Green

LOUISE Redknapp has shown her toyboy ex what he’s missing as she posed in a green bikini on the beach after the split.

The Eternal star, 51, took to Instagram to share a sneak peek into her holiday as she posed up a storm in the green number.

Louise looked beach ready in the bikini which she paired with a cream and brown monogrammed skirt as she gave a peek of her midriff.

She wore a chocolate brown long-sleeved top which she left unbuttoned to reveal her two-piece.

The singer accessorised with some chic sandals and a black bag with tassels.

She went make-up free for the beach day as she popped a pair of sunglasses on her head as well as several necklaces around her neck.

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The Strictly Come Dancing star appeared to be moving on from her break-up as she flashed her pearly whites for a sweet snap.

She captioned the post: “Making the most of the last days of Summer, happy bank holiday.”

Her loyal fans flocked to the comments section to compliment her as one gushed: “Beautiful as always Louise.”

Another person enthused: “You’re literally sunshine personified!”

Somebody else wrote: “Oh jeez, you look phenomenal.”

While a fourth social media user added: “Stunningly beautiful.”

The Sun exclusively revealed earlier this month that she had split from boyfriend Drew Michael earlier this year after two years together.

They had been dating since autumn 2023 but called time on the relationship and he is believed to have left the UK.

It was her first serious romance since the breakdown of her 19-year marriage to football pundit Jamie Redknapp, 53, almost a decade ago.

A source said: “Louise and Drew decided to end things a little while ago.

“Things had been really good between them but it felt like their relationship had run its course and they both thought it was best to move on.

“It was all very amicable and although it’s never fun when a relationship ends, Louise has thrown herself back into her social life and her busy work schedule.

Drew’s thought to have moved abroad for work so it’s been a clean break.

“She’s in no rush to jump back into another relationship because she feels very fulfilled with her life right now, but she’ll see what happens.”

About five miles separate Agoura and Westlake high schools, but there seemed to be a great deal more distance between them Friday night, as host Westlake throttled the Chargers 38-7 in a nonleague game.

Most of that gap came via the right arm of sophomore quarterback Ford Green, who dissected the Chargers, completing 14 of 18 passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns. For Green, and the Warriors (2-0), the victory eliminated any lingering doubts about their season-opener last week, a thrilling, 32-26 triple-overtime win against Newbury Park. Though Green threw two touchdowns last week and ran for the winning touchdown, he threw two interceptions and tallied only 139 yards through the air.

Against Agoura (1-1), Green completed his first 10 passes and finished the first half with three touchdowns and 219 yards. He added a fourth touchdown in the third quarter. Westlake finished the scoring in the fourth on a one-yard plunge by running back Nazir Esanbor and a 35-yard field goal by kicker Gabriel Goroyan.

“Last week showed how we fight as a team when we come together, but tonight showed how we can dominate,” Green said.

Though graced with two top-flight receivers in Charles Davis and Demare Dezeurn, both of whom have committed to Cal, Green spread the wealth Friday, completing passes to six Warriors. Those included a 14-yard strike to Davis on the Warriors’ first possession and a 57-yard touchdown pass to freshman Drew Gamboa later in the first quarter. Green also completed a 58-yard second-quarter touchdown pass to Erik Green and a 29-yard pass to Dezeurn early in the fourth.

While praising Green’s composure, accuracy, consistency and feel, Westlake coach Rick Clausen also singled out the offensive line.

“Obviously Game 1 wasn’t what we were looking for, but they practiced really hard this week and focused on what they needed to work on and didn’t worry about the exterior stuff,” he said, “They gave [Ford] the chance to succeed.”

Ford trumpeted the depth of his receiving corps.

“I trust every single one of my receivers that they can get the job done and they did,” he said. “And we’re a brotherhood, a family, and the ball gets spread out. Even if one guy is doing really well, I know every one of them will be ready when it’s their time.”

A summer trip to France ‘got worse and worse’ for one family as they were greeted by a ‘radioactive’ pool, a dead rodent, poison and broken furniture at their holiday home

What was meant to be a charming holiday home in France resembled more of a ‘horror house’, as a family trip went from bad to worse during a ‘hellish’ experience.

