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Constantvpn.com – Players in the prime minister simulator No 10: Full Confidence must balance the moods of factions including their cabinet and the media A mobile game made by a developer in Manchester has recently beaten the global phenomenon Minecraft to top Apple's paid games chart. Its success is perhaps even more surprising given its subject matter – UK politics. No 10: Full Confidence by Benjamin Brewis sees players take on the role of prime minister, making decisions through a wave of parliamentary scenarios and trying to remain in power for as long as possible.

The success of Brewis's app, and the creation of others like it, suggests the dramatic recent ebb and flow of Westminster may have inspired a popular new sub-genre. No 10: Full Confidence is a prime minister simulator game In No 10: Full Confidence , external , players who take on the precarious position of prime minister must balance the moods of four factions – their cabinet, backbenchers, the media, and the public – to remain in the game. Decisions are made across more than 300 fictional political scenarios, handwritten by Brewis.

The storylines range from the mundane – dealing with GP appointment waiting times – to the absurd. "I have a two or three-part storyline where a dog is let loose into the House of Lords by a lobbyist during a vet bill and that spirals out of control," Brewis said. Each scenario asks players to pick one action from three choices on the screen, with each potentially upsetting or pleasing the different factions.

Much like in real life, if one side completely turns against you your political career is finished. While some situations may sound farcical, Brewis said he had plenty of real life examples to draw on as inspiration. "I'd remember that MP who had a spider that he'd threaten MPs with , or when Boris Johnson walked into a fridge.

I'm frantically writing them all down." My first attempt at playing prime minister in No 10: Full Confidence hasn't left me considering a Westminster career. As my chosen candidate, Verity Grimshaw, I start off strong, managing to survive a crisis in which thousands of A-level students receive the wrong grades. I only manage to stay in the post for one year and nine months, taken out – somewhat ironically given my actual job – by a complete lack of trust by the press.

Unfortunately, a cabinet minister resigns and publishes a three-page-long letter that contains the phrase "the PM was warned" four times. This letter being read out in full on BBC Radio 4 turns out to be the last straw for poor Verity. My final choice in the game of "respond directly, address every point, don't let it sit unanswered", seemingly does not go down very well.

Brewis says some users have fared a lot better than my sorry effort. "Someone has stayed in for 1,885 months, which is 157 years," he says. "I'm not sure if that's a democracy any more." One scenario players must navigate in No 10: Full Confidence raises big questions about livestock Brewis said he was inspired to begin creating the app around December 2025, when "it was all kicking off" with former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and talk of potential challenges to his leadership was starting to grow.

"I remember thinking at the time, someone should just start taking the mick out of this," he said. "We've had so many prime ministers – it's funny now." Five different people have occupied No 10 since 2016 – three in the space of just over three years, and one for just 49 days. Dr Russell Foster, a lecturer in British and International Politics at King's College London, said the "churn of prime ministers" and growing presence of politics on social media could also help explain why Westminster is suddenly appearing on our devices.

And it was all going so well… No 10: Full Confidence is not the only game based around Westminster's wheeling and dealing. Fantasy Parliament , external is a browser-based game designed by another UK-based developer, Evan Roberts, which lets players draft their own fantasy league of real-world MPs, scoring points based on their real-life media coverage.

With the strategy game's Policy Tester, players can even type in proposals to a ChatGPT-style AI model, which then replies in the style of how it believes different groups of voters – such as Coastal Keith or Graduate Gemma – would react. Meanwhile, UK Politics Simulator, "built on real UK data down to ward level", is reportedly due out later this year for PC, made by the Scarborough-based company Black Cannon Games. Despite the success of his own venture, currently ranking 5th in Apple's UK paid games charts – above Monopoly Go – Brewis said he does not know if any politicians have actually played his game.

However, he has received some feedback on how accurately the game depicts UK political life, from his friends who work in the civil service. "It's exactly like this," they told him, "but worse." Power-washing, pool-cleaning and mowing: Why millions are playing games about mundane jobs Grand Theft Auto made him a legend. His latest game was a disaster Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends.

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Constantvpn.com – A nurse shark bit Tayane Dalazen while she was diving off the Brazilian coast "I knew something was different because the sharks were on the surface," says Tayane Dalazen, a 37-year old Brazilian lawyer and social media personality. "There were a lot of them," she says. "Later, I discovered [the tour organisers] were feeding the sharks so that they would interact with the tourists." Dalazen, from Sao Paulo, was on a shark-diving trip on the Brazilian coast in April when she suddenly felt "strong pressure" on her leg.

"When the shark bit me, the pain was very strong," she says. "I stayed calm because I knew I couldn't fight the animal." A nurse shark, more than seven feet (two metres) long, had clamped its jaws around her thigh. After holding her underwater for several seconds, the shark released her and she was able to escape.

But Dalazen says the experience, which left her with lacerations to her thigh, was "very frightening". Dalazen posted footage of the shark bite online, where it's since been viewed tens of millions of times. Although she says she "wasn't there for social media" and didn't touch or provoke the shark, she admits she was too close to the animals.

Incidents of sharks biting humans are incredibly rare, but at least three influencers have been bitten by the animals in less than a year. Scientists say they're increasingly concerned about the rise in social media videos showing people swimming too close to sharks, touching or even riding them. "I'm seeing these videos every single week now and it's way more than it ever used to be," says shark scientist Kristian Parton, who also hosts the 'Shark Bytes' YouTube channel.

