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LUKE LITTLER has revealed he has failed his driving theory test once again – and it is frustrating the hell out of him.

The Nuke is the best darts player on the planet but he is not yet ready to get on the roads by himself.

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Having turned 18 last January, he is desperate to enjoy the freedom of being able to drive himself to tournaments and to see pals on his own terms.

Yet the theory test has so far proved extremely difficult for him to master – it has taken him SIX attempts and counting.

After he won the World Matchplay in Blackpool in July, Littler posted on Instagram the score sheet for his fifth test.

On the multiple choice part, he scored 41 out of 50 – the pass mark is 43 – and he got 44 out of 75 for the hazard perception part, which is barely passable.

He got questions wrong back then in relation to hazard awareness, alertness, safety, motorway rules and road and traffic signs.

When he became the sport’s youngest world champion in January after beating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final, he received £500,000 for his exploits at Ally Pally.

The next day he was asked what motor he would buy with his winnings.

Other youngsters in his privileged position would eye up a flash Ferrari or Lamborghini if they were in the same position.

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But he said he would like the cheapest Mercedes-Benz A Class going for about £30,000.

On Wednesday, speaking at a Target Darts pop-up shop in Manchester, he was asked about his driving plans and if he had made any progress thus far.

Littler conceded: “No, not yet. I did do a theory the other week but I didn’t put it on my Instagram.

“Oh, it was a bad one. It was a bad one. I’ll let you know that.”

Asked what exactly he was struggling with, he replied: “The hazard (perception test).

“Is that holding me back from doing my practical? Yeah. I’m trying. I just want to pass. I just want to pass.

“Like I put up on my Instagram the other week, I’ve got a car – and it’s not a Mercedes – but it’s sat there waiting.”

*World-leading darts manufacturer Target Darts opened the UK’s ultimate darting pop-up experience in Manchester to celebrate their biggest-ever product launch. For more details on the lastest darts products, please visit: www.target-darts.co.uk

Israel has bombed and destroyed the tallest residential building in Gaza, the Al-Ghafri high-rise, as it launched a massive wave of strikes on Gaza City on Monday evening, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to continue to flee the city.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, says Israel is using unconventional weapons to forcibly evict Palestinians from Gaza City, the largest urban centre in the enclave.

Israeli media source Channel 12 reported that “exceptionally intense air strikes” were concentrated in the city’s north and west, while the Palestinian Civil Defence said at least 50 multistorey buildings had been levelled in recent weeks as Israeli forces intensified attacks to seize the city.

Other neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble. In Zeitoun, more than 1,500 homes and buildings have been destroyed since early August, leaving entire blocks with nothing left standing.

For the third day in a row, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz has posted videos of the attacks. “The terror tower… crashes into the sea off Gaza. Sinking the centres of terror and incitement,” he wrote on X. Katz offered no evidence for his claim that the residential tower was being used by Hamas.

Israel has repeatedly attacked residential areas, schools and hospitals during its 23 months of genocidal war.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health said that 51 Palestinians, including six-year-old twins, were killed in Gaza City in the past 24 hours.

Three journalists were also killed in separate Israeli strikes: reporter Mohammed al-Kouifi in the Nassr neighbourhood, photographer and broadcast engineer Ayman Haniyeh, and journalist Iman al-Zamili. These killings take the number of journalists and media workers killed in Israel’s war on Gaza to nearly 280. Media watchdogs say this war is the deadliest conflict for journalists.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 64,905 Palestinians and wounded 164,926, with thousands more still buried under rubble.

‘Striking every area’

Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan in August to seize Gaza City, which has led to relentless bombardment, forcing residents south towards al-Mawasi.

Many Palestinians say they do not believe they will ever be allowed to return, and fear the journey itself.

“For more than three days, they have been hitting every school and emptying Shati camp [near north Gaza’s coast], striking every area. You cannot even move,” one resident told Al Jazeera.

“That is why I decided to leave with my family – my daughters and my wife – and head to Khan Younis. I don’t even have a tent. I only took a few things; I couldn’t take anything from my home.”

Being pushed into al-Mawasi, the area Israel has designated a “safe zone”, offers no safety as Israel continues to attack the site. The Health Ministry has also said the area lacks the “basic necessities of life, including water, food [and] health services”, and warned of “dangerous” disease outbreaks.

It added that displaced people are subjected to “direct targeting and killing both inside the camps and when attempting to leave them”, in violation of international law.

Israel continues to block aid

Israeli forces shot dead at least five Palestinians waiting for food assistance near al-Mawasi, according to the Nasser Medical Complex.

Meanwhile, the famine is deepening in the Strip. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared a famine in northern Gaza on August 22.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that out of the 17 humanitarian missions coordinated with Israel on Sunday, only four were permitted. A mission to deliver water tanks to the north was also denied entry.

Albanese, the UN special rapporteur, told Al Jazeera on Thursday that Israel must be held accountable.

“This is a genocide that could have never happened without the support and involvement of a number of actors,” she said, pointing to Israel’s allies and private sector partners.

Albanese urged governments to “put an end to Israeli impunity” and demand adherence to international law.

A RYDER CUP star was dumped out of the BMW PGA Championship after three rounds – following a rarely-seen SECOND CUT.

All 12 Team Europe players plus captain Luke Donald teed it up at Wentworth this week in the last big event before they fly to New York to face the USA.

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But DP World Tour chiefs were forced into an unusual rule change.

A whopping 86 made it through the regular cut at the mid-way point after 36 holes on Friday evening – with 26 players tied on two-under-par.

However, a secondary cut can be introduced by the Tournament Director after the third round on Saturday to reduce the field for the final day if more than 84 make it to the weekend.

The secondary cut is designed to ensure the maximum number of players on Sunday is 78.

This was the first time the little-known rule was implemented on the DP World Tour since the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in 2023.

That ensures the leaders can go out at 11.10am on Sunday – allowing enough time for a possible play-off and to stick to TV schedules.

However, it was bad news for Robert MacIntyre.

The fiery Scot – who slammed his driver into the ground after a wayward tee shot on the sixth hole – missed out on a tee time for Sunday’s final round as one of the unlucky 13 to miss the additional cut.

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His level-par 72 kept him at -2 and sent him packing alongside Alex Fitzpatrick and Niklas Norgaard among others.

But unlike the regular cut, the 13 golfers ditched after Saturday are still entitled to both ranking points in the Race To Dubai and prize money from Wentworth.

Tommy Fleetwood, fresh from his maiden PGA Tour win, just scraped through to Sunday on -3 with Rory McIlroy two shots better off.

Justin Rose, Jon Rahm and Shane Lowry are all at -7 with Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick on -10.

But MacIntyre’s European team-mates Viktor Hovland (-12) and Tyrrell Hatton (-13) will be hoping to chase down the leaders Alex Noren and Adrien Saddier on -15.

Ironically, Noren is a vice-captain for Donald at Bethpage Black in two weeks’ time.

