Latest news with #Newcastle
The Advertiser
15 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Walsh's huge nod after Ponga blow opens Origin door
Reece Walsh has the endorsement of the enemy for a State of Origin recall after incumbent Queensland fullback Kalyn Ponga was scratched ahead of the series decider. Newcastle confirmed on Saturday the Knights star had suffered a lisfranc injury in Friday's loss to Canberra that will keep him sidelined until late in the regular season. Ponga's injury potentially opens the door for Walsh to return to the Queensland No.1 jersey, after his own return to form for Brisbane. The Maroons' other option would be to shift Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to fullback, after the Dolphins No.1 played centre and wing in the first two games. Back-up centre Jack Howarth is out with appendicitis and Selwyn Cobbo has been dropped by Brisbane. But Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi could be recalled after Billy Slater overlooked him for the opening two games. Ponga's injury is a serious blow to the Maroons, given their game-two win in Perth had offered Slater the prospect of keeping the team intact for the Sydney decider. But five-time Maroon Walsh has made his case, again impressive in a third-straight Brisbane win later on Saturday as he continues to defy soreness in a heavily-strapped knee. "I'm a Blue next Wednesday but I'd love to see him in that arena; he belongs in that arena," Broncos captain and former Blues half Adam Reynolds said. "It certainly would give the Blues a few headaches and things to think about." Reynolds has long urged the 22-year-old to play with more patience, something he admits is a fragile work in progress. "It's sort of like my kids at times with him and Ez (Mam) out there; you've got to tell them a couple of times throughout the game," Reynolds said. "But he brings a lot of x-factor to the team and you don't want to completely shut him off from that. "You bite your tongue from time to time, but when things get a bit out of control you try and rope it in and get back to the game plan. "I certainly love what he brings, and his energy all the boys feed off that." Ponga limped from the field during the second half of the Knights' 22-18 loss, with the injury suffered on the opposite foot to the one he suffered lisfranc damage to last year. On that occasion, he missed seven games for the Knights. A similar timeframe would mean Ponga does not return until the eve of the NRL finals this year. Despite being one of the best fullbacks in the competition, Ponga has been restricted to eight games starting for the Maroons since first wearing the No.1 in 2019. Newcastle said in a statement on Saturday that Ponga would begin rehabilitation, "with the view to returning to play in the back end of the season". Reece Walsh has the endorsement of the enemy for a State of Origin recall after incumbent Queensland fullback Kalyn Ponga was scratched ahead of the series decider. Newcastle confirmed on Saturday the Knights star had suffered a lisfranc injury in Friday's loss to Canberra that will keep him sidelined until late in the regular season. Ponga's injury potentially opens the door for Walsh to return to the Queensland No.1 jersey, after his own return to form for Brisbane. The Maroons' other option would be to shift Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to fullback, after the Dolphins No.1 played centre and wing in the first two games. Back-up centre Jack Howarth is out with appendicitis and Selwyn Cobbo has been dropped by Brisbane. But Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi could be recalled after Billy Slater overlooked him for the opening two games. Ponga's injury is a serious blow to the Maroons, given their game-two win in Perth had offered Slater the prospect of keeping the team intact for the Sydney decider. But five-time Maroon Walsh has made his case, again impressive in a third-straight Brisbane win later on Saturday as he continues to defy soreness in a heavily-strapped knee. "I'm a Blue next Wednesday but I'd love to see him in that arena; he belongs in that arena," Broncos captain and former Blues half Adam Reynolds said. "It certainly would give the Blues a few headaches and things to think about." Reynolds has long urged the 22-year-old to play with more patience, something he admits is a fragile work in progress. "It's sort of like my kids at times with him and Ez (Mam) out there; you've got to tell them a couple of times throughout the game," Reynolds said. "But he brings a lot of x-factor to the team and you don't want to completely shut him off from that. "You bite your tongue from time to time, but when things get a bit out of control you try and rope it in and get back to the game plan. "I certainly love what he brings, and his energy all the boys feed off that." Ponga limped from the field during the second half of the Knights' 22-18 loss, with the injury suffered on the opposite foot to the one he suffered lisfranc damage to last year. On that occasion, he missed seven games for the Knights. A similar timeframe would mean Ponga does not return until the eve of the NRL finals this year. Despite being one of the best fullbacks in the competition, Ponga has been restricted to eight games starting for the Maroons since first wearing the No.1 in 2019. Newcastle said in a statement on Saturday that Ponga would begin rehabilitation, "with the view to returning to play in the back end of the season". Reece Walsh has the endorsement of the enemy for a State of Origin recall after incumbent Queensland fullback Kalyn Ponga was scratched ahead of the series decider. Newcastle confirmed on Saturday the Knights star had suffered a lisfranc injury in Friday's loss to Canberra that will keep him sidelined until late