"We're going to see people ending up in really serious incidents with sharks." In July, a fishing influencer almost lost his leg after being attacked by a reef shark whilst spearfishing. In December, a Chinese content creator was bitten in the Maldives. Both incidents were caught on camera.

Researchers at the International Shark Attack File, which tracks human-shark interactions worldwide, have also told the BBC they've seen a marked increase in the past three years of people being bitten while trying to take footage with sharks. A recent study of "swim with wildlife" expeditions , external found influencers and photographers were the most likely to ignore safety instructions. In February last year, a tourist in the Caribbean had both hands bitten off while trying to get a photograph of a bull shark from the shallows, according to local authorities.

Two months later, a snorkeller in Israel carrying a "selfie stick" was killed by sharks, reportedly while trying to get photographs. The risk of being bitten by a shark remains extremely low: the number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide has remained broadly stable for the past 30 years, at about 70 bites per year. While Tayane Dalazen was bitten by a nurse shark – known as a more docile species – some influencers have been filmed touching tiger sharks and even great whites.

"We're talking about a true apex predator, a very large wild animal," says Parton. "You wouldn't walk into the Serengeti and try and put your hand on the face of a lion." Sharks will often use defensive or "exploratory" bites when presented by an unwelcome human in their personal space, he adds. Human interactions can also cause stress to the animals.

Scientific studies have shown that approaching or touching a shark leads to high levels of hormones called glucocorticoids. These can lead to a weakened immune system, increased mortality and aborted offspring. "If you're approaching the shark and stressing it out, whether it be in a nursery habitat, a breeding ground, or a feeding area, you're depriving that shark of an area that's important to it to survive," explains Parton, "and that's definitely a problem." One of the best-known shark content creators is Ocean Ramsey, a 38-year-old former model who shot to fame in 2019 after she was pictured swimming with one of the largest great white sharks ever seen.

Divers take plunge with great white shark She often posts footage of her touching sharks and holding their dorsal fins. She spoke to the BBC from a boat in Hawaii, where she runs "Dive with Ocean" shark tours for paying customers. "My intent with all of my content has never been to gain views, it's to gain protection for sharks," Ramsey says.

"I've contributed to research articles, data collection… all of my work stems down to education." She denies that getting close to the sharks and touching them causes harm: "Most of my work and what I share is respecting and observing from a distance," she says. "I observe their behaviour and they choose to interact with me.

They always make the first approach." What about claims by scientists that videos showing sharks being touched encourage others to take risks and do the same? "You've got to give the general public some accountability," Ramsey insists. "I think most people are observing what I'm sharing with an educational message and they're not going out to just replicate that." Ocean Ramsey says her intent has "never been to gain views" The BBC spoke to several content creators who all denied being motivated by social media views, clicks or revenue, and insisted they were supporting conservation or attempting to change public perceptions of sharks.

Shark expert Dr Jack Cooper describes those claims as "ludicrous". "I really cannot explain how going up to a shark and touching it or riding it is doing anything to aid conservation," he says. "All you're doing is showing a shark getting harassed by a human.

And that's not promoting any policies about what we could do to reduce overfishing or to give more protections for sharks. "And it's certainly not providing scientific data that will tell us how the shark populations are doing or what policies might actually help conserve them." A number of videos on social media show people touching sharks Eric Clua, a marine biologist at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris, who has done research into the motivations behind shark bites, says the number of incidents caused by people getting too close to sharks is increasing, as a consequence of people considering sharks less dangerous than before. "The message transmitted by influencers is 'Look!

Touch the shark, nothing will happen to you,'" he says. Shark swimming and diving are booming in popularity around the world. Travel site TripAdvisor currently lists more than 140 such experiences in the Maldives alone.

Some of the listings advertise "the ultimate selfie" with sharks. But the warning from experts is clear: getting that perfect shot could come at a painful price. Four attacks in 48 hours: How east Australia's beaches became a 'perfect storm' for sharks Sharks and oysters set to thrive in warmer UK waters

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Constantvpn.com – While they were excited to start university, students say they worried about budgeting, making friends and being homesick You've got your A-level results and your university place has been confirmed. While you may be excited to explore a new city, meet new friends and study a subject you love – you might be feeling a bit anxious in the back of your mind. With a record number of 18-year-olds expected to start university this year, BBC News asked current students what advice they'd give to freshers feeling uncertain about what comes next.

For Isaak Hewitt, moving to Cardiff for university – where he knew no-one – was a "completely blank slate". The idea of meeting lots of new people for the first time since starting secondary school was nerve-racking he says, but Isaak made friends by talking to people he met at lectures and seminars. Now aged 20, Isaak says he was sometimes "terrified" trying to strike up conversations, but the fact everyone was studying English together gave them common ground.

He advises freshers to act confident – even if you're scared inside – and to put yourself out there. Many people say making friends is one of their biggest worries about starting uni As a commuter student in Nottingham, Grace Morrell was also worried about how she'd meet people, when others were making friends through their halls and student flats. Instead, Grace says she met new people by joining her student magazine, and the radio and theatre societies.

"A lot of my friendships come from putting myself out there and just doing what I love, which I found was a bit hard at times, especially when you don't know anyone," says Grace, 19. 'I worked really hard and it paid off': Elation, nerves and proud parents as students get results Are the UK's top universities really 'hoovering up' students? Lots of students try to connect with future coursemates and flatmates on social media before they start university, like Mustafa Dassu, 19, who says freshers' WhatsApp chats helped him make friends before he started at King's College London.

