Lifestyle

SWLNeurostar – by James Gamble Locals and businesses in a Kent town are pleading for the Eurostar to return after a five-year absence – saying the centre has become “depressing” since the rail service disappeared. The swanky international station in Ashford has been out of use since the first Covid lockdown and is now a time capsule back to a pre-pandemic age, with March 2020 editions of magazines still sitting on tables in the lounge. Eurostar trains have not stopped at struggling Ashford, Ebbsfleet or Stratford’s now vacant platforms since before the pandemic, despite increasing public and private fervour to…

SWNAarmed2 – by Izzy Hawksworth & Jack Fifield One woman who works at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, where residents are currently holed up, said she struggled to get into work this morning and that some people had even abandoned their cars. Earlier this morning, the woman saw a white sheet sticking outside the window of The Gateway block of flats, which remains evacuated since last night (mon) as police negotiate with a man inside who reportedly has weapons. Speaking outside the centre, the woman said: “I saw a sheet at 8am and there’s been police officers at another…

Russian military officials have released footage showing soldiers preparing a nuclear missile launcher for combat. The country’s Ministry of Defense released video on Thursday (Feb. 6) of the YARS mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch vehicle. The footage shows Russia’s so-called “Strategic Missile Troops” conducting combat patrols and practicing counter-sabotage tactics in the Yoshkar-Ola region. Soldiers maneuver the massive vehicle into a forest for cover, then set up camouflage netting to disguise it in the snowy landscape. The operation, which took place 775 kilometers (480 miles) east of Moscow, highlights the capabilities of the YARS missile system, which has a…

SWSMetsy – by Emma Dunn A woman says she met her fiancé after she paid a psychic medium on Etsy to predict and draw her soulmate. Nicole Echeverria, 31, realised she had been “settling” for the wrong men after spending most of her 20s single or in “toxic” relationships. She went for therapy and started manifesting her husband – the practice of thinking aspirational thoughts with the purpose of making them real. Nicole paid a woman on Esty to do a ‘soulmate drawing’ – a portrait created using their intuition to depict what someone’s potential partner might look like. Nicole…

SWFSrings – by Ottilie Von Henning This is the moment a couple realised their rings were missing in the middle of their wedding ceremony. Luke Devaney and Ryan Devaney were caught in a tense moment when the groom realised the rings were missing from the dish placed in front of them. Video recorded by their wedding videographer Will Bonarrigo during their wedding in Rhode Island last year, shows Luke nudging his bride and asking her where the rings are. He can be heard saying: “Why aren’t there rings on there? Where are the rings? Shouldn’t they be on that dish?”…

SWSMlush – by Ottilie Von Henning A woman who was sheltering in a LUSH store during a shooting was handed a gift bag on her way out. Natalie Locke, 31, was at The Maine Mall in South Portland last Friday (Feb 5) with her fiancé Austin Davis, 27, when the building was put on lockdown due to an active shooter situation. The couple were in the cosmetics store LUSH at the time and staff ushered them into the back room along with six other customers. The group sheltered in place for two hours until the store’s manager was notified that…

SWFSbull – by John Power Passengers fled in terror as two bulls attacked a bus – with one able to get inside. Footage captured the farm animal inside the Jaipur City Transport Services Limited in Rajasthan, India, yesterday (10). A local source said: “In a rage, the bull shattered windows and tore out seats. “As the bus shook violently, the driver and conductor quickly jumped out through the driver-side door to save themselves.” “Amidst the chaos, locals gathered around the scene, shouting and urging the driver to move the bus away. “However, by that time, the bull had already caused…

SWLNdobby – by Faye Mayern An appeal to help an emaciated sphinx kitten who was surrendered to a rescue has been overwhelmed with donations to help the ‘little fighter’. Dobby, now five-month-old, was taken in by the Wagtail Cottage Cat Sanctuary after his previous owner couldn’t afford to keep him. The kitten is the sole survivor of his litter and was emaciated when he came into the care of rescue-owner Lindsay Kierman four months ago. Mrs Kierman, 67, said she didn’t think Dobby – named after Harry Potter’s house elf – would survive the night but he miraculously pulled through.…

SWSYrocket – by Ben Barry Footage shows SpaceX blazing across the night sky carrying Starlink satellites into orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on February 10, just after 6pm local time. The rocket was carrying 23 Starlink satellites – marking the 445th mission for SpaceX. About eight minutes after liftoff the Falcon 9 landed back on earth on the SpaceX drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. A resident, who noticed the rocket in the sky said the some of her neighbours thought it was aliens. She said: “It was very excited to see the…

A dad lost all memory of his family and even forgot his own name as a result of an aggressive brain tumor which was initially misdiagnosed as vertigo. Marcus Williams, 35, began experiencing intense headaches, fatigue, and seizures but doctors repeatedly misdiagnosed his symptoms for vertigo. The dad-of-one started to lose his memory – and couldn’t recognize his daughter, Lola, five – and his wife, Laura, 31, pushed to get a CT scan. It revealed a large tumor and Marcus was rushed for emergency surgery to remove 98% of the mass – after being given hours to live. Marcus was…