In an age of expanding waistlines, could there be something to learn from how the founding fathers ate? Here’s what I uncovered…
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A £5 note with a rare printing error has sold for almost £100 after collectors spotted part of the design was missing, sparking a bidding war on eBay
A £5 note has sold for almost £100 after sparking a bidding war – because part of the print is missing. The 2024 note sold for £97.08 on eBay because it features a rare ink error, as the design on the front of the bank note, which depicts Queen Elizabeth II, has not been printed properly.
Only the Queen’s portrait is visible and the remainder of the design, which should include the text ‘Bank of England’, is missing. The rare partial misprint error is thought to have made the note’s value rise and sparked 13 bids on the item.
The listing reads: “Please observe this partial misprint on AK45, where the centre part of Queen Elizabeth side has no print. 100 percent genuine polymer.”
One keen collector snapped up the note for £97.08 plus £2.72 postage on Saturday, May 9, after bidding started at just £18.60. That means the note was sold for a little over nine times its shop value and will be sure to have Brits checking their change for the same error.
Polymer £5 notes featuring Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill were first introduced into circulation by the Bank of England in 2016. Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, banknotes featuring a portrait of King Charles III were first issued on June 5 2024.
Banknotes that feature the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II will remain legal tender and are co-circulating alongside King Charles III notes.
Osman Hamsharzad, 40, is wanted in connection with an assault.
He has known links to Barry, Canton and Roath.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact South Wales Police using reference number 2600174739.
Members of the public can contact South Wales Police online, by calling 101 or via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
South Wales Police have also issued a reminder to always call 999 in an emergency.
The US has warned Americans against travel to Uganda after cases of an eye-bleeding virus, which kills up to 88 percent of victims, were detected in a region already battling a major Ebola outbreak.
The cast of the Disney+ hit show Rivals were confused when given fake cigarettes while filming in Wales due to a smoking ban in the work place, one of its stars has said.
Oliver Chris, who plays self-centred TV presenter James Vereker in the show, said it was a pleasure to play someone who was “unremittingly horrible all the time”.
The series, based on the second novel of Dame Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles, features an all-star cast including Danny Dyer, David Tennant and Emily Atack.
“I remember everyone being very confused when they were handing us these odd plastic numbers,” Chris said.
While the series is based on the fictional Cotswolds countryside town of Rutshire, the cast filmed scenes in Wales for both series.
Llanhennock House, a seven-bedroom country house in Monmouthshire, was used as a set in the first season while Foxfield, a £8m mansion equipped with pond and tennis court, was home to Danny Dyer’s character Freddie in the second series.
Speaking to Behnaz Akhgar on Radio Wales, Chris recalled filming in Freddie’s house in Wales.
“In Wales it’s illegal to smoke in the work place, and that includes TV sets.
“So in Rivals where everyone is smoking all the time, we all had to have e-cigarettes when we filmed in the house.
“If you go back to those episodes, everyone is smoking fake cigarettes and I don’t know if they digitally changed them afterwards.
“But I remember everyone being very confused when they were handing us these odd plastic numbers,” he said.
A recall of baby wipes sold by Target has been upgraded to the FDA’s highest risk level, indicating a risk of serious health effects or death.
Traffic officers and firefighters attended the A4232 northbound between Culverhouse Cross and St Fagans following reports of a crash at around 1.30pm on Wednesday, July 1.
Upon arrival, they found one lane was blocked due to a two-car crash.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) crews from Penarth attended, but left the scene at around 2.18pm when it was confirmed that no-one was trapped inside the cars and the vehicles had been made safe.
The incident was fully cleared before 3pm and the northbound lane was re-opened.
A fire service spokesperson said: “SWFRS received a call at approximately 1.31pm to reports of a road traffic collision on the A4232 northbound, Culverhouse Cross to the M4.
“Crews and an appliance from Penarth attended the incident involving two vehicles. No persons were trapped, vehicles were made safe by crews.”
Mandatory UK regulations require folic acid to be added to most non-wholemeal wheat flours. (Image: Getty)
The government has responded to a major campaign calling on a big change to be made to anyone buying white bread in supermarkets or shops. Mandatory UK regulations require folic acid to be added to most non-wholemeal wheat flours. This public-health measure aims to boost dietary folate levels and reduce serious birth defects like spina bifida.
However, a petition on the Parliament website calling for politicians to end the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid ’immediately’. The petition, created by Dr Clare Craig has been signed by 20,000 people and says: “We call on the Government to stop the fortification of flour with synthetic folic acid. Folic acid is a medicine not a food. We believe it is unethical to mass medicate the entire population without their knowledge or consent in the hope that a minority group of people might see a benefit.
“The NHS website lists sections of the population (including people with cancer, a stent or low vitamin B12 levels) who should avoid folic acid exposure because of possible detrimental health impacts. Even if these people are aware of the issue, it is becoming harder to avoid as wholemeal and gluten-free products are voluntarily adding folic acid.”
Because the petition has passed 10,000 signups, the government has been forced to respond. If it gets to 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for a Parliamentary debate. The Department for Health, in reply, said that it was a public health measure, ‘not a medical intervention’ – and said it was thought to prevent around 200 babies being born with neural tube defects each year.
It said: “The policy applies to non-wholemeal flour, reflecting the flour-type already subject to fortification. The UK Government is mandating fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid with the primary objective to increase folic acid intake among women of childbearing age, thereby improving blood folate levels and reducing the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) during pregnancy.
“The policy is projected to prevent around 200 NTD-affected pregnancies annually—approximately 20 per cent of UK cases. The population-level policy will have the wider benefit of increasing the intake of folic acid and improving folate status across the whole population. Folate, including folic acid, plays an important role in forming healthy red blood cells and maintaining brain health.
