Latest from North Wales Chronicle
North Wales Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Emma Watson and Harry Potter co-star banned from driving at same court
Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the film franchise, drove her blue Audi at 38mph in a 30mph zone in Oxford, on the evening of July 31 last year. The 35-year-old, who has been studying at the University of Oxford, was banned for six months and made to pay a total of £1,044 at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. Watson's lawyer Mark Haslam, told the court that she is a student, adding: 'She is in a position to pay the fine.' Separately, Zoe Wanamaker, who starred in Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone in 2001 as teacher Madam Hooch, was caught speeding on August 7, 2024, on the M4 in Newbury, Berkshire. The 76-year-old drove her blue Volvo at 46mph in a 40mph limit, the court heard. She was also fined £1,044 and banned for six months. Wanamaker's lawyer Duncan Jones said that she was not asking for 'special treatment' and accepted the fine. Both Watson and Wanamaker had nine points on their licences before the speeding incidents occurred. District Judge Arvind Sharma, sentencing, endorsed three more points on their licences, meaning they are both disqualified for six months from now. Neither attended their short hearings. The Sun reported that Watson was filmed bargaining with tow-truck drivers when they hauled her Audi onto a flatbed in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, in February last year.
North Wales Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Data stolen from 6.5 million Co-op members in ‘devastating' cyber attack
The chief executive of the retail and funeral care group Shirine Khoury-Haq said she was 'devastated' by the impact of the attack on workers and members. In late April, the company shut off parts of its IT systems after the attack, in which hackers accessed and extracted members' personal data. Shoppers were faced with empty shelves and issues with payments shortly afterwards caused by the fallout of the incident. It was among a string of high-profile cyber attacks on retailers, with rival Marks & Spencer hit particularly heavily by a cyber incident around Easter, which it said would result in a roughly £300 million hit to its finances. On Tuesday, the Co-op boss confirmed to BBC Breakfast that 'names, addresses and contact information' for all of its members were accessed. Ms Khoury-Haq told the programme: 'We know that a lot of that information is out there anyway but people will be worried and all members should be concerned. 'As soon as we knew what had been taken, we informed our members. We also advised them on what they needed to do to protect their information as well. 'But I am devastated by that, I am devastated that the information was taken.' She said the hackers created a copy of one of the firm's files but were unable to attack its platforms further and install planned ransomware. 'We realised it was happening when the cyber criminals started moving around within our systems and that is when we took action to stop them,' the boss said. 'Unfortunately by the time we had done that, they had made a copy of one of our files, but we did block them from doing anything else. 'It meant shutting down our systems quite dramatically. 'The good news was that we managed to keep our front lines open – our stores and funeral homes stayed open but the impact on colleagues, the impact on our stores, our members, was significant.' Last week, the National Crime Agency said four young people were arrested for their suspected involvement in the cyber attacks against the Co-op, M&S and Harrods. The comments came as the Co-op announced a partnership with a social impact business in the wake of the attack. The link-up with The Hacking Games is aimed at preventing cybercrime by identifying young cyber talent and channelling their skills into positive, ethical careers. The Co-op said cyber threats were evolving at an 'alarming' rate, highlighting the need for skilled cybersecurity professionals. The retail giant said it wants to help prevent cyber crime before it starts by supporting young people to put their skills to good use. Ms Khoury-Haq added: 'We know first-hand what it feels like to be targeted by cybercrime. The disruption it causes, the pressure it puts on colleagues, and the impact it has on the people and communities we serve. 'Our partnership with The Hacking Games lets us reach talented young people early, guide their skills toward protection rather than harm, and open real paths into ethical work. When we expand opportunity we reduce risk, while having a positive impact on society.' Fergus Hay, co-founder of The Hacking Games, said: 'There is an incredible amount of cyber talent out there – but many young people don't see a path into the industry, or simply don't realise their skills can be used for good. 'This partnership with Co-op will help unlock that potential. It's about giving people the opportunity to do something positive, showing that their talents are valued and creating a generation of ethical hackers to make the world safer.'
North Wales Chronicle
33 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Golf superfan gets tattooed with star players ahead of Open's return to NI
Earlier this year, Jordan Black embarked on a challenge to get images of the triumphant 2023 European Ryder Cup team tattooed on his leg before the Open returned to his native Northern Ireland. The 35-year-old from Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, now has Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg and captain Luke Donald all depicted on his left leg. While he will not have completed the set by the time the Open Championship tees off at Royal Portrush Golf Club on Thursday morning, he is confident of doing so before the start of this year's Ryder Cup at the Bethpage Black course in New York in September. And this week he got a chance to show off the progress on his golfing body art to one of the greats who is already inked on his leg. The Carrickfergus Golf Club member got a favourable reaction from Spanish two-time major winner Rahm when he met him at the conclusion of one of his practice rounds at Portrush. 'He says he loves it,' Mr Black told the PA news agency. 'He's seen it and he really likes it. So it's nice to know that.' He added: 'I started it in February. I wanted to have it finished before the Open, but fell short of that deadline, but I'll get it finished for the Ryder Cup. I've got Rory, Shane, Tommy, Ludvig, Jon Rahm and Luke Donald so far.' Mr Black will be hoping to encounter some more of the game's star players when he returns to Portrush on Friday to watch the second round action. 'I'm a massive golf fan, I've played for about 20 years,' he said. 'I'm going up on Friday with the family – I'm really looking forward to it.'
