SpaceX Starship rocket explodes in dramatic fireball

A SpaceX rocket being tested in Texas exploded on Wednesday night, sending a dramatic fireball high into the sky.

The company said the Starship “experienced a major anomaly” while on the test stand preparing for the tenth flight test at Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site at the southern tip of Texas.

Starship is the most powerful rocket ever made, and SpaceX hopes that it will eventually carry humans to the Moon and Mars. But first it must conduct a series of uncrewed tests – the latest of which was expected to happen as soon as this month.

In advance of that test, SpaceX has conducted a series of tests of the Starship spacecraft as well as the booster engines that are due to carry it to space. The latest was a static fire test, in which the engines are turned on but the spacecraft stays attached to the ground, but it exploded as preparations were being made.

The explosion came at around 11pm local central time, and was captured on cameras that had been watching the preparation ahead of the test flight.

“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” SpaceX said in a statement on the social platform X.

“Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.”

It is unclear how much damage the explosion has done to the testing facilities and SpaceX’s facilities near Starbase, its Texas town.

Putin claims he will meet Zelensky for ‘final’ talks

Vladimir Putin has claimed he is willing to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky but only for a “final phase” of talks.

He told international news outlets in St Petersburg that he would only join the talks to finally “put an end” to the conflict.

It is not the first time – nor will it be the last – that Putin has supposedly signalled a desire to end the war. Ukraine and its western backers say he is simply playing for time, appealing to Donald Trump while continuing to relentlessly bomb Ukraine in the meantime.

Dozens of civilians have been killed in Ukraine in recent weeks following a surge in Russian aerial attacks.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said this morning it had been 100 days of Russia “manipulating … opportunities to end the war”, referencing Kyiv’s acceptance of a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire back in March and Moscow’s refusal to agree to it.

“100 days of Russian manipulations and missed opportunities to end the war. 100 days of Russia escalating terror against Ukraine rather than ending it,” Mr Sybiha wrote on X.

28 Years Later feels like being hit on the head by the metaphor hammer

The zombie has never been a particularly subtle metaphor, in its brainless, slobbering wave of mass consumerism and mass hysteria. It was a good fit for director Danny Boyle, who almost always takes the path of bravado and noise, because he knows it will eventually lead him to an image as striking as Cillian Murphy, in scrubs, walking around bewildered on a desolate Westminster Bridge.

That moment was the crown jewel of 28 Days Later (2002) and, now, 23 years later, we have 28 Years Later, in which Boyle and his co-writer Alex Garland circle back to the genre they helped re-invent. It’s fairly standard for your zombies, now, to run fast, attack intelligently, and to never actually be referred to as “zombies”: just look at The Last of Us. Boyle and Garland were key to cementing that new standard.

The question here, then, is what more there is to say. The original conceit was punchy but simple – that our quickness to anger is in itself a sign of society’s collapse, and that the difference between monster and man is not as defined as we’d like to think. 28 Years Later is a post-Brexit, Covid-conscious take on this world, with ideas about nationalism, isolationism, and weaponised culture added to the mix. But it’s punchy and simple once again.

To explain away the ending of 28 Weeks Later, the initial 2007 sequel that this new entry largely disregards, we’re told that the British “rage virus” did indeed reach France, but was promptly taken care of. (I like to imagine the French simply shrugged it away with a, “bof, pas de problème”.) The UK is all on its own. On the island of Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland, a small community have returned to traditional practices: the men are sent off to pick off the infected like bunny rabbits as a right of passage, while the women stay at home to prepare the town hall for dancing and folk tunes (it’s actually Tom Jones’s “Delilah”, which they play like an ancient ballad, a clever detail).

Spike (Alfie Williams) is off on his first mainland trip with dad, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Talk of a reclusive survivor, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), leads the kid to have a few reckless thoughts about what he might be able to do for his ill and bed-bound mother Isla (Jodie Comer). There are some new categories of infected to deal with, including “slow-lows”, who crawl around and suck worms, and “alphas”, the bigger and stronger leaders of the zombie packs.