"Everyone was typing on them all the time between that period of results day and freshers' itself," Mustafa says, "and I met friends that I'm still in touch with a lot today." "I really worried about having to be on my own," says Izzy Garcez, 20, who thought she would miss spending evenings with her family and having people to eat and watch TV with. But in the end she wasn't as homesick as she'd anticipated. "Realistically, you'll make friends so quickly at uni," Izzy says, "and you're going to get to a point where you realise 'I've not called my parents in a week', and you'll realise that suddenly you're not actually missing them anymore – or not missing them nearly as much." Kieran says it's important to remember your maintenance loan has to last until the next instalment Journalism student Kieran Miller was worried about money, but he compared student bank accounts and chose one that gave him a free 16-25 Railcard, and signed up for student discount schemes.

Everything you need to know about university costs Though it might be exciting to see your first maintenance loan payment hit your bank account in one big lump sum, Kieran, 19, says you need to remember it has to last until the next instalment. With the help of his mum, Kieran, from Swansea, made a provisional budget before moving away, but warns that it's easy to get caught up in the student experience and spend more than you planned to. "When you start uni and you're living away from your family and you've got this new sense of freedom it was also really difficult to stay strict financially because you want to make mates with people," he says.

"Someone might invite you to go for food or to go for a drink – and you're like, 'I don't really want to say no because this is a chance to connect with someone.'" As well as student loans, most universities offer a variety of scholarships and bursaries, and it's worth checking whether you're eligible. Many students balance classes and studying alongside part-time work, volunteering, sports clubs and societies. Before starting her English and drama degree, Avery Hewitt, 19, worried about juggling studying with working and playing in a university band.

She says speaking online to a student ambassador about the workload helped her manage her expectations. Avery also advises new students to be realistic about their timetable and how much they can take on. "I threw myself into everything in the first semester, which I quickly figured out was too much to handle," Avery says, "so I had to make responsible choices about what societies or club nights I needed to cut back on." Pia switched from biochemistry to film and English Even though your place is now confirmed, it's still not too late to change your mind.

You can contact your university before you start to ask about changing course, or you can apply for courses at other universities through clearing. After she started at the University of East Anglia, Pia Subong, 21, says she realised that biochemistry wasn't the right course for her and so switched to film and English. If you're having doubts about whether the course is right for you, "you're having these feelings for a reason," Pia says.

Fatima says taking a gap year was the right decision for her You can also take a gap year, as Fatima Qureshi, 19, from London did – because she wasn't sure which course she wanted to do or which career path she'd enjoy. Fatima eventually decided to study law, but if she had chosen a course the year previously she'd likely have opted for biochemistry or pharmacy. "It was the best thing I could have done," she says.

It's natural to feel anxious, according to Mel Kennedy, student wellbeing adviser at Ulster University, who says change "can be scary" and lots of people experience "fear of the unknown". "For many students, starting university is the first time that they're stepping into a genuinely unknown environment," agrees Lindsay While, assistant director for student wellbeing and welfare at Teesside University. "Many students do experience anxiety and uncertainty because it is such a major transition, but everybody's experience is completely different." Universities offer a range of practical and wellbeing services, including budgeting advice, financial support, counselling and study support sessions.

You can also reach out to the university if you need support before you start. Some people told BBC News university had felt like the expected next step after sixth form or college. But Aashi Soni, 20, from Leicester, knew it wasn't right for her.

"Your college and sixth form don't really push you down that path [of apprenticeships] like they do with university and I found it really difficult," Aashi says. She turned down her university offers and took a gap year to find a suitable apprenticeship. In the end, Aashi started a Level 6 degree apprenticeship in sales at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

She says it has helped her grow in confidence, gain real-life experience while studying, and get mentoring. Aashi and Meenu say university is often presented as the default option – but it wasn't right for them Meenu Hettigama, 21, from Walsall began a creative media course after leaving school, but soon dropped out and applied for apprenticeships instead. She is now two years into a management degree apprenticeship at Amazon.

"University is not the only pathway," Meenu says, "even if maybe you think it's the most conventional or it is what your family want you to do." You can search for apprenticeships on the UK government, Welsh government, Northern Ireland government and apprenticeships.scot websites. You can also find apprenticeships on sites like LinkedIn and Indeed and at apprenticeship recruitment events. He turned down a place at Oxford, she's going to Manchester: Is university right for me?

What I wish I'd known: Four students on life as a fresher What is freshers' flu – and why do so many get it? Not having the time of your life at uni? You're not alone

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Constantvpn.com – Jason didn't want a "Coke can" – that's the nickname for a penis that has been enlarged with so much filler it resembles a stubby drink can. "Some people go really overboard," Jason tells me when we meet in Manchester. His procedure increased the girth of his penis by 16% – an amount he, and his partner, are really happy with.

He says it has given him a "self-confidence boost". "Everything still functions" as normal, Jason explains – just with "that extra little bit of width". It is not clear how many men like Jason are having penis fillers.

And you can't walk down the street and get a sense of it in the way you can visibly see the popularity of lip fillers. There is little regulation and there are no official records as anybody can start offering the procedure. Penis fillers even became the topic of a bizarre conspiracy theory at the last Winter Olympics.

Male ski jumpers were rumoured to be using fillers to increase the surface area of their suits so they could jump further. However, some men have ended up in A&E with a penis turning black and skin "sloughing off" after a botched procedure. And the British Association of Urological Surgeons has issued warnings to men having these procedures.

