Reform war on clean energy ‘will betray young people’

Reform will “betray” every young person and future generations by waging a war on clean energy, Ed Miliband is expected to say.

The Energy Secretary will announce a host of initiatives aimed at bringing energy bills down and boosting green jobs during his speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on Wednesday.

But he will also use his speech to attack Reform leaders who said they would “declare war” on green energy projects, which are being championed nationwide by the Labour government.

It comes as Labour have been drawing battle lines at the conference to take on Reform, who they are trailing in the polls.

Mr Miliband is expected to say: “What is so exciting about clean energy is that it can answer that call for a different kind of economy … run for working people.

“It offers the biggest opportunity for job creation for decades. Skilled jobs in proud professions.

“And behind these statistics is the potential for each and every one of these jobs to change the lives of working people and their communities,” he will add.

“Reform would wreck everything we are doing. They’ve said they would ‘wage war’ on clean energy.

“Let’s spell out what this war means. A war on the workers at the Siemens wind turbine factory in Hull. A war on the construction workers building carbon capture and storage in Teesside. A war on the working people of Britain.

“Reform’s war on the future would betray every young person in our country and every person yet to be born.”

During his speech, the Energy Secretary will also announce the expansion of a scheme providing funding to install solar panels on schools and hospitals.

The initiative, led by Great British Energy, has seen around 200 schools and 200 NHS sites funded to have solar panels installed, with some starting to save money on their bills.

Its expansion will mean another 50 schools and 70 NHS sites will also get support, Mr Miliband will reveal.

Ahead of the speech, he said: “This is the common-sense, patriotic case for clean energy that you get with a Labour government.

“Clean power cutting bills to help pupils and patients.

“This is the difference a Labour government makes; fighting for working people through our clean energy mission.”

The Energy Secretary is also set to announce a new initiative to help cut bills for military sites and unveil details on the government’s clean energy jobs plan, which will aim to double jobs in the sector from 430,000 to 830,000 by 2030.

Within this, the government aims to boost engineering and research jobs by 25,000, welder and electrician jobs by 26,000, and construction jobs by 36,000, he will say.

Elsewhere, Mr Miliband is expected to launch a workers’ rights initiative, which will include the introduction of a fair work charter to ensure clean energy jobs are fairly paid with strong workers’ rights.

This will include plans to close loopholes that give offshore renewable energy workers fewer rights at work than oil and gas workers and ensure worker representation on the boards of publicly owned bodies like Great British Energy.

Currently, offshore renewable and low-carbon employees working more than 12 miles offshore are not covered by the national minimum wage, whereas offshore workers in oil and gas are covered in all territorial waters.

Nicole Kidman files for divorce from Keith Urban after separation

Nicole Kidman has filed for divorce from Keith Urban, after almost 20 years of marriage.

On Monday, The Independent confirmed that the couple — who married in 2006 — had separated while TMZ reported that they had been living separately “since the beginning of summer.”

The Independent has now learned that Kidman has filed for divorce.

The decision to separate was made by the “Break on Me” singer as the Babygirl actor, 58, takes care of their children and is “holding the family together through this difficult time,” a source told TMZ.

They further claimed that Kidman did not want the initial separation and had been attempting to save the marriage.

“Keith has acquired his own residence in Nashville and has moved out of their family home,” they said. The family’s main residence is also located in the Tennessee city.

The Independent has contacted Kidman and Urban’s representatives for comment.

Kidman and Urban were last photographed together in June while attending the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group D match between Los Angeles Football Club and Esperance de Tunis at Geodis Park in Nashville.

In addition to her children with Urban, Kidman also has two adult children, Bella, 32, and Connor, 30, with her ex-husband Tom Cruise.

Kidman and Urban first met in January 2005 at the G’Day USA gala in Los Angeles. However, while the pair did exchange phone numbers, it took Urban four months to call her.

“I had such a crush on him, and he wasn’t interested in me. It’s true!” Kidman told Ellen DeGeneres in 2017. “He didn’t call me for four months.”

She later admitted in an interview with People that she realized he was “the one” after he stood on the stoop of her apartment on her 38th birthday at 5 a.m. to bring her flowers. “That is when I went, ‘This is the man I hope I get to marry,’” she told the publication, adding, “I believed by that point he was the love of my life.”

The two then made their first public appearance as a couple at the 2006 Grammy Awards, and while they did not walk the red carpet together, they reportedly looked very cozy in the audience.