in the regular season. Ponga's injury potentially opens the door for Walsh to return to the Queensland No.1 jersey, after his own return to form for Brisbane. The Maroons' other option would be to shift Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to fullback, after the Dolphins No.1 played centre and wing in the first two games. Back-up centre Jack Howarth is out with appendicitis and Selwyn Cobbo has been dropped by Brisbane. But Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi could be recalled after Billy Slater overlooked him for the opening two games. Ponga's injury is a serious blow to the Maroons, given their game-two win in Perth had offered Slater the prospect of keeping the team intact for the Sydney decider. But five-time Maroon Walsh has made his case, again impressive in a third-straight Brisbane win later on Saturday as he continues to defy soreness in a heavily-strapped knee. "I'm a Blue next Wednesday but I'd love to see him in that arena; he belongs in that arena," Broncos captain and former Blues half Adam Reynolds said. "It certainly would give the Blues a few headaches and things to think about." Reynolds has long urged the 22-year-old to play with more patience, something he admits is a fragile work in progress. "It's sort of like my kids at times with him and Ez (Mam) out there; you've got to tell them a couple of times throughout the game," Reynolds said. "But he brings a lot of x-factor to the team and you don't want to completely shut him off from that. "You bite your tongue from time to time, but when things get a bit out of control you try and rope it in and get back to the game plan. "I certainly love what he brings, and his energy all the boys feed off that." Ponga limped from the field during the second half of the Knights' 22-18 loss, with the injury suffered on the opposite foot to the one he suffered lisfranc damage to last year. On that occasion, he missed seven games for the Knights. A similar timeframe would mean Ponga does not return until the eve of the NRL finals this year. Despite being one of the best fullbacks in the competition, Ponga has been restricted to eight games starting for the Maroons since first wearing the No.1 in 2019. Newcastle said in a statement on Saturday that Ponga would begin rehabilitation, "with the view to returning to play in the back end of the season".
The National
31 minutes ago
- Sport
- The National
EPL club 'complete deal' to sign Rangers academy talent
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims that an agreement is in place for the 16-year-old striker to join the Premier League outfit. Read more: Newcastle are said to have beaten several other top-flight English clubs to the youngster's signature. 🚨⚪️⚫️ Excl: Newcastle complete deal to sign talent Alfie Hutchison from Rangers, agreement in place.#NUFC beat several PL clubs to secure 16 year old striker for the Academy. — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 28, 2025 It comes after Romano recently revealed that Rangers had missed out on the signing of Kwame Poku from Peterborough United. The talented winger has instead opted to sign for English Championship side Queens Park Rangers. Rangers were interested in a move, but as time has gone on, it has become increasingly apparent that the player wanted to remain in the south of England. Romano now reports that a deal for Poku to join QPR is '100 per cent done', after he signed for the club this morning. Although they have missed out on Poku and appear to have lost youngster Hutchison, Rangers completed the signing of Max Aarons during the week. The right-back became the Ibrox club's second summer addition after joining on a season-long loan deal from English Premier League side Bournemouth. He and Lyall Cameron have both been added to new head coach Russell Martin's ranks ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Daily Mail
36 minutes ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
As 2025 kicked off my life was perfect - then everything spiralled out of control. Now I'm dealing with unimaginable grief and a stage three cancer diagnosis at just 27 years old
At the start of 2025 Chloe Haynes ' future felt busy in the best possible way. The special-education teacher and her partner Tom were saving for their first home, mapping a long-awaited trip to Japan, and quietly hoping to start a family by Christmas. Then, during a summer swim, Chloe brushed her hand beneath her left arm. 'I was fixing my swimmers and I felt a small little lump, the size of a pea,' Chloe, from Newcastle, told FEMAIL. Her mum and sister, who is a nurse, reassured her it was just a lymph node, so Chloe agreed and pushed the worry aside. Everything changed in March. Her 21-year-old brother died in a sudden traumatic accident and Chloe rushed home to Gloucester, taking six weeks off work to help plan the funeral and spend time with her grieving family. 'I was very stressed. I noticed the lump had grown, but I thought, my lymph nodes are probably flaring up because I'm grieving,' the 27-year-old said. By the end of May the bulge under her arm was unmistakable. When her sister finally saw it, she 'panicked' and ordered Chloe straight to a GP. Soon after, an ultrasound technician fell silent, ushered in colleagues, and sent Chloe for an emergency mammogram and biopsy. The call came the next afternoon as she shepherded students back from an excursion. 'The doctor said, "Chloe, I've got the results… is now a good time?" But I told him if he was ringing me in the middle of my work day, I knew it wasn't good.' He confirmed stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer that had 'already spread excessively' to her lymph nodes. Chloe has no family history of cancer and couldn't even get a referral for a mammogram at first because she was considered 'too young' for the killer disease. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for about 10 to 15 percent of all breast cancers. It differs from other types in that it tends to grow and spread faster, has fewer treatment options and usually has a worse prognosis. This type of breast cancer has an average 77 percent five-year survival rate, but depending on the stage of the cancer, that rate can be as low as 12 percent. Triple negative cancers do not respond to hormone therapy or to the targeted therapy drugs used for other cancers. 'I just went completely numb,' Chloe said, recalling how she crumpled in the school office and sobbed in the principal's arms. 'I haven't been back to work since.' Only 24 hours earlier, Chloe and Tom had signed off on their first mortgage approval. 'We had actually been approved for a home loan the day before my diagnosis,' she said. 'We went back to the broker and said no. I'll be out of work for 12 months.' 'We thought we were going to have the house, the babies… all the fun, exciting things you're hoping for when you're 27. Now it's all pushed back by cancer.' Their Japan itinerary is cancelled; a visit to her best friend in England postponed. The travel fund now pays for petrol, parking, and hospital bills. Because chemotherapy could leave her infertile, Chloe was rushed into egg retrieval last week. 'It was really important for me to have one shot at saving that chance. If this round doesn't work, I don't have time for another,' she said. The moment doctors finish collecting her eggs, she begins six months of 'intense' weekly chemotherapy - sometimes three infusions a week - alongside year-long immunotherapy. Surgery will follow, perhaps a mastectomy; radiation may come after that. Chloe's parents, still raw from losing their son, drive two hours from Gloucester for every appointment. 'I don't know how Mum and Dad are doing it, but they drop everything for me,' she said. Tom takes unpaid days off to sit beside her in waiting rooms; the Gloucester Soccer Club raised $5,000 in a single weekend; an online appeal organised by friend Ella grows daily. Yet Chloe lies awake wondering how to cover rent and groceries. 'I've got no leave left - I used it all when my brother died,' she admitted. 'I hate that I'm stressing about money when I should be focusing on surviving.' Life that once raced from classroom to dinners, soccer matches and weekend getaways has slammed to a halt. 'I used to be go, go, go. Now I'm waiting between medical appointments. It's very different - and I'm scared.' She forces herself to find tiny joys: sunrise at the beach, craft videos on YouTube, lunch with a friend before her strength fades. 'I'm trying to flip it: these are terrible cards, but maybe I'll discover something that helps me relax.' Chloe is clinging to the dream that next year, when the IV drips are gone and her hair begins to grow back, she and Tom can restart the life they mapped out: a modest house, a Japan rail pass, a baby's first kicks. For now, Chloe takes each day as it comes. 'I'm trying to stay as positive as I can,' she said 'Everything is on hold - but I have to believe it's not gone forever.' What are the common symptoms of breast cancer? Breast lumps Changes in size or shape of breasts Changes to the skin including dimpling, a rash or puckering of the breast Changes to a nipple such as turning in or just feeling different to usual Abnormal nipple discharge Inflamed breast where your breast may look red or swollen Hard breasts A red, scaly rash on the breast Breast pain
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Is THIS how the world will end? The universe has a 'self-destruct button' that could WIPE OUT life in an instant, scientists warn
From the Big Crunch to the heat death of the universe, it seems that science is always finding new ways the cosmos might come to an end. But physicists have now revealed the most devastating doomsday scenario possible. Experts believe the universe may have a built-in 'self-destruct button' called false vacuum decay. If this was ever triggered, every planet, star, and galaxy would be wiped out and life as we know it would become impossible. The basic idea is that our universe isn't currently in its most stable state, meaning we are in what scientists call a 'false vacuum'. If any part of the universe is ever pushed into its stable state, a bubble of 'true vacuum' will expand through the universe, destroying everything it touches. Professor Ian Moss, a cosmologist at Newcastle University, told MailOnline that the universe is like 'a table-top with many dominoes standing on their side.' Professor Moss says: 'They can stay upright unless some small disturbance topples one, and triggers all of them to fall.' What is a false vacuum? All objects contain a certain amount of energy and the amount of energy it contains is called its 'energy state'. The lower the energy state, the more stable the object becomes. If you think about a lump of coal, it has a very high energy state because it contains lots of potential energy, which means it's unstable and could catch on fire. Once that coal has been burned and the energy released as heat, the remaining ash has a very low energy state and becomes stable. Everything in the universe, from lumps of coals to stars, wants to get to its most stable state and so always tends towards the lowest energy state possible. We call the lowest energy state an object can have its 'vacuum' state, but sometimes objects can get trapped in something called a 'false vacuum'. Dr Louise Hamaide, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics in Naples, told MailOnline: 'A good analogy for a field in a false vacuum is a marble in a bowl on top of a stool. 