North Wales Chronicle
33 minutes ago
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Plant milks ‘not nutritionally equivalent' to cows' milk
Plant-based milk drinks – including soya, oat and almond milk – have soared in popularity in recent years. Now nutritional experts advising the UK Government have published a report on the benefits and risks of milk substitutes, with some concerns raised about the use of the products among children under the age of five. In children aged one to five there is a risk that only consuming plant-based drinks can lead to 'inadequate intakes of some micronutrients', according to experts on the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (Cot). And people of any age group who have these drinks could have a higher intake of added sugar. But the report stresses that nutritional concerns may be 'lessened' if people opt for unsweetened soya, oat and almond milk drinks and if these drinks are fortified with vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12, calcium and iodine at similar levels to those in cows' milk, and also with vitamin D. And they said that typical almond, oat and soya drinks may contribute to lower intakes of calories and saturated fat, with higher intake of fibre and vitamin D, which would be beneficial to most. But the new report highlights a 'potential toxicological concern' with milk substitutes in children up to the age of five who follow a vegan diet and consume a lot of soya. The expert group said that these children may be more likely to consume high amounts of a naturally occurring compound called isoflavones. But the risk could be partially mitigated by ensuring children following a vegan diet get their protein from a variety of sources and not just soya. SACN and Cot made a series of nutrition recommendations for children under the age of five, older children and adults who drink milk substitutes, including: – It is 'preferable' that children aged one to five consume whole or semi-skimmed cows' milk over plant-based drinks, if they consume animal products, but unsweetened and fortified plant-based milks are an 'acceptable alternative'. – Unfortified or sweetened plant-based drinks are 'not an acceptable alternative to cows' milk'. – SACN and Cot also said that 'there is no need for drinks specifically marketed for children aged one to three years, including plant-based follow-on formula, 'growing up' and other 'toddler' drinks'. – Vegan children aged one to five should consume fortified and unsweetened plant-based milks over water, where other children would drink cows' milk. – Soya milk is preferable as the main substitute for cows' milk for vegan children aged one to five, because it has higher amounts of protein compared to almond or oat milks. But the experts stressed vegan children should be offered a wide variety in protein in their general food and drink consumption, to avoid high intakes of isoflavones linked to soya. – For children aged five and over and adults, fortified and unsweetened almond, oat and soya drinks are an acceptable alternative to cows' milk. They conclude: 'No almond, oat or soya drink available in the UK is nutritionally equivalent to cows' milk. 'The most appropriate alternative to cows' milk varies by age group and people's wider dietary intakes and health concerns.' They add: 'There are potential nutritional and toxicological concerns related to plant-based drinks, and these particularly apply to children aged one to five years, especially those who are following a vegan diet. 'There are potential nutritional concerns related to higher intakes of free sugars and inadequate intakes of certain micronutrients (for all three plant-based drinks) and lower intakes of protein (for almond and oat drinks).'
North Wales Chronicle
33 minutes ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Swinney accuses Reeves of ‘channelling Thatcher' with financial reforms
John Swinney hit out in the wake of Ms Reeves's Mansion House speech which contained a package of reforms aimed at attracting more investment to the UK. Ahead of Tuesday evening's keynote address, there had been speculation among observers that the Labour Chancellor would 'channel Margaret Thatcher' with a new era of deregulation. Ms Reeves said she would be 'rolling back regulation that has gone too far' with plans to cut red tape in the City and reform banking rules, including the ring-fencing the financial sector, the Chancellor insisted the changes are needed for the UK to stay competitive in a more uncertain global economy. She said she had 'placed financial services at the heart of the Government's growth mission, recognising that Britain cannot succeed and meet its growth ambitions without a financial services sector that is fighting fit and thriving'. However Mr Swinney said: 'The very idea that a Labour Chancellor thinks that channelling Margaret Thatcher is what our economy needs is extraordinary. 'It is the very last thing we need as we try to recover from Tory austerity.' He added that people 'right across Scotland' had 'suffered terribly' during Conservative Mrs Thatcher's time as prime minister from 1979 to 1990, and that 'communities were decimated and countless livelihoods were thrown on the scrapheap'. Going on to claim the country is 'still dealing' with the impact of Thatcherism, Mr Swinney said: 'The UK economy does not work for Scotland. 'Rather than come up with serious solutions to fix it, Labour are doubling down on the same agenda that has failed before. 'We do not need an effort to replicate Thatcher's agenda – we need bold action and investment to tackle the effects of Thatcher that are still with us. 'Labour could relax their fiscal rules or make the choice to ask higher earners to pay a little more to unlock investment, just as we have done in Scotland.' But the First Minister said the UK Government 'clearly lack the political courage' to do this. He added: 'Scotland was promised change by Labour – instead we have been given the same tired economic policies, and efforts to balance the books on the backs of the most vulnerable. 'We have learned that you cannot trust a word Labour say before an election – and that if Scotland is to create an economy that works for everyone, the only way we can do so is as an independent country.'