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Ryder Cup line ups

Here are the players who will be competing in the Ryder Cup…

Team Europe

• Luke Donald (C)
• Shane Lowry
• Jon Rahm
• Sepp Straka
• Viktor Hovland
• Ludvig Aberg
• Matt Fitzpatrick
• Rory McIlroy
• Robert MacIntyre
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Justin Rose
• Rasmus Hojgaard
• Tyrrell Hatton

Team USA

• Keegan Bradley (C)
• Justin Thomas
• Collin Morikawa
• Ben Griffin
• Cameron Young
• Patrick Cantley
• Sam Burns
• Scottie Scheffler
• JJ Spaun
• Xander Schauffele
• Russell Henley
• Harris English
• Bryson DeChambeau

A PENSIONER is having to sell her home to cover a £113,000 legal bill after losing a five-year dispute over a 1ft strip of land.

Jenny Field, 76, was told to pay £14,000 after her initial court defeat to Pauline Clark, 64, but her repeated challenges saw the total rocket.

A judge has now told her she must pay the resultant £113,126 in three months or flog her £600,000 bungalow in Hamworthy, Dorset, so the cash can be recouped.

The divorcee told a court: “I am selling it because I have to and I’m fed up with living here but I will offer to pay her £1 per week.”

Their feud began in 2020 after Mrs Clark replaced a fence between the properties.

Ms Field claimed it had encroached on her garden and had it demolished, but Mrs Clark sued for damages and won the first case in 2022.

Several appeals followed and Ms Field was accused of wasting time by bombarding the court with papers.

A bid by her to sue for £500,000 in damages was also dismissed as “totally without merit”.

District Judge Ross Fentem said Mrs Clark had been kept from money owed to her for a long time and told Bournemouth county court the order for sale was “a last resort and draconian remedy”.

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Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been forced to step down after a wave of anticorruption protests left 19 people dead and more than 100 injured, but tens of thousands of protesters remained on the streets, blocking roads and setting fires to parliament and other government buildings.

“In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” Oli wrote in his letter to President Ramchandra Paudel on Tuesday after his administration was blamed for the bloodiest outbreaks of unrest in a decade.

Defying an indefinite curfew, thousands of young Nepalis returned to the streets of Kathmandu on Tuesday, demanding change and clashing with riot police. Some protesters set fire to government buildings.

The demonstrations – called the protest of Gen Z – erupted after the government blocked platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, saying the companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight.

But the protests spiralled to reflect broader discontent. In particular, many young people are angry that the children of political leaders – so-called “nepo kids” – seem to enjoy luxury lifestyles and numerous advantages while most youth struggle to find work.

On Tuesday, despite the government rolling back its order and the apps returning online, protests reignited, spreading from the capital to multiple cities nationwide.

“The Nepal government has fallen, the youth have won the protest,” said key protest figure Sudan Gurung, in a post on newly restored Instagram. “The future is ours.”

President Ram Chandra Poudel, the ceremonial head of state, appealed to the protesters to engage in discussions to find a peaceful resolution and stop further escalation.

In a video message, Nepalese army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel urged protesters to stop the demonstrations to prevent further loss of lives and property and to come forward for dialogue.

Nepal’s struggle with weak governance

The upheaval is the most serious since 2008, when street demonstrations brought down Nepal’s centuries-old monarchy.

Despite democratic reforms, the Himalayan nation of 30 million has struggled with weak governance and endemic corruption. Economic opportunities remain scarce, forcing millions of Nepalis to seek work abroad in Gulf states, South Korea and Malaysia, sending money home to sustain their families.

With youth unemployment running at about 20 percent last year, according to the World Bank, the government estimates that more than 2,000 young people leave the country every day to seek work in the Middle East or Southeast Asia.

Oli, 73, had been in office for his fourth term since July last year, becoming the 14th prime minister in the post-monarchy era. Two cabinet ministers resigned late on Monday, citing “moral grounds.”

Witnesses said protesters torched tyres, hurled stones, and set fire to the homes of several politicians.

Local media reported that military helicopters evacuated ministers from besieged houses. Crowds also ransacked the prime minister’s residence and set alight the Singha Durbar government complex, which includes parliament and key ministries.

Footage circulating on social media showed former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, along with Foreign Minister Arzu Rana and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, being attacked by demonstrators before soldiers intervened.

The United Nations rights chief, Volker Turk, said he was “appalled” by the violence and called for talks.

Those appeals did not seem to be heeded.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the headquarters of a major publisher – the Kantipur Media Group – was burning, and called on “protesters not to target journalists”.

Kathmandu’s airport remains open, but some flights were cancelled after smoke from fires affected visibility, airport spokesperson Rinji Sherpa said.

Melissa Higgins took her family on a three-day trip to Disneyland Paris on funded by Make A Wish Foundation with her 14-year-old son Anthony Higgins on August 27

A schoolboy was left in tears after easyJet staff allegedly forced him to abandon his wheelchair battery or risk not being flown home from Disneyland.

Melissa Higgins took her family on a three-day trip to Disneyland Paris, a journey funded by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with her 14-year-old son, Anthony (AJ) Higgins, on 27 August.

Anthony suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive genetic disorder that causes muscle weakness and leaves him unable to walk. Melissa says his £10,000 power-assisted wheelchair is his ‘life’ as it provides him with independence.

The mother-of-four claims a pilot refused to allow the wheelchair battery onto the return flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Manchester airport on 29 August because the wattage wasn’t visible.

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The full-time carer insists she’s never encountered problems before, including on their outbound flight with easyJet, and maintains she had paperwork stating it was safe to fly – but was compelled to leave it in Paris.

Without his wheelchair, the teenager is now ‘stuck’ inside his house and unable to go to school, the family has claimed.

Melissa, 37, is still hopeful that the £1,000 battery will be returned to them and she has since received an apology over the phone from the airline.

The mum, from Speke, Liverpool, said: “I was in shock on the plane and thinking, ‘What’s going on?’. We’ve not had this problem before. I don’t get why all the commotion’s gone on for nothing. It was a lifelong dream of AJ’s to go to Disneyland. He was able to fly to Disneyland with no problems.”

Melissa explained how, on the way home, a pilot spotted the battery and told the family they couldn’t travel with it.

“It went through customs perfectly fine. If there was something wrong with it they would’ve known. He was like, ‘It hasn’t got a wattage on it’ but these batteries don’t have a wattage on them because they’re dry and not liquid,” Melissa said of the pilot.

“We were there for about an hour and a half and he was trying to get this wattage for the battery, but I explained ‘it doesn’t have a wattage, we have all the paperwork from the manufacturers’. He said it puts the other travellers at risk.”

She added: “Doing this in front of everyone was humiliating and everyone on the plane was moaning. We were all crying. In the end we just wanted to get the kids home so we had to leave the battery behind and had to come home without it. Obviously we wanted to bring the chair back with us because it’s his life.”

The mum says her son has lost all of his independence without his wheelchair and is hoping to be reunited with the battery to avoid having to fork out £1,000 for a new one.