Richard Glendenning, who hails from London, travelled to France this summer for a holiday with his wife, her parents and their eight-month-old puppy. Wanting a quieter and more authentic experience, the couple booked a 10-night stay at an ’18th-century barn, with a private pool and sauna’ through Airbnb, nestled in a rural area of Bars in Bergerac.

Before they arrived, they were aware that the holiday rental was a little rustic around the edges, but at the time, it was all part of the appeal. It was only when they turned up at the property on Monday, 27 July 2026, that they realised it was far from what they had been expecting.

“It looked like a very lovely gîte (self-catering holiday home) online, I thought it’d be charming and nice,” Rich exclusively told the Mirror. “But it was in no way indicative of how hellish the experience was.

“It was actually two buildings next to each other that were part of the same space, and when we first arrived, it was filthy. It was the messiest place, and it looked like nobody had bothered to clean it for a year or so – it was awful.”

He continued: “It was like something from a film set, where you try and make a horror house with insects, cobwebs and spiders, everywhere. In the kitchen, the ceilings were fairly low, and I walked into one of those sticky tape things, covered in flies. There were flies everywhere, alive and dead.

“The bathrooms weren’t clean, and I had to use another bedroom in the other building, but when I went in there, I found a dead rodent, a rat.

“The towels were also tiny; you could barely wrap a toddler in one, and I had a white stain on mine. We were looking around, and in one bedroom, the owners had taken the bed from the mezzanine area, so there were just really horrible mattresses on the dirty floor, like in a squat.

“I walked through one of the bedrooms that was facing the pool, and instead of a bed, there were just stacks of wood pushed against the wall.” Rich added that they had arrived a “little bit early”, which had been previously agreed, and the cleaners did later fix the bed.

However, there were more surprises waiting. “The outdoor swimming pool was a comedy green, it was like a radioactive, glowing green colour, rather than a beautiful blue,” Rich revealed. “There was also a noisy filter machine, and there was an auto-motored machine going around, so that wasn’t done either. The owner had also removed loads of furniture from around the pool that were in the photos and advertised.”

Rich and his wife also spotted a “layer of scum around the edge of the pool”.

Rich and his wife had previously confirmed with the owner that their puppy could stay at the property, and the owner had agreed before their arrival. But the accommodation became worryingly unsafe for them and their beloved pooch.

“I saw this kind of gravel or type of salt across loads of the floors, and it was even across the dining table in the house. So I asked the owner, and she said, ‘Oh, that’s poison we put down’. She knew beforehand we were bringing a puppy, so that was unbelievably dangerous,” he said.

“We knew it was going to be rustic, but we thought we’d spend more of our time outside than in the house. But there’s rustic, and then there’s filthy, broken and items missing,” Rich’s wife added.

They also discovered that what looked like a microwave was actually the kitchen’s main oven, but the couple said, “You couldn’t even fit half a pizza in.” Rich’s wife said that the oven in the other building, which they were offered to use, was “so disgusting” and had “never seen something so dirty”, so they were left without an oven for a few days before it was cleaned again.

While they were caught off guard by the state of the property, the family decided to have some lunch outdoors near the pool on their first day. A platform area had been a “major selling point” for them because of the “beautiful views with a big table under some trees”.

In true French style, they laid out a “huge spread” on the outdoor table by the pool, with wine and cheese. “We put it all on the table, and it instantly collapsed. All the food and wine, everything went everywhere and broken plates”, Rich explained.

During their stay, Rich and his wife said they were in communication with the owner and Airbnb while documenting everything. “We were complaining and telling the owner what we found,” he said.

Airbnb confirmed that it has ground rules for hosts that make clear its expectations and the standards hosts must meet. If they fail to comply, Airbnb will investigate and take action, which may include removing the property from its platform.

“The owner was very responsive and trying to help, but she kept saying that it was her last rental and she’s selling the property,” Rich’s wife said. “She had given up on the property, really.”