We start with the image of blood splattered across a television set showing the Teletubbies and, later, fix on a shot of a burning English flag: there’s nothing ever too on-the-nose for Boyle. The staccato-cut footage of infected, the splashes of infrared, the audio of Rudyard Kipling’s 1903 poem “Boots” (as already heard in the film’s viral trailer), and the clips from Laurence Olivier’s Henry V (1944), all start to feel like too many variations on the same idea. Watching a zombie pull a Mortal Kombat finisher on somebody is cool once, a little repetitive the third time.

But even if 28 Years Later feels like being repeatedly bonked on the head by the metaphor hammer, Boyle’s still a largely compelling filmmaker, and the film separates itself from the first instalment by offering something distinctly more sentimental and mythic than before. Comer proves to be the key counterbalance, and there’s an openness and a vulnerability to her performance that helps turn 28 Years Later into, ultimately, the story of a mother’s love.

You assume Fiennes, too, rocking up with his shaved head, is about to pull a Colonel Kurtz, but he leads the character in some surprising directions. Even less predictable still is the way Jack O’Connell (still basking in Sinners’s success) turns up to tease the film’s already completed sequel, The Bone Temple. That one was shot by Nia DaCosta. Murphy is set to return. The real test will be to see if these movies can shift the genre into a new direction once more.

Dir: Danny Boyle. Starring: Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Edvin Ryding, Chi Lewis-Parry. Cert 15, 115 minutes

First family fleeing abuse get keys to The Independent’s safe haven

A safe haven built by The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign is now officially home to a family fleeing domestic abuse.

Construction of the purpose-built safe houses was completed earlier this year, and now a survivor of abuse has been handed the keys to the new home – and a fresh start.

The hugely successful campaign, launched in partnership with leading domestic abuse charity Refuge, was backed by readers, politicians, royalty and celebrities when it launched in September 2024.

When the initial target of £300,000 was reached after just a month of fundraising, The Independent decided to build a second house with over £585,619 raised in total by our generous readers.

The first occupant of the houses, who has to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said: “As soon as I walked in, it felt warm, safe and homely. It’s the first time I had slept properly in months.

“The children are the happiest they have been for a long time.”

The new semi-detached houses, built by Persimmon Homes, are in a secret location to protect survivors.

They have two double-sized bedrooms, open-plan kitchens and built-in cupboard storage space, as well as a private drive with off-road parking and solar panels on the roof.

The homes also include a number of safety features, including CCTV, a fireproof letter box and enhanced locking on windows and doors.

Geordie Greig, editor-in-chief of The Independent, said: “This is significant because it helps the most vulnerable people who are in danger of their lives being severely damaged by abuse.

“It’s permanent because we aim to build a house that will be there for generations as a sanctuary to safeguard these people who are on the run, from situations which are dangerous and life-threatening.”

After the 10,946 bricks were laid, an all-female team of decorators added the finishing touches to the property to make it a true home for those seeking refuge.

Every new family coming into the home will receive a welcome pack with a variety of items such as essential toiletries and key things they’ll need for their first few days in the house. Children will also receive new toys and books to help them settle in.

To help the house feel more welcoming, the team has used bright, airy colours to help “ignite that feeling of well-being, freedom and moving on”.

During a family’s stay, Refuge staff will provide emotional support and legal advice, and will support women with safety planning, budgeting, finding a safe new home, dealing with debt, applying for welfare benefits, accessing health services, and finding nurseries and schools.

As the house will see many survivors pass through it, Refuge will carry out maintenance and a deep clean between each family.

The houses were funded by The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign, which was launched in September 2024 in response to the nationwide domestic abuse crisis.

Thousands of women across the UK face danger in their own homes, but a woman is turned away from a refuge every two hours due to a lack of space or capacity.