An easyJet spokesman said: “Safety is easyJet’s highest priority and airlines must follow the safety regulations for the carriage of batteries, which are allowed to travel on the aircraft as long as the required information for safe carriage can be provided, and we advise customers of these requirements ahead of travel.

“Unfortunately, as the necessary information could not be provided for this battery, in line with safety procedures, it was unable to travel. However we fully understand the frustration this will have caused and are in contact with the family to offer further assistance and have arranged to return the battery to them today.”

In recent months, the small East African coastal region of Somaliland has been making international headlines after several high-profile Republicans in the United States endorsed a bill to recognise it as an independent state.

The question of Somaliland’s independence from Somalia has long divided the region. While the territory declared its sovereignty in the 1990s, it is not recognised by Mogadishu or any other world government.

Recently, Republicans in the US House of Representatives, including Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Representative Pat Harrigan of North Carolina, and other key conservative heavyweights, have backed the push for recognition.

“All territorial claims by the Federal Republic of Somalia over the area known as Somaliland are invalid and without merit,” said the text of the bill introduced in June, calling for the US to recognise Somaliland “as a separate, independent country”.

At around the same time, media reports surfaced that said Israel had reached out to Somaliland as a possible location to resettle Palestinians it plans to expel from Gaza.

Human rights advocates from Somaliland have voiced concern that the forced resettlement of Palestinians could “render Somaliland complicit in the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza”, with worries that countries who previously sympathised with Somaliland may potentially “withdrawing their support”.

During a news conference at the White House in early August, US President Donald Trump addressed the issue. “We’re looking into that right now,” he said in response to a question about whether he supported recognition of Somaliland if it were to accept Palestinians. “Good question, actually, and another complex one, but we’re working on that right now,” he added, without giving a clear answer.

Less than a week later, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas penned a letter to Trump calling for Somaliland’s recognition. One of the key justifications stated in the letter by Cruz, who has received nearly $2m in funding from multiple pro-Israel lobby groups, including the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), was that Somaliland “sought to strengthen ties with Israel, and voiced support for the Abraham Accords.” The accords are a set of agreements normalising diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab states.

In response to Cruz’s letter, Somalia’s ambassador to the US released a statement warning that any infringement of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would empower armed groups and “destabilise the entire Horn of Africa region”.

Al Jazeera reached out to the ministers of foreign affairs and information of Somaliland for comment on the plan to forcibly relocate Palestinians and whether they were engaging in talks with the Israelis about this, but did not receive a response.

Somaliland has not commented on the forced relocation of Palestinians, but officials have openly stated that it welcomed US consideration for its recognition, with the spokesperson for the region’s presidency thanking US Senator Cruz for his advocacy and stating that “recognition of this established fact [Somaliland] is not a question of if, but when”.

Recognition plus armed groups: A recipe for disaster?

In Somaliland, a region with traditionally strong support for the Palestinian cause, many people are hopeful about one half of the plan and concerned about the other.

Those who spoke to Al Jazeera shared concerns about the ramifications and possible dangers that could arise from potential Israeli plans to force Palestinians to relocate to Somaliland.

Ahmed Dahir Saban, a 37-year-old high school teacher from the town of Hariirad in Awdal, a province in the far northwest bordering Djibouti, said Palestinians would always be accepted with open arms in Somaliland, but that any attempts to forcibly relocate them from Palestine would never be accepted. He cautioned the authorities in Somaliland about the deal.

“The people of Palestine cannot be forced from their blessed homeland. What the Americans and Israelis are doing is ethnic cleansing, and we in Somaliland want no part of it,” he said.

Ahmed said, aside from the move being morally wrong and inhumane, he believes it would “risk violence from [armed] groups” and have serious ramifications for the region.

“Al-Shabab and Daesh [ISIL/ISIS] could carry out attacks throughout Somaliland if the authorities went through with accepting forcibly relocated Palestinians. Even here in Awdal, we wouldn’t be safe from the violence.”

Ahmed fears that if Somaliland accepts expelled Palestinians, the armed groups will exploit public anger against such a move to expand their sphere of influence and possible territorial control in the region.

Armed groups like al-Shabab maintain a presence in the Sanaag province, which is partially administered by the Somaliland government.

Analysts who spoke to Al Jazeera share similar concerns.

Jethro Norman, a senior researcher with the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), believes the US and Israel’s meddling in Somaliland under the pretext of relocating Palestinians would create significant opportunities for armed groups.

“Al-Shabab and IS-Somalia [ISIL Somalia] have consistently framed their struggle in terms of resisting foreign interference and protecting Somali sovereignty, but they’ve also spent years perfecting narratives about Western-backed dispossession and ‘Crusader-Zionist’ intrigue,” he remarked.

When Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, al-Shabab held protests in areas they govern in support of Palestine. Large crowds also came out in support of the Palestinian cause in rebel-controlled territory in Somalia.

“A Palestinian relocation programme, especially one perceived as externally imposed and aligned with Israeli wishes, would provide these [armed] groups with an unbelievably potent propaganda tool, allowing them to position themselves as defenders of both Somali unity and Palestinian dignity against what they could characterise as a cynical Western-Israeli scheme,” Norman told Al Jazeera.

Peace at what cost?

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 after the country descended into civil war. In the years since, the administration in the capital, Hargeisa, has been able to create a de facto state within Somalia’s borders. Schools, security and stability emerged, but Somaliland has yet to secure international recognition.

However, some of the decades-long gains have come at a cost to many who call Somaliland home.

Dissent and freedom of expression have come under fire in Somaliland. This has affected the press, civilians and marginalised communities alike, with media outlets raided and journalists arrested.

Members of the public are routinely arrested for having the Somali flag in an attempt to silence unionist voices, which make up a significant portion of the Somaliland populace.

More recently, entire communities have fallen victim to scorched-earth policies implemented by Hargeisa. Nowhere is this more visible than in the city of Las Anod in Sool province. For years, local clans complained of marginalisation by the centre, which led to a public uprising. Security forces responded by killing civilian protesters in December 2022. Somaliland authorities then laid siege to the city for nine months; hundreds of people were killed in the violence, almost 2,000 were injured, and 200,000 were displaced.

Somaliland eventually lost control of Las Anod and the vast majority of its eastern region – about one-third of the territory it claims – to pro-unionist communities who have recently formed the semiautonomous Northeast regional state.

As a result of the siege, rights groups such as Amnesty International released a damaging report in 2023 accusing Somaliland of indiscriminately shelling homes, schools, mosques, densely populated civilian neighbourhoods, and even hospitals in Las Anod, which is a war crime under international law.

The Somaliland administration became the only local actor in Somalia to be accused of war crimes since al-Shabab, which was accused of committing war crimes by Human Rights Watch in 2013.

But now talk of possible Israeli plans to forcibly relocate Palestinians has heightened fears of further violence in Somaliland.

