm going: 'Stop that, Carol – eat your dinner.' I don't know how people do it, darling

Su Pollard

The actress on why she was not interested in having children

A few years ago, I spoke to one of the producers of The Office, Anil Gupta. He remembered a difference of opinion with Ricky Gervais while making the first series. Gupta thought they needed to make it a bit more accessible. Gervais – who had done almost nothing in TV at the time – didn't want to compromise.

'One of the arguments that we always had was, 'Look, don't you want a lot of people to watch this show?' Gupta told me. 'And he would be like, 'I don't care – I don't care if only 10 people watch it, as long as they're a really cool 10 people.' Gupta thought this was 'hollocks', but back then Gervais seemed to really mean it.

So 25 years on, watching him re-post streams of praise for his turgid new show Alley Cats from his fans on X feels very weird indeed. 'If you can find it in your heart to watch it again that would be amazing,' he wrote earlier this month. 'Let me know where you're watching from. And keep the photos of your pets flooding in. Animals rule!'

Where's the '10 cool people' guy? How did we get here?

Alley Cats may be popular, but it's been a proper debacle. In the UK, the reviews have been not just bad but vicious. I completely agree. It's

These days he is an avatar for an era of comedy we're now embarrassed by

rubbish for the exact reasons long-time Gervais watchers have been bemoaning his work for the past 15 years. It's constantly in search of taboos to bust but with no sense of why it's bothering to bust them. Gervais's character questions the existence of God, like all his other ones. Cloying sentiment is shoe-horned in and signposted by yet another Cat Stevens needle-drop.

Unfortunately, it also racked up some new sins. The voice acting is rotten. The characters go off on semi-improvised rifts that lose steam and collapse in on themselves very, very slowly. Characters are introduced and killed off with dizzying speed in service of yet more mush. The characters left alive are one-note bores. And Gervais has clearly never been more in love with the word 'c' 't'.

Across the board, reviewers over here agreed: Alley Cats is bewilderingly poor, and Gervais is finished.

'The haters, the trolls came out – even before the trailer,' Gervais said on YouTube last week. 'This is gonna be shit', then 'the trailer's shit', then 'it was shit.'

So he is at least listening. But he never seems to acknowledge that a good chunk of these 'trolls' are people who used to absolutely adore his work. This is the clearest example yet of the weird place that he now occupies in British comedy and the culture at large. He knows that lots of people love him for his cussedness and animal rights activism, and he knows that lots of people who used to love him think his new stuff is unforgivably poor.

This has been in the post for a while. In 2011, Life's Too Short starred Warwick Davis as a conceit-

I know why fans are so angry with Gervais

He was once the king of comedy, but his new series shows just how far Ricky has fallen. By Tom Nicholson

ed version of himself but felt like an Extras outgrowth. The fitfully funny but intensely saccharine Derek was his first solo outing in 2012.

Film projects came and went. A crack at bringing back David Brent in the movie Life on the Road (without Stephen Merchant, whom he hasn't worked with since 2013) fell flat.

Then in 2019 there was After Life, hugely popular but honking in its attempt to do serious drama. Recently there was a bit of a to-do over Gervais not mentioning Merchant at all in an Office retrospective on his YouTube channel, which got fans annoyed

---

all over again. Over the years he's developed a habit of talking about "when I made The Office" rather than "we"; whether he notices he's doing it or not, it makes Gervais look petty. (Both Gervais and Merchant have said that there's no beef there.)

Gervais should be a revered elder statesman now. And yet I interview quite a lot of comedians, and when Gervais comes up, there's usually an air of faint embarrassment. A lot of comedy fans in their thirties and forties feel the same.

In the late noughties, though, everybody took something from Gervais. He and comics like Franke Boyle, Jimmy Carr and Russell Brand were all very different, but they all leapt instinctively for the most appalling subject matter they could think of. It trickled down through the clubs.

But comedy moved on, and so did those comics. Boyle tweaked his targets and ended up cuddly enough to book for Taekwaster. Carr now turns up on American podcasts dispensing sub-Jake Humphreys wisdom pellets. Brand pivoted to God. (He is awaiting trial for allegations of rape and sexual assault, which he denies.)

Gervais, though, dug in. If anything, he pared away his act rather than adding to it. Offence became his main thing, then it became his only thing. That attracted a fandom that liked him for completely different reasons to the comedy fans who love Prime Gervais.

The other nexus event was his Golden Globes hosting gig. In 2010 and 2011, Gervais's barbs thrown at celebs seemed to sting; Robert Downey Jr said it was "hugely mean-spirited, with mildly sinister undertones". Yet by 2012, it had become the brand. The official poster showed Gervais poised to cut tape from around his mouth, and come

Ricky Gervais's comedies, clockwise from top left, 'After Life', 'Alley Cats', 'Life's Too Short', 'The Office', 'Extras' (below) and 'Derek'

awards night, Jodie Foster was giving him the thumbs-up for some fairly route one stuff about her film The Beaver. (You don't need to have won seven Baftas to guess where that went.)

If British comedy was drifting away from him through the 2010s, his hacky material about trans people - starting with a 2018 bit about identifying as a chimpanzee - truly severed any link with younger comedians.

All the while, the justifications for the taboo-hosting got less tenable and more high-handed. "I try and make it so that if anyone's offended, I can explain why they shouldn't be," he said in the same interview. And then there was this pearlier, apparently delivered seriously: "I only play very cosmopolitan areas where they're smart enough to get the irony." Hmm.

These days the 65-year-old Gervais is an avatar for an era of comedy we're now embarrassed by: a broadband comedian in a fibre optic world. It's hard to know how his upcoming stand-up tour, Legend, will go down. He's admitted that he might have gone a bit hard on the cancel culture material, and will do something more personal this time. The haters, however, remain a regular theme for Gervais online and on stage.

"They'll get me one day," he mused on YouTube last week. "I'll push my luck. I'll do a project that's so f***king mental..."

Something even mildly surprising might be an idea. Alley Cats isn't the end of Gervais. But it might be the moment the rest of comedy truly left him behind.

SEVEN JULY

SUNDAY 18-22

TV 22-31

LIVE 26-37

CULLEBR 28-31

JOURNAL 32-35

SPORT 36-39

A THURSDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

39

Reading list

A Disco Pogo Tribute To Andrew Weatherall Edited by Jim Butler

Six years after his passing, Andrew Weatherall remains one of British music's most influential figures. This 320-page book of essays, interviews, photography and oral histories dedicated to the DJ, producer and cultural icon offers the most comprehensive portrait yet of an artist whose

work continues to resonate across electronic music, rock, design and the club scene. Disco Pogo, £35

Book now

Brighton Dome Comedy Festival Brighton, 16 to 25 October

The line-up for the third year of this event includes Simon Amstell, Jimesin, Lara Ricote (above) and Dan Tiernan, plus the long-awaited Brighton debut of All My Friends, an indie/pop day rave hosted by comedy podcasters Elis James, John Robins and Dave Masterman.

brightondome.org/comedyfestival

Last chance

Edinburgh Art Festival

Various venues, to 30 August

The UK's largest visual arts festival has dozens of talks, events and shows. Gather around alternative queer images in Edinburgh graveyards. Japanese fetish paintings, community-held stories, reimagined relics overlooking the city, and late-night parties in a sculpture park. edinburghartfestival.com

The Culture Matrix

The arts at a glance

culture.matrix@thepaper.com

Talks

Portillo chugs off across the country

Former politician turned inveterate rail traveller Michael Portillo is heading off across the UK (hopefully by train) for a theatre speaking tour.

His unique stage show kicks off in Southend-on-Sea on 6 October and ends in Fareham, Hampshire, on 16 March next year. He will share his life

story, from his late father's experiences of the Spanish Civil War and escape to England (where he and Michael's mother met while looking after refugee children), all the way to his present-day adventures travelling across Europe, the Americas, Asia and beyond. fane.co.uk/michael-portillo

Albums of the week... Classical

Lunaris

Bruce Liu

Canadian pianist Bruce Liu, who won the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition, presents a deeply

personal album. Lunaris invites us into a world where sound, silence and imagination converge in a luminous nocturnal landscape. Inspired by the Moon's indirect glow and the heightened sensitivity of night. The programme includes works by Beethoven, Debussy, Chopin, Alexander Scriabin and John Cage. Deutsche Grammophon

Giordano: Marina

Eleonora Buratto

and Freddie De Tommaso

The rediscovery of Italian composer Umberto Giordano's first opera Marina - which was forgotten

for almost 140 years - is one of the classical highlights of the year. Recorded at Milan's Teatro dal Verme in February, this story of love torn apart by war features Italian soprano Eleonora Buratto and British-Italian tenor Freddie De Tommaso in the main roles. Decca

Podcast pick

Tooth and Claw: True

Stories of Animal Attacks

This educational podcast is hosted by US wildlife biologist Wes Larson, alongside his brother Jeff and

friend Mike. Each episode breaks down real-life encounters between humans and apex predators or wild animals, explaining the biological and environmental reasons behind the attacks without demonising the animals involved. If you can, like, tolerate the hosts' American accents, you may, like, be totally hooked. All podcast platforms and YouTube

---

ADVERTISEMENT

THE HALO CAPSULE CORDLESS VACUUM

Can anyone else offer a lighter, more powerful vacuum which collects more dirt and dust than any cordless competitor?!

"This vacuum scored 100% in all our tests"

ULTRA LIGHT 2.6Kg

Good Housekeeping Institute

YOU'VE probably noticed it yourself. Most cordless vacuums promise a lot... but in everyday use, they can feel heavy, lose suction too quickly, and make emptying a messy, unpleasant job. So instead of making cleaning easier, they often turn it into more of a chore. That's exactly why the Halo Capsule has been designed differently.

Weighs less than competitors First, it's super lightweight. At just 2.6kg, you can carry it easily from room to room, lift it to clean stairs, or reach high-up areas without strain on your arms or back.

High performance cordless Then there's the performance. With powerful suction that rivals full-size corded vacuums, Halo Capsule picks up more dirt, dust and pet hair first time — so you're not wasting time going over the same spots again and again.

Cleaner cleaning & emptying And when it comes to emptying, there's no cloud of dust and no need to touch the dirt. Instead, the high-capacity bag system seals everything neatly away, so you can dispose of it quickly, cleanly and hygienically.

Huge 1.6 litre bag capacity It holds far more than most

Ultra lightweight 2.6Kg

Unrivalled 1.6L bag capacity

One touch power

Wall mountable

Easy clean-ups

Full manoeuvrability

Versatile tools

Low profile cleaning

cordless vacuums — meaning fewer trips to the bin for more uninterrupted cleaning.

Lasting power & performance Add in a long-lasting battery with up to 140 minutes of runtime, and you have a

cordless vacuum that delivers on its promise to be cleaner, lighter and more powerful than its competitors.

Save over £300 today! Buy the Halo Capsule for just £199, saving over 50%.

Experience the difference for yourself

Halo Capsule is different. Its powerful suction and high-capacity bag system work together to capture more dust, dirt and pet hair first time — not just move it around. The result? It is visibly deeper clean, fewer trips to the bin, and far less hassle every time you vacuum. Save over £300 when you order today!

Halo

Other cordless vacuums

Huge 1.6L cleaning capacity means fewer trips to the bin

Halo Capsule

What the experts are saying:

"Enter the Halo Capsule; slimmer, younger, sexier. A dazzling new cordless contender..." Evening Standard

"We were blown away by how well it picks up from different types of floors..."

The Independent

"...a superb vacuum worth considering over Dyson or Shark." Mighty Gadget

"One of the most performant cordless vacuums...impressive battery life". TechSpy

"An excellent vacuum... great design details and features." Tech Advisor

Which? Best Buy

"The Halo is nothing short of fantastic at cleaning!" Which?

Capsule

The Capsule Advantage

	HENRY QUICK	HALO CAPSULE	SHARK CORDLESS	DYSON V15
Weight	3.1Kg	2.6Kg	4.1Kg	3.1Kg
Dirt Capacity	1 Litre	1.6 Litres	0.7 Litres	0.77 Litres
Bag Material	Plastic	Paper/Card	Bagless	Bagless
Voltage	25.2V	32V	25.2V	25.2V
Wattage	300W	300W	350W	660W
Run Time	Over 60 mins	Over 60 mins	Under 60 mins	Over 60 mins
Recharge Time	2.5 hrs	2 hrs	3.5hrs	4.5hrs
Main Material	Plastic	Carbon Filter	Plastic	Plastic

OVER 50% OFF

The Halo Great Value Bundle

RRP £537.94 Save over £300

Now just £199

Get a FREE Hard Floor Roller, worth £59.99

Quote offer code P826A1

Fast Free Delivery 2 Year Warranty 30-Day Guarantee

Your HALO CAPSULE package: Capsule Vacuum Cleaner, Wall Deck, Crevice Tool, Upholstery & Dusting Combo Tool, Power Floor Tool & Flex Hose, and a full year's worth of Halo Dust Pouches.