To help with their issues, the owner said they could use the second building “freely”. However, this only revealed more, as it was “beyond dirty and dusty” and “uninhabitable”.

The couple explained that cleaners did return to clean the main property again during their stay following the complaints, but “didn’t do what they promised to do”. Although after two to three days, the pool was “back to a blue colour”.

The owner allegedly told the couple that before their arrival, she had around five 20-year-olds staying in the property and said that they had “left the place in a complete state, broken, and that’s why the pool was green.”

When speaking to the owner about the collapsed table, Rich said that the owner nonchalantly told them, ‘Oh, just take the table from the dining room in the house out there.’ He added that the owner had also told them she’d ordered new furniture, although it “never arrived”.

They were offered relocation by Airbnb, as all bookings come with AirCover, which means Airbnb will help guests find a similar place or issue a refund in the rare event that something isn’t as expected on arrival. However, because it was the peak summer period, they had two elderly parents, and one car that didn’t fit them all, they felt it wasn’t a realistic option for them.

Rich said: “The case was closed down without us being satisfied with any outcome”. Airbnb said it is providing feedback to the customer service teams that handled the case, as it did not meet their expectations.

In another turn of events, rain began leaking through the rental’s roof. His wife explained: “It was the final night in my bedroom, and thankfully, we weren’t in that room and didn’t have any lights on, but the rain flooded through the light socket.

“It went all over the bed. I had packed everything; my suitcase was open and directly under the flood. Every single item I owned was soaking wet.

“We were meant to drive back to the UK the next morning, but everything was wet, so I was desperately trying to dry everything before leaving, but didn’t manage to.”

After the ongoing ordeal of their accommodation, Rich said: “We need a holiday after the holiday. It just got worse and worse – it was hellish.”

A spokesperson for Airbnb said in a statement: “We are disappointed to hear about this experience and how it was handled. We have reached out to the guest to provide a monetary refund for the entire cost of their stay and are investigating the host.

“We have standards and ground rules for hosts, which require listings to be clean and free of health hazards, safety hazards and secure. While these reports are rare, we investigate and take the relevant action, which can include removal of listings from Airbnb.”

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

THEY say the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, but it appears it is when you look over the fence of Mark Wright’s Essex mansion.

The former Towie star has come under fire from fans for his very healthy looking lawn – despite the region’s new hosepipe ban after multiple heatwaves.

Essex and Suffolk Water introduced a hosepipe ban earlier this month as a result of a lack of rain this summer.

Under a temporary use ban, customers cannot use a hosepipe, sprinkler, or pressure washer for various activities, such as watering plants or filling up hot tubs.

However, Mark took to Instagram earlier this week to share a video of himself relaxing in his outdoor pool, with his green garden grass seen behind him.

As he sipped on cocktails in the clip, Mark was sharing his at-home drinks recipe with fans.

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However, fans were more confused over his garden than his homemade mojito.

One user commented below the video: “Amazing grass considering a huge hose pipe ban and much of Essex not have basic water access ATM. Man of the people I see”.

“The grass is looking nice and green 😂,” said a second.

A third wrote: “FYI everyone else has a hosepipe ban?! ?”

“Picture of your house with luscious green grass going around social media while every surrounding bit of land is dead?

“Let all the farmers put their cattle on your land and eat the grass!! They are struggling,” slammed another.

Mark and his wife Michelle moved into their £3.5 million mansion in 2022, after spending years building it into their dream home.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has charged nearly a dozen people with participating in a multimillion-dollar scheme to help hundreds of Chinese nationals fraudulently obtain green cards through sham marriages to U.S. citizens, officials said Wednesday.

American citizens were paid as much as $30,000 to enter into bogus marriages with immigrants seeking lawful permanent resident status as part of the scheme orchestrated from New York, according to court papers. The defendants charged up to $100,000 per green card, bringing in tens of millions of dollars over the course of the decadelong scheme, according to officials.

Authorities say they believe the group arranged more than 1,000 sham weddings, describing it as one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.