“You can hear the whispers of something,” said Mohamed Awil Meygag in the city of Hargeisa. The 69-year-old witnessed how conflict devastated the region in the 1980s and fears another uncertain path for Somaliland.

Mohamed adamantly supports the recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, but is wary of reports about forcibly relocating Palestinians from Gaza. He also feels the authorities in Hargeisa have not been sufficiently transparent.

“When Americans talk about recognising Somaliland, they [Somaliland’s government] always welcome it, and it’s right, but when it’s about Palestinians being brought here by force and the role of Israel, you don’t get the same kind of response. They’re quiet,” he said.

“Relocating Palestinians forcefully here, no matter what is given in return, even if it’s recognition, is not worth it. We [Somaliland] will have the blood of fellow Muslims on our hands, and no Muslim should support such a thing,” Mohamed added.

“They [the US and Israel] don’t have good intentions and we cannot risk jeopardising our country.”

For analysts, the possible forced relocation plan is also just one part of broader international interests at play in the region.

“This so-called ‘relocation plan’ is part of a wider architecture of power that extends far beyond the interests of US and Somaliland officials,” noted Samar al-Bulushi, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, who said that more foreign alliances in the region could help fuel political instability.

Al Jazeera reached out to the US Department of State for comment. In response, they directed us to the government of Israel. Al Jazeera contacted the Israeli embassy in the US for comment on the plans to relocate Palestinians to Somaliland, but they did not respond to our queries.

Uncharted waters

Amid reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is in contact with at least four countries to explore the forced transfer of Palestinians, Israel’s Channel 12 reported recently that “progress has been made” in talks with Somaliland over the issue.

On September 2, US Representatives Chris Smith and John Moolenaar also wrote a letter to Secretary of State Marc Rubio, urging the removal of Somaliland from its travel advisory on Somalia, citing Hargeisa as a strategic partner in containing China, actively engaging and supporting US interests, as well as “growing ties with Israel through its solid support for the Abraham Accords”.

“The pro-Israel networks sit in the same Washington ecosystem as Red Sea security hawks and China sceptics, and you can see some sponsors explicitly pairing Somaliland recognition with closer Israeli ties and anti-China rhetoric. Ted Cruz’s August letter urging recognition is a clear example of that framing,” said analyst Norman.

However, if the Trump administration were to recognise Somaliland, it would lead to catastrophic ripple effects in Somalia and beyond its borders, he feels.

“It would risk turning a smoulder into open flame,” the DIIS researcher said.

For al-Bulushi, the deal that is reportedly on the table says more about the region’s lack of global power than its growing influence.

“The very act of entering into such a compact with the US and Israel speaks to the lingering power asymmetries between African leaders and global powers,” she said. “[It] symbolises a lack of independence on the part of Somaliland leaders – ironically at the very moment when they are seeking recognition as a sovereign state.”

The Israeli army has bombed another high-rise in Gaza City after telling Palestinian residents to evacuate or face being killed amid its ongoing siege and imposed mass starvation in the enclave.

The Israeli military designated more high-rise towers as targets in a map released on Saturday. Shortly after releasing the map, it bombed the 15-storey Soussi Tower, which is located opposite a building belonging to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood.

“These attacks are causing panic amongst the people, especially considering the time they are given to evacuate. Half an hour or an hour is not enough time for people to escape from these buildings,” Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said, reporting from Gaza City.

The Israeli military said in a statement, without offering evidence, that the buildings struck were used by Hamas to gather intelligence to monitor the locations of the Israeli army. It also said armed Palestinian groups planted “numerous explosive devices” and dug a tunnel in the area.

Gaza’s Government Media Office rejected the claims and called them “part of a systematic policy of deception used by the occupation to justify the targeting of civilians and infrastructure” and forcibly displace Palestinians from their homes. It said 90 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed by Israel.

The targeted buildings were near the 12-storey Mushtaha Tower, which on Friday was similarly bombed and razed to the ground, as Israel moves to seize Gaza City despite international criticism.

At least 68 Palestinians were killed and 362 wounded across the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military over the past day, the enclave’s Ministry of Health said on Saturday afternoon.

The toll includes 23 aid seekers killed and 143 wounded by Israeli forces. At least six more Palestinians also died of Israeli-induced starvation, bringing the total number of starvation deaths during nearly two years of war to 382, including 135 children.

At least 64,368 Palestinians have been killed and 162,367 wounded by Israel since the start of the war in the aftermath of the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israel declares new ‘humanitarian zone’, bombs the area

Sources at Nasser Hospital, located in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, told Al Jazeera that at least two Palestinians were killed and many wounded in an Israeli air strike on a tent housing displaced people in the al-Mawasi area.

While this area was designated as a “humanitarian” or “safe” zone by the Israeli army early in the war, it has been repeatedly bombed, leading to the deaths of hundreds of displaced civilians.

Hours before the latest bombings, the Israeli army had announced the establishment of another similar zone in al-Mawasi, which runs along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast. It claimed the area will have infrastructure such as field hospitals, water lines, desalination facilities and food supplies.

Reporting from central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said Palestinians do not trust the so-called humanitarian area as tents in similar zones have been attacked by Israel many times before and nowhere is safe.

But people in Gaza City have few options: If they stay, they risk being killed, and if they leave, they face dangers on the road and may have to spend considerable money to move their belongings south.

Those who have returned to their homes in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, where Israeli forces withdrew recently after weeks of ground assaults, have found everything they owned destroyed.

“What we have built in 50 years was flattened in five days,” resident Aqeel Kishko told Al Jazeera. “Nothing remains standing – buildings, roads and infrastructure. We are walking not only on ruins but also on dead bodies of our loved ones.”

Nohaa Tafish said it would be impossible for Gaza’s largest urban centre to be revived.

“What would people return to? There is nothing to return to,” she said.

Ahmed Rihem also had his home in Gaza City reduced to rubble. “It is as if the entire Zeitoun neighbourhood was hit with a nuclear bomb,” he said.

HELEN Flanagan has been forced to slash the price of her £1.5million mansion AGAIN after struggling to sell her family pad amid money woes.

The former Coronation Street star, 35, had already slashed more than £300,000 off the price of the house she shared with ex Scott Sinclair.

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Now Helen has been forced to reduce the price again for a second time after just fourth months of being on the market.

Helen first put the £1.5million six-bedroom family home up for sale in May, before reducing it to £1.195million just four weeks later. 

Now, the detached, 5,000sq ft home can be snapped up for a cheeky £995,000.

The former couple, who have three children together, bought the property at Belmont, near Bolton, in June 2021 for £840,000.

It has five reception rooms, six bathrooms and six bedrooms including two en-suites.

The house is situated on the edge of moors and is said to have “breathtaking views”.

Helen, who has spoken openly about “losing all her money” in the past, recently opened up being forced to downsize.

She said: “It actually makes me sad that I’m going to be leaving soon because I actually put so much effort into it.

“When we moved I put like a lot lot of my savings into doing the house up and making it look really beautiful. 