The Queen, Sir Keir Starmer, Dame Helen Mirren, Dame Joanna Lumley, Olivia Colman, Victoria Derbyshire, Andi Oliver, David Morrissey and Sir Patrick Stewart were among those to offer their support for the campaign.

The Independent heard testimony from a wide range of survivors, including women who were beaten, lost their jobs, friends and children, while others were simply too terrified to leave.

The national domestic abuse helpline offers support for women on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit the Refuge website. There is a dedicated men’s advice line on 0808 8010 327

Film director found dead at London home may have been killed for diamond-encrusted Rolex

A former film director and actor found murdered at her north London home is suspected to have been targeted for her diamond-encrusted Rolex watch.

Jennifer Abbott, 69, was found wrapped in a blanket on her bed with tape over her mouth by her concerned niece, who had asked for help in breaking down the door.

Known professionally as Sarah Steinberg, she was last seen walking her pet corgi in Camden, north London, on 10 June, with a post-mortem examination giving her cause of death as sharp force trauma.

An ambulance crew was called to her home in Mornington Place, Camden, at around 6pm on June 13 and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her pet Corgi had been shut in the bathroom for three days but survived.

Police fear she may have been killed for her diamond-encrusted Rolex watch, which detectives said was missing from her home.

Photographs from her social media show her posing with a range of different celebrities, including socialite Paris Hilton and actress Kate Hudson.

Originally from Arizona, she had studied Arts and Sciences at Merton Technical College in southwest London before moving to Los Angeles to become a film producer.

Her LinkedIn states she was the chief executive of Atlantis Rising Productions, and has also authored several novels.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said her son went out to help Ms Abbott’s niece and the pair made the harrowing discovery.

The neighbour said: “My son broke the door down. We heard her niece shouting: ‘Somebody help me, somebody help’ and we went out and asked ‘what’s wrong?’

“She said: ‘I haven’t heard from my aunty in four days. Something’s wrong – break the door down’.

“I was holding the door open downstairs and my son was upstairs and then I heard her niece screaming and saying: ‘Oh my God, she’s been murdered’. She had tape across her mouth.

“Her corgi was locked in the bathroom for three days. That poor dog, he couldn’t even drink any water, it’s amazing he was even still alive.”

She said her neighbour was “mysterious, and very smart and intelligent”.

“We would chat in the street most of the time. I used to walk around the block with her with her dog,” she said.

“I can’t believe we won’t see her walking the corgi any more. She was very exuberant, very vivacious.

“She had done a lot of things in her life. She was a doctor but she was also an actor and director in America. She’d directed a movie and I looked at it on YouTube and saw her interviewed in Los Angeles.

“She was a character. She was lovely.

“You’re never going to see her again and you just can’t take it in. I said to my son: ‘I can’t believe we were sitting here in the living room, maybe watching television, while she was over there going through that and we didn’t know.”

The neighbour said that drug users sit in doorways in the area including near Ms Abbott’s flat.

Another woman living nearby described Ms Abbott as “a woman of taste”, while William Currie, 63, a hairdresser, said: “I just used to see her walking around with her little corgi.

“We just said hello, waved to each other and smiled.

“She used to walk the dog every couple of days. She kept herself to herself, she wasn’t too sociable but kind, polite and well-mannered.

“The dog was fat and chubby and barked a lot.”

Police said a post-mortem examination was carried out on Sunday and gave cause of death as sharp force trauma.

Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart said: “We are working closely with our colleagues in the homicide team to establish exactly what happened and it’s incredibly important that we hear from anyone who may have knowledge about how this awful death occurred.

“Were you out in Camden on Friday? Perhaps you had been coming home from work, or at an event nearby?

“Did you see or hear anything around Mornington Place that struck you as being unusual?

“Someone must have seen or heard something and no piece of information is too small.

“It could be the crucial clue that leads us to identify Jennifer’s murderer. Extra patrols continue in the area while my officers remain at the crime scene.