“This scheme was not a quick, fly-by-night operation but rather a yearslong, multibillion dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people who would not, or legally could not, otherwise become citizens of the United States,” Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche told reporters.

The charges come against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration that have sought to crack down on who is able to enter the country or become a citizen.

After recruiting U.S. citizens, the defendants would arrange fake weddings and in some cases stage photos of families at places such as restaurants afterward to make them look legitimate, according to officials. The defendants would then help the immigrants through the lawful permanent status application process.

“These schemes have real cost. They rob our country of its ability to know who should be and who should not be allowed in America,” Blanche said.

The 11 defendants, including people accused of officiating the sham weddings, are charged in an indictment filed in New York. It was not immediately clear Wednesday whether they had lawyers to speak on their behalf.

Richer writes for the Associated Press.

PROFESSOR Green has revealed he’s got no savings despite his chart-topping success – and faces selling his house.

The rapper first hit the Top 10 in 2010 with debut single I Need You Tonight before going on to have a number one single with Read All About It in 2011.

But despite his chart success and collaborations with the likes of Lily Allen, Example and Emeli Sande, the star has revealed his finances do not reflect that.

In a new interview with The i Paper, Professor Green – real name Stephen Manderson – said: “So many artists get chewed up, spat out and come out the other side of it with f**k all.

“Everyone around them makes money – apart from them, because they’re good with words, songs and feelings, but they’re not good with money.

“It’s weird to get to this age and realise I’ve had no financial advice. I’m 42 and I spoke to a financial adviser for the first time recently, which was very telling.”

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He continued: “I’ve got no real savings, no investments, no stocks, no shares, no ISAs.

“It’s hard to comprehend that I’ve got so much of my money tied up in a house that I don’t entirely own.

“Now that interest rates are no longer 1.7 per cent, I even wonder whether I should sell my house and rent, to future-proof myself.

“I’m forever on Rightmove, looking at houses I can’t afford.”

While he has continued to make music, Pro Green has also turned his hand to TV in recent months, appearing on The Masked Singer as the character Teabag in January.

Then in May he appeared on the 15th series of Celebs Go Dating on E4.

AARON Chalmers’ ex Talia Oatway has revealed she’s had to rush her son Oakley to hospital after he was left vomiting blood and “green liquid”.

The four-year-old was born with Apert syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes the bones in the skull, hands and feet to fuse together.

As a result, he lives with complex medical needs and is regularly in and out of hospital.

Worried mum Talia, 34, took to TikTok from the hospital to share news of the scary incident with her followers.

She began: “What a bloody day we’ve had. So two o’clock this morning, Oakley’s been vomiting since.

“Basically the back story is, Oakley had some PH testing done in hospital where they put a little device, attach it to the esophagus and you have to follow him around for two days with his bag.

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“You can’t be more than two metres away from him.”

She went on to reveal that the device should have come out through him when the procedure happened three weeks ago.

“In the morning, he was covered in green sick and I found this little device in his bed,” Talia explained.

“So I phoned the hospital and they told me I need to bring him down, so I brought him down, he’s been vomiting ever since we got here.

“Oakley’s got a feeding tube in the belly, they attach a bag to the tube so instead of him vomiting orally, it’ll come out through the bag and through his belly and it was just pure green and blood. It was horrific.”

Talia said that Oakley was taken for an x-ray because the device could have damaged a part of his bowels.

However, he was required to have another x-ray to investigate further before they consider taking the surgery route.

Talia held her hand over her face and expressed: “I just don’t know what’s going on, it’s just horrific.

“I just feel like it’s one thing after another for this baby and I feel so sorry for him. It’s just awful.”

It comes after his previous hospital dash last month which resulted in him having to have the device put inside him initially.

In March, Talia revealed Oakley had undergone more than 20 operations related to his condition.

Speaking previously, the brave mum said: “Every hospital admission. Every surgery. It never gets easier. The fear, the waiting, the helplessness – it never goes away.

“But you keep going because your child needs you to be strong when they can’t be.”

Talia is also mum to three other children – Oakley’s siblings.

