Firefighters in Wales are tackling a “significant” wildfire in the Rhondda which has drawn a cross-agency response.
Emergency services were called to the Llanwonno area of Rhondda Cynon Taf at around 4.30pm on Saturday.
The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service [SWFRS] said its fire crews had been tackling the fire ever since, and urged the public to stay away.
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sport
Everything you need to know about Fifa Infantino row
Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s leadership looks to be under threat (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP)
The English Football Association is set to withdraw its support for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as Fifa president after he revealed plans to sell off the World Cup.
What caused the row?
Infantino is under increasing pressure to resign and could face a vote of no confidence in the wake of now-abandoned plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
Caption: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – JUNE 11: UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin arrives before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Toya Sarno Jordan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Photographer: Toya Sarno Jordan – FIFA
Provider: FIFA via Getty Images
Source: FIFA
Copyright: TOYA SARNO JORDAN
Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s leadership looks to be under threat (Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty)
Despite walking back on his plans, Uefa has declared a loss of confidence in Infantino, with the Football Association (FA) supportive of the stance taken by European football’s governing body.
Plans to sell off World Cup
- Fifa had announced on Tuesday that it was seeking to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
- The plans would bring together the sale of Fifa’s commercial rights.
- Infantino had given football associations until 19 September to back his proposals with a £30.1m incentive to accept.
- After receiving gloabl backlash, Infantino walked back the plans, saying they had “created division”.
Who is calling for his resignation?
To cite The Smiths, as we surely must in the Burnham era, we do not want to go “back to the old house” (Photo: Jack Taylor/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Andy Burnham
The Prime Minister said Infantino is “not the right man to lead football” and should stand down.
England’s FA
The FA said it was time for a “full and robust review of Fifa’s leadership and governance”.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham is making inquiries football’s lawmakers to find out why referee body cameras are forbidden (Pic: Getty)
Caption: OLYMPIASTADION, BERLIN, GERMANY – 2024/06/29: Aleksander Ceferin (L), president of UEFA, and Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, look on prior to the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 football match between Switzerland and Italy. Switzerland won 2-0 over Italy. (Photo by Nicol?? Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Photographer: Nicol?? Campo
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Source: LightRocket
Copyright: ? 2024 Nicol? Campo
UEFA
Uefa said Infantino had “not only lost Uefa’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.”
How could he be removed?
An emergency Fifa congress can be held as long as it is called for by 20 per cent of Fifa’s 211 member associations.
A rival candidate could be put up before the November 18 deadline to take on Infantino in next March’s Fifa presidential election in Rabat, Morocco.
Analysis
6 min read
OPINION
2 min read
Caption: Ariana Grande at the “Wicked: For Good” New York Premiere held at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on November 17, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)
Photographer: John Nacion
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news
Why Ariana Grande is set to withdraw from public appearances
Ariana Grande will withdraw from public appearances and will no longer star in an upcoming musical production in London when she ends her Eternal Sunshine tour next month.
Here is everything you need to know about the decision.
What happened?
A representative for Grande told People that she “will be taking a step back from visibility” when her Eternal Sunshine tour ends.
Ariana Grande attends the “Wicked: Part One” European Premiere on November 18, 2024 (Photo: Neil Mockford/WireImage)
Caption: US singer actress Ariana Grande attends the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on January 4, 2026. (Photo by Chris DELMAS / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: CHRIS DELMAS
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
It was also announced that Grande would no longer feature in a production of Sunday in the Park with George, due to play at the Barbican in 2027, with the production company saying she had their “complete understanding and support”.
Why is Grande taking a step back?
Caption: Ariana Grande at the MTV Video Music Awards 2025 held at UBS Arena on September 07, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)
Photographer: Christopher Polk
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Source: Billboard
Copyright: Billboard
‘Public scrutiny’
Grande’s representatives said the star has faced “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”.
Physical demands
Grande’s reps also said she “performs a very physical show”, suggesting it may be taking a physical toll.
Caption: FILE – Ariana Grande arrives at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, at The Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Photographer: Richard Shotwell
Provider: AP Photo/Richard Shotwell
Source: Invision
Copyright: Invision
Ariana Grande performing at this year’s Met Gala in New York (Photo: Kevin Mazur/ MG24/ Getty/Met Museum/ Vogue)
What happens now?
Her tour continues in Chicago on Monday with three dates. It will then move to London’s O2 arena for 10 dates.
Caption: Sunbathers at a beach during a heatwave in Palma, Spain, on Sunday, July 27, 2025.??Tourism??in??Spain, Europe’s second largest holiday destination, will grow less than previously expected as economic and geopolitical uncertainties weigh on appetite for travel.??Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Photographer: Bloomberg
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Source: Bloomberg
news
The most popular retirement spots in Europe for Britons
A “rapidly growing” number of Britons are hoping to retire to Europe, experts have found, five years after Brexit brought an end to freedom of movement.