So why are men doing it and what are the risks? Why are men getting penis fillers? Inside Health Inside Health James Gallagher visits a private clinic to find out about about the procedure, meets a man who has had it done, and chats to a surgeon who says he is dealing with the consequences when it goes wrong.

Jason talked to us frankly, but anonymously, about his decision to have fillers. He was happy with the length of his penis but wanted a "bit more symmetry" and more girth to "get that nice, balanced look". "If you feel like it's a bit lacking," Jason says, "then, why not?" He spent a year weighing up options and ruled out having a surgical procedure.

He chose a type of filler – hyaluronic acid – that is temporary so he knew that even if he hated the look it would "eventually just dissolve". Jason says he wasn't motivated by swaggering alpha masculinity – "I don't subscribe to 'how big your dick is, is how big of a man you are'". Rather, he says expectations of male beauty have shifted.

"It's not just women that need to keep up, men need to keep up as well. "It's literally just society changing. I think the way the media portrays everything has a massive impact on everyday life now," he says.

"It's like you can't actually go anywhere without seeing some picture-perfect somebody." Trawl the websites of clinics offering penis enlargement – which ask questions like "are you embarrassed by the size of your penis?" – and you can see how some tap into this. There are a variety of penis-enhancement options. There are surgical and non-surgical techniques and different materials that can be injected into the penis.

Most common by far is injecting the gel-like substance hyaluronic acid – the same key ingredient used in lip fillers. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring sugar molecule in the body and is known as a "moisture magnet" as it grabs hold of water. Dr Javed Hussain performs a range of cosmetic procedures, including penis fillers Dr Javed Hussain has been offering penis fillers for more than a year at his clinic in Prestwich, Greater Manchester.

Hussain trained as a doctor before moving into cosmetic procedures, but penis fillers do not legally require any medical training to perform. He says demand is increasing. He's treated men of all ages – some in their mid-20s, while his oldest client is aged 72.

The process starts with consultations on the patient's health, reasons for wanting to have the procedure, expectations about the results, and a discussion about the risks. On the day of the event itself, a penis is injected with hyaluronic acid three times – on the top and on either side. The hyaluronic acid filler is delivered through a cannula that enters at the base and travels along the length of the shaft.

The equipment needed, including cannulas and syringe, to perform a penis filler procedure The filler is then massaged to give an even look, which the patient continues as home. At a cost of up to £3,500, Hussain says men can expect between 10% and 20% more girth for the next six to nine months. But there are risks.

These range from relatively minor ones such as soreness, bruising and uneven filler, to serious ones including infection. These risks apply to all procedures using filler. However, there is also a risk of damaging the vital structures and blood vessels in the penis that are needed for an erection.

When asked why he feels comfortable offering procedures that are concerning surgeons, Hussain says he "totally understands" why some are worried. "It comes from the right place, that nervousness," he says, "but at the same time, more and more evidence is growing and we're getting the results" and that "there is a benefit" to men. Hussain says he has an "immediate action plan" including drugs to quickly dissolve the filler in the event that things go wrong, and reports that "thankfully, we've never needed to" – although the BBC cannot independently corroborate that.

But he recalls one patient who came to him for advice after treatment elsewhere, which had "really gone wrong". He says the incorrect type of filler had been used and the "shaft of the penis was starting to become black" as the procedure had damaged the blood vessels in the penis and the skin was dying. The man was sent straight to A&E.

Prof Vaibhav Modgil has seen men for whom penis enhancement procedures have gone wrong Prof Vaibhav Modgil, an andrologist and consultant urological surgeon for the NHS in Manchester, has seen these men coming into hospital after botched procedures. "When it does happen, it can be devastating for the patient," he says. He recalls seeing men with "skin necrosis, where an area of the skin dies off it turns very black and then it sort of sloughs off.

"So, men will go in thinking, 'Oh, it's gonna be brilliant', but they might come out actually being even more dissatisfied than when they went in." Alex, who did not want his real name to be used, travelled to Germany for a different type of penis enhancement procedure. He had surgery to cut the ligament that attaches the penis to the pubic bone to make it appear longer. He also had his own fat cells harvested and injected into his penis to enlarge it.

When he woke up after the procedure, he was in so much pain he couldn't stand. "I sustained a lot of bruising and all my upper legs turned yellow," Alex says. "I couldn't walk properly for about a month." Alex was treated in Modgil's clinic where eventually he was given the all-clear.

"Many people do not get that luxury," he says. "I got off lucky." Alex says he knows he was "never small in the first place", but society and porn had convinced him that a bigger penis was "masculine and the best". There is a lack of data on how fillers affect the penis long-term Despite a lack of official data on the number of penile enhancement procedures, Modgil says online search trends, advertising and social media all "points to the fact that the numbers are on the up".

This has led the British Association of Urological Surgeons to issue new recommendations against these procedures. "The guidance that we've recently produced essentially says we cannot recommend that any of these procedures should take place because the evidence is so poor," says Modgil. It looked at 36 studies, involving 3,750 men, but said it was still not clear what the "safety profile" of these procedures were.

This is partly down to a lack of data on how fillers affect the penis long-term. But there is also concern that – just like lip fillers – you do not need any qualifications to perform the procedure. Modgil says an outright ban is "probably too severe", but if these procedures are going to continue then the industry "massively needs regulation".