She shares Oakley, Romeo, six, and Maddox, four, with former Geordie Shore star Aaron. She also has an older daughter from a previous relationship.

Talia has previously claimed Aaron has limited contact with Oakley and has said she considers herself a single mum.

She said: “Oakley’s here every single night, he has been for over a year and the fact that this person can just go online and start talking about his medical care when he doesn’t attend any appointments, doesn’t attend hospital, is mind-blowing.”

AMANDA Holden sizzled in a tiny green bikini as she posed up a storm on poolside in sunny Corfu.

The Britian’s Got Talent judge, 55, showed off her amazing figure as she wowed in the skimpy swimwear on holiday.

Amanda looked incredible as she was snapped getting out of the pool.

She completed her look with a straw sun hat, oversized sunglasses and gold jewellery.

The telly favourite posted the pictures on her Instagram and tagged fashion designer Melissa Odabash in the caption.

Many rushed to the comments section to share how stunning she looks.

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One said: “Perfect.”

Another wrote: “Just beautiful.”

A third chimed in: “Swimwear queen.”

“Sensational,” a fourth chimed in.

A fifth commented: “So gorgeous xx.”

Last month Amanda flashed her toned figure in a bright red bikini as she relaxed on a swing.

The star was all smiles as she swayed in the summer sunshine, accessorising her matching two-piece with a pair of sunglasses.

She kept her blonde hair in loose natural waves and was clearly relishing her tanning time.

Amanda uploaded a series of snaps to Instagram showcasing her Melissa Odabash swim gear as well as a video showing her on the wooden playground equipment.

In her caption, she revealed how she had teamed up with her BGT co-star Alesha Dixon for her sun-soaked day.

She later captured a snap showing fashion brand founder Melissa and Alesha, who had chosen a nude swim top paired with a chunky gold necklace.

Amanda then wrote: “The best day in this beautiful weather! Wearing @melissaodabash of course.

“Swipe to see the bikini queen herself along with my lovely @aleshaofficial – what a fab lunch all together – with our girls too”.

Brand founder Melissa was then quick to reply: “OK officially red is my fav colour on you looking insane and so great catching up with the girls”.

Reform UK say they are reporting Green Party leader Zack Polanski to the police after he shared a post to his Instagram which included a photo of a man wearing a top featuring the name “Nigel” alongside an image of a guillotine.

Polanski accepted a request to collaborate with another account and shared a series of pictures of a Green Party event on Sunday with his 713,000 followers.

One of the images showed a man wearing a T-shirt which said: “We’re only making plans for Nigel”.

A Green Party spokesperson said: “Once this image was brought to [Zack’s] attention he immediately unshared the post. He unequivocally does not support this type of dangerous message.”

The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, criticised Polanski on X.

Sharing a screenshot of what Polanski had reposted, he said: “If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.”

It is understood Reform UK are reporting Polanski to the police. The party’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, said “this is incitement to murder”.

PREMIER INN has revealed plans to open a £14million hotel in a seaside town.

The UK’s largest hotel chain is set to to transform an “underutilised” area near to several tourist attractions.

The investment by Whitbread, the company which owns the Premier Inn brand, has been welcomed by residents and businesses in Norfolk.

The site earmarked for development is in Southend Road, Hunstanton.

Premier Inn has been discussions to create the 108-bedroom hotel “for years”.

Planning permission will now have to be gained before the development can take place, which would be built near Seagate (East) Car Park, the council said.

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Simon Ring, deputy leader of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, described the move as a “vote of confidence” in the future of the town.

He said it followed years of discussions between the local authority and the firm.

“This is huge news for Hunstanton,” Ring told the BBC.

“The sheer fact the UK’s largest hotel chain wants to invest in Hunstanton is a vote of confidence in the resort’s future, placing us alongside Norfolk’s other big visitor destinations, and this investment and new facility will hopefully act as a catalyst for further money.”

Whitbread acquisitions manager Paul Smith said the new hotel would provide “visitors with the quality, value and reliability they expect from the UK’s leading hotel brand”.

Premier Inn currently operates nearly 850 hotels in the UK.