ORDER TODAY BY PHONE OR ONLINE

Call free 0800 046 3022

Visit halocapsule.com or scan QR code

2 year manufacture's warranty including battery. When compared to other UK market available large capacity cordless vacuums based on Independent tests to IEC60869-2 2018 Sec 5.5. Your times quoted may vary depending on surfaces cleaned. Hygienic emptying measured to IEC60869-2 2018 Sec 5.17. Fifteen efficiency and dual re-emission of the dry vacuum cleaner. Modified for cordless samples. Halo Capsule vs Leading Bagless competitor in Independent tests. Combined performance across weight, cleaning performance and dual collection capacity versus leading UK cordless stick vacuum competitors. Free Delivery to UK mainland addresses (including Highlands). Halo Appliances Ltd. Warwickshire, England.

---

Culture

NEWS 2:37

SUNDAY 18-22

TV 22:31

SUN 24:37

CENTER 28:41

HONEY 22:30

SPORT 22:33

2 THURSDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

41

'Potter' actors have cursed themselves for ever

COMMENT

Emily Baker

I don't know about you, but I've never wondered what Nusferatu actor Nicholas Hoult thinks about trans people. But - whether we care or not - we're about to find out. He's just been cast in the new Harry Potter series, meaning he's going to be asked what he thinks about JK Rowling and her thoughts on trans people for the rest of his life. And we're going to have to listen to it.

Hoult has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in the second series of the HBO Max adaptation, pre-commissioned before the first arrives on our screens this Christmas. Lockhart is a likeable if self-aggrandising author who becomes professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts before he reveals himself as the villain.

Not that any of that matters - all anyone really cares about is whether or not Hoult agrees with Rowling that trans women shouldn't be allowed to use their preferred public toilet.

Rowling seems to dedicate much of her time to opposing the rights of trans people to legally self-identify their gender. Last year she set up the JK Rowling Women's Fund, which - in her words - is "a legal fighting fund for women protecting their sex-based rights". Online, she is vocal about her thoughts on trans people - and nastier.

The backlash has already started against Hoult's casting. Vulture, the culture subsidiary of New York magazine, ran the news with the headline "Nicholas Hoult cast as latest actor to have to distance self from JK Rowling", while on social media, reaction hasn't focused on if Hoult will make a good Lockhart, but whether or not he should be in the series at all.

A fan account has locked its profile after posting the message: "Nicholas Hoult do better, so many of your fans are hurt." And while Hoult is yet to do any press since the announcement and has therefore not been forced to plant his flag for or against Rowling, others have.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Bel Powley - who is set to play Potter's miserable aunt Petania Dursley - was asked for her views on Rowling's

Nicholas Hoult has recently been cast in the series JAMIE MCCARTHY/GETTY

views. "I strongly disagree with JK Rowling's views on gender," she said. "I think that the trans community deserve safety... And total acceptance."

Nick Frost, who will play Hogwarts groundskeeper Hagrid, was asked the same question by The Observer. "She's allowed her opinion and I'm allowed mine, they just don't align in any way, shape or form," he confirmed.

Paapa Essiedu, who has been cast as Professor Snape, publicly

signed a letter calling for the protection of trans rights last year, confirming that his own views differ from Rowling's without saying a word.

Even 80-year-old acting royalty John Lithgow hasn't been saved from backlash. He has called Rowling's hatred of trans people "ironic and somewhat inexplicable", adding that the Harry Potter books contain "no trace of transphobic sensitivity. She has written this meditation of kindness and acceptance."

Association with Rowling is a drink from a poisoned chalice

In fact, despite their protestations against Rowling's anti-trans campaigning, none of these actors have actually pulled out of the series. I'd bet that some have quietly passed on the opportunity. Black Mirror director Ally Pankiw posted a screenshot of her messages refusing to work on the series.

However the cast fervently decry Rowling's opinions doesn't really matter - the fact that they are associated with her at all is enough to ensure that this particularly ghoulish "debate" will follow them for ever.

A part in HBO Max's Harry Potter series is an irresistible opportunity for an actor, but I do wonder if any of the cast are regretting their decision to get involved.

Any association with Rowling is a drink from a poisoned chalice - a curse that will never lift. Is it worth it?

Get a guaranteed 8.08% income for life from your pension

Also access a tax-free lump sum

Whether your retirement is just around the corner or still a few years away, now could be a good time to understand exactly how much income your pension could provide.

Why readers are choosing the iFinance Retirement Planning Service:

• Your best available annuity rates from leading providers
• Whether you qualify for an enhanced annuity
• How much guaranteed income your pension could give you
• Options for inflation protection and spouse cover
• Clear comparisons so you can make the right choice

An independent financial adviser will compare annuities from the whole market to get you the best rate for your pension savings.

Trustpilot

To get your FREE annuity comparison report, call

0808 531 0772

Or visit inewsfinance.co.uk/annuity

SCAN TO REQUEST YOUR FREE GUIDE

*Rates are quotes based on July 2026, a 66-year-old male, £150k pension with 25% tax-free cash taken and some medical conditions. Associated Newspapers Limited, trading as iFinance, is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Pense Limited, 1 Derwent House, Richmond Business Park, Sidings Court, Lakeside, Doncaster DN4 5NL. Pense Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority number 231629.

---

MONDARY & BUSINESS

Quote of the day

If we get this right the prize won't be measured just in technology, but in better jobs, rising wages, stronger firms and higher living standards

Rain Newton-Smith CBI's chief executive calls to make AI adoption Britain's national economic priority

@theipaper

business@theipaper.com

CONSUMER

Job security gloom rising despite hospitality boost

By Simon Straker

UK job security has weakened to its lowest level since 2023 as consumer confidence continues to slide - despite the hospitality sector having bounced back over the hot summer due to a raft of elite sporting and music events.

Packed stadiums and sun-drenched festival fields have provided the ideal backdrop for a dramatic pick-up in business for pubs, hotels and restaurants. The technology sector has also continued to outperform, with heavy AI investment propping up wages and localised job security.

But this has masked a more unsettling overall picture with consumers facing persistent undercurrents of political and economic uncertainty, which has led to a spike in living costs.

More traditional sectors like retail, construction and professional

services have borne the brunt of the downturn and households have become increasingly cautious about long-term financial commitments.

This has reduced demand across non-essential retail and corporate services, with businesses forced to adopt defensive positions rather than expanding their operations.

As the robust post-pandemic hiring boom has cooled, so redundancy fears have crept back up - even as hospitality workers have clocked extensive overtime to keep up with summer crowds.

The S&P Global UK consumer sentiment index for this month slipped to 42.9, compared with a previous four-month high of 43.4 in July. Any reading below 50 indicates that sentiment has been broadly negative.

The survey also showed that job security had dropped to a reading of 45.6, its lowest since April 2023.

It was a third successive month in which Britons had highlighted increased concerns over their jobs.

There is increasing anxiety as to what will happen when the sun sets on festival season - while the hospitality sector's recent boom has been a lifeline for an industry battered by inflation, it is inherently cyclical and seasonal.

As autumn approaches, the temporary economic cushion will inevitably fade, leaving businesses across all sectors to confront the stark reality of weakened consumer sentiment and diminished domestic spending power.

Later this week, the Office for National Statistics will unveil the latest official jobs market data, which has highlighted a continued slowdown in vacancies in recent months.

But S&P revealed that there had been a slight improvement in the

This summer's hospitality boom has masked a more gloomy UK picture

household finance index, to 41.2, the highest reading for five months.

Private sector workers particularly highlighted some renewed optimism after a period dented by concerns linked to the Iran war.

S&P economist Maryam Baluch said: "The recent improved growth in the economy has failed to feed through to households.

"Future financial prospects have heightened a little, hinting at a small 'Burnham Bounce', but clearly there remains a long way to go before expectations turn positive."

Fulham's west London derby against Chelsea on Monday will be the debut for its 'Constance on Matchdays' offering GETTY

HOSPITALITY

£900-a-head dining set for kick-off at Fulham

By Simon Straker

Fulham Football Club is redefining matchday luxury by launching an exclusive £900-a-head dining experience at its Craven Cottage home on the banks of the River Thames.

Directed by Michelin-starred chef Adam Byatt and helmed by head chef Charlie Criste, the club's prestigious Constance restaurant is introducing a "Constance on Matchdays" hospitality offering - complete with a rooftop sky deck and infinity pool.

Located within the newly redeveloped Riverside Stand at Fulham Pier, Constance recently received Michelin Guide recognition and the football club is now the only one in the UK to offer such a prestigious matchday culinary experience.

It will debut next Monday during Fulham's Premier League season opener against west London rivals Chelsea, with affluent supporters able to enjoy seasonal British-French cuisine alongside floor-to-floor views of the river.

The venture arrives at a pivotal moment for English football infrastructure. Driven by the Premier League's shift towards new financial regulations - specifically the Squad-Cost Ratio framework - stadium costs are now ring-fenced and excluded from team spending limits.

Clubs will now look to maximise long-term matchday revenue, with strategy consultants McKinsey estimating that around £10m will be invested over the next 15 years in stadiums and surrounding developments.

PHARMA

AstraZeneca ditches trial of lung cancer treatment

By Holly Williams

AstraZeneca has suffered a second setback in just over a month after halting a late stage lung cancer treatment trial.

The drugs group said it had found its Volrustomig drug, when combined with chemotherapy, was unlikely to boost survival rates for lung cancer patients when compared with other existing treatments.

Its decision to stop the phase three trial follows a recommendation of the Independent Data Monitoring Committee after a planned review of data from the trials.

The halt marks a further blow after billions were wiped off AstraZeneca's stock market value last month when it stopped a new heart disease drug trial, called Waima.

Susan Galbraith, an executive vice president at AstraZeneca, said: "We are disappointed, but we will learn from this trial and are determined to continue pioneering new medicines for patients with lung cancer."

Lung cancer is the biggest cause of death by cancer, accounting for almost one in four (23 per cent).

AstraZeneca said it would continue with trials for Volrustomig in treating other types of cancer.

The group, headquartered in Cambridge, also revealed some oncology drug success yesterday as its Enhecto treatment showed "a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival" for non-small cell lung cancer patients.

It will now continue into a phase three trial.

---

NEWS 2:33

NEWSDAY 18:27

TV 22:31

LIFE 24:37

CULTURE 18:41

HONEY 22:31

SPORT 22:33

1 TUESDAY 15 AUGUST 2024

43

PROPERTY

'We've given up doer-uppers after 30 years and bought a new-build'

Wayne and Claire Smee say the price of labour and materials has become too high. By Charlotte Duck

Wayne Smee, an electrician by trade, has renovated properties to live in and sell on since the 1990s – but says it is now too expensive. "It's all I've ever known for 30 years," he says.

The increased cost of labour and materials, not to mention the stress involved and new regulatory requirements, have led him to change direction and buy his first new-build property with wife Claire last year.

Wayne, 52, bought his first house in 1993 for around £70,000 and upgraded the heating system and rewiring, alongside fitting bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen. He borrowed £40,000 for the upgrades and lived in the house with his ex-wife until 2002, at which point they sold it for £300,000 and split the £180,000 profits.

Another project included a 1970s home with an old, integral garage that he converted into an additional reception room, while also adding a fitted kitchen and bathroom.

His most recent renovation was a two-bedroom, mid-terrace in Maidstone, Kent, which he and Claire, a recruitment consultant, bought for £178,000 in 2017.

"We wanted to convert the completely unusable cellar into another room and put an extension on the kitchen with vaulted underfloor heating," he says.

They also refitted the bathroom and kitchen, and renovated the rear garden with artificial grass and decking.

While doing a lot of the work themselves meant the couple kept costs down, there was an emotional toll. "With the cellar, I underestimated the work involved to dig the floor down and reinstate the staircase. It thoroughly exhausted me, both mentally and physically. Everything I touched, seemed to triple in cost," Wayne says.

"With the rear wall of the house, it all worked out but it was a headache and we had no kitchen or back wall in the middle of winter."

As the property only had one bathroom, the couple had to stay in a hotel while that was being worked on.

"We borrowed next door's outdoor toilet for a few days, but we couldn't do that in the week when we were working as there was no shower," he adds.

"We did the donkey work, doing

Wayne and Claire have bought a three-storey family home with a big driveway and detached garage MATTHEW READING

things like ripping the floors up, so the labour costs were dilated," says Wayne.

"I can do a bit of plumbing, flooring and woodwork but I can't plaster or do carpet fitting and flooring. I know a lot of people who can and, for things like the heating and boiler, I got someone in."