What you need to know
James Roberts, chief executive of Blevins Franks, told Sky News that enquiries to his firm, which specialises in expatriate affairs, shot up to 13,000 last year.
Money Clinic
2 min read
MONEY
3 min read
Where are the most popular spots?
Spain
Blevins Franks told Sky News that a third of Brits Swere choosing to retire in Spain.
Caption: Tourists gather on Palma’s Beach in Palma de Mallorca on July 18, 2025. Spanish company Amadeus, the world’s leading travel booking provider, saw its profits jump by 12% in the first half of the year, driven by the strength of the tourism and air transport sectors, which boosted its revenues, according to its results published on July 31, 2025. (Photo by JAIME REINA / AFP) (Photo by JAIME REINA/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JAIME REINA
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
Caption: Women use electric fans to cool off during a heatwave in Paris on July 10, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: BEHROUZ MEHRI
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
France
A quarter of retirees were choosing France as their perfect spot.
Portugal
17 per cent were deciding to settle down in Portugal.
(Photo: Sean Pavone/Getty).
Europe is getting more popular
A 2022 Canada Life survey uncovered similar findings to Blevins Franks, with the most popular destinations for British retirees including:
- Spain, with 46 per cent retiree interest.
- Portugal, with 21 per cent.
- France, with 19 per cent.
- Italy, with 16 per cent.
Caption: Chuckling Cheese
science
Scientists turn cheese byproduct into fuel – how it works
Scottish researchers have teamed up with an agricultural company to explore new ways of turning a cheese byproduct into fuel.
Here is how it works.
How does cheese produce fuel?
Researchers at Heriot-Watt University worked with Take Root Bio to successfully turn salty whey – a difficult, high-volume byproduct from cheese production – into a widely used fuel called bioethanol.
The process could be used to tackle one of the dairy industry’s biggest waste challenges.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
LIFESTYLE
8 min read
What is whey?
Inflation has not been at the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target level since 2024
(Photo: Oscar Wong/Getty)
A byproduct of cheese
About 95,000 tonnes of whey is generated in the UK each year from cheese production.
Difficult to manage
Whey’s combination of milk sugars and high salt content makes management particularly difficult.
Caption: Cheese collection, pieces of aged British cheddar cheese close up
Photographer: barmalini
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
Caption:
Valli del Bitto S.p.A.
Cheese
Credit Valli del Bitto SPA
Image via sacrificarlo@gmail.com
Copyright: Hasselblad H5D
Environmental issues
Dairy producers can generate tens of thousands of litres of whey weekly, creating environmental pressures.
The expert view
Food and drink manufacturing produces a huge range of by-products, many of which still contain valuable components but can be challenging to manage.
Dr Jane White, an expert in waste valorisation
Politics
Reform would launch military operation in Channel to stop boats
The 752 migrants crossing the Channel on Wednesday is the highest single day figure for the year to-date. It brings the provisional total for the year to 14,128 people (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA)
Reform UK wants to launch “the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two” to stop small-boat arrivals from France.
What is Reform’s plan?
Reform UK has said a Nigel Farage-led government would send the Royal Navy into the Channel to intercept all migrant boats there and return them to France or Belgium under a plan called “operation fortress”.
The Channel crisis has created huge pressures on asylum accommodation in the UK (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA)
The leader of Reform UK has questioned why ‘no one’ will publish information about Joshua Kerry’s political views (Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
The party says the plan is in line with international law and that it will both halt small-boat arrivals and act as a humanitarian response.
How will the plan work?
Migrants on an inflatable small boat clamber on to The UK Border Force vessel, BSC Intrepid after crossing the channel from northern France in late April 2026 (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty)
Joint military command
Reform UK would set up a joint military command with units from the armed forces.
Intercept boats
The armed forces would intercept unauthorised boats, detain their occupants and escort them back.
A French Warship escorts an inflatable ‘small boat’ carrying migrants across the channel after leaving northern France in late April 2026 (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty)
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 17: Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, speaks on the second day of the inaugural CPAC Great Britain summit on July 17, 2026 at the Intercontinental O2 hotel in London, England. Ex-prime minister Liz Truss is chairing the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Great Britain, taking place in London on July 16-18, with a line-up of right-wing and conservative speakers, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, former Conservative cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Sir Iain Duncan Smith, among others. It’s the first time the UK version of the event is taking place, modelled on the American conservative summit. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Photographer: Carl Court
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Emergency legislation
Reform UK would pass emergency legislation “as necessary” to give the joint command any further required powers.
Labour’s response
Reform have reheated an old announcement in their latest desperate bid to distract from their growing sleaze scandals.
