Karen Nile received pioneering cancer care in Sheffield
A pioneering scheme in Sheffield which has helped more people survive cancer could be rolled out nationwide.
Active Together gives cancer patients personalised exercises, nutritional advice and psychological support to help them before and after major surgery and treatment.
Yorkshire Cancer Research is now calling on the government to provide the scheme on the NHS as part of its White Rose campaign.
Karen Nile, who was diagnosed with stage two bowel cancer, said: “The scheme was profoundly life changing and we are so lucky in South Yorkshire as this isn’t offered anywhere else. It prepared me for the biggest stage of my life and helped me recover from it.”
Karen, 51, was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and underwent an eight-hour operation to remove the tumour before embarking on six months of preventative chemotherapy.
Prior to the operation she was referred to Active Together where a team of experts helped her prepare.
“It was just absolutely wonderful, the exercises suited my pace with my pain levels,” she said.
“I didn’t work out in a gym. I love to be in woodland so I did my exercises outdoors, which was really good for my managing my anxiety prior to the surgery.
“I wasn’t familiar with hospitals. I’d never had a general anaesthetic. So, all of those anxious moments were pacified by a team of experts who were completely dedicated to looking after me, preparing me for that major surgery and helping me recover.
“Within two months of surgery, I was at a music festival. My journey didn’t finish there, it just helped me gain confidence enough to be able to go out and enjoy myself.”
Karen returned to the scheme again during her chemotherapy.
“I was given three exercise books and I remember thinking there was no way I was going to be able to get to the most advanced book, but I did because it went at my pace,” she said.
“There were days when I was absolutely exhausted but the exercise and nutrition meant I could manage during the chemotherapy.
“My health now is brilliant. I’m so lucky. I’m still having scans but I remember all the tools and advice and still use them.”
Karen Nile with Dr Stuart Griffiths of Yorkshire Cancer Research
Yorkshire Cancer Research say people in the county are more likely to be diagnosed with, and die from, cancer than almost anywhere else in England.
Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, which runs the scheme, found an overall 10% improvement in survival rates across colorectal, lung, and upper gastrointestinal cancers.
Dr Stuart Griffiths, director of research, policy and impact at the charity, said: “Patients told us overwhelmingly they didn’t want to go back to the hospital so we deliberately designed this to be outside of hospital settings, in community venues so people can access services very easily.
“Our White Rose report very much makes the case for embedding pre-habilitation and rehabilitation for cancer patients into the NHS and people can show their support for this by signing up at our website to send a white rose to the Health Secretary.”
Centre Seb Atkinson and wing Will Muir will make their debuts for England as coach Steve Borthwick picked two captains for the Test against Argentina in La Plata on Saturday, including centurion George Ford.
England are without several regulars who are on tour with the British & Irish Lions, but that gives Borthwick the chance to create “Test match animals” as he put it during the week, including Atkinson.
Borthwick has had special praise for the all-action centre, who he says has broken “every GPS record we have got” in training with his high work rate.
Fly-half Ford, who will earn his 100th cap for England, co-captains the side with hooker Jamie George.
“George [Ford] has been a standout player for over a decade. Reaching 100 caps is a remarkable achievement, and it speaks volumes about both the professional and the person he is. Everyone in the squad is incredibly proud to share this moment with him,” Borthwick said.
Scrum-half Ben Spencer will partner Ford in the half-back pairing, while Atkinson plays alongside Henry Slade in the midfield. The back trio is made up of wings Muir and Tom Roebuck, and fullback Freddie Steward.
George will have props Fin Baxter and Joe Heyes pack down either side of him in the front row, with Charlie Ewels and Alex Coles the lock pairing.
The back row of the scrum features No. 8 Tom Willis and flankers Ben Curry and Sam Underhill.
Back-row forward Guy Pepper could win his first cap from the bench.
“Having beaten the British & Irish Lions in Dublin, they [Argentina] come into this series as favourites. They’re brilliantly led by Julian Montoya, and we know it will be a huge challenge,” Borthwick said.
England have never lost a Test series to Argentina despite touring the country several times with depleted squads in Lions seasons.
Replacements: 16-Theo Dan, 17-Bevan Rodd, 18-Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 19-Chandler Cunningham-South, 20-Guy Pepper, 21-Alex Dombrandt, 22-Jack van Poortvliet, 23-Cadan Murley
– British and Irish Lions 52-12 Queensland Reds: Tourists ease to comfortable win – As it happened: British and Irish Lions vs Queensland Reds – Three things we learned as Lions crush Reds
Electronic Arts has announced it will sunset Anthem on January 12, 2026.
In a statement on its website, EA said the game will still be playable online until this date. Players can no longer purchase in-game currency, but can use their remaining balance until Anthem’s servers go offline.