Even doing the majority of the work themselves, the total cost of materials came to around £50,000. The price of construction materials has been consistently increasing, with a 15 per cent rise in 2022 and an additional 2 per cent rise in 2026.

"We put up a shed in the garden, and the price of wood and screws was three times what it was 10 years ago," says Wayne.

Labour costs have also increased and Wayne says, when he goes out on jobs, people are astonished at the hourly rate. "From that point of view, people are thinking that the cost doesn't justify [renovating]. This is why Claire talked me out of doing it all again."

The couple lived in the home from 2017 to 2025.

When it came to moving, the couple set their hearts on Hythe, near Folkestone, where they had holidayed. Initially, Wayne wanted to get a bungalow that he could

We put up a shed in the garden, and the price of wood was three times what it was 10 years ago

Renovations Pros/cons

Experts reveal what you need to know if you're planning on renovating. Tim Phillips, Homebuilding & Renovating Show expert, said: "Renovating allows homeowners to keep a home and location they enjoy, preserve its charm, and do the work in stages."

"However, existing buildings frequently have hidden issues, structural limitations, and unforeseen costs that only become apparent after construction begins."

"A new-build allows for far more flexibility in design, layout and energy efficiency but the initial cost of buying land, obtaining planning permission and providing access, drainage and utilities can be significant."

Michael Holmes, Homebuilding & Renovating Show spokesperson, added: "Renovating gives homeowners the opportunity to future-proof an existing property around their particular needs."

"There are also significant costs associated with moving such as estate agent fees, legal fees and stamp duty tax. Renovating avoids many of these transaction costs."

"[But] construction costs and uncertainty are disadvantages. Costs rose sharply post pandemic and, while demand has cooled, prices rarely 'reset' quickly."

knock down at the back and put in bifold windows but decided another project would be too expensive and stressful.

"After sitting down to think about our future, we decided our Grand Designs days were behind us," says Wayne.

"Both of us have an understanding of what is involved in renovations, and we looked at them and thought: 'Is it really worth it?'"

15%

The percentage of an increase in the cost of construction materials in 2023

"With us both working full-time, there would never have been time to do it all and I'd be shattered as I'd be doing it in my spare time."

"There was a huge want to get somewhere already done."

They sold their Maidstone home for £260,000 via part exchange, moving in August 2025.

They ported the mortgage and increased it slightly to be able to afford a new home.

The Smees chose a roomy three-bedroom, semi-detached new-build on Barratt Homes' Martello Lakes development at a cost of £375,000, which included £18,000 cashback.

Their new home is three storeys with a family bathroom and ensuite, plus a detached garage.

Now, they are living in Hythe with their two Jack Russells and, for the short-term, their youngest grown-up son too.

HOUSING

Gap in selling times locally 'is a real divide'

By Vicky Shaw

The average time to sell a home is nearly seven times faster in some parts of Britain than others – with around half of local authority areas recording longer times to sell than a year earlier.

While the average time to sell – 42 days – has remained unchanged in the year to July, this masks a widening gap between faster local markets and weaker areas, property website Zoopla said.

The website said 180 of the 363 local authorities it had analysed had had an increase in the average number of days taken to sell a property in the past year.

In Melton in the East Midlands, Zoopla said it took 76 days on average to sell the average home – up 21 days compared with last July. But in Falkirk, central Scotland, the average selling time is just 11 days – one day less than a year earlier.

Higher average mortgage rates have led to a "wait and see" approach for many buyers.

Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: "While the national time to sell has barely moved, that stability is masking a real divide opening up between local markets."

Zoopla's research tracked the period from homes being first listed on the market to sales agreed.

BANKING

Young women likely to invest more than men

By Vicky Shaw

Young female investors are building portfolios that are typically £4,590 bigger than investments held by young men.

Data from Lloyds Bank, based on its Invest Wise account holders aged between 18 and 25 as of 30 April, showed that the average portfolio among women was £14,040 – 49 per cent more than that of men (£9,450).

Young women were also more likely to be "engaged" investors, the research indicated, meaning they had taken steps such as funding accounts and carrying out trading and investment activity.

More than two-thirds of female Invest Wise account holders were "active investors", compared with 56 per cent of men.

It added that young women accounted for less than a third (32 per cent) of investors.

Lauren Gradyx, an investment specialist at Lloyds, said: "Getting started doesn't have to mean investing large sums of money."

"Making investing more accessible can help more people feel comfortable beginning their investment journey."

---

44

BUSINESS

FTSE 100 down 0.28% at 10,720.30

Company	Price	Chg %	High	Low
3i Group	2768.0	+0.11%	4497.0	2625.0
Albertson Group	244.6	-0.13%	265.0	177.5
All Foods	2053.0	-2.39%	2359.0	1729.5
Admiral	1878.0	-1.37%	4006.0	2624.0
Allied Africa	126.0	-0.97%	436.2	211.0
Alliance Witsa	1376.0	-0.79%	1394.0	1178.0
Anglo-Amer	2928.0	+2.03%	4239.0	2123.0
Amalgada	3616.0	+0.86%	4475.0	2077.0
Autodisneco	11560.0	+0.87%	15712.0	9892.0
Autotransfer Group	525.8	-2.56%	851.2	438.6
Avita	730.0	+0.47%	736.2	590.0
Babcock Intl	1177.0	-1.38%	1527.0	902.4
B&D Systems	2236.0	-0.97%	2360.0	1529.0
Barclays	515.4	-0.98%	554.1	352.9
Barrett Redraw	322.2	-1.26%	410.3	235.4
Beasley	1294.5	+0.15%	1298.0	750.0
BP	519.6	-0.63%	603.4	299.4
Brickon Tobacco	4141.0	-1.73%	5136.0	3677.0
British Land	431.2	-1.46%	453.6	338.6
BT	198.3	-1.00%	242.1	173.0
Bond	2752.0	-0.22%	2886.0	2981.0
Burberry	1050.0	-1.73%	1576.5	976.0
Centrika	156.1	+0.06%	220.3	151.4
Coca-Cola Europe	7805.0	-1.64%	8545.0	6280.0
Coca-Cola HBC	4538.0	-1.48%	5195.0	3270.0
Compass	2328.7	-1.59%	2581.1	2000.0
Compostmaster	5000.0	-0.20%	5000.0	2234.0
Convolus	232.0	+1.05%	255.5	155.0
Croda Intl	3160.0	-3.03%	3353.0	2437.0
DCC Energy	6360.0	-9	6740.0	4188.0
Diagon	1703.5	-3.43%	2142.0	1295.5
Diploma	7105.0	-0.20%	7765.0	4570.0
Endowment Mining	1195.0	+2.04%	5620.0	2430.0
Exxon	556.6	-0.13%	915.6	500.4
Experian	2799.0	-3.15%	3687.0	2203.0
F&C Inv Trust	343.0	-0.41%	1532.0	325.8
Fresolite	2930.0	+1.74%	4472.0	3617.0

Company	Price	Chg %	High	Low
Games Works	18720.0	-2.04%	23540.0	14070.0
Glencore	553.6	+0.89%	707.2	281.9
GSK	1851.5	+1.87%	2282.0	1288.6
Helm	350.2	-1.52%	436.1	274.4
Helms	3702.8	+0.43%	4902.0	3156.0
Illinois	1854.0	+0.50%	2904.0	1357.2
Howden Jolimery	768.0	-3.51%	981.0	713.0
HSBC Hldgs	1531.8	+0.21%	1820.0	928.1
IAG	436.5	-1.58%	493.9	332.7
KO	2014.8	-2.23%	2340.0	1424.9
IG Group	1274.0	+0.81%	1956.0	1016.0
IM	3084.8	+0.30%	3368.0	2216.0
Imperial Brands	2568.8	-1.57%	3632.0	2968.0
Informa	965.0	-2.46%	1000.0	719.0
Intl Cont Hlts	11798.8	+0.63%	13305.1	8618.0
Intertek	5805.8	+0.26%	5859.0	3519.4
Investor	663.5	-1.63%	690.0	499.4
JD Sports Faddam	90.0	-2.60%	106.2	64.0
Kingfisher	522.0	-1.50%	572.2	240.3
Land Dcrs	705.8	-1.05%	726.0	522.5
Legal & Gen	302.0	-0.98%	338.1	217.2
Lion Finance	13320.0	-1.41%	13620.0	6905.0
Lloyds Bk Cp	114.7	-0.43%	117.9	77.4
Lundemith & Prop	191.1	-1.49%	236.2	175.3
Lon Stock Ex	8478.0	-0.66%	10140.0	6684.0
MAE	355.8	-0.03%	367.1	247.0
MAE	381.8	-0.50%	438.3	301.1
Melrose Ind	491.3	-0.20%	589.0	409.9
Melvin Energy	4216.8	-0.53%	4980.4	2643.8
National Grid	1389.5	-0.34%	1428.5	1000.0
Northeast Group	709.0	+0.17%	726.0	500.2
Next	19245.0	-1.38%	19900.0	11200.0
Pearson	1397.0	-9	1337.0	874.8
Pershing Square	2944.8	+0.15%	5095.0	3636.0
Penthouse	1367.0	-1.68%	1952.0	947.4
Peter CogTech	686.0	+1.63%	743.5	384.0
Prudential	1034.8	+0.88%	1298.0	910.2

Company	Price	Chg %	High	Low
Reckitt Ben	5038.0	-1.73%	6122.0	3684.0
RSLX	2470.0	-2.22%	3634.0	1991.0
Remedial Initial	347.2	-1.08%	307.0	329.0
Rite Tinto	7126.0	+0.95%	9117.0	4436.5
Rolls-Royce	1563.8	+1.48%	1586.0	990.0
Sainsbury (c)	232.6	-2.23%	188.3	292.3
Schroders	583.5	+0.09%	599.5	358.6
Scot Mart Inv Tel	1450.0	+1.04%	1562.0	3015.7
Segra	551.8	-0.94%	597.4	603.0
Severn Trust	3540.0	-1.62%	3335.0	2381.0
Shell	3329.5	+0.29%	3758.5	2503.8
Smith & Smith	1088.0	-0.73%	1441.5	1050.0
Smith & Smith	2638.0	+0.96%	2754.2	2088.0
Spire Group	7020.0	-4	8050.0	5990.0
SSS	2400.0	-0.83%	2767.5	1597.0
Stan Chart	2235.0	+0.72%	2278.0	1285.0
Standard Life	914.0	-1.40%	948.5	615.0
St. James's Place	1179.0	-0.08%	1575.5	1038.8
Texas	447.8	-2.97%	510.4	411.6
The Sage Grp	1047.5	-1.23%	1181.0	771.7
Trifaa Big Box	157.8	-1.99%	175.0	132.2
Unilever	4512.5	-1.88%	5542.1	3644.0
United Utilities	1368.0	-1.70%	1497.0	1077.0
Wadstone	129.7	-1.56%	131.1	95.4
Walt	2672.0	+0.38%	3580.0	2254.0
Whitehead	2432.0	-1.73%	3282.0	2098.0

ICE DATA SERVICES

www.theice.com/ice

For enquiries call +44 (0)20 7825 8300

Markets

FTSE 100	30720.30	-0.28%
FTSE 250	24704.4	-0.66%
FTSE All Share	5786.8	-0.32%
FTSE Eurofirst300	2624.3	-0.15%
Dow Jones*	53510.3	-0.41%
S&P 500*	7767.8	-0.23%
Nasdaq*	26756.67	+0.10%
DAX	26338.6	-0.38%
CAC 40	8579.6	-0.66%
Hang Seng	25453.2	+1.34%
Nikkei	69220.2	+0.74%

€1.698

EURO/POUND

$1.3558

DOLLAR/POUND

$4,425.7

GOLD

Per tiny ounce. London pm fix

$88.97

OIL

Brock crude. per barrel

AUTOMOTIVE

Ferrari EV sells for record £29.5m

The first Ferrari EV, the Luce, has sold for 8.40m (£29.5m) at auction - a more than 700 per cent mark-up on its 8,650,000 retail price - making it the most expensive new car ever auctioned despite a backlash over its design. First unveiled by the Italian supercar manufacturer in May, the Luce was sold by Sotheby's to an unnamed buyer in the US.

FOOD & DRINK

US firm snaps up £500m Au Vodka

Welsh spirit brand Au Vodka is being bought by US drinks group Sazerac for £500m. Au Vodka's co-founder, Charlie Morgan, made headlines in 2013 as a Swansea City ballboy who was kicked by Chelsea's Eden Hazard in a League Cup tie. The flavoured vodkas firm is known for its gold bottles and its BuzzBalls pre-mixed cocktails.