“I would urge anyone who has any information, or who may be worried, to speak to them.”

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or message @MetCC on X, giving the reference 6470/13JUN.

To remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or online.

What’s the secret to a truly stress-free holiday?

High-end cruising has entered a new era. Today’s luxury travellers aren’t looking for big flashy experiences. They want slow-paced, intimate travel and authentic cultural immersion. More than anything else, they’re looking for ease: that feeling of being genuinely cared for, safe in the knowledge that they’re experiencing the best of the best.

That means excellent quality food and drink, of course – it’s got to be restaurant standard and cater to all tastes – but also onboard enrichment experiences of the highest calibre. The great beauty of cruising has always been that not a second is wasted. Savvy travellers get to explore a rich and rewarding variety of exotic, off-the-beaten track locations, but instead of spending half their holiday stuck in motorway traffic, they’re honing their swing in the golf net, or sipping on a cocktail on the upper deck as they travel from destination to destination.

When they’re onshore they want genuinely immersive experiences that get them under the hood of a destination: think cellar tours of local vineyards or speedboat cruises to hidden beaches. Done right, a high-end all-inclusive cruise is the ideal form of slow travel, offering a perfect balance of adventure and indulgence, proper pampering and a thrilling sense of discovery.

The world’s most luxurious fleet

First among equals when it comes to the new era of luxury cruising is Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which offers more than 170 different itineraries visiting over 550 ports of call worldwide. Each of the six ships in their fleet is opulently appointed with beautifully designed communal areas and a huge array of amenities, but none of them has a capacity of more than 746 guests, ensuring space and freedom for all aboard.

The all-suite accommodation means that the private spaces are similarly roomy, each having a private balcony and marble bathroom. And service is always impeccable with a crew-to-guest ratio that’s nearly one-to-one, meaning that the team can always go that mile extra for all travellers.

Across the ships, the food is uniformly excellent. As well as Regent’s signature Compass Rose restaurant, with its daily changing menu of bistro classics like lobster bisque and New Zealand lamb chops, the different ships also feature a range of speciality dining venues. These include Prime 7, a New York-style steakhouse, Pacific Rim with its pan-Asian menu (be sure to try the miso black cod), and fine-dining destination, Chartreuse, where the chefs turn out sophisticated plates of upscale French cooking like Beef Tenderloin Rossini and Seared Foie Gras.

With a number of long cruises on their roster, Regent has made sure that each of its ships is akin to an ultra-luxury, boutique floating hotel with an incredible variety of things to do during the day and top-level entertainment at night. There are courts for paddle tennis and bocce, and the onboard spa offers a range of exclusive bespoke treatments. The ships host talks by experts in their field and cooking lessons are also available on some of the ships at the culinary arts kitchens where visiting chefs guide guests in how to make wow-factor dishes that relate to the ports of call. In the evening, the Constellation Theatre hosts lavishly staged productions from a team of Broadway choreographers and artists.

Destinations that match the onboard luxury

Of course, none of this onboard luxury would mean much if the destinations weren’t up to scratch, but Regent’s superbly curated itineraries are up there with the very best. Its week-long trips include culture-packed European tours like Glories of Iberia which sails from Barcelona to Lisbon, and thrilling frontier explorations such as the Great Alaskan Adventure from Whittier to Vancouver.

Longer trips include four-week Legendary Journeys from Athens to Montreal, and fully immersive explorations of the Arctic. Long or short, these itineraries are all underpinned by a commitment to taking guests right to the heart of a destination with the kind of bespoke onshore activities and expert-led insights that mean on a Regent Seven Seas Cruises voyage, adventure is guaranteed.

Visit Regent Seven Seas Cruises now to uncover the true meaning of luxury and start booking your ultimate stress-free getaway

Violent pornography showing strangulation to be banned

Strangulation in pornography will be banned after a review warned violent depictions have effectively established choking as a “sexual norm”.