Urban and Kidman were married a few months later during a candlelit ceremony at Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel on St Patrick’s Estate in Manly, Australia. Urban reportedly serenaded the new bride with a rendition of his song “Making Memories of Us.”

Kidman’s children with Cruise were also part of the pair’s big day, with Isabella in her mother’s bridal party. The event had a starry guest list, including Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, and Rupert Murdoch, among others.

William opens up on losing Queen Elizabeth II in emotional interview

Prince William has paid a heartfelt tribute to Queen Elizabeth II after he taking Hollywood star Eugene Levy around her Berkshire home.

William described how he misses his grandmother in a clip from a forthcoming episode of Levy’s travel series, as they stand in the King’s drawing room in the late Queen’s beloved Windsor Castle.

During the Second World War the castle was home to the then Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret, and she spent much of the pandemic within the safety of its walls, protected in “HMS Bubble”, the reported nickname for her reduced staff.

In a preview of the upcoming episode from the Apple TV+ series The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy, titled Living The Royal Life In The UK, William tells Levy: “I do actually, yeah I do miss my grandmother, and my grandfather.

“Yeah, it’s been quite a bit of change, so you do sort of, you think about them not being here any more and particularly being in Windsor, for me Windsor is her.

“So, she loved it here, she spent most of her time here.”

The future king told the Schitt’s Creek star, 78: “Showing you around today is very much a case of trying to make sure I’m doing it in the way she’d want you to see it.”

The late Queen would regularly spend most weekends at Windsor Castle and during the latter years of her life her stays became longer as her 70-year reign neared its end.

During the war, Elizabeth and sister Margaret cultivated tomatoes, sweetcorn and dwarf bean on plots on the castle’s east terrace garden, when it was turned over to growing produce for the war effort.

Her husband Philip was ranger of Windsor Great Park for nearly 70 years and played an active role in the stewardship of the grounds, redesigning the terrace’s flowerbeds in 1971 and commissioning a new bronze lotus fountain based on his own design for the centre of garden.

The 20th century history of the castle is dominated by the major fire that started on November 20 1992 in the private chapel with the picture of the Queen in a headscarf talking to senior fire officers an enduring image of the incident.

The next five years were spent restoring Windsor Castle to its former glory. It resulted in the greatest historic building project to have been undertaken in the UK in the 20th century, reviving many traditional crafts.

The restoration was completed six months ahead of schedule on November 20 1997 at a cost of £37 million, £3 million below budget, with 70 per cent of the necessary revenue raised from opening Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms to visitors in August and September.

The travel series follows the Schitt’s Creek co-creator as he pushes himself out of his comfort zone and ticks off his travel bucket list.

The upcoming season will see Levy joined by the likes of Grammy Award-winner Michael Buble, Levy’s daughter Sarah Levy, K-Pop boy band Nowz, and former India cricketer Rahul Dravid.

New episodes of The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy premiere weekly until the finale on October 31 2025.

The special episode with the Prince of Wales will air on October 3.

Trump threatens ‘irreversible’ layoffs if government shutdown goes ahead

Congress failed to pass a spending bill Tuesday evening, meaning a government shutdown is imminent.

Lawmakers have until midnight to agree on a plan to fund the government, but after two bills brought by each party failed in the Senate, a shutdown is all but guaranteed.

For their part, Republicans put forth a bill that was already approved by the House. Democrats John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto and Angus King voted with 52 Republicans in favor of the bill, while 44 Democrats and Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky voted against it.

Earlier Tuesday, President Donald Trump blamed Democratic leaders for the looming government shutdown, warning that there will be “irreversible” layoffs of federal employees if lawmakers don’t reach an agreement on a spending plan by midnight tonight.

Democrats demanded the reversal of cuts to Medicaid, set out earlier this year in Trump’s “Big, Beautiful, Bill,” and an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Republicans have falsely claimed that the Democrats demanded funding for unauthorized immigrants.

Slot gamble backfire in Liverpool’s disjointed defeat to Galatasaray

Liverpool will always have fond memories of Istanbul. Just not this particular trip to Istanbul. As they suffered back-to-back defeats for only the second time under Arne Slot, they felt battered as well as beaten by Galatasaray.

In the most intimidating of environments, even Slot’s sure touch deserted him. There have been times when his decision-making has seemed impeccable but attempts to rest and rotate saw Liverpool looking disjointed and disorganised.