A Labour Party spokesperson also said “anger and easy answers won’t bring crossings down,” in response to the plan.
Caption: SHEFFIELD, UNITED KINGDOM – JULY 31: Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks during a visit to a family centre on July 31, 2026 in Sheffield, United Kingdom. The prime minister was there for the launch of the biggest transfer of power from Westminster in a generation, which will allow English mayors to keep a share of the taxes collected in their area, giving communities greater control over the decisions that shape jobs, transport, housing and public service. (Photo by Annabel Lee-Ellis-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Photographer: WPA Pool
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
sport
Infantino mistook Trump for an ally. Now he’ll pay the price
It is not surprising that whoever is in charge of world football’s governing body should have to dine with the devil on occasion.
Gianni Infantino, Fifa’s President, is following the example set by his predecessor Sepp Blatter; but if Blatter enjoyed the pomp and circumstance attached to his role, he did not actively seek out the company of the world’s most unsavoury autocrats.
Infanito’s associates
Infantino hasn’t sent back the “Order of Friendship” medal Vladimir Putin pinned on his jacket at the Kremlin. He counts Rwandan de facto dictator Paul Kagame as one of his closest allies in Africa. He appears to have a penchant for populist leaders such as Narendra Modi and Javier Milei.
Explained
4 min read
Then there is Donald Trump
Since Joe Biden lost the 2024 US presidential election, Infantino has nailed his colours to the Maga mast and his behaviour has become noticeably more erratic – culminating in this summer’s World Cup and his disastrous efforts to sell off the tournament.
Football is one of the few remaining institutions that still creates genuine community across class, politics and generations (Photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Trump’s fingerprints have been all over this World Cup (Photo: Annabelle Gordon/Getty)
Trump made himself scarce during most of the tournament played on US soil, making his sole public appearance at the final, when Infantino tried (unsuccessfully) to steer him away from the presentation of the trophy to the victorious Spanish team.
Lines have been drawn – now let the battle commence (Photo: Getty)
Cracks formed in unity of ‘football family’
But the pair had been in touch, as was demonstrated when Trump was unable to accept the red card handed to US striker Folarin Balogun.
Trump said he had called his friend to put a stop to that nonsense; “Johnny” complied. Balogun escaped his automatic one-game suspension, triggering a furious reaction across the globe and creating a deep crack in the unity of the “football family”.
Twenty fire trucks are currently on scene, and the teams are being supported by specialist wildfire teams and partner agencies.
The SWFRS said there was currently no immediate threat to residents; however, locals may experience smoke over the coming days and should keep their windows and doors closed if so.
“Our firefighters continue to work tirelessly to tackle a significant wildfire in the Rhondda,” the service said in a statement.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1717797292769362
“Since Saturday, crews have been working around the clock in challenging conditions on steep terrain to contain the fire and protect nearby communities. We currently have 20 fire engines at the scene, supported by specialist wildfire teams and partner agencies.”
Drone footage released by the SWFRS showed smoke and flames close to homes in the small hillside village of Blaenllechau.
Firefighters tackled close to 400 wildfires in England and Wales in July alone, making it the busiest month on record.
The SWFRS has warned residents to stay away from the fires (Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire)
The South Wales countryside has been particularly prone to wildfires due to the usually wet land drying out so significantly.
Dried heather has acted as kindling to the peat underneath the surface, which is a major store of carbon, meaning that any spark of fire has a colossal impact.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has established a rest centre at a local sports centre for residents who want to leave their homes due to poor air quality.
There have not yet been evacuations due to the fire.
Firefighters at Ferndale in the Rhondda Valley tackle a fire burning in the hills above the town (Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire)
Community support
During the Blaenavon wildfires last month, which saw firefighters coming together from across South Wales to tackle out-of-control fires, the local community brought the crews three meals a day for five days.
Locals close to the latest fires have been bringing refreshments to the crews.
“While we greatly appreciate the kindness shown to our crews, there is no need to bring refreshments or donations to the scene,” the SWFRS said. “We would prefer it if you avoided the scene and stayed safe.”
No residents have been evacuated, but Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has established a rest centre at a local sports centre for residents who want to leave their homes due to poor air quality (Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire)
Earlier today, the Met Office released provisional statistics showing that England and Wales have had their driest July in records dating back to 1836.
England as a whole had just a 10th of the average rainfall for the month, while Wales saw just 9 per cent of the average, with both countries seeing less than half of the rainfall in the previous record dry July in 1911.
Southern England also had its hottest July on record, while it was the joint hottest July on record for Wales, and the UK and England had their second hottest July, the provisional figures show.
And in an exceptionally sunny month, the UK, England and Wales have all recorded their sunniest Julys on record – and for England and Wales it was the sunniest calendar month ever observed, the Met Office said.