He called for a national registry to record when penis filler procedures have been performed and for long-term data to be collected so men can make an informed decision based on the risks and the benefits. Back in Manchester, Jason is happy with the results of his procedure and thinks he'll do it again when his current fillers wear off. Inside Health was produced by Gerry Holt.

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Constantvpn.com – Watch: Security officials intercept migrants near crossing into Ceuta Moroccan authorities have intercepted dozens of migrants seeking to cross into the Spanish North African exclave of Ceuta, reports say. More than 100 people were blocked trying to make their way to the border on the outskirts of the town of Fnideq, according to Moroccan security sources cited by Spanish media and news agency Reuters. It comes a fortnight after roughly 78,000 migrants arrived in the exclave by sea in a matter of hours – 100 of whom died, according to the city's mayor, who also said the vast majority of arrivals had returned to Morocco.

Security had been stepped up in the area after the influx and amid suggestions on social media of a second mass crossing attempt this weekend. The security sources said 111 people had been detained in or around Fnideq – known in Spanish as Castillejos – about 3km (1.8 miles) from the border, the majority of whom were from sub-Saharan Africa. Moroccan police – including some in riot gear – reportedly used tear gas to disperse groups of migrants gathered on nearby hills.

Earlier this week, Morocco's government said it was monitoring "the circulation of social media posts and messages of unknown origin" calling for a mass crossing on Saturday, and warned that it would prosecute organisers and participants. Spain has deployed more than 1,500 officers to patrol the area Security at the breakwater entrance was "10 times stronger than the previous day", Spanish newspaper El País reported. Morocco had dispatched army officers, navy speedboats and drones to the border on Saturday, it said.

Meanwhile, Madrid deployed more than 1,500 security officers to patrol the area. Spain has also installed a metal fence and a floating barrier following last month's influx. Moroccan officials seen detaining people on Saturday The crisis had calmed since breaking out in late July, but it has sparked tensions between EU nations that share open borders as well as criticism of the Spanish government.

Italy suspended the 29-member Schengen arrangement of free movement with Spain and introduced border checks on arrivals from Spain. Italy was backed by Finland and Denmark, while the Czech Republic called for Spain's membership to be temporarily suspended. Spain reacted angrily, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez noting Ceuta was not part of the Schengen area – and the migrants, therefore, had not arrived on the Spanish mainland and could not travel to any other European country.

It urged Italy to drop its border controls – and introduced its own when Rome refused, citing the possibility of a new influx on 15 August. On Saturday, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his country had been afraid of a "risk of a new wave of arrivals in Ceuta". "We're not waging any kind of 'battle' against Spain – we're simply carefully controlling arrivals," he said.

"Instead of worrying about us, Spain should worry about Morocco: that's where the problems are coming from, certainly not from our controls." Instagram accounts fuelling Ceuta crisis with paid advice for help to cross Spain imposes border controls against Italy as row over Ceuta migrant influx intensifies Spain's PM blames traffickers after 60,000 migrants reach Ceuta from Morocco

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Constantvpn.com – "It's actually hard for us to see… I've got a lot of water in my eyes," says a local reporter during a live TV broadcast on the Hawaii County coast Strong winds and torrential rain are lashing Hawaii after category one Hurricane Lala skirted Big Island on Saturday. Hawaii Governor Josh Green said Lala got "closest to [Big Island's] South Point area", where a person has died after a car accident.

Lala gained hurricane strength on Saturday after generating 80mph (130km/h) wind speeds, which have since peaked at 91mph. It could dump up to 25in (63cm) of rain and produce a 3ft storm surge. Tens off thousands have been left without power and officials have warned people to prepare for "life-threatening" conditions, including floods and mudslides.

The storm is expected to continue into Sunday morning before moving west. A hurricane warning is in effect for Big Island, while Hawaii's seven other major islands Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Lanai, Kauai and Niihau are under tropical storm warnings. In an update at 17:00 on Saturday local time (03:00 on Sunday GMT), the National Hurricane Center said Lala's eye wall was "brushing the southern portion of the Big Island".

"Damaging winds and heavy rain will persist across the Big Island throughout tonight and spread westwards across the smaller islands on Sunday," it said. Green said many roads in Big Island have been "impacted", with 30 sites having already been visited by crews, and warned residents to brace for an "an incredible amount of water". "Please be very safe…

you do not want to be out on the roads," he said in a video update posted across his social media platforms. The last time a hurricane made landfall on Hawaii's Big Island was 155 years ago, according to researchers. Over the weekend, Lala will continue moving westwards, and may weaken into a tropical storm, with the centre passing just below Hawaii's other islands.

Watch: Strong winds and downpours in Maui and Honolulu as storm Lala approaches According to the governor, 190 flights have been postponed. At Ellison Onizuka Kona International – Big Island's largest airport – 40% of flights were grounded, according to flightaware.com. Some 80% of flights were called off at its other main airport, Hilo International.

The most dire forecasts from the National Weather Service (NWS) have been issued for areas within Big Island's south-east. "Major rainfall flooding may prompt many evacuations and rescues," the NWS said, adding that rivers and tributaries "may rapidly overflow their banks in multiple places". More than 85,000 customers had lost electricity on Hawaii as of Saturday evening, according to the website poweroutage.us.

Green said three hospitals had also lost power but have backup generators. In Maui, some residents have been left without water as of Saturday afternoon. "Crews responded to the area but were unable to continue their assessment due to inclement weather and multiple downed trees," a county statement said, adding crews would return once it was safe.