If players have previously purchased Anthem, it will remain downloadable and playable up to the announced cut off date. The game will be removed from the EA Play playlist on August 15, 2025.
EA did not provide a reason for shutting Anthem down, but clarified that the decision had not led to any layoffs.
Anthem launched in February 2019 and had a rocky start. EA forecast six million sales for Anthem in its first six weeks, though the game did not affect the developer’s Q4 2019 financials which saw double-digit decreases in revenue and net income.
In response to the game’s troubled release, CEO Andrew Wilson acknowledged that it “may not have had the start that many of us wanted”.
“IP lives for generations, and runs in these seven to ten year cycles,” said Wilson. “So, if I think about Anthem on a seven to ten year cycle, it may not have had the start many of us wanted, including our players.
“I feel like that team is really going to get there with something special and something great, because they’ve demonstrated that they can.”
European stock markets have been on a tear in 2025, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index climbing roughly 7% in the year to date and investors rotating into the region to seek refuge from the political and valuation anxieties of the U.S. markets. But some analysts warn that this rally is built on a fragile and potentially risky assumption: that the escalating global trade war is temporary and will pass without inflicting lasting damage. Investment strategists highlight that beneath the surface of the market’s optimism, the data tells a more grounded story. .STOXX YTD mountain They point to the Federal Reserve’s forecast that the U.S. GDP will grow by 1.4% this year , down from the 1.7% previously forecast in March, before the announcement of U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariff regime. The growth slowdown in the U.S. — the central driver of the global economy — is expected to wash up on European shores soon. Yet, equity markets are running on hopes of central bank easing and a belief that political leaders will swerve at the last moment, appearing to ignore the risk of a significant economic downturn, according to Bank of America. “Markets are effectively pricing right now for global growth momentum to be completely unaffected by the tariffs,” BofA’s Head of European Equity Strategy Sebastian Raedler told CNBC on Thursday. “That’s not the situation that we’re in.” Raedler also highlighted that companies were paying $190 billion more in tariffs on an annualized basis in May compared to late last year, equivalent to 7% of corporate profits in the first quarter. “Corporations have not passed [the tariffs] on to consumers,” he added. Which means, as companies absorb the price increase, they will experience a significant profit margin squeeze. “If you look at margin expectations, they’re at all-time highs. So the market has not yet taken this seriously.” Bank of America’s Raedler has long been bearish on European equities despite multiple years of gains. He says the Stoxx Europe 600 index will decline to 490 over the next 12 months, equivalent to a 11% downside from current levels. More neutral than outright bearish, JPMorgan strategists have also advised caution, suggesting the “eurozone likely consolidates for some time longer” as it digests ongoing trade negotiations. The Wall Street bank says the Stoxx Europe 600 will hit 540 — about where it is currently trading — in 12 months, after paring gains from a minor rally to 580 by the end of this year. Their analysis is centered around the economic drag created by tariffs. The U.S., a critical market for European exports, had not yet felt the impact of the duties, as companies were still working through the goods that had rushed into the country ahead of Trump’s announcement. “There was a very strong frontloading of orders ahead of the tariffs, and companies might be still working through this older inventory, which was acquired at lower prices,” said Mislav Matejka, JPMorgan’s head of global and European equity strategy in a note to clients, adding that “as the frontloading effects wane, the tariff impact might start to be felt”. Despite these clear headwinds, markets remain optimistic, fueled by two main narratives. The first is the belief that the tariffs are merely a negotiating tactic and will be rolled back. The second — and perhaps more powerful — driver is the prospect of central banks easing their monetary policy. Markets are “spurring discussions around renewed Fed easing,” a notion that encourages investors to “look through” any short-term economic weakness, according to Bank of America. Barclays, in a July 2 note to clients, echoed this view, pointing to the “dovish” central bank narrative as a key factor that has pushed global equities higher. In addition, unlike the Wall Street banks, the U.K.-headquartered investment bank says the risk of further tariffs has already peaked. “Tariffs shock is expected to hit employment and capex in [second half], but de-escalation means worst-case recession scenario should be avoided,” said Emmanuel Cau, Head of European Equity Strategy at Barclays. “Meanwhile, tax cuts should support US growth down the road, while the Fed is expected to ramp up rate cuts, although we find current market pricing potentially too dovish.” Barclays’ Cau is expecting the Stoxx Europe Index to rise by 5% to 570 by the end of the year. The reality of the tariff situation, however, could be more complex. Equity analysts at TD Cowen had previously cited German footwear multinational Adidas’s management as confident in delivering their full-year results under a 10% tariff scenario. They now expect earnings guidance to be lowered following the U.S.-Vietnam deal , where tariffs have been set at 20%. “Our take is that the 20% tariff on Vietnam goods will remain on top of the duties already placed on footwear and apparel,” said TD Cowen’s John Kernan in a note to clients on July 3. “We expect the rest of [Southeast Asia] tariff rates to be at 20% or higher.” The impact is unlikely to be limited to just one company. Vietnam exports a third of all North American footwear and 15% of American apparel, according to TD Cowen.