“Previous efforts through public health campaigns to promote supplementation, as well as voluntary fortification by manufacturers, have had limited success. Despite longstanding UK public health advice recommending a daily supplement of 400 micrograms of folic acid before conception and during early pregnancy, uptake remains suboptimal, particularly among younger women and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
“Since almost half of pregnancies in the UK are unplanned, many women may not take supplements during the critical early weeks of gestation.”
It explained that all products should have the ingredients, including folic acid, labelled.
It added: “The decision to fortify non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid has a long history and has been considered both by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), which advises the four UK governments on nutrition-related matters, and its predecessor, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy.
“Folic acid fortification was recommended by the SACN in 2006, after an extensive review of the evidence on folate and health, which is available at the following link. Since then, there have been several further evidence reviews and modelling work (for example) to establish the level of folic acid to be added to flour, as well as to address concerns about potential adverse effects.”
It added that the NHS provides guidance for individuals who may need to avoid folic acid, for example, due to specific medical conditions or interactions with medication. It added: “People in this situation are advised to seek advice from a healthcare professional. Foods in the UK have been voluntarily fortified with folic acid for many years, including products such as breakfast cereals and spreads, without evidence of adverse health effects.”
To read the petiton and see the full response, click here.
The retailer is offering 20% off items in stores and online across the UK from July 2
Parents looking to get organised and prepare for the upcoming school year can benefit from a returning promotion at M&S. School uniforms are an essential part of any child’s daily routine, and various items – including shirts, trousers, skirts, dresses and polos – will be reduced in price from tomorrow, July 2.
Customers can receive 20% off school uniform products at M&S. The offer will be valid both online and in stores throughout the UK and doesn’t require any voucher or code — the 20% discount will be automatically deducted.
According to Martin Lewis‘ MSE, the promotion has no confirmed end date. The MoneySavingExpert website stated: “This is usually the only time of year we see M&S offer this widespread discount on its school uniform, so now’s a good time to buy.
“Of course, as it’s coming to the end of the school year, you’ll need to consider any potential summer growth spurts when buying. M&S told us there is currently no end date set, but it will be on ‘for a limited time’, depending on stock.”
M&S usually holds this 20% off sale every summer, and some sizes frequently sell out long before September, so parents usually stock up early. According to MSE, the 2026 offer “excludes footwear, underwear, outerwear, hosiery, accessories, school bags and lunch boxes”.
What is on offer at M&S from Thursday, July 2?
The majority of items will be included, though prices will differ depending on the age selected. Smaller sizes (ages three to six) are typically less expensive than those for older children (seven to nine, followed by another price rise for 10-14 and 15+), reports the Mirror.
For instance, the following items will be discounted accordingly. Use an online calculator to determine in advance of the promotion what items will cost in your child’s size (the website should show discounted prices from 2 July):
Making the most of sales like these in advance can help parents spread the cost of equipping their children with the necessities they need before school begins in September.
The typical cost of school uniforms is approximately £340 for primary school and £454 for secondary school annually, covering compulsory branded items, generic clothing, PE kits, and school shoes. Wherever feasible, discounted options could provide relief for some parents.
The month of June was the hottest in England on record, driven by a searing heatwave in the final days of the month, which for the first time had red heat alerts for three days, according to Met Office data.
The Met Office said provisional statistics showed Wales and the UK as a whole had recorded their second-warmest June since 1884.
Dr Emily Carlisle, a Met Office scientist, said: “June’s high temperatures are part of a broader pattern of warmth during 2026. So far, five of the first six months of the year have recorded mean temperatures at least 1C above average, with only January seeing below average temperatures.”
The heat in June was preceded by the warmest spring on record for England and Wales, and the third-warmest for the UK.
In May the Met office said one of the most striking values was recorded at Kew Gardens in Greater London, where temperatures reached 35.1C, exceeding its previous station record of 29.3C and the previous UK May record of 32.8C.
“This reflects the exceptional nature of the heat, with values more typical of mid-summer being observed in late spring,” the Met office said.
The record-breaking temperatures in the second half of June were notable for exceptionally warm nights, with frequent “tropical nights”, during which the thermometer did not drop below 20C.
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June 2026’s minimum temperature was more than 2C above average across the UK, while England recorded overnight temperatures 2.6C above average.
Prof Stephen Belcher CBE, the Met Office chief scientist, said: “June’s heatwave was a significant weather event, with a red extreme heat warning issued. Human-induced climate change has made events like this more likely and more intense.
“To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering. Events like this bring home the implications of climate change, with very high temperatures and humidity bringing significant health implications from heat stress, as well as impacts to a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply.”
June was the first time since extreme heat warnings were introduced to the weather warnings system in 2021, that a red warning for extreme heat was issued for three consecutive days in the UK, with the extent and persistence of the heat particularly notable, the scientists said. Records dating back several decades, in some cases over a century, were challenged or exceeded during the three day red extreme heat alert.
The frequency and intensity of heatwaves has increased worldwide. Met Office projections indicate that hot spells will become more frequent in our future climate, particularly over the south-east of the UK. Temperatures are projected to rise in all seasons, but the heat would be most intense in summer.
Analysis out this week by Dr Christopher Callahan, a climate scientist at Indiana University, found that the recent European heatwave had killed more than 20,000 people, according to a rapid modelling study based on peer-reviewed methods.
The analysis found there were likely to have been more than 5,000 excess deaths in France, 4,500 in Germany, 3,000 in Spain, 2,700 in Italy, 1,070 in Poland and 862 in the UK between 22 and 28 June.