CONSULTANCY

KPMG and EY in AI training deal

The Government has awarded a contract to KPMG and EY worth £456m - the largest deal awarded to Big Four firms since 2012 - to train civil servants in AI and its digital, data and commercial capabilities until 2028. It comes despite a pledge from Sir Keir Starmer's government in 2024 to halve spending on consultants.

FINANCE

Investors pile into AI video maker

Goldman Sachs and Intel have backed AI video maker Higgsfield to the tune of 8400m (£250m), which has more than quadrupled the two-year-old company's valuation to 85.4bn from $1.8bn since January. Investors are increasingly piling into companies that can turn generative AI into products businesses will actually pay for.

ECONOMY

US interest rates risk UK recession

City analysts have warned that the UK economy "could be plunged into a recession that might even eclipse the 2008 financial crisis" if American borrowing costs continue climbing for the rest of this year. Rising US interest rates are threatening to destabilise global markets, squeeze international credit and severely affect British growth, they warned.

RETAIL

Chairman cited in The Works row

Steve Bellamy, the chairman of discount high street retailer The Works, has been accused of working from home - in New Zealand - by activist investor Kelso Group. The row has escalated after Kelso's bid to get a seat on the board for fellow investor Graeme Coulthard was rejected due to it being an "unnecessary distraction".

FINTECH

Under-fire Monzo chairman quits

Monzo chairman Gary Hoffman is stepping down from the digital bank just months after major shareholders demanded his removal. The exit follows a boardroom battle that was triggered by the ousting of chief executive TS Anil. Hoffman will be replaced next month on an interim basis by non-executive director Karen Peacock.

SUPERMARKETS

Morrisons shed 5,000 jobs in 2025

Supermarket Morrisons shed almost 5,000 jobs last year as part of efforts by the private equity-backed grocer to shore up its finances. The Bradford-based firm also revealed that its debt rose further despite cost-cutting. Its average monthly workforce fell from 101,144 to 96,232 for the year to October 2025.

the markets

The FTSE 100 closed yesterday down by 29.85 points, or 0.28 per cent, at 10,720.30. The biggest risers were miners Endeavour, up 8up at 4,195p, and Anglo American, up 76p at 3,928p. The biggest fallers were builder

Howden Jolimery, down 29p at 798p, and drinks group Diageo, down 60.5p at 1,703.5p.

In France, the CAC40 fell by 0.66 per cent, while the DAX ended 0.38 per cent lower in Germany.

The price of Brent crude oil rose to $88.97 a barrel.

***

The pound gained on the dollar, up by 0.05 cents at $3,359, but fell against the euro, down by 0.02 cents at €1,169.8, at London's close.

---

NEWS 2:31

THROUGH 18:22

TV 22:31

LIFE 18:37

CULTURE 19:41

HONEY 22:21

SPORT 22:25

2 TUESDAY 17 AUGUST 2024

45

FINANCE

I downsized to pay £30,000 towards my sons' university

Mother of two says the emotional side of moving hit her hardest. By Alina Khan

Sarah Able, 60, downsized her home last year to help pay for her sons' higher education costs - and says she has no regrets.

The mother of two from West Bridgford, Nottingham, moved from her four-bedroom home where she had lived for more than 12 years to a two-bedroom terrace in March 2025.

Sarah sold her family home for £485,000 and bought her new home, just 20 minutes away, for £320,000.

After paying off some loans and debts she had taken out, she had about £30,000 left over, which she put towards her boys' education. Her youngest son had left for

university and her eldest had a place on a postgraduate medicine degree. She will use the money to fund a portion of her children's tuition fees and living costs.

£485,000

The amount Sarah sold the family home for her new house cost £385,000

"Supporting them through education has been and continues to be expensive and remains a priority for me," she said.

"The trigger for downsizing wasn't one dramatic moment. It was more a gradual realisation that my life had changed, and my home

hadn't caught up," Sarah added. After downsizing, Sarah has a small £30,000 mortgage on her new home. She is still working as a university lecturer and also co-owns re.dress_wb, which

Sarah Able says her 'life feels bigger' even though her new house is smaller

sells pre-owned clothes, with all proceeds going to local charities. "I am getting to an age where I would like some money for myself, but it is great that my sons got a place at university and so I need to support them," she added. "I don't regret what I'm doing because both

my sons are very hard working and are carving out their own paths," she said.

What surprised Sarah about downsizing was that the practical side of moving was far easier than the emotional side and accepting that "a chapter of your life

It was more a gradual realisation that my life had changed, and my home hadn't caught up

has ended". She added: "I realised I wasn't just leaving a house. I was letting go of the idea that success looks like a large family home and accepting that life at 60 doesn't need to look the same as it did at 40."

It cost Sarah around £12,000 to downsize when she factored in removal costs, estate agency fees, stamp duty and conveyancing fees.

She said: "The biggest surprise for me has been how right the decision feels. I expected regret and sadness but mostly I felt relief.

"If I've learnt anything from the experience it's that downsizing doesn't mean downgrading. My new house is smaller, but my life feels bigger. It's easier to manage, cheaper to run and has given me more freedom to enjoy things I'd put on hold for years.

"My favourite moment came when one of my sons told me: 'Don't worry mum, when I buy a house I'll make sure it's got a big garden so I can build you a granny annexe' - I will be holding him to that!"

Recent analysis by Savills found there were 131,200 downsizers in 2025-26 with £462,500 being the average price of the homes they sold and £304,150 being the average purchase price of their new home.

Embrace the Veloped

The Veloped is a mobility machine designed for those who want more: more comfort, confidence, and adventure. Whether you're navigating city streets or off-road trails, it's time to move on from the ordinary and step into what's possible. Every step you take should feel like a choice, not a compromise.

TRIONIC

---

THE TOP PARTNER FOR

HURTIGRUTEN

EXCLUSIVE FARES ONLY AVAILABLE WITH ROL CRUISE

ROL CRUISE 30

TRUSTED FOR OVER 30 YEARS

NORTHERN LIGHTS

DISCOVERY

EXCLUSIVE SALE

DIRECT FLIGHTS FROM LONDON STANSTED

FREE VOYAGE IF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS DON'T OCCUR**

INCLUDED WI-FI & UNLIMITED TEA & COFFEE FOR ALL BOOKINGS**

EXCLUSIVE PROMOTION ENDS 8PM 23RD AUGUST 2026

YOUR 11 NIGHT VOYAGE - DEPARTING 30TH OCTOBER AND 2ND DECEMBER 2026

Day 1 Fly to Bergen, Norway

Upon arrival, embark MS Kong Harald for your 11 night voyage

Day 2 Ålesund, Norway

Also stopping at: Florø · Måløy · Torvik · Molde

Day 3 Trondheim, Norway

Also stopping at: Kristiansund · Rørvik

Day 4 Bodø, Norway ★Cross the Arctic Circle★

Also stopping at: Brennøysund · Sandnessjøen · Nesna · Ørnes · Stamsund · Svolvær

Day 5 Tromsø, Norway

Also stopping at: Stokmarknes · Sortland · Risøyhamn · Harstad · Finnsnes · Skjervøy

Day 6 Honningsvåg, Norway

Also stopping at: Øksfjord · Hammerfest · Havøysund · Kjøllefjord · Mehamn · Berlevåg

Day 7 Kirkenes, Norway

Also stopping at: Båtsfjord · Vardø · Vadsø · Vardø · Båtsfjord · Berlevåg

Day 8 Hammerfest, Norway

Also stopping at: Mehamn · Kjøllefjord · Honningsvåg · Havøysund · Øksfjord · Skjervøy

Day 9 Svolvær, Norway

Also stopping at: Tromsø · Finnsnes · Harstad · Risøyhamn · Sortland · Stokmarknes · Stamsund

Day 10 Brønnøysund, Norway

Also stopping at: Bodø · Ørnes · Nesna · Sandnessjøen · Rørvik

Day 11 Trondheim, Norway

Also stopping at: Kristiansund · Molde

Day 12 Bergen, Norway

Also stopping at: Ålesund · Torvik · Måløy · Florø Disembark in Bergen and transfer to the airport for your flight home

EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS OF UP TO £700*

WHAT'S INCLUDED

✓ 11 NIGHTS full board voyage on board MS Kong Harald including**:

• Full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner) from Norway's Coastal Kitchen
• INCLUDED Wi-Fi for all bookings
• UNLIMITED tea & coffee during mealtimes in Target restaurant
• No gratuities expected
• Small Ship voyage – up to 500 guests
• English-speaking Expedition Team on board

✓ EXPLORE WITH A RANGE OF OPTIONAL SEASONAL SHORE EXCURSIONS*

✓ Direct flights from London Stansted and all overseas transfers

PLUS, book an Outside or above by 8pm 23rd August 2026 to receive an EXCLUSIVE FREE Duo of Wine Gift*

SAVE EVERY TIME YOU BOOK -

EARN EXCLUSIVE CRUISE MILES®

worth £££s off your next booking!†

YOUR EXCLUSIVE FARES

CABIN FARE FROM (PP)	30th OCT 26	2nd DEC 26
Inside	£1,859	£1,499
Outside	£2,429	£1,969
Arctic Superior	£2,699	SOLD
Solo	£2,549	£2,039

rolcruise.co.uk/thei

TRAVEL WITH CONFERENCE

ABTA

CALL ONE OF OUR CRUISE SPECIALISTS FREE ON

0808 239 3527

QUOTE OFFER REF 644751

WE ARE OPEN 7

DAYS A WEEK

FROM 8:30AM – 6PM

Trustpilot

Hertogen Trustpilot Services Limited Truistpilot

Pricing and availability correct at time of sign till 11/06/2026. Fares are per person based on two adults sharing, except single cabins. May increase or be withdrawn at any time. Offer applies to new bookings only. Subscripts are based on two adults sharing on inside on 2nd December 2026, full time £1,849pp. Subject to the cruise line TBCs. Activities are optional and must be booked in advance. pre-available excursions are at a supplement and must be booked at least 20 days prior to departure. Please note cabins can be based on fixed double or twin bed configuration. Northern Lights promise TBC's apply for full details visit www.rolcruise.co.uk/NL/Promise. Flight schedules are subject to change. Gift is based on one per booking, for UK mainland addresses only. †Cruise Miles' TBCs apply. Agent is ATOL Holder - Hurtigruten 2004. Hurtigruten TBCs apply. £&OE.

---

Today's Weather

Cloudy across the UK with showers in Scotland and north-west England. Drier and cloudy in southern regions, with warm temperatures in London.

Today's high

25°

Today's low

12°

Moon Phase

Sunrise

05:50

Sunset

2017

47

Weather

Around Britain

City	Temp	Wind (km/h)	Rain	Sun
Aberdeen	16	C	0.6	2.0
Aberport	16	C	0.8	2.0
Aberystwyth	16	C	1.0	2.8
Anderham	17	C	1.0	0.7
Beiford	18	R	2.8	0.1
Birmingham	23	C	0.1	4.4
Beaumont	24	C	0.2	5.3
Bridlington	19	C	4.5	3.3
Bristol	23	C	0.2	6.3
Cardiff	23	C	0.4	6.3
Cromer	19	C	3.6	4.0
Durham	18	R	1.1	2.0
Eastbourne	24	C	0.5	7.0
Edinburgh	17	C	0.6	2.7
Edinburgh	16	C	1.1	1.7
Glasgow	17	R	0.9	2.3
Holmead	17	C	0.7	1.2
Hove	23	C	0.3	7.3
Hull	19	C	8.6	2.8
Huntingdon	24	C	0.3	5.9
Ipswich	21	C	0.9	4.5
Isle of Man	15	R	1.3	0.6
Isle of Wight	23	C	0.1	1.8
Kilburn	18	C	1.0	1.2
Kirkwall	13	C	0.4	2.0
Leeds	17	C	5.9	2.2
Lewis	13	C	0.4	3.9
Leuchtt	17	C	0.2	2.5
Lincoln	21	C	1.3	4.0
Liverpool	19	C	1.1	1.9
London	24	C	0.6	5.9
Manchester	20	C	0.8	2.0
Margate	20	C	3.9	6.0
Milford Haven	19	C	0.2	5.6
Morrisville	21	C	1.6	1.3
Newcastle	19	C	1.0	2.9
Norwich	21	C	1.6	4.3
Nottingham	20	C	0.4	4.0
Okehampton	21	C	0.9	6.7
Oxford	24	C	0.4	5.5
Portsmouth	22	C	0.2	7.9
Portland	22	C	0.0	6.4
Portsmouth	19	C	0.1	5.7
Preston	18	R	1.7	3.1
Rhyl	18	R	1.3	2.0
Sheffield	19	C	2.1	3.6
Shrewsbury	23	R	0.3	4.3
Shepard	19	C	3.7	4.2
Southend	22	C	1.4	4.9
Stoke	20	C	0.6	3.3
Stornoway	16	C	1.4	2.2
Swansea	21	C	0.5	5.0
Three	15	R	4.0	1.4