Meteorologist Jennifer Myers, who lives in Hilo, eastern Big Island, said landslides had already cut off some roads, while power lines had been ripped down by falling trees. "I'm looking at the river right now, and it's really, really high," she told the BBC about the view from her apartment of the Wailuku River as it meets Hilo Bay. "The bay that's usually blue is like blood red right now because of all the sediment and river water in it." Residents were repeatedly urged by officials to prepare for the storm early.

Local message boards on Facebook show residents filling bags with sand to protect their homes and inquiring whether stores remained open in the early hours on Saturday. Hawaii County's Civil Defense Agency said public shelters were available in every county on Big Island. "At this time, you should have completed your storm-ready preparations and focusing on your Sheltering Plan," the agency said on X.

Hurricanes are categorised one to five, with a category one storm – such as Lala – on the lower end of the scale with minimal damage expected. Iniki, a powerful category four storm, was the last hurricane to strike Hawaii back in 1992. It caused six deaths and $3bn in damage after making landfall on the southern coast of Kauai.

Hurricane season in the US has been relatively quiet the last few years – the last major storm was category three Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida in October 2024. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said 2026 might be another low-frequency year for hurricanes in the US, predicting , external a 55% chance of a below-normal season. Last month, the world's oceans hit their hottest ever recorded temperatures for July, according to the EU's climate monitoring service.

The record temperatures were partly fuelled by developing El Niño conditions in the Pacific. It was also the joint second-warmest July globally on record, with temperatures 1.47C above the estimated pre-industrial average, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. World's oceans hit record-high July temperatures

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Constantvpn.com – The star has told fans she may not tour again for a "long, long" time It feels inconsiderate of Ariana Grande to bring a tour called Eternal Sunshine to the UK at the tail end of the year's fifth heatwave. Haven't we suffered enough already? But the fans packed into London's O2 arena on Saturday night didn't seem to care about the heat and the sweat.

They came ready to dance. Thousands of them, dressed in cat ears, bridal gowns and elaborate floral headpieces. They scream when she references rumours she's back together with her ex, Ricky Alvarez.

And they bounce in unison when she plays colourful club anthems like Into You and Break Free. It's the first time Grande has played in the UK since 2019, partly because of Covid, but also because of her Oscar-nominated role in the movie musical Wicked. She rewards fans with a few of Glinda's signature hair tosses , external and, more importantly, a two-hour show that highlights the incredible agility of the star's voice.

Sure, the production has all the paraphernalia a major pop tour – big sets, plumes of smoke, inspired choreography – but there are long stretches where it's just Grande on stage with her band. Her stunning, four octave vocals come first. Everything else is a distant second.

And rightly so. If you dig around on Grande's YouTube channel, there's a famous video of her recording the song Positions , external , directing her sound engineers as she layers vocal harmonies and ad libs, finding new note combinations on the fly. It's a bravura performance that showcases her facility with melody and arrangement – and she essentially recreates it live on stage at the O2.

After the opening run of songs, she hushes the audience and spends two minutes looping her voice. First the lyric, "I don't care what people say, it's true", in high and low registers. Then she adds short phrases: "Won't break.

Can't Shake. Deep breaths…. Tight chest.

Life. Death. Rewind." They become the backbone of the next song, Eternal Sunshine.

They're also the backstory of the whole show. The tour kicked off in California two months ago, and will wrap up in September after 10 dates in London Like the characters in Michel Gondry's 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which gives the tour its name), Grande has tried to erase some of her most painful memories. The singer is a survivor of tragedy and heartbreak, including the death of her former boyfriend Mac Miller and the Manchester bombing that killed 22 fans after one of her concerts in 2017.

Over time, however, she's realised it's better to hold those memories. To honour her losses. To learn and adapt.

That narrative – mostly told through lavish video interludes – is about reckoning and reconciliation. But since the tour began in California two months ago, it has taken on added significance. Intense public scrutiny about Grande's personal life, her health and her weight have prompted the star to withdraw from the public eye when the tour ends in London next month.

Grande reassured fans that the decision came from a "thoughtful, empowered place", and had been planned "a long time ago". Whatever private battles the 33-year-old may be fighting, they are never present on stage at the O2. If anything, Grande is having a blast – teetering around in perilous heels, blowing kisses to the audience and embracing the physical and vocal demands of her show.

"This is so incredibly overwhelming," she says during a rare pause in the music. "I'm just going to savour every single second of these last 10 shows." The singer received an Oscar nomination for her role as Glinda the Good Witch in the movie adaptation of the musical Wicked The only time she appears to get emotional is during Hampstead – a ballad that deals with her portrayal in the media and the darker corners of the internet. Her voice breaks as she sings the lyric, "But I knew who I was when I got here", but it transpires that she's simply reacting to an audience member who's blubbing their eyes out.

"You'll make me cry," she smiles in sympathy. But that's a blip. At every other point, Grande is locked in.

She opens with a theatrical flourish, striking silhouetted poses with her dancers for several minutes before the lights drop, the curtains are whisked into the rafters, and she struts into view with the defiant Yes, And? The show proceeds with the fluid choreography of Positions before Grande dons her famous bunny ears for a slinky version of The Boy Is Mine. There's a little victory dance when she pulls off the live vocal production of Eternal Sunshine.

And there's a sly grin when she changes the lyrics of the break-up song Thank U, Next from, " Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh ", to " Wrote some songs about Ricky, we don't talk about that." (Ricky is Ricky Alvarez, one of her former dancers, who Grande is reportedly dating again, 10 years after their initial break-up. They went Instagram official , external last week). The star performed some of the show on an b-stage that extended towards the back of the arena The setlist is largely pulled from 2024's Eternal Sunshine album – at the expense of major hits like God Is A Woman, Problem and Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored.