“Discovery and adventure don’t need violence to be meaningful,” says Leyla S. Ozluk, speaking from her Melbourne studio. “I wanted to create something where kids and adults alike could explore, learn, and connect—without pressure, enemies, or timers.”
The Gameplay: Mindful, Accessible, and Full of Heart
With easy-to-learn gameplay mechanics, intuitive sliding movements, and relaxing soundscapes, Polar Pathways encourages mindfulness, curiosity, and peaceful exploration.
Players solve light environmental puzzles, enjoy gentle platforming, and interact with a beautiful arctic world—all without enemies, without time constraints, and without stressful objectives.
“It’s about letting players slow down and enjoy the journey,” says Leyla. “We designed everything—from movement to music—to create a space where you can breathe, relax, and explore at your own pace.”
Thanks to its wordless gameplay and accessible UI/UX, the game is ideal for all ages and skill levels—from young kids discovering games for the first time to adults looking for a calming digital escape.
Players will join Peng Wing, the game’s lovable penguin protagonist, on a wholesome journey about community, friendship, and finding your way home.
More Than Just a Game: Supporting Healthy Development
Beyond the charming visuals and accessible gameplay, Polar Pathways is also being praised by parents, educators, and child development professionals.
By focusing on spatial awareness, problem-solving, and open-ended exploration in a non-violent, low-stress environment, the game naturally supports neural development and cognitive growth in younger players—while still delivering a relaxing experience for adults.
“So many kids’ games push speed and aggression,” Leyla explains. “We wanted Polar Pathways to offer something different—a place where learning, adventure, and emotional wellbeing go hand in hand.”
Breaking Industry Norms: A Female-Led Success Story
As a female developer thriving in a historically male-dominated industry, Leyla S. Ozluk’s journey stands out.
Armed with a Bachelor of Game Design and Development from Torrens University Melbourne, Leyla founded Ambient Games with a mission to bring wholesome, inclusive, and emotionally engaging gaming experiences to players worldwide.
“Women have powerful stories to tell in gaming,” she says. “Polar Pathways is proof that you can create something fun, meaningful, and commercially successful—without following the usual gaming formulas.”
Since launch, Polar Pathways has earned glowing Steam reviews, captured the attention of gaming forums, and sparked positive coverage across parenting blogs, education media, and indie game communities.
Where to Play and Connect
Polar Pathways is available now on Steam, with future updates and community activities planned.
About Leyla S. Ozluk
Leyla S. Ozluk, based in Melbourne, is a passionate game developer and founder of Ambient Games. A graduate with a Bachelor of Game Design and Development from Torrens University Melbourne, Leyla is committed to crafting wholesome, non-combat, and emotionally rich games that encourage exploration, learning, and emotional connection for players of all ages.
Media Contact Leyla S. Ozluk, Ambient Games, 61 435180930, [email protected], https://www.ambientgames.com.au/
A total of 106 young women with breast cancer were included, with a mean age of 35.72 ± 4.56 years. They had one to three dependent children with a mean age of 12.43 ± 3.25 years. The patients had an educational level above junior high school. The socio-demographic characteristics of the patients are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Univariate analysis on the PCQ in young breast cancer patients (n = 106)
The mean score of PCQ in young breast cancer patients was 3.24 (SD = 0.65). The subscale with the highest score was “practical impact of illness on child” (M = 3.62, SD = 0.77), followed by “emotional impact of illness on child” (M = 3.13, SD = 0.86) and “concerns about co-parent” (M = 2.96, SD = 0.72) (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1
Scores of young breast cancer women’s PCQ
As shown in Table 1, there were four factors associated with PCQ total score (p < 0.05): the TNM stage, treatment stage, number of children, children’s age. All four variables were entered into the PCQ regression model. Number of children showed the strongest positive association with parenting concers (coefficient = 0.660), while children’s age was strongest negatively associated with parenting concers (coefficient = -0.555) (Table 2).
Table 2 Regression analysis of PCQ scores
Qualitative results
Twenty patients participated in the qualitative study and their general socio-demographic details are shown in Table 3. Patient interview duration ranged from 27 to 62 min (mean duration 41 min). Forty-one codes were first obtained from the interview content, and seven sub-themes were obtained through comparison and clustering, with three themes further refined (Supplementary Material). This study identified three aspects of motherhood-related concerns among young women with breast cancer: children’s physical and emotional care, father’s parenting ability, and challenges faced by the mothers themselves (Fig. 2).