Global

City	Temp	Cond (km/h)	City	Temp	Cond (km/h)
Ally Shakt	4.6	5	Miami	24	5
Altruis	29	F	Milan	29	F
Alstom	24	S	Moscow	20	5M
Amsterdam	20	W	Munich	28	7M
Altrams	20	S	Munich	26	7M
Bangkok	24	C	New York	27	C
Barclayne	21	S	Nice	20	S
Beijing	22	S	Palma	23	S
Berlin	20	R	Paris	21	R
Brussels	21	C	Prague	22	7M
Budapest	20	C	Reykjavik	15	C
Chicago	18	R	Roi	15	R
Delia	23	S	Rome	22	R
Dubai	42	S	Stockholm	20	S
Dublin	18	C	Strasbourg	24	7M
Frankfurt	18	C	Sydney	15	5M
Geneva	20	R	Toronto	29	S
Helsinki	20	F	Tokyo	28	F
Hong Kong	32	S	Toronto	25	F
Holland	26	F	Vancouver	19	S
Johannesburg	20	S	Vienna	24	5M
Lisbon	22	S	Vienna	22	F
Los Angeles	24	F	Washington	22	R
Madrid	33	S	Wellington	8	5M

Key: C=Cloudy, DR=Drury

F=Fair, F=G=Flag, H=Hot, M=Max, R=Rain,

S=Sunny, SH=Showers, SL=Steel, SN=Snow,

SS=Sandstone, TN=Thunderstorm

Air Pollution Index

Region	Today	Tomorrow
Highlands	X	X
North East Scotland	X	X
Central Scotland	X	X
Scottish Borders	X	X
Northern Ireland	X	X
North West & Mersey	X	X
North East	X	X
Yorkshire & Humber	X	X
North Wales	X	X
West Midlands	X	X
East Midlands	X	X
South Wales	X	X
South West	X	X
South East	X	X
Eastern	X	X
Greater London	X	X

GENERAL SITUATION

A low-pressure area brings rain to north-west Scotland, north-east Scotland, south-west Scotland, Northern Isles, Western Isles, north-west England, and Northern Ireland. Cloudy skies prevail over much of England, Wales, and Ireland, though dry in the Channel Islands. Winds are predominantly westerly, with some gusts in areas. The day starts with cloud and rain in many areas, easing in the afternoon. London, SE Eng, East Anglia, Channel Is: Today will be dominated by cloudy skies with a threat of light rain in the morning. This overcast weather continues into the afternoon. By early evening, skies

will remain mostly grey, though rain will ease. Temperatures will be warm, with a gentle west wind, feeling cooler in the most western areas. Max temp: 25°C, Tonight, light rain, breezy. Min temp: 15°C.

Can S England, SW England, Midlands, S Wales, N Wales: Today will be dull and damp with cloudy skies across much of the region. The morning is forecast to begin overcast with a threat of light rain, particularly in the most northern parts. By afternoon, temperatures will rise slightly, providing a warm feel. Light westerly winds throughout the day. Max temp: 22°C, Tonight, light rain, breezy. Min temp: 15°C.

SE Scotland, NE Eng, E Eng: Cloudy skies are on the horizon with mild temperatures throughout the day. The morning is forecast to begin dull with thick cloud and light westerly winds. In the most northern parts, there is a threat of light rain by afternoon. The evening will remain overcast, with a slight breeze continuing. Max temp: 29°C, Tonight, light rain, breezy. Min temp: 13°C.

NW Eng, SW Scotland, N Ireland, Republic of Ireland, IsM:

The morning will begin with cloud cover and rain, particularly in the north-west. This dull and damp start will persist into the afternoon with temperatures remaining mild.

By evening, there is a threat of lighter showers in the most northern parts, while the most western areas will stay cloudy. Max temp: 20°C, Tonight, light rain, breezy. Min temp: 12°C.

NW Scotland, NE Scotland, W Isles, N Isles: Today will be dull and damp with cloudy skies and a threat of rain showers, especially in the morning. The afternoon will remain overcast, with temperatures remaining cool. By evening, rain intensifies in the most western areas, while the most northern parts experience brisk winds and cooler temperatures. Max temp: 18°C, Tonight, rain easing, mild. Min temp: 12°C.

Key: 1024

Isolators air pressure in milliliters

More front

Cool front

Occlusal front

SYNOPTIC PRESSURE A low-pressure system is centred over the Western Isles, gradually moving eastwards, bringing heavy rain to north-west and north-east Scotland, as well as Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, the high pressure near the Channel Islands is weakening slightly, allowing cloudy skies to dominate across England, Wales, and Ireland

HIGHS AND LOWS

(Sunday, up to 15pm)

Warmest: Teddington, Bushy Park, Greater London, 28C

Coldest: Sennybridge No.2, Plexey, 6C

Wettset: Lough Fee, County Tyrone, 9.20mm.

Sunniest: Camborne, Cornwall, 11.1hrs.

HOURS OF DAIRYNESS

Aberdeen	20.43-05.43
Birmingham	20.26-05.56
Bristol	20.26-06.02
Cardiff	20.29-06.04
Glasgow	20.46-05.56
Hull	20.24-05.48
Inverness	20.52-05.48
Liverpool	20.33-05.58
London	20.17-05.52
Manchester	20.30-05.55
Stornoway	21.03-05.56
Swansea	20.32-06.07
York	20.27-05.49

Five-day outlook

WEDNESDAY Rain showers across northern and western areas, mostly cloudy with sunny spells and warm temperatures in the south and east, breezy.

THURSDAY Rain showers expected for northern and western areas, generally fair and sunny in southern and eastern regions with warm temperatures.

FRIDAY Cloudy with rain showers across southern and eastern regions, while northern and western areas experience sunny spells and some light rain.

SATURDAY Mostly fair and sunny in many regions with occasional heavy rain showers in the south-west, gusty winds and cloudy in the Channel Islands.

SUNDAY Southern regions will experience fair and sunny weather, while northern areas will be mostly cloudy with occasional sunny spells.

---

NO PUMPING NO CORDS NO HEAVY WATERING CANS NO HOSES

Water the garden, clean windows, wash the car quickly and easily!

easyLife

Portable Rechargeable 5L Electric Sprayer

• Spray for 2-3 hours when fully charged
• Ideal for liquid fertilisers and insecticides
• No more heavy watering cans
• Adjusts telescopically from 180 to 210cm

Make light work of watering, cleaning, and spraying tasks with this smart rechargeable 5L Electric Sprayer - battery powered for effortless use with no manual pumping required.

Lightweight and fitted with an adjustable shoulder strap for hands-free portability, it features an easy on/off switch, a control button on the handle, and a twist-adjustable nozzle for anything from a fine mist to a steady stream. The wide-mouth opening makes filling simple, while the built-in lid handle ensures easy access.

A 130cm flexible hose and telescopic spray wand (extending from 180 to 210cm) let you reach tall climbers, trellises, and fruit trees with ease.

Ideal for water, liquid fertilisers, and insecticides, it comes with three interchangeable nozzles (mist, steam, and shower), a 5-litre tank, and a rechargeable battery that provides 2-3 hours of continuous spraying (USB cable included). Size: H30xW25xD13cm.

TACKLE SPRAYING TASKS AROUND THE HOME & GARDEN!

ORDER TODAY ONLY £29.99

0800 055 7777

Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat-Sun 9am-5pm

www.easylife.co.uk/electricsprayer

Post coupon to: Easylife (Dept TPE822) Walbrook West, Queenborough Road, Minster on Sea, Sheerness, ME12 3XT

Quote or order OFFER CODE TPE822 when you order. Delivery is usually 3-5days. Customers have 14-days from receipt of goods to approve purchase. If needed simply call us to arrange return of item(s) (underweight and in original packaging) for a replacement or refund. Calls to 0800 are free (mobile charges may vary). Easylife Ltd Registered Office 1145 Kings Terrace, London NW1 0JP Registered in England. Company registration no. 0521844 VAT no. 7489045

EASYLIFE TPE822

If you are not totally delighted return within 14 days for a refund or replacement

2-3 HOURS of continuous spraying before needing a recharge

Twist adjustable sprayheads

ONLY £29.99

Great for cleaning vehicles without cumbersome hoses and buckets

Clean high and low windows easily

Ideal for insecticides & chemical treatments around the garden

Post to: Easylife (Dept. TPE822), Walbrook West, Queenborough Road, Sheerness, Kent, ME12 3XT Please send me:

	Item	Colour	Price	Qty	P&P	Total
70/4	5L Electric Sprayer	-	£29.99		£6.99
70/4	2 x Electric Sprayer SAVE £10	-	£49.98		£6.99

Express Delivery £6.99

Highlands and Islands Delivery £8.99

I enclose a cheque payable to 'Easylife/TPE822' for £ ____ (please write your name and address on the back of the cheque). Or charge my MasterCard/Visa/American Express card:

Card Number: □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□

Name: Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms

Address:

Postcode:

Tel:

Email:

Signature:

We will periodically post to you our standard catalogue and special brochures containing products we think you will be interested in. We may also email you special offers and promotions. If you would prefer not to hear from us in this way, please tick the relevant boxes. Post ☐ Email ☐ Telephone ☐ fax ☐

Office Code TPE822

---

WEEK 2/13

THURSDAY 18-22

17 22-31

LIVE 26-27

CULTURE 28-31

SUNDAY 32-35

SPORT 42-45

TUESDAY 17 AUGUST 2026

49

The Sport Matrix

The day's action at a glance

Nick

Bandurak celebrates the

first of his two goals with Stuart Rushmere as England's men made it two wins out of two at the hockey World Cup. Bandurak (right), Rushmere, and Henry Croft scored the goals as England beat India 4-2 in Amsterdam. Wales' hopes are hanging by a thread after a 3-3 draw with Pakistan, Gareth Furlong scoring twice, while Scotland's women are out after losing 3-2 to the US.

RUGBY UNION

Halaholo says goodbye to his playing career

Former Wales and Cardiff centre Willis Halaholo has retired at the age of 36.

The New

Zealand-born player won the last of his nine Wales caps in April 2022 after qualifying on residency grounds. He later played three times for Tonga.

Halaholo (above) joined Cardiff in 2016 and made more than 100 appearances during an eight-year stay which was interrupted by serious injuries.

"The mind is still keen to carry on but I think the body has had enough," he said on Instagram.

Halaholo, who began his career in New Zealand with Southland, plans to turn his attention to coaching.

TENNIS

Fery in Davis Cup squad for Ecuador clash

Arthur Fery has been named in the Great Britain Davis Cup team for the home qualifying tie against Ecuador.

The 24-year-old Wimbledon semi-finalist (above), is joined by Cameron Norrie, Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool.

There remains a fifth spot up for grabs, which could go to Jack Draper if he can get back to fitness.

Captain Leon Smith said: "We know Ecuador will be right up for the challenge, so to be able to call on our top two singles players and two of the world's best doubles players gives us a great chance."

The tie takes place at London's Copper Box on 19-20 September, with the winners going through to the Final 8 in November.

RUGBY UNION

Wales centre James pens new Scarlets deal

Wales centre Eddie James has signed a new contract with Scarlets.

James (left), 24, made his

international debut against South Africa in 2024 and has won 11 caps.

He has played 53 times for Scarlets. The length of his new deal has not been disclosed.

Scarlets director of rugby Nigel Davies told the club website: "The exciting thing with Eddie is that there is still so much more to come from him.

"He's only 24 and has some outstanding physical qualities. He's big, powerful and explosive, but he's also got the skill-set to play the type of rugby we're building here."

Puzzle solutions

Dominoes

Journey Finder

Making Tracks

Number Square

Idoku

Kakuro

Wijuko

Binary

ABC Logic

Zygolex

LEFT TO RIGHT: chap: speak; yam: tale; yap: talk; bark: stark; stalk: bare; stem: nude; gem: dare; stew.

Daily Quiz

1. Cheese blintz
2. Crucible Theatre
3. La donna è mobile
4. Insects

Word Ladder

Sudoku

Jigsawdoku

Number Hexagon

Monday's Codeword 4587

Word Wheel

NINE-LETTER WORD BELLICOSE

OTHER WORDS belie, belies, bell, belle, bellies, bells, bile, bill, bills, bloc, boil, boils, bole, boll, celeb, cobs, libel, libels, lobe, lobs, obese, slob.