She isn't cavalier enough to jettison everything, though: Both 7 Rings and her Lady Gaga duet Rain On Me raise the roof. A powerhouse version of Dangerous Woman claps like thunder; and Grande's vocal riffs on Safety Net are so tremendously colossal they should be registered as the eighth wonder of the world. There's a ripple of laughter during We Can't Be Friends, meanwhile, when a tiny cluster of the audience screams over the "silence challenge" , external that's become a meme during the tour's American leg.

Despite that, the quiet moments are the most effective. On Imperfect For You, Grande sits face to face with her long-time guitarist Johnny Najeraas, as though they're singing together in her bedroom. It's delicate and gorgeous and strangely intimate in a room of 20,000 people.

The lyrics are sad but hopeful, a promise that broken people can find happiness. And, whatever happens during Grande's upcoming hiatus, you have to hope it's a promise that holds. Fans like Harry and Damon, from Waterloo in London, came dressed as daisies, in tribute to Ariana's latest album, Petal.

After the concert, fans were bowled over by the star's vocals and stage presence. "Ten out of ten. A masterpiece," said Harry, a Chinese fan living in London.

"When she came on stage, I was right at the front, so I was literally bawling," added Poppy from Kent. "She's the best singer ever." "It was probably the best concert I've ever been at," agreed Clare, who'd flown from Monaghan in Ireland for the opening night. "We didn't get to shake hands with her, but we were definitely breathing the same air." Asked about Grande's decision to retire from live performance for what she has called "a long, long, long, long, long time", fans said they were fully in support.

"I'm proud of her. She took a stand to keep away the remarks, the critics," said Brian, a French fan attending the first of several shows. "It's awful," added Cory from Banbury.

"The public has bullied her out of it. We've bullied her out of fame. I think that's gross." "She needed time to recover," said Damon, another Chinese fan.

"Maybe she will make some more movies… I love her movies. And if she comes back, we'll be in the front row." Yes, And?

Positions Dandelion The Boy Is Mine Eternal Sunshine Just Like Magic Thank U, Next 7 Rings Imperfect For You Warm Safety Net One Last Time Rain On Me Break Free Twilight Zone Past Life Dangerous Woman Honeymoon Avenue Hampstead Interlude Into You Hate That I Made You Love Me Encore: Kiss Me Bad Thing (Bunny Hop) Petal We Can't Be Friends (Wait For Your Love) Supernatural Ariana Grande says decision to step back 'was not reactive or impulsive' Ariana Grande has had enough of body comments, but 'scrutiny' will linger Ariana Grande sues hackers who leaked music and videos Ariana Grande's 2026 tour to be 'last hurrah' for a long time

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Constantvpn.com – A total of 38 homes have been destroyed or damaged in Stourbridge Eleven major fires in the past 48 hours and 43 new wildfires since Friday have left services under "incredible pressure", a fire boss has said. Phil Garrigan from the National Fire Chief's Council (NFCC) said major incidents had been declared across the UK, including in Stourbridge, Sandwell, Pershore and Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands, as well as in Hampshire and South Wales. In Stourbridge, 38 houses have been destroyed or damaged by the fires, with some residents left unable to return home.

West Midlands Fire Service set up a meeting point on Saturday where residents would be told if their house had been damaged or totally destroyed in the blaze and if it was safe to go back. Public urged to avoid 'surrounded' New Forest fire site What we know so far about the West Midlands fires West Midlands Assistant Chief Fire Officer Simon Barry told residents the fire there was under control and they were just dampening down hot spots. He said as far as the service was concerned, homes were no longer at risk and he hoped some residents whose homes had been unaffected would be able to move back on Saturday evening.

In a recorded online briefing, Dudley Council chief executive Balvinder Hera stressed residents should not return home until explicitly told they could do so. She said decisions to reopen roads were being taken on a street-by-street basis, with the council working closely with emergency services. Police were keen to hear from people with information or video footage that could assist inquiries and had asked the public not to speculate on the fire's cause, she said.

An online fund , external has been set up by the council to allow people to donate to those affected. Three hundred residents were evacuated in Stourbridge, with many still not home West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service was alerted to the large grass fire near Stourbridge Golf Club in the Racecourse Lane area just before 13:30 BST on Thursday. More than 100 firefighters fought the flames across an area of 500 acres, with hotspots remaining on Saturday.

John Moore was asked to leave his home on Osmaston Road as fire spread through grass and woodland about half a mile away. He said he was now visiting the cordon four times a day to seek information. "It's absolutely shocking.

We can get no answers about when we can go back," he said. The house he shares with his 86-year-old wife, who is partially bedridden, was not damaged, but he has only been permitted to visit it to pick up medication. Moore said: "There's probably about 60 other people who are normally here by the side of me every day asking, 'can we go?'." John Moore has visited the cordon multiple times each day to seek answers Simon Tuhill from West Midlands Fire Service said 19 properties had been "completely destroyed", with a further 19 damaged.

He said specialist investigators were on the scene and working with police to try to "triangulate down where the fire started". Other residents who have lost everything gathered at a cordon at the corner of Worcester Road and Racecourse Lane, frustrated by the lack of information and not being allowed to see what had become of their homes. One man told the BBC he had met Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Friday when he visited the region, saying Burnham had promised to personally intervene to help his family get their passports.