MIAMI — The Trump administration is reviving a rule that could deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits that could include food stamps, Medicaid, housing vouchers and others.

The policy, known as “public charge,” appeared on Thursday in the Federal Register and will be formally published on Monday.

The policy was first implemented in February 2020 as one of President Trump’s moves to limit legal immigration during his first administration, but it was reversed after Democratic President Biden came to power.

Its return comes when the Republican administration is implementing a hard-line policy to curb both illegal and legal immigration, and when the cost of healthcare and food is rising.

The federal government “is reaffirming the requirement of self-reliance, protecting public resources and ending policies that encouraged dependency on the backs of hard-working American taxpayers,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a post published on its X account.

“Under President Trump, USCIS is restoring the basic principle that immigrants must be able to support themselves,” the post said.

Under the policy, applicants for green cards have to show they wouldn’t be burdens to the country or “public charges.”

European vacation rentals have entered a bizarre era where there’s more municipal red tape than luxury.

The romantic idea of escaping to a restored Tuscan farmhouse or a modernist villa overlooking the French Riviera, perhaps with a glass of local wine in hand while watching the sunset over olive groves that have stood for centuries, has run straight into the cold reality of the European Union’s fight against carbon.

How does that reconcile with holidayers who expect 3m pools heated to an exact temperature? Whole-house air conditioning? Double-door refrigerators? Massive panoramic windows?

We don’t know, but we do know that local councils are staring down energy grids that are already stressed to their absolute limits. Sustainability isn’t just a case of putting a small wooden sign in the bathroom asking guests to reuse their towels anymore.

WTTC Initiatives and the Corporate Push for Greener Stays

The World Travel & Tourism Council has spent the last few years trying to bring about that reconciliation. A massive partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme is pushing circular economy guidelines down the throats of major hospitality operators, hoping that global standards will somehow trick independent luxury property managers into compliance. It sounds great on paper. The industry wants independent certification schemes to look uniform across borders, because global corporations hate dealing with twenty different regional rules when they could just tick a single corporate checkbox instead.

For property managers, it’s trickle-down bureaucracy at its finest. You can’t just call a rental “eco-friendly” anymore because you bought organic cotton sheets, left a bottle of locally sourced olive oil on the kitchen counter, installed a Nest thermostat, and planted some lavender in the garden. The standards are tightening.

The WTTC is pushing for genuine data transparency, which means tracking actual water stewardship metrics, managing real-time grid feedback loops, auditing supply chains, and proving carbon offsets. It’s an administrative headache for anyone who just wanted to rent out a luxury apartment while drinking espresso on a private terrace.

With sustainability metrics becoming a core driver of soft power and local tourism compliance across European markets, consumer-facing tech platforms are reacting by categorizing eco-certified accommodations. Advanced search ecosystems such as Villa Picker are facilitating this transition, allowing travelers to filter properties by energy efficiency standards and regional sustainability benchmarks without sacrificing premium amenities.

Balancing High-End Amenities with Low-Impact Operations

This leaves high-end property operators in a tricky bind. Holidayers don’t want a lecture on carbon footprints when they’re paying thousands of euro a night and retrofitting a centuries-old villa with triple glazing, thick cavity wall insulation, solar roof tiles, and ground-source heat pumps is an architectural nightmare that costs a fortune.

Operators are forced to play a complicated game of smoke and mirrors with smart home technology. They’re installing automated sensors that kill the climate control the second a guest steps outside, investing in invisible greywater recycling systems, choosing low-flow rainfall showerheads that disguise water conservation as a spa experience, and buying electric vehicle charging stations that look sleek next to a rented sports car. It’s a delicate compromise. If Europe’s green transition succeeds, it’ll be because the luxury rental market figured out how to hide the machinery of sustainability behind a velvet curtain of premium comfort.

Research has named the best place in the UK to raise a child, thanks to a number of factors from the variety of countryside spaces to lower than average house prices

Raising a child in the modern world is a demanding task, and there are lots of big decisions parents-to-be need to make to give their offspring the best chance in life.