Killer Sudoku

Minesweeper

Number Pyramid

Calcudoku

Word Square

Knight's Tour

Pathfinder

Chain Link

Futoshiki

Hexalex

Word Fit

Colls

Battleships

Bridges

Word Search

Five-Clue Cryptic Crossword

Across: 3 Stitch, 5/6 General's-trike Down: 1 A-scent, 2 L-iberia, 4 Claret*

---

50

SPORT

ATHLETICS

We need more women to have the confidence of golden Amy

Cathal Dennehy

believes sprinter's self-belief will grab attention for sport

Soon after she crossed the line in the 200 metres final in Birmingham last Thursday, having won the second of four gold medals at the European Championships, Amy Hunt spread her arms wide, looked down the camera and shouted: "Are you not entertained?"

The Gladiator reference was fitting for the 24-year-old who had just conquered the fastest sprinters in Europe. Hunt became the first athlete in the 92-year history of the championships to win four golds at a single edition, completing a sprint double before anchoring British teams to glory in the women's 4x100m relay and mixed 4x100m.

It solidified her as Britain's sprint queen, while her words throughout the week denoted an athlete who is at ease wearing the crown.

Hunt knows how good she is, and she's not afraid to say it.

Before the event, she said "I want it all", meaning four gold medals. As she powered to the fourth victory on Sunday, she stuck her tongue out and later held up four fingers.

But amid all the adulation, there was a depressing, predictable backlash. Many, it seemed, did not like Hunt's bullish attitude, the way she carried herself and the assured confidence in her words.

In athletics, she's a departure

from the norm. This is a sport where it's more typical to tread with caution ahead of major events, then but away praise in the aftermath.

Hunt doesn't do that, and after winning 200m silver at the World Championships in Tokyo last year, the Cambridge graduate said she had proved to young girls that you can be an "academic badass and a track goddess".

She is smart, speedy and carries an assured swagger to the start line. That main-character energy is common among male sprinters, and few had issues with it when it was Usain Bolt or Noah Lyles strutting around behind the blocks.

But among female athletes it's less common, less accepted, with a subtle, societal expectation to not shout too loud about their own achievements, to always be measured in pre-race predictions and modest in victory. Some look at

Hunt's confidence and all they can see is arrogance.

She's tall, talented and ebullient in her self-belief, with a cover-girl image and a precocious sprinting gift that saw Vogue label her "one of the faces to define the decade" when she was still a teenager.

Hunt doesn't shy away from that limelight. She leans into it. That has its drawbacks, and she has dealt with abuse and lewd messages on social media since exploding on to the scene as a 17-year-old, setting a world under-18 record for 200m.

She knows that censoring her true self would do her, and the sport, few favours. Athletics faces a

Those who want her to rein in that personality rarely say the same about male athletes

battle for public attention and one of the keys to getting it is stars who are unafraid to speak bluntly and boldly, to show their personalities – even if it brings a backlash.

"People are always going to hate," Hunt told The Guardian in March. "One thing that is maybe controversial to say is that I think athletes should be open to a little bit more hate.

"That sounds horrible, but I mean it in a way that if we want our sport to grow because if we look at all the other sports – football, tennis, F1 – that are huge in public and cultural consciousness, they get a lot more hate and aggression than we do."

Such criticism doesn't seem to affect her. It even emboldens her. "Everyone's entitled to their own opinions," she said. "So in the least cocky way possible, my opinion is the only one that matters."

After powering to the 100m title

last Monday, Hunt did not pretend the outcome came as a surprise, but it was proof of a "big premonition" that she'd be the champion.

"I'm someone who doesn't shy away from what she knows she can do," she said. "I knew I could come away with a gold."

It might draw some pockets of criticism, but with four gold medals and an exploding profile, it's clearly helping her connect with the masses. Hunt is now odds-on favourite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, ahead of another big-talking track star, Josh Kerr.

Those who want her to rein in that personality, talk a little less or dim her natural light rarely say the same about male athletes. She should be widely heralded for being willing to talk a big game and then back it up. Sport could do with more female stars who are just like her.

Champion celebrates in style: with KFC and champagne

By Rachel Steinberg

Amy Hunt enjoyed a glass of champagne, feasted on Kentucky Fried Chicken, had a massage and went to sleep at 4am knowing she was the first athlete to win four gold medals at a single European athletics championships.

The 24-year-old wrapped up the individual part of her quest, a sprint double, then added women's 4x100m gold on Saturday in Birmingham before anchoring Great Britain home in the inaugural European mixed 4x100m relay 24 hours later to complete the unprecedented quadruple.

Like Josh Kerr, who took the public with him in his journey to break the world mile record last month, Hunt

was fearless about her ambition before the Europeans, wrapping it up in a High School Musical reference when she declared "I want it all".

"I think speaking confidently draws people in," said Hunt, the morning after making European history. "People are attracted to that kind of no facade, full confidence, full-throttle kind of way of speaking.

"In other sports, if you're going to a Wimbledon final, it's obviously quite clear you want to win, but sometimes [in athletics] there's a lot more jeopardy involved in what we do, and because there are a lot more people on the line running against us, sometimes people are a bit more afraid of voicing their ambitions.

"But life is short. Why not be ambi-

Amy Hunt reminds the world of how many gold medals she won

tious? We're all thinking these things, so why not say them out loud?"

By many bookmakers' odds, Hunt

is now the outright favourite to win the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award, joining Kerr, second on most of those lists, and Birmingham's European 1500m champion Georgia Hunter Bell.

It is all the more remarkable for British athletics in a year that does not feature an Olympics or a world championships.

"It speaks to the resurgence and reignition of track and field in 2026," said Hunt. "It's been amazing to see the public fall back in love with us and to be in people's minds and hearts.

"Athletics coming back with a swagger is what everyone needs."

The Cambridge graduate's career choices echo that of another

Spots contender, Jude Bellingham, who escaped the more intense early-career scrutiny and spotlight of England when he signed for Borussia Dortmund.

Hunt believes her "secluded set-up" in northern Italy, under coach Marco Airale, automatically offers a protective bubble.

The Gen Z athlete, who will run the 200m in Lausanne on Friday, is genuinely proud of her limited screen time in Birmingham, but concedes it's now probably time to "give Keely [Hodgkinson] a little text to see how she manages it [the fame].

"But it's definitely not something I shy away from. I'm not scared of it at all. I think it's a privilege to be famous as a track person."

---

34

WEEK 2-13

THURSDAY 18-27

TV 22-31

LIVE 14-17

CUSTOMS 20-25

MONDAY 22-30

SPORT 22-25

TUESDAY 17 AUGUST 2026

51

CRICKET

Cox aims to make England No 3 spot his own - with Kohli's help

By David Charlesworth

Jordan Cox believes the time he spent with Virat Kohli at the Indian Premier League has helped prime him for Test cricket as he prepares to bed in as England's new No 3 this week.

Cox missed the early part of the season at Essex to warm the bench at Royal Challengers Bangalore, although he was able to seek the counsel of teammate and India superstar Kohli.

It was been a challenging past couple of years for Cox, who was on the verge of a Test debut in 2024 only for injury to strike, allowing Jacob Bethell to steal in and leapfrog him in the pecking order.

Cox belatedly made his Test bow in June against New Zealand at No 7 but Bethell's injury to his right knee has opened up a spot in the top-order against Pakistan at Headingley, starting tomorrow.

"I could get a pair, but that's not the end of the world," Cox told the BBC. "I had that Test cap right there [in 2024], then I couldn't get it. It felt like that was the end, as bad as that sounds.

"I remember talking to Virat about it. He said, 'there are billions of people who don't even know who I am. The sun will come in the morning'."

"He's crazy on the field. When he comes off the field, he's one of the nicest guys you'll meet. It's about how I can be like that. How can I be really aggressive on the field, then

He's crazy on the field. When he comes off the field, he's one of the nicest guys you'll meet

when I come off everyone say, 'he's a great bloke'.

"I'll keep it [his advice] for ever, I think. He's someone that I'll text if I'm ever feeling down or need a bit of help. He's always at the end of the phone."

Cox has been assured he will play at least the first two Tests against Pakistan as England trained in Leeds yesterday.

The three players who were involved in the Lord's Hundred final - opener Ben Duckett and fast bowlers Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson - arrived in Yorkshire without taking part in practice.

That has contributed to England delaying the announcement of the final XI 48 hours out, which was customary under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, although seamer Ollie Robinson trained after his partner gave birth to their baby daughter last week.

Cox has spent the past few weeks at Welsh Fire, alongside new England captain Joe Root, and enjoyed being able to become more acquaint-

Tourists sweating on fitness of skipper Babar for first Test

Babar Azam is a doubt to captain Pakistan in this week's first Test against England at Headingley.

The 31-year-old injured a finger on his right hand during Pakistan's series-levelling win over the West Indies in Trinidad a fortnight ago.

He was then struck on the same hand when batting during Pakistan's warm-up in Beckenham, retiring hurt and not

Jordan Cox heads out for a nets session at Headingley HEUTERS

ed with the Yorkshireman. "I've got to know Joe on a different level," Cox said. "It's weird when you come into this [England] environment, being in and out all the time, to get to really know people.

featuring in the rest of the match as a precaution.

Babar hatted in the nets yesterday but his practice time was brief and he continues to be monitored.

Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas was optimistic about Masood's availability, saying: "He practised today and he looks good. Hopefully he will be available for the selection."

"But to get to have three-and-a-half weeks with Joe when we're batting together in the nets, and talk about cricket and life in general, has been awesome."

Cox has only batted once at first drop, making scores of 22 and 20 against Nottinghamshire in the 2019 County Championship, dismissed both times by India great Ravichandran Ashwin.

However, he bats at four for Essex and spent much of his formative career opening for Kent, so he is relishing the experience of trying to make his mark in England's top three.

Asked what his first thought was when he was called up, Cox said: "This will be fun!"

"[National selector] Marcus North called me and said, 'don't change the way you've been playing in county cricket. Go and embrace the challenge and have fun'. That's what I'm looking to do."

ENGLAND WOMEN

Dean takes over again as captain for Ireland ODIs

By David Charlesworth

Charlie Dean will captain England in next month's three one-day internationals against Ireland in the absence of Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Dean (below) stood in for Sciver-Brunt during white-ball series against New Zealand and India this summer, then again when the talismanic all-rounder was injured during the T20 World Cup.

Sciver-Brunt is continuing to manage her fitness and recovery, as is Dannil Wyatt-Hodge, so they will miss the Ireland series, alongside fellow senior players Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell and Amy Jones.

Lancashire seamer Grace Potts and Surrey

wicketkeeper-batter Kira Chathli are two uncapped players in the 15-strong squad, with quick flyers MacDonald-Gay recalled, having last featured in the 2025 Ashes.

Alice Capsey will take the gloves with Jones missing out for a series which starts at Grace Road on 1 September, with further matches at Derby on 3 September and New Road on 6 September.

England head coach Charlotte Edwards said: "We have got plenty of exciting and talented cricketers in our game and this is an opportunity for some of them to push themselves further forward by hopefully contributing to England victories and putting pressure on future selection."

Sport on TV

Test cricket: Sri Lanka v India

TNT Sports 2, 5.15pm

Tennis: Cincinnati Open

Sky Sports Tennis, 1pm

Rugby league: Hull KR v

Warrington (featuring

George Williams,

below)

Sky Sports Action

7.30pm

Results Service

FOOTBALL

THE SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP

Cardiff (1) 1 Wreatham (1) 1 R Calwell (2) 1 Mawry (1) 1 AV 13.15

p W B L F A Ph

GFK Millwall

Swastow West Brom

Batton Clayton

Middlesbrough

Watford Blackburn

West Ham Bentley

Wolverhampton Wrexham

Cardiff

Birmingham Staff City

Derby Lincoln City

Preston North End Norwich

Hornell York

Portsmouth Bristol City

Southampton

CRICKET

FIRST TEST MATCH Sri Lanka v India, Galle India LSD-38 (2.05), overs

D H Haddad (69) R A Kahan (6) D C Irard (2) W K

Nizambha (4) D. N. S. P P Aadom (4) a. 0.00 Sri Lanka dby-16 (75), overs S D Gamage (60), D P D N D Kevitt (6) M J Vuther a. 76, P A Jollop 3-0.0

TODAY'S FIXTURES

FOOTBALL

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAY-OFF FIRST LEG

Lovely Soho v AFA Athens (5)

Shremo Zagreb v Weng P K (6)

6FL TROPHY, Northern, Group B: Wigan v Aston Villa (12) Group E: Dodnight Gr v Everton (10)

Southern, Group C: Reading v Wycombe (10)

Group F: Burnet v Arsenal (5/6), Leyton Ghent v

AFC Wimbledon (7/8) Group G: Northampton v

Brighton (7/8)

CRICKET

FIRST TEST MATCH (Fourth day of first)

Sri Lanka v India (Galle, 2.30pm)

RUGBY LEAGUE

BETTERD SUPER LEAGUE Hull K R v Warrington (4)

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Leeds	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Wigan	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Warrington	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Waterfield	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Hull K R	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Leeds	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
St Albans	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Canberra Dragons	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Cardifford	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Toulouse	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
York	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Hull	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Huddersfield	2	2	2	2	2	2	28
Bradford	2	2	2	2	2	2	28

TOP TIP

Sœur De Flash

(2.45, Chepstow)

Looked a winner in waiting when finishing a close-up third on her Windsor debut a month ago. Despite looking a little clueless at times, the Ardad filly was only beaten by half a length and can go a couple of places better in Monmouthshire.