“But it’s a big house. It’s an eight bedroom house, which is obviously really hard to keep on top of.”

Meanwhile, Helen has shown off her evil stepmother credentials as she debuted her panto outfit for the first time.

The actress will play the evil stepmother in Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs at Liverpool‘s M&S Bank Arena in December.

The stunning star donned a sequinned red and black dress, with black feathered sleeves, and wore a gold and red diamante tiara on her head.

She also held aloft a red apple, symbolic of the poisonous apple so relevant to the Snow White storyline.

A source previously told The Sun: “Helen is excited for panto season and can’t wait to get into character, she’s a brilliant actress and knows how to put on a show.

“She’ll also be pocketing a pretty penny, celebrities and soap stars make good money doing panto and always look forward to it as some extra income.”

But despite being about to make her first foray into the world of pantomime, Helen is not looking forward to being alone this Christmas.

Helen, shares daughters Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, as well as four-year-old son Charlie, with her ex Scott Sinclair.

However, the ex-Coronation Street star also recently told The Sun that she was spending Christmas without her children this year, as she and former Chelsea footballer Scott, who most recently played for Bristol Rovers, live so far apart.

But Helen explained: “”I’ll do something in November – a really nice long weekend then I feel like I’ve had my Christmas period with them.”

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If being forcibly displaced from their destroyed homes and neighbourhoods wasn’t bad enough, Palestinians in Gaza are facing crippling financial costs of complying with Israel’s displacement orders. Al Jazeera’s Moath Al-Kahlout breaks it down.

A WOMAN has been fined £116,000 for chopping down a tree over ten years ago.

Claire Rands, of Allt-yr-Yn, Newport in Wales, hadn’t realised she was doing anything wrong.

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She had instructed a tree surgeon to chop down the tree after a number of serious grass fires behind the houses in the cul-de-sac.

It left her concerned that the tree could pose a fire hazard.

The mother-of-four took a precautionary measure and had the tree chopped down in 2012.

At the time, she hadn’t realised the 100-year-old lime tree would land her a colossal fine.

In articles in the South Wales Argus and the Telegraph the same year, the couple said that their tree had caught alight during the summer.

Claire said it was the result of alleged deliberate grass fires that had spread.

Several neighbours were also impacted by the fires.

It prompted Claire and her husband to file a planning application that would enable them to chop the tree down.

This required a legally-binding tree preservation order (TPO) to be lifted.

It prohibits the cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting or wilful damage or destruction of trees without explicit consent of the local planning authority, even on private land.

The couple’s lime tree was protected because of its age and amenity value.

However, the couple chopped the tree down despite the planning applications not being approved.

They planted another tree in its place.

The council said that one of its ecologists was walking past the property when they noticed the tree was no longer there.

Recently, Newport City Council sent the couple a letter saying they would be prosecuted for causing or permitting the destruction of a tree protected by a TPO.

While husband Damon Rands was cleared of wrongdoing, it resulted in a trial at Newport Magistrates’ Court for Claire.

Yesterday, Claire lost her appeal and was sentenced.

It followed a long dispute over the TPO’s wording, with Claire’s lawyers arguing that the crime is written into law in England, and not Wales.

Instead, they argued she should be convicted of a lesser offence, as she didn’t personally chop down the tree.

Tim Straker, representing Newport Council alongside Elizabeth Nicholls said: “There is no dispute that Rands engaged somebody and secured the large lime tree of considerable amenity value to be removed from her garden, to use the vernacular, lock stock and barrel.

“It is said that in Wales you cannot be guilty of an offence of causing or permitting the destruction of a tree protected by a TPO. But it is unsatisfactory that someone could order a protected tree to be cut down on their land but then run free from any responsibility.”

It led Judge Celia Hughes to convict her of the more serious offence.

She said before sentencing:  “It would be contrary to common sense that a householder could be prosecuted for a more minor offence when they are the person who directed the tree to be removed in the first place.”

The council estimated their property value had increased by at least £50,000 by removing the tree.

As such, she was dealt a £16,000 fine, as well as being ordered to pay £100,000 in prosecution costs.

She has 12 months to pay the fines.

The case has helped to define how the English law applies in Wales, determining that “causing or permitting the felling of a protected tree is an offence” according to Sarah Dodds of Tree Law UK.

JAVIER MASCHERANO reverted to managing Inter Miami from his PHONE in the stands after being sent off against Tigres.

The former Liverpool midfielder was incensed after stoppage time in the first half of the Leagues Cup quarter-finals went over five minutes long.

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Anfield great Luis Suarez had opened the scoring in Fort Lauderdale from the penalty spot after 23 minutes but only after a lengthy VAR check.

Referee Mario Escobar added the time on before the break – leaving Miami boss Mascherano fuming.

As a result, he was given his marching orders and forced to watch the second half from the stands.

But cameras revealed the ex-Barcelona man talking tactics to his assistant Lucas Rodriguez Pagano on his mobile phone.

The 41-year-old – who retired in 2020 before moving into management with Argentina’s youth sides two years later – also barked orders from his seat.

Mascherano was breaking the rules by doing so – with his ejection meant to prohibit any contact with his team.

Angel Correa levelled the scoring in the cup on the 67th minute.

But once again Suarez – who joined former Barca team-mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to Miami last year – came to the rescue.

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The Uruguayan forward – who spent three seasons at Liverpool before joining Barca in 2014 – converted from the spot again.

Messi – out of the cup tie due to injury – celebrated from his pitchside box with his son and Suarez’s boy Benjamin.

Miami progress to the last four of the tournament and sit fifth in the Eastern Conference of the MLS.

Mascherano’s other assistant Javier Morales – holding the post-match press conference – was probed on the red card.

Morales said: “The referee added four minutes and we ended up playing six minutes. So we argued about the time.

“We’re human, we start to talk and the referee said Javier got a red card and that’s it. We didn’t have much information.

“We complained about the time, he said four minutes and next they’re playing six.”

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More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in its nearly two-year genocidal war on Gaza, with the population suffering relentless bombardment with nowhere safe in the besieged enclave, Israeli-induced starvation and the daily killing of people desperately seeking food for their families.

Israel is intensifying strikes on Gaza City, the territory’s largest – and now destroyed – urban centre, as it plans to seize it and forcibly displace tens of thousands of people to concentration zones in the south. At least 26 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Monday, including 14 seeking aid.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, says, “Israeli attacks are still ongoing, unabated, in the eastern part of Gaza City. The scale of attacks illustrates how Israel’s current strategy is shaping the geography and demography of Gaza.”

“We can see how Israel is using heavy artillery, fighter jets and drones, in order to destroy what’s left of residential homes there. The scale of destruction is extremely overwhelming,” he said.

“This current military tactic ensures that Israel will enable its forces to operate on the ground and will also ensure residential areas turn into zones of rubble. People there say Israeli attacks are happening day and night.”

Many who have already been displaced multiple times during the war by Israeli bombardment are on the move again from Gaza City. Others are staying put.