He had a star-studded bench but, while Alexander Isak’s presence there was anticipated, the surprise gambit of omitting Mohamed Salah backfired. So, too, the choice of Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back. Tormented by Baris Yilmaz, he conceded the decisive penalty Victor Osimhen converted. Meanwhile, it felt a vote of no confidence in Jeremie Frimpong, an actual right-back, that he was Salah’s stand-in on the wing. The Dutchman almost set up a goal, but for Galatasaray. It summed up Liverpool’s error-strewn display.

And if Slot’s intent was to save Salah for Chelsea on Saturday, he instead lost Hugo Ekitike and Alisson to injury. The striker is a doubt, the goalkeeper out. “You can be sure he is not playing on Saturday,” Slot said. “When he sprinted back, he felt something. I fear the worst.”

The Brazilian’s brilliance had kept the score down, averting the possibility of a rout, but this was a different sort of damage. As it was, Liverpool already know the league phase of this competition will not be the procession it was when they reeled off seven successive victories last year.

Now they failed to score for the first time since a summer outlay that ended with £450m spent, two-thirds of it on players charged with bringing goals. While Liverpool benched their record signing, Isak, Galatasaray unleashed theirs. Osimhen was the superstar striker to start and score. The Nigerian could seem in exile in Turkey. This was a reminder he remains one of the outstanding strikers in the global game. The instigator of Napoli’s win over Liverpool three years ago showed he has lost none of his powers.

He excelled when his Liverpool counterparts watched on. Slot summoned Salah and Isak after an hour; for the first time he had the quartet of Florian Wirtz, Ekitike, the Egyptian and the Swede on the pitch together, a possible fantasy front four. But not for long. A few minutes later, the Frenchman limped off. “Hopefully he is not in a bad way,” Slot said. “Let’s see on Saturday.”

The closest they came to salvaging a point involved not the attacking reinforcements, but a centre-back. Ibrahima Konate was awarded a penalty when it seemed he was caught by Wilfried Singo. Upon reviewing the footage, referee Clement Turpin revoked his decision. It would have flattered Liverpool to take a point; this particular Turpin did not engage in that kind of robbery.

Slot thought the initial decision should have stood but it brought a frustrating end to a troubled trip. The previous night contained its difficulties. The Galatasaray players had let off fireworks outside Liverpool’s hotel. Their players set off a few more on the pitch. Their fans ignited the night air. There were deafening whistles whenever Liverpool had the ball. It was an assault on the eardrums. Isak and Salah may have needed noise-cancelling headphones on the bench.

The Rams Park bounced and swayed and rocked. Liverpool appeared ragged and rattled. But for Alisson, it might have been worse. He made huge saves in the early minutes of each half, when first Yilmaz and then Osimhen was clean through on goal; the Brazilian can specialise in one-on-one situations. Yet his second save came at a cost, with Alisson hurt.

Liverpool lost because of a spectacular 30 seconds, with Ekitike brilliantly denied by Ugurcan Cakir and Cody Gakpo’s shot cleared off the line by Davinson Sanchez. Instead of trailing, Galatasaray soon led.

It illustrated the dangers of using Szoboszlai as a makeshift right-back. Outpaced by Yilmaz in the second minute, he caught the Turkey winger with his arm after 15. “We are sometimes a bit outsmarted in situations like this and I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for the situation. Their player felt something and he made it feel as if it is an unbelievable hit. They make a 20 per cent penalty a 100 per cent penalty.” Aggrieved as Slot was, Osimhen was clinical. He had a penalty saved by Alisson in 2022. He won the rematch.

Osimhen remained a threat, roaming with menace. But Galatasaray spent big at both ends of the pitch. Liverpool were not alone in having a high-class goalkeeper. Cakir reacted wonderfully to tip away Wirtz’s half-volley and deny the £100m man a first Liverpool goal. He reacted sharply, too, when Ekitike improvised a backheel. He was terrific.

So were the rest of a side with domestic dominance but a chequered record in Europe. Galatasaray had lost their Champions League opener 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt. They were a different proposition here. Often underachievers on the continental stage, they looked a team capable of troubling Europe’s best, belying the fact it was their first home Champions League win in seven years. But Liverpool looked far from Europe’s best. This was neither a repeat of 2005 nor 2024.