One of the most important factors is where to live, and parents will be seeking somewhere with a balance between safety, education quality, childcare costs, plus outdoor spaces to raise free-range kids.

To give parents a hand when making this life-changing choice, Outdoor Toys has created an index of the best places to raise a child in the UK for 2026, and its research looked at a huge number of factors. These included the number of child-friendly attractions, crime rates, and the percentage of schools with a good or outstanding OFSTED rating. This gave each town and city a child raise-ability score out of ten, and the overall winner scored an impressive 7.32.

Sheffield in South Yorkshire took the top spot thanks to offering double the average amount of green space per person . It also has relatively affordable childcare costs of £918.33 per month, which is below the UK average of £1,128 per child without government support.

Housing is also a major factor for growing families, and according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the average house price in Sheffield stands at £222,000. This is below the UK wide average of £270,080, and far below areas such as the south east at £379,000.

Green spaces that can be enjoyed around the city include the Sheffield Botanical Gardens, which includes colourful flowers and plants from around the world, some of them kept in huge Victorian greenhouses. Outside, kids can wander the endless trails, spotting statues, fountains, and other pretty features.

Graves Park is another spot that’s much-loved by families. It has two playgrounds, woodlands, lakes, and much more to explore, while Kelham Island Museum is a fun day out where kids can learn all about the area’s industrial heritage in an interactive environment.

Second place in the rankings was Milton Keynes, its score boosted by the fact it offered the widest range of child-friendly attractions. MK residents enjoy 31 kid-friendly attractions per 100,000 people, 11 more than the study’s average, meaning families who live in the city certainly won’t get bored.

While Milton Keynes lost some ground due to its costly childcare – an average of £1,416 per month – it offered large amounts of green space per person as well as a high percentage of schools OFSTED graded as good or outstanding.

Swindon came in third place, in part due to having the lowest crime rate in the study at 68 per 1,000 people. It also offered average childcare costs of £900, below the UK average, while two-thirds of its schools had good or higher OFSTED ratings.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

June 15 (Asia Today) — South Korean researchers have developed a catalyst that could substantially reduce the cost of producing green hydrogen while delivering performance and durability comparable to catalysts made with expensive precious metals.

A research team led by Professor Don-Hyung Ha of Chung-Ang University developed multimetallic phosphide nanoparticles that do not require platinum, iridium or other costly precious metals, the university said Monday.

The research was conducted jointly with a team led by Professor Inho Nam of Chung-Ang University’s Department of Chemical Engineering and researchers led by Sung Jong Yoo of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology’s Center for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells.

The catalyst was used to build a high-performance anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis system, a technology considered a potential lower-cost option for producing clean hydrogen.

Water electrolysis uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. When the electricity comes from renewable sources, the resulting fuel is commonly called green hydrogen because the production process does not directly emit carbon dioxide.

Many high-performance electrolyzers, however, rely on scarce and expensive catalysts containing platinum or iridium. Their cost and limited availability have been major obstacles to the large-scale commercialization of green hydrogen.

Anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis could reduce dependence on those metals because it can operate with less expensive materials. Existing non-precious-metal catalysts, however, often undergo changes to their surface structures during operation, resulting in lower efficiency and shorter operating lives.

The researchers sought to address the problem by designing nanoparticles made from cobalt, nickel, iron and phosphorus.

They used real-time spectroscopic analysis to examine changes in the catalyst’s oxidation state and surface structure while it was operating.

The team found that optimizing the amount of cobalt caused a stable, highly active structure to form on the catalyst’s surface during electrolysis. The researchers identified this surface reconstruction as a key factor in maintaining high catalytic activity and long-term durability.

In single-cell tests, a system using the catalyst at both the hydrogen-producing and oxygen-producing electrodes reached a current density of 5.73 amperes per square centimeter at 2 volts.

When the catalyst was used only at the oxygen-producing electrode, the system reached 11.43 amperes per square centimeter at the same voltage.

Higher current density generally indicates that an electrolyzer can produce more hydrogen from a given electrode area, although overall commercial performance also depends on factors including energy efficiency, system size, operating conditions and manufacturing cost.