The city was the main target of air attacks on Sunday that killed nearly 60 people, and Israel is also targeting the few remaining healthcare centres there.

But while many Palestinians who remain in the devastated city are forced to survive in the ruins of buildings, makeshift shelters, or tents, some people have told Al Jazeera that it would be impossible for them to leave.

“How am I supposed to even get there? How can I go? I need nearly $900 to move – I don’t even have a dollar. How am I supposed to reach the south?” asked displaced Palestinian man Bilal Abu Sitta.

Others do not trust Israeli promises of aid and shelter. “We don’t want Israel to give us anything,” Noaman Hamad said. “We want them to [allow] us back to the homes we fled – we don’t need more than that.”

Slight hope emerged as Hamas said it approved a Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward yesterday by mediators Qatar and Egypt. An informed source told Al Jazeera that the draft deal would ensure a 60-day truce that would see the release of half of the Israeli captives held in Gaza as well as an unspecified number of Palestinian captives imprisoned by Israel.

But Palestinians in Gaza have seen countless false dawns before, and after a brief ceasefire in January was shattered by Israel in March, the war then entered its most grim phase of human misery.

‘Israel carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation’

Gaza’s Health Ministry says five more Palestinians have died from malnutrition as a result of Israel’s punishing monthslong blockade in the past 24 hours, including two children.

As of August 18, the known number of people who have starved to death in Gaza, according to the ministry, reached at least 263 people, including 112 children.

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) warned that as of July 2025, more than 320,000 children – the entire population under the age of five in Gaza – are at risk of acute malnutrition.

Families are surviving on the bare minimum of basic foods, with almost no dietary diversity, WFP said. The agency called for an immediate ceasefire to allow large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) says children in Gaza should be preparing for the new school year, but instead are searching for water, queuing for food, and living in classrooms turned into overcrowded shelters.

UNRWA warned that children in the enclave have already lost three years of schooling, risking becoming a “lost generation”, and renewed its call for an immediate ceasefire.

Amnesty International has condemned Israel “systematically destroying the health, wellbeing and social fabric of Palestinian life”. In a report quoting displaced Palestinians and medical staff who have treated malnourished children, Amnesty said: “Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip.”

In the meantime, Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, says its staff in Gaza are witnessing a surge in mass casualties linked to Israel’s ongoing siege and its oversight of limited distribution of aid by the controversial, US- and Israel-backed aid organisation GHF.

“The indiscriminate killings, and the counts of mass casualties we still [see] on a daily basis right now, hasn’t stopped, but only increased in its scale,” said Nour Alsaqqa of MSF.

She said one MSF facility in Rafah, located near an aid distribution centre, has been overwhelmed with wounded Palestinians, including children.

“We are receiving baby injuries and killings from the distribution sites. People who are coming with gunshots, with different injuries, related to the distribution sites and they go only seeking food,” she said.

“They go out of desperation and they risk their lives to access aid, which is still inaccessible due to Israel’s siege.”

Since the establishment of the GHF aid sites at the end of May, nearly 2,000 people have been killed while trying to access aid, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

STRICKEN Ukraine will be forced to surrender large swathes of its eastern territory and forget about ever joining Nato under peace terms haggled by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The war-torn country’s desire to join the European Union is also in doubt after the two superpower presidents held controversial talks in Alaska on Friday.

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Ukraine would be outlawed from joining the Western defence alliance, but have its redrawn borders underwritten by its US and European allies in the terms suggested by the White House.

Allies have offered “ironclad” security assurances to protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression if a peace deal can be forged.

But it would stop short of Nato Article 5 status, which sees members of the alliance leap to the aid of any member that is attacked.

Ukraine’s desire to join Nato has been blamed as a root cause of President Putin’s invasion.

He has insisted “Nyet” — Russian for “No” — over the proposal.

But the future security of Ukraine is the number one condition of its president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

British and other European troops could be committed to police the peace, with President Trump finally conceding the Americans would play a vital role in the future defence of Ukraine.

Last night, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly stated: “The good news is that America is ready to participate in such security guarantees and is not leaving it to the Europeans alone.”

And PM Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Trump’s “leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing” should be commended.

Calls for an immediate ceasefire were dropped by world leaders yesterday, after Mr Trump announced he was instead pursuing a more stable and lasting “peace deal”.

Plans haggled at Friday’s face-to-face summit are being circulated by the Americans after the US President and the Kremlin tyrant met each other in Anchorage, Alaska, for more than three hours.

The Sun has been told a surrender deal would see Ukraine forced to reject Nato membership and other “multinational deals”.

Negotiations would also begin about ceding control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Eastern Ukraine which are, in part, heavily occupied by Russian troops.

There was confusion last night over whether the talks would focus on territory currently held by the Kremlin invaders, or whether the wider regions were on the table.

Yesterday, EU leaders insisted: “Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine’s pathway to EU and Nato.”

However, that does not rule out Mr Zelensky deciding to withdraw Ukraine’s stated aim to join both alliances as part of the wider deal.

He will fly to Washington DC on Monday to meet with President Trump at the White House — six months after their disastrous Oval Office bust up, which saw the leader of the free world savage Mr Zelensky live on TV.

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Russia has long claimed Donetsk and Luhansk are more loyal to Moscow than Kyiv, while Mr Zelensky has publicly ruled out giving up the land.

However, he is under massive pressure to concede and end the bloody three-and-a-half year conflict, which has seen more than a million deaths.

European leaders were locked in talks with the White House this weekend, as the world scrambled to catch up with what Mr Trump had offered Mr Putin to end the war.

Last night, UK government sources said the PM was playing a key role in selling the terms of the deal to wider Western allies in a series of calls following the talks between the Americans and Russians.

I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more

Sir Keir Starmer’s statement

President Trump yesterday insisted it is time for Mr Zelensky to choose whether to agree with the terms of the deal — as the pair prepared to meet tomorrow.

The White House has also offered to play host to a trilateral summit between the Russians and Ukrainians if the deal is within reach.

Speaking following Friday’s talks, where he met with his Russian counterpart for the first time in six years, President Trump insisted it was “a great and very successful day in Alaska!”

He wrote on his Truth Social website: “The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelensky of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of Nato.

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“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up. President Zelensky will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin.

“Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Last night, President Putin also welcomed progress made at the talks, after leaving the summit without taking questions from hundreds of assembled journalists.

In a televised address released by the Kremlin, he said: “The conversation was very frank, substantive, and, in my opinion, brings us closer to the necessary decisions.”

He added: “We have not had direct negotiations of this kind at this level for a long time. We had the opportunity to calmly and in detail reiterate our position.”

We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine‘s pathway to EU and NATO

European statement

In a long statement, President Zelensky welcomed the offer of security guarantees outlined by Mr Trump, in a tentative sign he may be willing to sign up to the terms.

He wrote: “A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions. Killings must stop as soon as possible, the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky, as well as against our port infrastructure.

“All Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be released, and the children abducted by Russia must be returned.