'The marble cannot leave the bowl unless it is given some energy in the form of a push, and if it does it will fall all the way to the ground.' Being on the ground is what we would call the vacuum state, whereas the bowl is merely a false vacuum which prevents the marble from falling to the ground. What makes this idea worrying is the possibility that a fundamental part of the universe's structure could be stuck in one of these false vacuums. All it needs is a little push, and the structure of reality itself will come crashing down to the ground. The universe's self-destruct button The idea of a false vacuum gets really scary when we apply it to our current model of reality. The universe and everything in it is made of subatomic particles such as electrons, photons, and quarks. But according to quantum field theory, all of these particles are actually just disturbances in an underlying field. What is false vacuum decay? One of the fundamental concepts of the universe is that things are moving from a state of high energy to a more stable 'ground' state, of lower energy. This fundamental concept holds true even in the strange world of quantum mechanics, with particles trying to reach their ground, called their vacuum state. The concept takes a stranger turn when it comes to the Higgs field – the quantum field which gives particles throughout the universe their mass. It is thought that this field is in its lowest energy state, but one theory states it may not be as stable as it seems. With the right kick, the Higgs field could careen towards its true lower energy state, sparking a chain reaction which would spread in all directions. Dr Alessandro Zenesini, a scientist at the National Institute of Optics in Italy, told MailOnline: 'The basic idea of quantum field theory is to represent reality only with fields. 'Think of a water surface. When flat, it is an empty field. As soon you have a wave, this wave can be seen as a particle which can interact with another wave.' Just like everything else, these fields have energy states, and want to get to their lowest energy state possible like a body of water becoming flat and calm. In the first few seconds of the Big Bang, so much energy was released that it pushed all the fundamental fields down into their vacuum states. But scientists now think that one of the fields might have gotten stuck along the way. Some researchers believe that the Higgs field, the field which makes the elusive Higgs Boson, is stuck in a false vacuum state. This essentially means that the entire universe could be rigged to blow at any moment. What would happen if a false vacuum collapsed? If the Higgs field is ever pushed down to its true vacuum, the resulting 'phase shift' will release a vast amount of energy. This energy is so concentrated that it will force nearby areas of the field out of their false vacuum, dropping their energy level and releasing even more energy. The resulting chain reaction would spread through the universe like the flames from a match dropped into a lake of petrol. A bubble of true vacuum would then spread out in a sphere from the starting point until it consumes the entire cosmos. At its edge, between the true and false vacuum, the energy would collect into a thin wall of incredible power. Dr Hamaide says: 'That kinetic energy of the wall is so high, even though the Higgs carrying this energy is a very heavy particle, it would move at the speed of light. 'So we would never see the wall coming, because light couldn't reach us before the wall did.' If the wall hit the solar system, Dr Hamaide says it would have so much energy that 'it would instantaneously destroy any star or planet its path'. However, what would be left behind after the initial destruction is perhaps even more terrifying. The interaction between the fundamental fields is what gives particles their properties and determines how they interact. This, in turn, determines everything from the physics that holds planets together to the chemical reactions taking place inside our cells. If the Higgs field suddenly takes on a new energy level, none of the physics we are familiar with would be possible. Dr Dejan Stojkovic, a cosmologist from the University at Buffalo, told MailOnline: 'As a consequence, electrons, quarks and neutrinos would acquire masses different from their current values. 'Since the structures that we observe around us are made atoms, whose existence depends on the precise values of the parameters in the standard model, it is likely that all these structures would be destroyed, and perhaps new ones would be formed.' Scientists have no idea what the world left behind by false vacuum decay would be like. But we do know that it would be absolutely incompatible with life as we now know it. What could trigger the end of the world? To trigger false vacuum decay, you would need an extremely powerful force to pack a huge amount of Higgs particles into a tiny space. In the current universe, places with this much energy might not even be possible but the bad news is that the early universe might have been violent enough to do it. In particular, scientists think that dense regions of matter might have been crushed into tiny primordial black holes in the first few seconds of the Big Bang. These are ultra-dense points of matter no larger than a single hydrogen atom but containing the mass of an entire planet. As these black holes evaporate through Hawking radiation, some researchers believe they could trigger false vacuum decay. Professor Moss says: 'Condensation is a similar process to vacuum decay, the condensation of water vapour into clouds is triggered by tiny grains of dust or ice crystals. 