The system also operated continuously for 500 hours at a commercially relevant current density of 1 ampere per square centimeter without a significant decline in performance, the researchers said.

The results indicate that non-precious-metal catalysts can deliver performance approaching that of systems using platinum-group metals.

The study combined control of the catalyst’s chemical composition, real-time analysis of its operating surface and performance testing in a complete electrolysis cell. The researchers said the integrated approach strengthens the catalyst’s potential for practical application.

“This study is academically significant because we precisely controlled the composition of a non-precious multimetallic phosphide catalyst and used real-time analysis to clarify how its surface changes during operation,” Ha said.

“It could serve as a milestone in developing low-cost water electrolysis electrodes that replace expensive precious-metal catalysts while providing both high performance and durability,” he said.

The research was supported by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT through the H2GATHER program, the H2 NEXT ROUND program and a Korea Institute of Science and Technology clean hydrogen technology development program.

The study, titled “Cobalt-Engineered Multimetallic Phosphides with Switchable HER-OER Activity for Durable Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis,” was published online May 26 in Advanced Functional Materials.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260612001005481

After spending less than a year living in Southern California, quarterback Ford Green of Westlake High retains his distinct South Carolina accent, still answers questions with “yes sir” and “no sir,” and greets adults with a handshake that can be described as nothing less than crushing.

The first impression he makes is off the charts, which piques the curiosity of strangers wanting to learn more. It only gets better., with As on his report card, an arm that throws frozen ropes and a sports history that includes baseball and boxing, which means defensive linemen better think long and hard if they want to do something stupid.

As a freshman last season, Green guided Westlake to an 11-1 record with 2,195 yards passing and 31 touchdowns. It was his first time playing quarterback with the idea of “going all in.” During the spring, Ohio State was among the schools offering a scholarship despite his lack of football experience. The Buckeyes might be on to something.

The 2026 season could be the year the 6-foot-2 Green rises to a whole different level because of his expected improvement from workouts, practices and devoting total attention to where he wants to go.

Before last season, he said he played football for fun in South Carolina. He was a baseball player, with his focus on pitching. Then, in 2025, everything changed. He said he went “all in” on playing quarterback.

“I fell in love,” he said. “When I wake up, I think about football. When I’m eating, I think about football. When I’m at school, I think about football. I’m infatuated by the game. Not a second goes by where I don’t think something about football. It’s my life.”

Green is someone to pay close attention to this summer during passing tournaments and showcases. Call it the bandwagon effect that happens when one person after another comes to the same conclusion and recognition that someone is going to be very successful.

Twice a week, he goes on Zoom to receive training from a Canadian Football League quarterback. Other times, he works with a private quarterback coach. He already understands the intricacies of the position.

“There’s so many more factors in playing quarterback than just arm,” he said. “It all starts between the ears.”

As scrutiny heightens, attention grows and expectations increase, Green said he’ll follow a big lesson already learned.

“Take it day by day,” he said. “It’s never as good as it seems, it’s never as bad as it seems. Stay neutral and get better every day. I feel if I get better every day, I’ll be able to reach my goals and dreams.”

He said he was too busy with football this year to go out for Westlake’s baseball team, but in the spring of 2027, prepare for his high school pitching debut.

Green was part of an outstanding group of class of 2029 quarterbacks last fall, all of whom should be continuing their rise to prominence.

Seven-on-seven tournaments will be happening almost every weekend in June. Then, next month, prepare for one of the best on July 11 at Huntington Beach Edison, which brings out St. John Bosco, Santa Margarita and Mission Viejo, among others. The “offseason” has been shortened, with zero week scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 21-22. Programs are required to take a mandatory two-week summer break. Some take it in June, others in July. And then there’s the inevitable movement of players through transfers to change teams.

For Green, the 2026-27 school year is shaping up as his most pivotal season to show where he’s headed and what kind of talents he has in the classroom, on the football field and on the pitching mound.

Monitor the journey closely. Something tells me he won’t disappoint.