“Thousands of our people remain in captivity — they all must be brought home. Pressure on Russia must be maintained while the aggression and occupation continue.”

He went on: “In my conversation with President Trump, I said that sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war. Sanctions are an effective tool.

“Security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term, with involvement of Europe and the US.

“All issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine’s participation, and no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine. I thank our partners who are helping.”

Yesterday the PM was taking part in a round of behind the scenes diplomacy, speaking to the White House and European capitals.

He heaped praise on Mr Trump, saying his “efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine”.

He went on: “His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.”

But the PM warned: “While progress has been made, the next step must be further talks involving President Zelensky.

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The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him. I spoke to President Zelensky, President Trump and other European partners, and we all stand ready to support this next phase.

“I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal.

“This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more.

“In the meantime, until he stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions, which have already had a punishing impact on the Russian economy and its people. Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes.”

In a joint statement, Sir Keir and European leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, said: “We are clear Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries.

Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine‘s pathway to EU and Nato.

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Priti: Trump was right to set up meeting

By Sophia Sleigh

DONALD Trump was right to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table on Friday, says Dame Priti Patel.

The Shadow Foreign Secretary gave her support to the US President’s efforts — while adding that Britain must keep up “tightening the screws” on the Russian tyrant’s regime.

The Tory grandee told The Sun on Sunday: “It is right President Trump has brought Putin to the negotiating table.

“And we support his efforts in ending Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

“Now is the time for the Euro-Atlantic partnership to be stronger than ever in supporting Ukraine, and forcing Putin to end his barbaric war.

“The British government must lead the charge, as we have done, in keeping pressure on Putin through sanctions — and demonstrate we can lead efforts to support Ukraine, and tighten the screws on Russia.”

But others had concerns that no ceasefire had been reached yesterday — even with Mr Trump having warned Putin of “severe consequences” if fighting did not stop.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: “Trump has to tell him to agree to a ceasefire or he will up the ante on sanctions, secondary sanctions and weapons to Ukraine. Putin has to fear what Trump can do — more than his own generals and politicians who would come after him.”

He added that Trump “must understand who Putin is, a KGB man who has one purpose in life — to recreate the Soviet Union”.

Former PM Boris Johnson also said that Trump was right to make a move as Putin was weaker than he seemed owing to the war’s damage to Russia’s economy.

Most Labour MPs remained quiet on the talks. Crossbench peer and intelligence expert Lord Peter Ricketts said they were a “clear win” for Putin.

Human rights groups have warned that expelling the population from Gaza would violate international law.

Israel is in discussions with South Sudan about forcibly relocating Palestinians from Gaza to the East African country, according to six people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press.

The proposal is part of an Israeli effort to displace Palestinians from Gaza – a move human rights groups warn would amount to forcible expulsion, ethnic cleansing, and would violate international law.

Critics of the transfer plan fear Palestinians would never be allowed to return to Gaza and that mass departure could pave the way for Israel to annex the enclave and re-establish Israeli settlements there, as called for by far-right ministers in the Israeli government.

South Sudan has struggled to recover from a civil war that broke out shortly after independence in 2011, killing nearly 400,000 people and leaving parts of the country facing famine. It already hosts a large refugee population from conflicts in neighbouring countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said he wants to advance what he calls “voluntary migration” for much of Gaza’s population, a policy he has linked to previous statements of United States President Donald Trump.

“I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there,” Netanyahu said Tuesday in an interview with i24, an Israeli TV station. He did not make reference to South Sudan.

The AP reported that Israel and the US have floated similar proposals with Sudan, Somalia, and the breakaway region of Somaliland.

Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, has strongly opposed any forced transfer of Palestinians out of the enclave, fearing a refugee influx into its territory.

South Sudanese civil society leader Edmund Yakani told the AP that the country “should not become a dumping ground for people … and it should not accept to take people as negotiating chips to improve relations”.

Joe Szlavik, founder of a US lobbying firm working with South Sudan, said he was briefed by South Sudanese officials on the talks.

According to Szlavik, the country wants the Trump administration to lift a travel ban and remove sanctions on some South Sudanese elites, suggesting the US could be involved in any agreement about the forcible displacement of Palestinians.

Peter Martell, a journalist and author of First Raise a Flag, said “cash-strapped South Sudan needs any ally, financial gain and diplomatic security it can get”.

The Trump administration has previously pressured several countries to accept deportations, and South Sudan has already taken in eight individuals removed from the US under the administration’s mass deportation policy.

IPSWICH TOWN were unbelievably forced to hold their half-time team-talk on their team BUS due to a plumbing issue during their Carabao Cup clash with Bromley.

Championship outfit Ipswich travelled to Hayes Lane to take on League Two side Bromley in the first round of the competition.

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Kieran McKenna‘s side had been playing in the Premier League last season, lining up in stadiums like Old Trafford and the Emirates in front of tens of thousands of fans.

But the Tractor Boys were slapped in the face by the reality of the football pyramid when they found themselves taking on Bromley in their 1,300-seat Hayes Lane ground.

That reality hit even harder when they went in trailing 1-0 at half-time, only to be told they had to hold their team talk on their team bus due to plumbing problems in the changing rooms.

Their squad, which featured the likes of Ashley Young and Ben Johnson, had to cram onto the bus just so that they could use the toilet.

However, the unusual circumstances didn’t seem to immediately bother the travelling team as they came out swinging in the second half.

Former West Ham man Johnson netted an equaliser just nine minutes after the break.

That was only enough to force penalties as Bromley held firm to keep the game tied at a goal a piece.

Incredibly, Bromley seemingly pulled off the impossible as they came out on top in the test of nerves from 12 yards – knocking out their heavyweight opposition on a historic night for the club.

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The result will have been a frustration for pop superstar Ed Sheeran, a minority owner of Ipswich, who had made the journey to watch the game from the stands.

The first round of the Carabao Cup had already thrown up some madness throughout the evening.

Tranmere Rovers’ tie against Burton Albion was postponed because of a power cut at Prenton Park.

The clash was called off just 26 minutes before kick-off after a Scottish Power outage had left Tranmere unable to operate any tills, floodlights and some of the turnstiles.

Elsewhere Bradford City fans were hit by travel delays after a COW shut down the motorway en route to their tie against Blackburn.

A photo taken at the scene saw a marked vehicle attempting to guide the cow safely off the M62.

However, the animal’s wellbeing came at the expense of Bradford fans, who were left pressed for time ahead of a 7.45pm kick-off.

Many were left in gridlocked traffic as their movements ground to a halt.

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As a parent I have had to take drastic measures and ban Peppa Pig for good after my daughter continued to repeat and awful word

Those of you who have tuned in previously for my Peppa Pig opinion pieces will already know that I am not the show’s biggest supporter.

I have outlined in the past that I would be switching over to Disney’s family fun show Bluey, instead of allowing my two-year-old to follow the likes of Peppa, George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig.