Eats, Beats and Storied Streets: A journey through Louisiana

Few places in America are as spellbinding as Louisiana. Streets are alive with music, every table groans with food that tells a story, and every river bend reveals landscapes as mysterious as they are beautiful. Whether you’re dancing to zydeco in Lafayette, devouring beignets in the French Quarter, or gliding through the Atchafalaya swamps in search of alligators, this is a destination which offers travellers an unforgettable blend of rhythm, flavour and culture.

Music that Moves You

A seemingly never-ending party, a stroll through the bouncing streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter is one of America’s most thrilling sensory experiences. Guitars crunch, symbols crash and horns howl on every street corner, from Bourbon Street to Frenchmen Street. This Cajun corner of the US has a deep heritage too, and the Preservation Hall – dating back to 1961 – is an essential stop. With its intimate time-worn walls and wooden chairs facing the small stage, it’s a shrine to New Orleans jazz and every note should be savoured.

But Louisiana’s music tradition goes far beyond the Big Easy. Beginning in 1981, the Baton Rouge Blues Festival is one of the country’s oldest blues festivals and the state capital is a haven of Cajun music. It’s also the home of the swamp blues, so to hear the best of these laid-back rhythms, spend a foot-tapping night at Phil Brady’s Bar & Grill or Henry Turner Jr’s Listening Room. And for a little backyard boogie from local Louisiana musicians, try and hit the wonderfully chilled out Bee Nice Concert Series.

One of the more niche regional sounds is zydeco, and these infectious beats driven by accordions and washboards are perfect for dancing the night away. Over in Lafayette, the lush outdoor Hideaway on Lee and the charming Blue Moon Saloon host high-energy zydeco and Cajun jams. For a deeper dive into this unique music of the swamp, drop by the Festivals Acadiens et Créoles for three glorious days of Cajun, Creole, and zydeco sounds.

Flavours to Savour

Louisiana has one of America’s most distinct food cultures, with Creole dishes like gumbo and jambalaya not found anywhere else. Needless to say, the fiery flavours found in these creations are sublime and it’s no surprise that 2025 is Louisiana’s Year of Food.

With its rich broth, often featuring a roux base and embellished by juicy shrimp and thick sausage, gumbo is arguably the quintessential Creole dish. If you’re in New Orleans, look no further than no–frills downtown spots like Coop’s Place or head out to neighbourhood joints like the upscale Gabrielle Restaurant who serve a smoky take on Cajun-style gumbo or the dense dishes plated up at Liuzza’s by the Track. And if you’re so enraptured by this unique stew, then learn how to make it at home at the New Orleans School of Cooking.

A Cajun rice dish that originated in southern Louisiana in the 18th Century, Jambalaya is also iconic down here and can include meats, vegetables, seafood and spices in its mouthwatering mix. The Jambalaya Shoppe is dotted all around southern Louisiana and is a good place to start, though make time to visit Gonzales – the ‘Jambalaya Capital of the World. It even has its own Jambalaya Festival every spring.

Remember to make time for sweet treats though, as Louisiana’s beignets are something special. Warm, deep-fried pastries dusted with powdered sugar, these gentle delights are the perfect cafe snack. Open since 1862, the Cafe du Monde is an iconic French Quarter spot to watch the world go by with a beignet and café au lait.

And if you’re here for Mardi Gras, make sure to sample the sweet colourful King Cake as the jaunty floats pass by.

Culture and the Great Outdoors

Louisiana’s diverse cultural heritage is as unique as its landscape. French, Spanish, African, Caribbean and native influences all converge into Cajun and Creole identities and that’s most famously reflected in the state’s sublime cuisine. But don’t miss the great outdoors, as Louisiana’s biodiversity is enchanting too.

Acadiana’s humid moss-cloaked swamps and bayous are one of America’s last wildernesses, and boat tours of these serene and ethereal landscapes are unforgettable, especially if you spot wildlife like American Alligators, beavers, herons, eagles and white tail deer. The Atchafalaya Basin, just east of Lafayette, is a particular haven and several airboat tours depart from here, including McGee’s Swamp Tours and Last Wilderness Swamp Tours.

Road trails through these bayous can be just as inspiring, and the Bayou Teche National Byway tells stories. Running for 183 miles from Arnaudville down to Morgan City, this serpentine route passes by ornate antebellum homes like Shadows-on-the-Teche, tranquil fields of sugar cane, breezy swamps and historic towns packed with friendly cafes, zydeco dancehalls and local museums.

