A former Israeli soldier has created a video game based on the Gaza war, which he says aims to ‘humanise’ Israeli troops. Scenes from the game’s promo video depict the destruction in Gaza, which rights groups say Israeli soldiers already treat as if it were a video game.
Filling the shoes of a player voted the best in the world is a task of the highest order.
Ellie Kildunne will miss England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final with Scotland on Sunday after showing concussion symptoms against Australia.
The full-back had to go off early in the second half, but the Red Roses coped without their star player, winning 47-7 after overcoming a sticky opening period.
However, it is now knockout rugby and there is no margin for error.
England head coach John Mitchell has prepared for nearly every World Cup eventuality across the past two seasons, with his side beating France without Kildunne in April to seal a fourth consecutive Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam.
Mitchell said then that Kildunne’s minor hamstring injury was the perfect opportunity for the inexperienced Emma Sing to step in for a game of proper significance.
Sing, who was the top points scorer in last season’s Premiership Women’s Rugby league for champions Gloucester-Hartpury, scored two tries in a thrilling 43-42 win.
But overall it was a mixed performance from the 24-year-old. Sing felt the pressure of a big occasion, and mistakes were made.
“To step into a Grand Slam decider at Allianz Stadium and perform the way she did was amazing,” Kildunne said in July. “People will be critical, but if you watch my games back I make a load of mistakes.
“It happens and is rugby. You can’t compare one player to another as everyone plays differently.”
Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final: England v Scotland
Sing featured off the bench in England’s opening win against the United States in Sunderland and played in the record victory over Samoa.
Her dead-eye kicking for the posts is a big strength, but that is unlikely to be needed against Scotland given the form of fly-half Zoe Harrison.
Kildunne and Sing are the two specialist full-backs in the squad, but with only 12 caps, the Gloucester-Hartpury kicker remains inexperienced at the highest level.
Dropping in at first-receiver and being an extra playmaker is a skill that Sing has continued to develop under Mitchell, with her running game also more evident.
Utility back Helena Rowland was England’s starting full-back at the World Cup in 2022 before an injury ruled her out of the final, which Kildunne started and scored in.
An impressive record 27 points from fly-half against Samoa and a superb performance off the bench from full-back when Kildunne went off on Sunday might sway the decision in Rowland’s favour.
Covering multiple backline positions on the bench has been Rowland’s regular role under Mitchell, but with 43 caps and a World Cup semi-final start at full-back, the 25-year-old looks more polished than Sing for knockout rugby.
“If I was coach, I’d pick Helena Rowland,” former England wing Ugo Monye told the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly. “We know that a high-performing team needs the spine of the team to perform really well.
“She’s one of the most understated world-class players at this tournament. The biggest compliment I can give her is she makes everyone look so much better. Everyone functions so much better around her.
“She’s so easy to work with and being so dominant at 15 it takes pressure off her wingers, whether that is Jess Breach, Abby Dow or Claudia Moloney-MacDonald.”
Former England fly-half Katy Daley-McLean also feels Rowland is the natural fit to replace Kildunne on Sunday.
Defensively, where Sing has sometimes struggled, Rowland thrived against Australia.
One such moment was during the second half when she made a superb tackle on Wallaroos’ wing Maya Stewart, despite being isolated out wide and up against a player with greater pace.
“England want to defend high which left her [Rowland] really vulnerable,” Daley-McLean added.
“I thought Helena was really good. Ellie won’t be playing so it gives them an opportunity to see Emma Sing in there, but I can’t see her featuring further in the semi-finals or the final.”
If Kildunne, who turned 26 on Monday, comes through her mandatory minimum 12-day stand-down period without showing further concussion symptoms, she will be fit for a potential semi-final on Saturday, 20 September.
To celebrate FatFace’s new collection with the V&A, Daisy Lowe and her mum Pearl Lowe have fronted a brand new campaign packed with stunning autumn favourites. From cosy knitwear and quilted jackets to floral print jeans and easy-to-style dresses, the collection is everything we need to complete our new season wardrobe.
It was inspired by prints and designs from the V&A’s archives, which were then reimagined by FatFace’s designers to celebrate British design and handcrafted techniques. With floral patterns threaded throughout the complete collection, it’s a great celebration of the natural world, and ties in with boho influences that make Daisy and Pearl the perfect faces of the new collection.