The government has announced plans to make any pornography showing strangulation illegal as part of their pledge to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

It is already a criminal offence to possess porn depicting life-threatening acts, such as graphic strangulation.

But the government is set to tighten up laws, warning “dangerous online material is perpetuating the growing epidemic of violence against women and girls”.

It comes after the Independent Porn Review, conducted by Baroness Gabby Bertin, found that media sources have normalised such acts and created a belief that choking a partner during sex is safe because it is non-fatal.

Her review, published in February, urged ministers to crackdown on degrading, violent and misogynistic porn in 32 recommendations, including outlawing so-called “nudification” apps.

Baroness Bertin said online pornography is fuelling some of the “gravest issues in our society, from domestic violence to toxic masculinity to the mental health crisis among young people”.

Discussing her findings earlier this year, she told the BBC: “I’m not saying that people shouldn’t watch porn. I’m not saying porn shouldn’t exist. I’m not a prude.

“It strikes me as incredible that to buy a DVD, which sounds so sort of retro, the BBFC [British Board of Film Classification] has to put a stamp on it, has to check that certain standards have been met. That there’s no sense you are encouraging child sexual abuse. No harmful, degrading, humiliating practices which is not through consensual role play.

“You just have to go on the homepages of some of these mainstream sites and you will see of all that degrading content – particularly violent towards women – and it’s all there for everyone to see.”

Announcing the changes, which will be brought under the Crime and Policing Bill, minister for victims and tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones said: “Depicting strangulation during sex is not only dangerous, but also degrading, with real life consequences for women.

“Cracking down on the appalling rise of strangulation pornography will protect women and send a clear signal to men and boys that misogyny will not be tolerated.”

The move was welcomed by Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), who says experts have “long warned” of the dangers of normalising violence against women in online content.

“There is no such thing as safe strangulation; women cannot consent to the long-term harm it can cause, including impaired cognitive functioning and memory,” she said.

“Its widespread portrayal in porn is fuelling dangerous behaviours, particularly among young people.

“This is a vital step towards recognising the role violent pornography plays in shaping attitudes to women and regulating an industry which promotes and profits from violence against women.”

Amber heat health alert for England with ‘rise in deaths likely’

A rare amber heat-health alert has been issued for the whole of England, with officials warning soaring temperatures mean a ‘likely rise in deaths’ among vulnerable people.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued the amber heat-health alert for the entire country from 12pm Thursday to 9am Monday.

The alert is the second highest, behind red, on the UKHSA’s system, and agency has warned of the possible impacts on health and social services.

The UKHSA’s weather health alert system provides early warning to the health and social care sector when adverse temperatures are likely to impact the health and well-being of the population.

It previously had a yellow heat health warning in place, but it was upgraded to amber on Thursday.

Temperatures are expected to reach 31C on Thursday and Friday, before peaking at 33C on Saturday, with temperatures also set to be in the low 30s on Sunday, the Met Office said.

An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.

All regions in England have been given a risk score of 12 out of 16, meaning there will be “significant impacts across health and social care services” due to the high temperatures.

The UKHSA warned high temperatures could cause a rise in deaths, particularly among those over 65 or with health conditions.

Younger age groups may also be affected, it said.

It also warned that there will likely be an increase in demand for health services, and indoor environments overheating, increasing the risk to vulnerable people.

There may also be issues managing medicines and an increased demand for power exceeding capacity, the UKHSA said.

Many charities have also issued warnings as the hotter weather continues this week.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is encouraging people with heart conditions to take precautions to minimise potential health risks during a heatwave.

Meanwhile, Age UK has urged people to check in on older relatives, friends, and neighbours to see if they need anything and to make sure they are not feeling overwhelmed by the excessive heat.

And Dementia UK has issued advice and tips on how to support a loved one with dementia.

These include: keeping hydrated; staying cool with appropriate clothing; keeping the person out of the heat; cooling the person down by avoiding hot drinks, alcohol and caffeine; and keeping the home environment cool.