A woman described suffering horrific flashbacks and claimed it had taken 40 minutes for a fire engine to respond to her emergency call. Meanwhile, A-level student Dominic Abdullah was forced to flee shortly after he had got his results on Thursday. "I thought the day couldn't get any more big, any more significant," he said.

Student evacuates home after receiving A-level results A national government alert sent out by the government on Friday warned people not to light anything that might spark a fire. Garrigan said the NFCC had asked politicians to highlight the risks fire services were facing, with control room operators dealing with "thousands and thousands of calls". He said services had been unable to immediately meet demand at points during the busiest 24-hour period from Thursday afternoon.

"They'd asked for maybe 10 additional appliances to come in nationally, and we weren't able to provide them with the full 10 in the first instance," he said. He added firefighters were "still seeing fires occur through maybe carelessness or deliberate action". Marie Leese's treasured garden was destroyed by flames Elsewhere in the West Midlands, in Goldenhill, Stoke-on-Trent, four homes in Sandyford were destroyed on Thursday, with other nearby properties damaged.

Marie Leese escaped the fire with just her dog and her phone, but her beloved garden on Maureen Avenue was destroyed, including a summer house built by her husband before he died. "It was like the scenes of the Blitz, just a blazing inferno, the flames were moving so quickly," she said. "I feel fortunate that I've been allowed back, but the house across the road still has hotspots and is destroyed." She said she was too terrified to sleep, because the neighbouring house "keeps reigniting".

Two people have been arrested by Staffordshire Police on suspicion of arson in connection with the incident. In Clun, Shropshire, firefighters spent the night tackling a fire on Black Hill. An emergency presence was expected in the area for some time as hot spots were put out.

"As you can imagine, the thick forestry makes this type of fire incredibly challenging to tackle," said Clun Fire Station on social media. And in the Peak District a fire in Totley Rail Tunnel between Totley, Sheffield, and Grindleford, has led to all lines being closed. Tell us which stories we should cover in Birmingham and the Black Country Dudley Council West Midlands Fire Service

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Constantvpn.com – Jenrick said Reform will not pretend the plans are painless Reform UK says it would aim to cut about £50bn from the benefits bill and scrap the disability payments system, Pip, if it comes in to government. Robert Jenrick, the party's treasury spokesperson, said the plans, to be set out next week, would be the most comprehensive overhaul to the welfare system in a generation and affect nearly three million people. In an article for the Sunday Telegraph , external he said the current system is "suicidal empathy" and "a strange perversion of compassion".

Labour said it was "fantasy economics, built on stripping support from disabled people", while the Conservatives called it a "half-baked policy" and another "attempt to distract from" questions about the £5m gift party leader Nigel Farage received. Reform will set out the full details of the policy on Monday. Reform's plans include making companies pay for any employees off sick for the first two years.

Businesses with more than five employees would have to take out insurance to cover the cost. Reform says this is modelled on the Dutch system and would incentivise employers to make adaptions and encourage people back to work to reduce their insurance premiums. The party says they would cut the National Insurance contributions (NICs) paid by employers to offset the cost of this measure, insisting the change would be cost neutral for businesses.

In a policy document to be published next week, which the BBC has seen an extract of, the party estimates 2.89 million people would have their disability payments' removed, or modified, under plans to abolish Personal Independent Payments (Pip) for working age people. The party would also remove the extra health-related payments on Universal Credit. A new system, called a Health Security Allowance, would replace both Pip and the Universal Credit health element but only the most "severe, enduring and high-risk cases" would receive cash support, the document says.

Other claimants would be supported through a council-run programme to cover what Reform said would be the "verifiable additional costs" as a result of their disability. To boost available support for people out of work, the party says it would spend an extra £1.85bn a year on interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy, physiotherapy, and employment support. Reform also wants to reform children's benefits, and is promising to align the system for anxiety, depression and ADHD in young people with its changes to the adult system.

But this would only apply to new claimants. Welfare cuts: What's been happening with Pip and universal credit? Reform UK pledges to cut welfare to keep pensions triple lock In March 2025, the government attempted to tighten the daily living assessments for both current and future claimants, but was forced to dial back after pressure from Labour MPs.

Jenrick described this as an attempt at "modest savings" gutted by backbenchers. Last month, an interim report was published by Disability Minister Sir Stephen Timms, who has been leading a review into Pip, stating the benefit was "not fit for purpose" and requires a fundamental change. A Labour spokesperson said: "Reform's £50bn claim is fantasy economics, built on stripping support from disabled people and shifting costs onto employers.

"Labour is already reforming welfare: narrowing the gap between Universal Credit standard and health rates, restoring face-to-face assessments, and investing £3.5bn in employment support to end the culture of people being signed off and written off." The Conservative's shadow welfare secretary Helen Whately said: "This half-baked policy is just another Reform attempt to distract from Farage's fishy £5m and his embarrassing underperformance in his pointless by-election." A parliamentary standards investigation is taking place into a £5m gift given to the Reform leader from a donor before he became an MP, with Farage saying the money did not need to be registered. The investigation was paused after Farage resigned as Clacton MP in response to the scrutiny of his financial backing, triggering a by-election last week, which he won. How a rise in ADHD benefits claims is adding to welfare spending challenge 'Emergency handbrake' needed on sickness benefits, Blair think tank says ADHD has rewired the workplace.

This is what it means for bosses and workers

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