READ MORE: We found a chic and cosy autumn knit perfect for layering and it’s now £100 off
READ MORE: Myleene Klass has launched the perfect ‘warm and fashionable’ trench coat for autumn
One stand out piece is the £72 Multi Regular Japanese Rose Midi Dress which was modelled by both Daisy and Pearl in the campaign and reflect the mother daughter duo’s own personal style. The midi dress is the perfect piece for transitioning from summer into autumn, with long sleeves and a relaxed silhouette that’s effortlessly chic.
The floral print and flowy fit gives it a boho feel that’s trending for autumn, and keeps it easy to style for any occasion. You can wear it with chunky boots and a cardigan for chillier days, or pop on some trainers for an afternoon running errands. You could also easily pair it with some loafers for the office, or some heeled sandals for garden parties and warm weather weddings.
The Japanese Rose Midi Dress has a flattering V-neckline and is made from 100% Lenzing Ecovero Viscose which is comfortable and floaty with a soft finish. We also couldn’t possibly forget about the pockets, which everyone knows are a godsend feature in any dress.
You can pick up the dress in sizes six to 20 in the petite length, or sizes six to 24 in the regular length, although you’ll need to be quick as they’re starting to sell out in some sizes. We also spotted some other lovely floral dresses (all with pockets!) on the high street at the moment, so you can really stack your wardrobe for the new season.
At Boden the Rosie Godet Tea Dress is currently on sale down from £136 to £81.60 and comes in five different colourful prints and patterns. Meanwhile Nobody’s Child’s White Floral Starlight Midi Dress is £85 with short puff sleeves and a button front placket for a classic look. Finally, over at White Stuff the Rua Jersey Collared Shirt Midi Dress is £65 which has more of a traditional shirt dress design, with a collared neckline and button up front.
However if you want to shop the new FatFace X V&A collection, you can visit the FatFace website now.
Vogue Williams has candidly admitted that the past fortnight “weren’t good” as she shared her personal battle with anxiety. The 39-year-old telly star has been open about her struggles with anxiety.
Vogue often finding herself “catastrophising” and dealing with panic attacks. Her anxiety has led to sleepless nights.
The mum-of-three has now become “scared of her health”, frequently opting out of alcohol and wearing two fitness rings to monitor her sleep pattern. She acknowledges that her journey with anxiety has its ups and downs.
Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, Vogue revealed: “This week is a good week, the last two weeks weren’t good weeks and I think, what I do is, that’s why I’m not going to drink for a while because that really gets it for me.”
She added: “And I feel like if I train, and people think I’m insane because I don’t want to go on holidays, not train, drink loads, eat rubbish, and come home feeling like c**p. So, I’ll go away and I’ll train and people think that kind of weird but it regulates me and makes me feel better, it’s really good for anxiety I find.”
Vogue also mentioned: “I have medication as well, if I’m having a really bad time I’ll take medication as well and there’s no problem with that either. I love having a little backup of it, especially if I’m hungover as well.”
Vogue reveals she also turned to a therapist for her anxiety struggles, whilst taking prescribed beta-blockers to help “calm her down” during difficult moments.
She explained: “I feel like with anxiety, you find a different way to manage it and it can only be managed, it will always come back and go away. For me, I wanted to do therapy, which I do kind of irregularly now, but I was struggling to sleep properly and then if I wasn’t sleeping properly I was more anxious the next day.
“I couldn’t really get to the point where I was even able to do therapy because I’d be going around clenching my fist and being anxious then I got beta-blockers off my doctor and that allowed me to calm down a little bit and think about what was making me anxious.”
Vogue disclosed that her anxiety is frequently sparked by “life disturbances”. She remembered a recent incident whilst attempting to book tickets for a holiday to Turkey, but when the payment “didn’t go through” she found herself believing it was a “bad omen”.
She admits it’s only after she has “come through it” that she can make sense of what’s occurring. Vogue, who shot to stardom on Irish television, wed former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews in 2018.
It’s been 15 months since Dr Michael Mosley tragically died while on holiday with his wife and friends on the Greek island of Symi.