However, there was one occasion since my original statement when we accidentally watched the CBeebies programme. In fairness, it was not intentional, we’d tried desperately hard to find other shows that we felt were more suitable for our toddler. We’d just been watching Justin Fletcher’s Something Special show and before we’d realised, the infamous pigs were next to follow on the channel.

Of course, as Peppa and her family began to chime their snorts in the opening introduction, we were met with a roar of excitement from a toddler – who had not seen the show for sometime now.

I shot a look at my partner, both of us providing a nod of approval that we would make one small allowance – and that she could watch it “just this once”.

What we didn’t realise is that we would pay massively for “just this once,” a mistake that would live with us for weeks to come.

I think it’s worth noting for the record that our daughter, apart from when she’s unwell, is generally a good eater and will chow down most food with minimal fuss. Any way, back to the show and how this all ties together.

We happened to allow our two-year-old to tune into episode 34, of season one, titled ‘lunch”. I would go out on a limb here and say this was probably the worst instalment I’d ever seen and regret deeply ever putting it on now.

In this episode, George, Peppa Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig are visiting Granny and Grandpa Pig, who have collected fresh vegetables from their garden and invited everyone over to sample the goods with them at their table.

As they all dig in, sampling the delicious homegrown produce, George is left looking perplexed. Granny, Grandad, Mummy and Daddy Pig prompt him to try various varieties of salad to which he rudely replies: “Yuck,” and pokes his tongue out, moving his body away from his plate and turning his nose up.

Refusing to try anything put in front of him, he simply tells them: “Yuck,” each time before finally bursting into tears.

Grandad intervene with a clever tactic, turning the salad into a dinosaur, with T-Rex obsessed George eventually lapping up the healthy goods in no time at all.

I can see where the shows creators were going with narrative, that a little bit of creativity goes a long way but to use the word “yuck” in a food environment with impressionable toddlers watching, I simply do not agree with.

As soon as we heard the word “yuck” leave George’s lips, we knew we were in store for trouble. We’re at that age where anything you say aloud will be consumed much like a sponge absorbing water.

Sure enough, even after the episode had concluded, our two-year-old continued to repeat the word “yuck,” finding it utterly hilarious. We’d hoped this would pass but it didn’t.

The next day, we presented our daughter with a homemade lasagne for dinner, a meal I had personally prepared totally from scratch and had probably taken the best part of five hours to cook – over the course of various parts of the day.

As I placed her plate on the table, I was met with the word “yuck,” yet again. I tried to encourage her to eat with playful aeroplane notions and was further shunned as she told me: “Yuck, yuck and yuck,” much like George had done previously during the episode.

It wasn’t just happening in our home and we weren’t the only ones to witness her blatant rudeness. We are fortunate enough that we have parents who help us out with childcare once or twice per week. On a visit, they’d dished up a lunchtime staple, peanut butter sandwiches, but were also met with the exact same response.

On collection, we were left embarrassed as we summarised that George was to blame for her ill-mannered behaviour at meal times. We all mutually agreed that Peppa Pig would now be firmly banned across both households.

Even if Peppa Pig happens to roll onto our screens by accident again, I’ll be lunging for the remote as quicker than Usain Bolt to turn it off because in all honesty, from one parent to another, it’s really not worth the additional stress or red faced apologies.

Peppa Pig currently airs on CBeebies and Netflix.

A BELOVED car garage with hundreds of thousands of fans has been forced to close its doors. 

The garage is shutting down after nearly six years, after its famous owner battled with “rising costs”. 

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Joe Betty first set up his famous garage Berrow Motors in 2020, in the sleepy town of Burnham-on-Sea.

During that time, he slowly built up his customer base and started posting videos about motors online – quickly racking up millions of views. 

His YouTube channel Shifting Metal takes viewers behind the scenes of his high-flying lifestyle, as he buys and trades luxury vehicles including Porsches, BMWs and Jaguars. 

However, after becoming one of the most famous motor influencers in Britain, Joe has been forced to close the garage which helped launch his career. 

The petrolhead and influencer says that rising costs are to blame for the sudden closure of Berrow Motors. 

He said: “We’ve had nearly six fantastic years here. 

“We’ve won awards, gained over 100,000 YouTube subscribers and raised over £30,000 for local causes — but have decided now is the time to move on.”

“The cost of running a business is constantly rising and has certainly played a part in my decision, but I also wish to focus more time on fundraising and other business ventures.”

He added: “I want to thank all of our wonderful customers for their business over the last few years and of course the team members who made Berrow Motors what it was.

“I really hope another motor trader takes over the site and makes a success of it – you couldn’t ask for better landlords than the Welland family.”

Fans flooded the comments section on Shifting Metal’s social media, as Joe broke the news. 

One wrote: “sorry to hear that the business is closing down. I wish you and your family all the very best for the future”

Others said they would miss Joe’s hilarious challenges that he would set himself on YouTube. 

In one video, he flipped a coin to set the price of a luxury land rover and, in another, he bought and sold a Mercedes C63 for an eyewatering £35,000.

After letting go of the garage, Joe says that he is going to be focusing on producing even more “car-centric” content online.

The news comes as even major car brands struggle to stay afloat.

Nissan has been forced to accelerate the closure of two of its factories in Mexico, as it slashes its number of global factories from 17 to 10.

The crisis-hit brand has been battling rising debt, which it is hoping to remedy through its Re:Nissan plan.

The UK government even threw the manufacturer a lifeline, by allowing UK Export Finance to underwrite a £1 billion loan for Nissan.

It is hoped that the move will keep the Sunderland factory – Nissan’s only site in the UK – open.

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VIOLENT abusers are to be made to stay inside “restriction zones” for the first time under new laws. 

They must remain in certain areas, monitored by GPS tags, with potential jail time for a breach. 

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Current laws ban thugs from an area — normally around a victim’s home. 

Campaigners say that restricts victims’ freedoms, as they feel safe only when they stay in their exclusion zones — and not when elsewhere. 

Probation services will enlist victims to draw up a list of locations offenders are allowed to visit. 

The Ministry of Justice move came after lobbying from campaigners. It may be introduced as part of the Sentencing Bill going through Parliament. 

Victims’ minister Alex Davies-Jones said it “will strengthen safeguards”. 

Announcing the change, Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Alex Davies-Jones said: “Through our Plan for Change, we’re putting victims first. 

“This move will strengthen safeguards for victims.

“I’ve heard firsthand how this innovative approach will give them the peace of mind they deserve and rebuild their lives without fear.”

Diana Parkes CBE and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton CBE, who are co-founders of the Joanna Simpson Foundation, said: “For far too long, victims have had to reshape their lives to avoid their offenders.

“Exclusion zones have made victims feel trapped as though they are the ones serving a sentence, with the victim carrying the weight of someone else’s crime. 

“This announcement from the Ministry of Justice is the much-needed change that has long been called for and is a powerful step forward.

“By placing restrictions on offenders instead, this will now give survivors the freedom they deserve to live, move and heal without fear. “

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