Look out for the region’s lively 400+ festivals too, which often celebrate Louisiana’s local culture. The Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette celebrates the links between Acadiana and the Francophone world, through music, art and food, while the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival in Opelousas aims to preserve Louisiana’s most gleeful music genre. And there’s no better way of learning about the state’s people and heritage than at the various tours, concerts, talks and cultural events held in Vermillionville in Lafayette.

Trump ‘so disappointed’ in Putin and urges him to meet Zelensky for peace talks

Donald Trump has said he is “so disappointed” in Vladimir Putin as the war in Ukraine continues to rage.

Touting what he described as his peacemaking abilities during a speech to military personnel on Tuesday, the US president said Putin and Ukrainian leader Zelensky must get together to settle Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

It comes as the Russian president announced his biggest conscription plans in almost a decade, mandating 135,000 Russians between the ages of 18 and 30 to join the army. In 2016, 152,000 soldiers were enlisted.

The move follows alarms raised by Nato nations over violations in their airspace from Russia, with Denmark ordering a ban on civil drone flights ahead of two European summits this week after unexplained drones were spotted near military sites over the weekend.

On Tuesday, Zelensky said Ukraine would share with European countries its expertise in fighting Russian drones, sending a mission to Denmark for joint exercises.

“Our military has begun deploying a mission in Denmark to disseminate Ukrainian experience in drone defense,” Zelenskyy said. European defence ministers agreed last week to build what they called a “drone wall” along their borders with Russia and Ukraine to better detect, track and intercept drones violating Europe’s airspace.

Scientists discover new way to fertilise eggs in major pregnancy breakthrough

Scientists have discovered a way to fertilise eggs made from the genetic material of human skin cells.

The findings, researchers said, have “immense therapeutic potential” for people who have no viable eggs or sperm.

While the research is still in its early stages, experts said the finding could one day “transform” the understanding of infertility and miscarriage, and even pave the way for creating egg or sperm-like cells for people who have no other options.

Infertility is caused by the body’s inability to produce healthy sperm or eggs and treatments such as IVF are ineffective in these patients unless a donor is used.

An emerging process, known as in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), involves reprogramming skin cells to become a type of stem cell.

It involves taking the nucleus – the control centre of the cell which stores its genetic material – from a patient’s own skin cells.

These are then implanted into a donor egg with its nucleus removed in a process known as somatic cell nuclear transfer.

However, cells generated in this way would cause any future fertilised egg to have too many chromosomes.

Humans typically have 46 chromosomes, organised into 23 pairs – half from the sperm and half from the egg.

Cells created using somatic cell nuclear transfer have two sets of chromosomes.

A method to remove this extra set of chromosomes has been studied in mice, but never using human cells.

To combat this, researchers in the US removed the nucleus in skin cells and implanted it in a donor egg.

To remove the extra chromosomes, they carried out a process they have called mitomeiosis.

This mimics natural cell division that causes one set of chromosomes to be discarded, leaving behind a healthy reproductive cell capable of being fertilised.

The team was able to create 82 functional developing eggs known as oocytes, which were fertilised using sperm in a lab.

Almost one in 10 (9 per cent) of the fertilised eggs went on to develop to the blastocyst stage, which is when cells rapidly divide around six days after fertilisation.

No blastocysts were developed beyond this point, which coincides with the time they would usually be transferred to the uterus in IVF treatment.

UK experts expressed excitement at the finding but stressed further work is needed.

Ying Cheong, a professor of reproductive medicine and honorary consultant in reproductive medicine and surgery at the University of Southampton, said: “For the first time, scientists have shown that DNA from ordinary body cells can be placed into an egg, activated, and made to halve its chromosomes, mimicking the special steps that normally create eggs and sperm.

“This breakthrough, called mitomeiosis, is an exciting proof of concept.

“In practice, clinicians are seeing more and more people who cannot use their own eggs, often because of age or medical conditions.

“While this is still very early laboratory work, in the future it could transform how we understand infertility and miscarriage, and perhaps one day open the door to creating egg – or sperm-like cells for those who have no other options.”

Professor Richard Anderson, Elsie Inglis professor of clinical reproductive science and deputy director of the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Many women are unable to have a family because they have lost their eggs, which can occur for a range of reasons, including after cancer treatment.

“The ability to generate new eggs would be a major advance, and this study shows that the genetic material from skin cells can be used to generate an egg-like cell with the right number of chromosomes to be fertilised and develop into an early embryo.

“There will be very important safety concerns but this study is a step towards helping many women have their own genetic children.”