The acclaimed TV doctor went on a walk alone in unforgiving terrain before he disappeared. For four days and nights, search parties scoured the island before his body was found.
Michael had slipped and fallen on a rocky path within two hours of leaving his wife on the beach, and died of suspected heatstroke.
It’s something that his wife Clare – who was married to Michael for 37 years – is still struggling to come to terms with. And on top of the loss of her beloved husband, she has also been faced with three other family tragedies since that fateful day.
READ MORE: ‘Michael Mosley’s death changed my life – I’m free from pain explosions’READ MORE: Inside Dr Michael Mosley’s weight loss low-calorie ‘5:2 diet’ – does it work?
Since flying home from Greece last June, Clare has lost her father as well as her uncle, and she has also lost her stepsister, who was only in her early forties.
“[It was] a terrible year that started with the dog dying,” she told The Sunday Times. “I don’t think one can make sense of it. The shock is so profound, I don’t know how to.”
She further explained that the fact no one is to blame for Michael’s death is a great blessing.
“It was so random. There was nothing to be angry about. And how lucky is that? Isn’t that incredible? If somebody was to blame, it would have been very different,” she said.
“The worst has happened, but there are so many permutations in which it could have been so much worse. He could not have been found. Or one of the boys could have found him and that would have been devastating”.
Clare shared that she and her four children – Alex, 35, Jack, 33, Dan, 31, and Kate, 26 – returned to Greece to mark the first anniversary of Michael’s death, though the family decided not to stay on Symi.
READ MORE: Dr Michael Mosley’s poignant last moments with wife laid bare in moving interview
It comes after Clare bravely spoke about the heartbreaking day she lost her husband – and the moment she knew there was something ‘devastatingly’ wrong.
In a previous interview with MailOnline, Clare recalled how Michael, 67, wanted to go for a walk while she and their friends sunbathed around the pool.
But he didn’t return. Clare immediately contacted the emergency services but as daylight began to fade on the first day of their search, she said: “Then it got dark. It became devastatingly obvious something had gone terribly wrong.” As that night came to an end, she went to bed, and just “curled up” and “cried”.
Fans of Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy were left in stitches after the star discovered he was the muse behind a massive Hozier hit. The Oppenheimer actor, it seems, unknowingly inspired one of his fellow countryman’s most popular tunes. Murphy’s hilarious reaction to this revelation during an appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) had fans in fits of laughter.
Murphy graced the TIFF red carpet to promote his forthcoming Netflix film, Steve. Amidst a flurry of questions from journalists, one reporter asked how it felt to be the inspiration for a chart-topping song that Hozier has belted out at major events like Finsbury Park and Leeds Festival.
The song in question, Too Sweet, was reportedly sparked by a flight Hozier shared with Murphy, during which the musician was bleeding and hungover.
He recounted: “I’m like rattled. You know, that type of hangover where you’re shaking. And then I look over to the left of me on this plane and I see a famous Irish actor.”
“I’m also subject to celebrity shock where you see somebody you’ve seen on screen a thousand times and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, that’s a famous person’. And when I see Cillian Murphy is to my left… “I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s wet’.
So I’m on the plane looking at my fingers, like I’m bleeding a little bit. “And I turn to my left and Cillian Murphy’s hunkered by my seat and is like, ‘How’s it going?’ I’m trying to play it cool. He was so sweet and so kind.”
Although Murphy provided the inspiration for the track, it appears he was completely unaware of it until recently.
The 28 Days Later actor discovered his influence on the song during an appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival. Murphy remarked: “Oh, I don’t know that story. I remember I did meet him on a plane once, I don’t know that he was bleeding.”
Murphy’s reaction has left some fans in hysterics. One supporter commented: “Does Hozier have any normal stories?” Another added: “Nonchalant final boss.”
A third suggested: “Probably meant ‘bleedin’ hungover’ as in Dublin slang, not literally bleeding.” The chart-topper then clarified which lyric Murphy had sparked.
Hozier revealed: “It’s the line, ‘I aim low, I aim true and the ground’s where I go’. I’ve never told Cillian Murphy that, I’ve never met him since. I didn’t have the guts to tell him at the time the shape that I was in.”
Nevertheless, Murphy is now aware, and he appears rather indifferent about his pivotal contribution to the track.