CHEPSTOW GOOD TO FIRM

3.45 BALLY FAMILY INVESTMENTS / EBF MAIDEN STAKES (GBB RACE) CLASS 2) FFD £13,000 added 1f

1	12N	AVONICS	A Bading 9 1	7 Marquand 6
2	1	GROVE STREET	A Mohan 9 7	7 Leavy 6
3	1	HIGHLAND FROST	J Portman 9 7	8 Harvika 6
4	1	IT'S A ORGAN	J T Davis 9 7	8 Phrench-Geria (2) 6
5	1	TALAMON	N Soughty 9 7	8 Longmore 6
6	1	LA BASSETTE	C Cox 5	8 Rosas Ryan 3

6 declared -

BETTING: 13-8 Grove Street, 9-6 Talamon, on-3 Avionics, 7-1 La Bassette, 10-1 Highland Frost, 11-1 Dream

WOLVERHAMPTON STANDARD

6.00 SKY SPORTS RACING SKY 4.65 RESTRICTED NOVICE STAKES (GBB RACE) CLASS 2) FFD £13,000 added 1f

1	8	ARLIECHWAT'S WOM	A Giner 9 7	8 Hardin 44
2	8	BACKMOP HOUCAN	J Furlattis 9 7	8 Creach 3
3	1	DIANA DETECTIVE	D Gerralds & J Gutterton	10 Russell 9
4	1	JAVELOT	J Bick 9 7	5 De Sessa 5
5	6	L B DOUBLES	J Descombe 9 7	8 L Laskin 6
6	1	MALISBY	A Mohan 9 7	3 Murphy 9
7	5	PEABERRY	J Ward 9 7	5 M Lowy 6
8	1	SPES BUDGET AVENUE	Jack Morland 9 7	6 Shepherd 4
9	4	WITHOUT FALL	W Bell 9 7	2 Bradnam (2) 10
10	7	BRADSHAW BLUFF	J Furlattis 9 7	8 P Downey 10
11	4	APES'S LOOK	J Cullen 9 7	3 Genuine 2
12	10	CRANSE LONGUE	E Dunlop 9 7	7 Callan 7

12 declared -

BETTING: 12-8 Harlson, 9-6 Padonry, 7-6 Jewell, 3-1 L B Doulle (1, 10-1 Backwell) season, on-4 Chalse League, Dark Detective, 12-4 Wilbour Fell, 10-4 others

---

52

SPORT

FOOTBALL

Rubin Colwill hails his goal from a free-kick earned by brother Joel

Colwills leave it late for Cardiff

CARDIFF CITY R Colwill, ga

WREXHAM Moore 2

By Phil Blanche

AT CARDIFF CITY STADIUM

Rubin Colwill scored a ferocious equaliser with almost the final kick of the match to earn Cardiff a Championship draw with Wrexham.

Wrexham appeared to have the Welsh bragging rights sewn up as the contest ticked into the eighth minute of added time in the capital.

But George Dobson brought down Joel Colwill on the edge of the box, and his brother stepped up to lash a brilliant free-kick over the wall and past Anthony Patterson in the Wrexham goal.

Colwill's strike cancelled out Kieffer Moore's third-minute effort, the former Cardiff forward continuing his habit of scoring against his former employers - his seventh versus the Bluebirds.

Wrexham had 18 goal attempts to 11 and should have prevented any late anxiety by putting the game beyond hosts back at this level after a season in League One.

Cardiff's defensive resources had been stretched by injuries to Calum Chambers, Dylan Lawlor and Will Fish, so much so that usual left-back Joel Bagan was switched inside to partner Gabriel Osho in the heart of the Bluebirds backline.

The new-look partnership was exposed immediately after Cardiff only managed to clear a Lewis O'Brien free-kick as far as Danny Imray and his ball forward caught the home side napping.

Osho played Moore onside and the striker broke beyond Bagan to rifle the ball above Nathan Trott's head for his first goal since February, ending a run of 11 Wrexham games without scoring.

Cardiff sent on the Colwills just after the hour mark to try and shift momentum - and they ended up denying Wrexham their first win in the Welsh capital since 1992.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Carrick's mysterious early success faces stern test with name on door

Kevin Garside

CHIEF SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Manchester United's defeat to AC Milan in the final pre-season warm-up was framed as a player problem, or rather the lack of the fantasy midfielder and left-back required to make United whole again.

But how long before the problem reverts to a managerial issue and last season's saviour is identified as a culprit?

It is only 14 months since Michael Carrick (bottom) was sacked by Middlesbrough, ending his first senior managerial role after two and a half years.

His appointment as caretaker at Old Trafford in January was born of convenience, loaning heavily on a combination of short-term availability, former player energy and familiarity.

The attributes that would ordinarily qualify a coach to manage United - experience and trophies - Carrick manifestly lacks. This, of course, proved a kind of superpower in those early weeks in which his reformed United bounced Manchester City at Old Trafford and looted Arsenal at the Emirates.

The euphoria of that rapid start draped Carrick in mystic otherworldliness, a protective layer that would suspend scrutiny and critical appraisal.

The absence of permanence meant Carrick was not operating under anything like the pressure that comes when your name is nailed on the door.

Carrick's tousle-haired cool may, or may not, reflect world-leading attributes. The point is there was no way of knowing when Ineos replaced Ruben Amorim with him. Moreover, the sample as caretaker played out under unique conditions that can only be evaluated over time.

What we do know with United is how quickly the roof caves in. One bad performance is all it takes to trigger the podcast commentariat populated by an army of former United players hitched to microphones, headed by Carrick-sceptics Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.

You have to fear for Rio Ferdinand. Reeling from the Milan reverse, Ferdinand launched into a febrile social media plea for his old club to sign Myles Lewis-Skelly from

It is only 14 months ago that Carrick was sacked by Middlesbrough after two and a half years

'We won't talk about Bruno'

Manchester United will rebuff any bids made for captain Bruno Fernandes before the end of the transfer window with a clear message that he is not for sale. Fresh reports have suggested Galatasaray could make a bid to sign the 31-year-old, who has entered the final year of a United contract which includes an option

for a further 12 months. But a clause in his contract which set a fee of around £57m for overseas clubs has now expired. Fernandes had said his desire to stay was fuelled by a feeling he has unfinished business at Old Trafford. Since joining from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020, Fernandes has won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Arsenal. "Get the chequebook out, slap it down and sign him. No questions asked," Ferdinand said in an escalating rant that identified Lewis-Skelly as the man

who single-handedly made Arsenal champions again. And from midfield, too, not his usual left-back slot.

Two players in one, who could refuse that kind of deal? Not even the penny-pinching Ineos, right? Ferdinand's appeal reflects

The worry in Poland was the degree to which Carrick was outthought by the bloke he replaced

the sense of instability and panic surrounding a club that refuses to stabilise. The defeat to Amorim's hitherto struggling Milan fed into the growing alarm over United's sluggish transfer activity, which has failed to keep pace with their Big Six rivals.

The worry in Poland was the degree to which Carrick was outthought by the bloke he replaced. The same lack of control experienced under Amorim was evident in a midfield persistently overrun.

At one point in the first half Milan enjoyed 73 per cent of possession as they poured through gaps engineered by the failed three-at-the-back dogma that led to Amorim's dismissal at United.

The ageing legs of Casemiro found echoes in Youri Tielemans (below right), whose strength at 29 is not doing the hard yards. Alongside Tielemans, Andrey Santos shows huge promise but lacks experience.

The third wheel in United's embryonic engine room, Bruno Fernandes, does not have the instinct for defensive actions and is frequently a passenger when United are out of possession.

Thus United remain easy prey against organised teams when the slick combinations break down. Mason Mount's fitness

issues and Kobbie Mainoo's lack of minutes compromised Carrick's selections in Poland, further upping the angst among United fans.

Carrick's caretaker success, returning more points in the first half of 2026 than any other Premier League team, means that protests at poor performances are for now aimed at Ineos and the football directorate led by Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox.

Carrick could hardly have picked kinder opening fixtures than a trip to Hull City, followed by Ipswich Town at home and Everton away. Fourth up is the Manchester derby.

He wouldn't want to enter that crucible needing points on the board. If that turns out to be his fate, the atmosphere might be somewhat different to the one he enjoyed the last time United met City at home.

---

NEWS 7-33

OPINION 11-22

TV 28-31

LIVE 14-17

CUSTOMS 18-21

HONEY 22-25

SPORT 26-28

TUESDAY 11 AUGUST 2026

53

SCOTLAND

Pocognoli aims to update Clarke's 'heritage'

By Gavin McCafferty

New Scotland head coach Sébastien Pocognoli declared the passion of Scottish football to be an ideal fit for his philosophy.

The former Belgium international has been tasked with building on Steve Clarke's record of qualifying for three major tournaments.

Clarke stepped down after the World Cup having failed to inspire fans for the bulk of those tournament experiences but Pocognoli stressed he would respect the "heritage" of his predecessor in terms of personnel and identity.

But the 39-year-old, who led Union Saint-Gilloise to their first Belgian title in 90 years in 2024-25, is also intent on imprinting his personality on to the team.

The former West Brom and Brighton left-back said: "For me, it's an exciting challenge because I never go through a challenge where I can't feel the connection. Scotland is a passionate country for football, I'm passionate.

"When I had the first contact, it's not like you pick up the phone and you think 'hmmm'. I was straight away very curious and interested because I always feel something

Sébastien Pocognoli led Union Saint-Gilloise to their first title in 90 years PA

special for the passion of Scottish football. It's very famous in Belgium, this aspect.

"It's a big part of my decision be-

cause I think it can make a good fit with what I want to produce on the pitch and what the supporters want." Pocognoli avoided making bold

When you think about Scotland it's passionate players who fight together

proclamations about changing the team's style of play but he feels his approach can connect with fans.

"I want to keep a strong foundation that was built in the past," the former Monaco head coach said.

"When you think about Scotland, it's passionate players who fight together, who defend together, who want to help their teammates. That was the DNA from the team in recent years.

"What I will try to do, and we have the capacity to do this, is to maybe defend from the front, be a little bit more aggressive going forward and try to have a good football moment on the pitch.

"I'm quite direct in terms of football and try to be aggressive and try to dominate. I think all the coaches in modern football try to do this and say that, but the reality is that you have to do it.

"If you watch my two previous teams, you can see a relation between what I say and what I hope I

can produce in a very short period of time.

"It doesn't matter where you play or who you are, you have to show the desire and fit the philosophy that I want to bring on the pitch. But we have all the quality already in the squad to do this."

Pocognoli has been given the task of with developing young players but retaining an experienced core.

"What they asked me to do is just to keep the heritage that was built the last years with Steve Clarke and his staff, because they put Scotland back on the map, but bring new ideas and prepare the future," he said.

"The most important thing is what was achieved before, to participate in the tournaments and to win games, and that is what they did to reach the World Cup. So for me that's the base and it's a very strong base."

Craig Mulholland, the Scottish FA's chief football officer, added that Pocognoli won the board over with his vision. Mulholland said: "Sébastien had a massive passion for us becoming a high-performing nation. We know what our ambitions are.

"We looked at metrics around playing style – and Sébastien met all of that – but beyond the data what's important is the person."

Sky Sports, Sky TV & Netflix

£35

a month Prices may change during 24-month min term.

sky

Search 'Sky Essential TV'

£15 Essential TV includes a selection of Sky channels.

New Sky TV customers only. Requires Sky Stream with 24-month minimum terms for Sky Essential TV (£15 a month) and Sky Sports Complete (£35 a month). Contact private apps after currently £15 and £35 a month. Essential TV includes Sky Atlantic, Sky News, Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports Racing. Netflix Standard with ads and Discovery - Entertainment - account on up-regulated. Minimum broadband speed 25 Mbps recommended. All content available from October 19 - 24 Channel Islands and lots of their residential customers only, further times apply.

---

54

SPORT

Premier League

What every club needs before the end of the month

The new football season is upon us. With the Premier League returning on Friday and the World Cup delaying most transfer business, every club in the top division still has work to do to be ready.