'Tiny black holes seed vacuum decay in the same way.' Is the world already over? Perhaps one of the strangest implications of false vacuum decay is that it might have already started somewhere in the universe. Dr Hamaide says: 'Under some very specific assumptions, we showed these bubbles are 100 per cent likely to occur.' According to some calculations, one primordial black hole in the universe would be enough to trigger the universe's self-destruct process. Likewise, due to small fluctuations at the quantum level, known as quantum tunnelling, it is possible that the parts of the universe might randomly jump into the lower energy state at any time. That could mean that a bubble of true vacuum is already out there somewhere in the cosmos, racing towards us at the speed of light and annihilating everything it encounters. The comforting news is that, even at the speed of light, it could take billions of years for a true vacuum bubble to reach us. If the bubble starts far enough away, the expansion of the universe might even mean it never reaches us at all. Dr Hamaide and Professor Moss suggest that the fact we aren't already dead is evidence that there aren't any primordial black holes out there in the first place. We also don't know what effects dark matter and dark energy could have on the energy state of the universe. It might be possible that these mysterious substances reverse any bubble expansions as soon as they occur to keep the universe stable. However, until a bubble of true vacuum does tear our reality apart, there might not be any way to know who's right. The theories and discoveries of thousands of physicists since the 1930s have resulted in a remarkable insight into the fundamental structure of matter. Everything in the universe is found to be made from a few basic building blocks called fundamental particles, governed by four fundamental forces. Our best understanding of how these particles and three of the forces are related to each other is encapsulated in the Standard Model of particle physics. All matter around us is made of elementary particles, the building blocks of matter. These particles occur in two basic types called quarks and leptons. Each consists of six particles, which are related in pairs, or 'generations'. All stable matter in the universe is made from particles that belong to the first generation. Any heavier particles quickly decay to the next most stable level. There are also four fundamental forces at work in the universe: the strong force, the weak force, the electromagnetic force, and the gravitational force. They work over different ranges and have different strengths. Gravity is the weakest but it has an infinite range. The electromagnetic force also has infinite range but it is many times stronger than gravity. The weak and strong forces are effective only over a very short range and dominate only at the level of subatomic particles. The Standard Model includes the electromagnetic, strong and weak forces and all their carrier particles, and explains well how these forces act on all of the matter particles.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Enzo Maresca drops huge bombshell as he admits every Chelsea player could leave
Enzo Maresca admits that he can't guarantee the future of any Chelsea player, with the Blues set for another busy summer transfer window both in terms of incomings and outgoings Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has revealed that there's a chance of every player leaving Stamford Bridge before the end of the summer transfer window. The Blues are currently preparing for the knockout stages of the Club World Cup in the USA, having won two and lost one of their group games. Maresca's side secured Champions League football on the final day of the Premier League season and there's expected to be less churn in the squad compared to previous summers under chairman and owner Todd Boehly. But that doesn't mean it won't be busy summer at Chelsea, with the futures of defensive duo Trevoh Chalobah and Josh Acheampong still uncertain. Chalobah, 25, was recalled from a loan spell with Crystal Palace halfway through the season and helped the Blues secure a fourth-place finish, but he's been linked with a permanent exit. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Acheampong is reportedly the subject of interest from Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund, despite the right-back signing a new long-term contract with Chelsea late last year. Quizzed on the pair's futures in west London, Maresca admitted that he can't guarantee the future of any Blues player. "In this moment all the players that are with us I don't want to lose them, but we have said many times that when the transfer window is open many things can happen, to buy a player or to sell a player," the Chelsea manager explained. "Trevoh came back to us in January, if we did a Champions League spot and top four spot it's also because of Trev, he helped us a lot. In this moment he also plays some games for us, we are happy with him. Anything can happen but not only for Trev but all 25 players in the squad." When Maresca was asked directly about reports of Newcastle and Dortmund's interest in Acheampong, he replied: "The clubs that you mentioned like Josh but we also like Josh. All the good players any club like good players. "My plan with Josh is quite clear. I think potentially he can be a top defender for this club, it's on him to also have the right timing to do the things. Which players should Chelsea sell this summer? Let us know your picks in the comments section. "We are full of young players full of talent, even defenders. The best plan for Josh is to be with us and I'll be very happy if he is with us." Maresca's focus is currently on facing Benfica in the last 16 of the Club World Cup. Should they advance past the Portuguese giants, they'll play one of two Brazilian sides, Palmeiras or Botafogo, in the quarter-finals before a potential clash with Manchester City.