We have gone through every Premier League club, diagnosing one piece of business that is more crucial than any other for them to address weaknesses or empty spaces in their squads...

Arsenal Left winger

Arsenal have already signed Christos Tzolis, but we should expect the Greece winger to be the Leandro Trossard replacement: starting in Europe and domestic cups but a bench option in the league. Gabriel Martinelli's career has stalled a little, so it's no surprise to see Arsenal move for a superstar option. The problem? Now that we know Vinicius Junior isn't joining, where do they turn next?

Aston Villa Left-back

Ian Maatsen hasn't really cemented a place as Villa hoped he might, so with Lucas Digne (and his punchy wages) off to Paris Saint-Germain, Villa need a starting left-back. Atletico Madrid's Matteo Ruggeri (right) is one option - Unai Emery needs someone who can overlap and create chances from wide with Morgan Rogers leaving.

Bournemouth The new Semenyo

Not much to ask, is it? The Cherries have already been busy and perhaps they will settle for Amine Adli, David Brooks, Rayan and Justin Kluivert sharing starts between them (remember they have European football too). But if there were an opportunity to add a ball-carrying winger to speed up counter attacks, Marco Rose would surely appreciate it.

Brentford A starting left-back

Rico Henry is Mr Brentford but is unlikely to be starting too many Premier League matches this season and his injuries are still

Daniel Storey

CHIEF FOOTBALL WRITERS

a concern. Keane Lewis-Potter deputised at left-back last season but you suspect Keith Andrews might like him to operate a little further forward. And those are the only two options right now.

Brighton A Welbeck replacement

Danny Welbeck was the only Brighton player to score more than five times in the league last season. The highest-scoring forward after Welbeck was Georginio Rutter, with three, Brighton have European football this season and the only new striker cost £3m from

Benfica. Banking on one of their two Greek babies hitting it big feels like a massive gamble.

Chelsea - A high-class winger

It is genuinely hilarious that I am writing that Chelsea need a winger. They have on their books (deep breath): Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Jamie Gittens, Morgan Rogers, Mykhailo Mudryk, Geovany Quenda, Emmanuel Emegba and Alejandro Garnacho (out on loan). And how many would get into Arsenal or Manchester City's team? One. Unless Rogers (above) is playing as a winger, there are still gaps.

Coventry City An experienced centre-back

Coventry's business has been pretty slow, but they have at least turned the loan deals of Frank Onyeka and Carl Rushworth into permanent signings and also opted for potential with Aurèle Amenda and Caleb Yirenky. But that defensive line, which did concede 45 times last season in the Championship, needs a reliable enforcer: Ipswich signed Issa Diop, the Sky Blues need something similar.

Crystal Palace A creative midfielder

Crystal Palace need depth across

Andrey Santos is an encouraging signing for Manchester United. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been linked with Newcastle; Daizen Maeda may not fulfil Ipswich's need for a top-level forward; Bradley Barcola would be an expensive solution for Liverpool GETTY

the pitch ahead of a Europa League campaign that will test the squad more than the Conference League did. With £70m spent on Brennan Johnson (now at Everton) and Jorgen Strand Larsen in January, budgets are tight. But the only two players to create more than 30 chances in the league last season were Yeremy Pino and Adam Wharton; this team needs more midfield creativity or out wide.

Everton A right-back (eventually)

The Seamus Coleman era is over after 17 years. The Nathan Patterson era barely even started. Jake O'Brien has performed ably at right-back for a long time, but the actual Prime Minister of the UK has spoken about the need for

Everton to sign a new one so we can presume that it should be high up the list.

Fulham A guaranteed performer

I'm very prepared to look silly here, but I'm a little worried about Fulham. The Cottagers have replaced the dependable Marco Silva with the inexperienced Alvaro Arbeloa and have since signed two young Real Madrid fringe players, who share an agency with the new Fulham head coach, and Shea Charles. Add in the losses of

Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson and Fulham badly need experience, goals or both.

Hull City Creativity

Ryan Giles and Oli McBurnie were Hull's two most regular chance creators last season; Joe Gelhardt was third and his loan spell has ended. The Tigers have signed three central midfielders and a goalkeeper, but Hull are probably going to need to score at least 40

The Prime Minister

has spoken about the need for Everton to sign a right-back

goals and I'm just not sure where the creative outlets are.

Ipswich Town Final-third experience

I'm impressed by Ipswich's business, but they absolutely need another forward and it would be useful if he had a high floor. Emerson is the big-money arrival but has only scored eight career league goals. Daizen Maeda had a fine record in Scotland but will rely upon service. A physical striker with some experience would be ideal but - statement of the obvious - they hardly grow on trees.

Leeds More depth up front

Leeds are in a strong position to kick on from last season, given their lack of European distraction and their form over the second half of 2025-26. That said, my brain still can't compete that Noah Okafor, Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 28 Premier League goals last season;

---

NEWS 5-33

ORIGIN 10-22

TV 26-31

LIVE 26-37

CENTER 30-31

HONEY 26-31

SPORT 26-28

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2026

55

more than Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak combined. And it also can't compute that it can happen again.

Liverpool An elite right winger And I insert that positional caveat quite deliberately. Liverpool have lost Salah and they have Gakpo and Isak, who like to drift left. The current answer appears to be paying an awful lot of money for Bradley Barcola, whose natural position is on the left, and playing him on the right. Sorry but I'm just not convinced it works out for the price or solves the issues with creativity that Liverpool suffered last season.

Manchester City Yet another midfielder

There exists a Bermuda Triangle-style vortex, where midfielders who ideally would replace Rodri sink without trace. Elliot Anderson joins Ilkay Gündogan (take two), Tijjani Reijnders, Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and Nico González. Four of those five are still there (although Reijnders is leaving) and yet they still need another midfielder - especially with Rodri off to Barcelona.

Manchester United A midfielder to build around

I really like the move for Youri Tielemans (below), despite the number of matches in his legs. I quite like the move for Andrey Santos, although United have overpaid. The problem is they needed a central midfielder to build around with Casemiro gone, and I don't think either of these transfers answers that conundrum. And now I'm not sure who really would.

Newcastle An experienced midfielder

Newcastle have a new Red Bull head coach and have sold players for almost £250m. The ages of the replacement players so far: 18, 20, 20, (goalkeeper) and 24 (also goalkeeper). This can be exciting and this can work, but they need at least one player over the age of 27 to replace Tomali or Bruno. And he needs to be better than Pierre-Emile Hojlijerg.

Nottingham Forest A natural wing-back

Business has been slow so far for Forest under Oliver Glasner, and if

he is intent on replicating the wing-back system from Crystal Palace there is work to do. Neco Williams has the versatility to make it work on the left, but Ola Aina's attacking productivity isn't fit for this purpose and Aina may work better as the right-sided central defender who could shift over to make a four. Either way, Forest need at least one.

Sunderland A younger left-back

There are no glaring gaps in Sunderland's squad, but it's also true to say that nobody can say with any certainty that it is deep enough to cope with Thursday-Sunday football either. One area of concern is at left-back, where Reinaldo, 32, is the only real option. A younger, overlapping option would help now that Thomas Meunier has been signed to play on the right.

Tottenham An elite striker

Spurs have not been excellent at many things over the last few years, but buying attacking players for between £40m and £60m who turn out to be quite good but not good enough is one of them. And they are looking for a better striker because they already have Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert. And they need one.

MANCHESTER CITY

New series shows Pep's duels with Walker and threats to walk away

By Andy Hampson

Pep Guardiola clashed with his captain and almost broke down in tears as he railed at players during his worst run as Manchester City boss.

The Catalan stood down at the end of last season after a glorious 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium.

But one of the lowest points came in the autumn of 2024, when City lost nine times and won just once in the space of 13 games.

Guardiola outwardly showed signs of strain, notably when he scratched his face after City surrendered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 at home to Feyenoord in the Champions League.

Behind closed doors he was also angry with his players, as shown in a new fly-on-the-wall Prime Video documentary, A Beautiful Obsession.

He argued in the dressing room with then captain Kyle Walker, who felt he was being unfairly singled out.

"You keep saying my name in every meeting," complained Walker after a defeat at Liverpool. "Every f***ing meeting it's my name... You've somehow brought my name into it."

Walker, voted captain by his teammates, also claimed Guardiola did not want him to be skipper.

Guardiola responded by saying Walker was taking it too personally but also showed signs of emotion as he explained why he had extended his contract despite their poor run.

"If I am a problem you have to tell me," said Guardiola in a broken voice. "I won't stay here for the money or just for the fact of staying."

"I extended my contract because I want to be with you. I want to fight. I don't want you to feel like I'm leaving or running away."

Another extraordinary outburst

Kyle Walker felt he was being singled out for criticism by Pep Guardiola

came in November 2025 after a dismal 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. Guardiola, whose decision to make 10 changes had backfired, threatened to quit in the dressing room afterwards.

He said: "It's unacceptable, this lack of courage, passion and love and desire to win and do it better."

"I work for you. I leave my life, my divorce and my family is away, and everything for all of you. And what do you give back? The f***ing performance you have done."

"It's a disgrace guys. I'm really f***ing tired. When I see that I'm exhausted, I'm drained. I want to quit."

The four-part series, which covers the past two seasons, also includes some frank boardroom discussions about transfer policy and the long-serving Kevin De Bruyne's disappointment after being told his contract would not be renewed.

Rodri seals £65m deal: 'It's a dream to play for Barça'

By Tales Azzoni

Rodri arrived in Barcelona yesterday to seal his transfer from Manchester City, saying it is a dream to play for the Catalan club.

Rodri is expected to undergo a medical today as Barcelona and City exchanged documentation to finalise the agreement.

Barcelona agreed to a deal worth a reported £76.5m (£65.4m) for the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner.

"Very happy to arrive. There have been some very intense days, but I'm happy that everything has been resolved," Rodri (above) said briefly.

"It's a dream to play for Barcelona. I'm excited about being with my teammates, many of them I already know. Now it's time to get to work and give my best."

The 30-year-old helped Spain secure their second World Cup title

last month and will join international teammates Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Pau Cabarri, Gavi and Pedri at the Nou Camp.

Rodri had one year left on his contract at City and his deal with Barcelona reportedly will run until 2030.

Real Madrid were also reportedly interested in signing Rodri, and he had finally praised Barcelona's bitter rivals in the past.

Rodri joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2019. He scored the winning goal in the Champions League final victory over Inter Milan in 2023, and won the Ballon d'Or as the world's best player the following year after being part of Spain's European Championship-winning team.

Rodri did not play on Sunday in City's 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield. He is recovering from minor back surgery he underwent after the World Cup.

---

9

Sport

THE i PAPER

theipaper.com

18 AUGUST 2026

• theipaper.com/sport
• The i Paper Sport
• @TheiPaperSport

FOOTBALL

Pocognoli: Scottish passion is perfect fit for me as manager

CRICKET

Cox's hotline to Kohli key in handling new role at No 3

Plugging

the gaps

Daniel Storey details what every Premier League club needs before big kick-off

United's

tinder box

Carrick faces stern test now his name is on the door

'Athletics coming back

with a swagger is what everyone needs'

• Hunt celebrates quadruple gold with fried chicken and champagne until 4am
• Why we need more athletes like GB's sprint queen

GREAT

PAPER

HUN BIRMINGHAM

PSO

More pressure on

Infantino as Scots withdraw support

By Gavin McCafferty and Jamie Gardner

The Scottish Football Association has officially withdrawn its support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino, citing the "lack of transparency" shown over the plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. A number of European federations - including those in England,

the Republic of Ireland and Wales - had already withdrawn letters stating their intention to back Infantino for re-election at next year's Fifa Congress, and now the SFA has officially joined that group.

Chief executive Ian Maxwell said: "The Scottish FA will not be voting for Gianni Infantino. That's in line with the Uefa position and we've maintained that stance throughout.

"When you're an administrator in football, you shouldn't be anywhere near the camera anywhere near as often as has been the case.

"Something has gone wrong if the focus after the most successful, the most well-supported World Cup, that every Scotland fan who was there will be talking about for the rest of their lives, has now become off-the-field incidents rather than

on the field. That can't be where football should be. It's got to be focused on the game itself and on the relationship with the fans.

"There's obviously been a fall-down in governance, there's been a lack of transparency, there's been a lack of engagement with member associations, and that's something that we need to address. The transparency and the governance needs to change."

One option for Infantino's opponents, if he refuses to resign, could be to find a candidate willing to stand against him in next year's Congress. However, advocacy group FairSquare is calling for a different approach, and has written to Fifa questioning Infantino's right even to stand for re-election.

Last night, Fifa sacked chief operating officer Kevin Lamour after he criticised Infantino's World Cup sell-off plans.

News, p17