Table 3 Demographic and clinical information of participants in qualitative study(n = 20)
Fig. 2
Motherhood role concerns for young breast cancer women
Theme 1: children’s physical and emotional care
All mothers mentioned concerns about the care of their children. This theme was further divided into two sub-themes: inability to care for the child’s daily life and the emotional impact on the child.
Inability to care for the child’s daily life
In everyday life, mothers acted as the main carers of their children. The debilitating physical condition imposed by the disease forced the mothers to reconsider the care of their children in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and academic supervision. The mothers’ concerns were related to the ability of their children to adapt to these changes in daily life and the impact of the illness on the children’s life and education.
“The child’s father is not very good at cooking. During the time I was hospitalized, the child could only eat what his father cooked. Now the child has lost weight. And his father can’t monitor his studies because he didn’t even ask about that before. I had to be anxious all the time I was in the hospital. I was also worried about money.” (P13).
The emotional impact on the child
After the illness, mothers noticed changes in their children’s mood. Children experienced negative emotions such as crying and sadness after learning of their mother’s illness. Mothers indicated that their children also expressed concerns such as fear of dying and not being able to continue to be with them, and confusion about the future. This resulted in feelings of distress and sadness among the mothers, who were anxious about causing emotional harm to their children.
“I’ve noticed that she (my daughter) has quietly cried several times since she knew I was sick. Her father has seen it too, and it saddens me that she has to worry about me at an age when she should be innocent.” (P7).
“My child asked if I would die and I felt her anxiety and fear that I would not be able to continue to be there for her.” (P12).
Theme 2: father’s parenting ability
The father’s caring responsibilities assume greater importance when the mother is ill. However, many mothers expressed concerns about the father’s ability to care for the children. This theme was further divided into two sub-themes: caring ability and communication ability.
Caring ability
In most families, mothers are usually the primary caregivers for the children, and fathers are responsible for helping out. However, after an illness, fathers have to take on more responsibility for education. Due to the fathers’ lack of proficiency in these aspects, mothers had to concern about various aspects of child care, such as dietary issues and transport, during their hospitalization. Moreover, many mothers reported that they were the primary contact with their child’s teachers. The fathers rarely, if ever, had any contact with the teachers and were not aware of their children’s learning status. Therefore, during the hospitalization period, many of the mothers continued to take on the task of communicating with their children’s teachers, which was exhausting for them.
“Their father also doesn’t have time to pick up and drop off the kids, and I need to be hospitalized. So childcare is a problem. Also, the children’s father didn’t even have contact with the teacher before. Now every week the teacher still talks to me about my child’s recent learning. I’m tired too but I can’t help it, there’s no one to help me share.”(P11).
Communication ability
During the mother’s hospitalization, fathers had more time to interact with their children. However, most fathers were not subtle and articulate enough while communicating with their children. Many mothers expressed concerns about the ability of the fathers to communicate with their children, fearing that something was not being handled well by the father and that it was affecting the parent–child relationship.
“His father communicates very little with him. His father is not good at expressing himself. I’m not at home and I’m afraid the two of them will have a conflict.”(P13).
Theme 3: challenges faced by the mothers themselves
In addition to their concerns about their children and co-parents, many mothers also expressed concerns about themselves. This theme was further divided into three sub-themes: difficulty in maintaining a motherhood figure, negative psychological feelings, and reduced social self-worth.
Difficulty in maintaining a motherhood figure
Many mothers reported that they have lost their breasts after breast cancer surgery and their hair after chemotherapy. They also experienced other problems such as poor color and lack of appetite that affected their image in front of their children. Mothers did not want their children to see them without hair or worried that they were too young and will be scared to see them, so they wore wigs or hats when they faced their children. Some mothers also avoided bathing in the shower with their children because they did not want their children to see their scars. Some mothers felt that breast cancer had also robbed them of their right to have children again, and they are afraid that they will not be able to have children again, in addition to worrying about the risks of doing so.
“I’m afraid to show my child that I have no hair left. I’m also afraid to show her my long scars. I think she would be scared. I may only be able to have this one child in my life. Because I heard that having another child might cause a recurrence, I am afraid.”(P10).
Negative psychological feelings
Disease-related communication, the child’s physical health, and their emotional problems were the issues that most mothers were anxious about. Mothers hesitated between hiding or informing their children; they could not choose. They felt that their children were too young to understand even if they were told the truth. Since breast cancer is a hereditary disease, they were even more anxious about their children’s health. The emotional problems caused by the disease also plagued them during their stay in the hospital.
“I don’t know if I should tell my child about my illness. I’m worried that telling her will psychologically burden her. I am also afraid that hiding it from her will make her even more upset if she finds out. The disease is also hereditary and I am even more worried that she might get sick too. I have not been in a good mood since the treatment.”(P12).
Reduced social self-worth
Many mothers felt that the disease disrupted the rhythm of their lives because they were young and needed to work. The treatment for the disease necessitated prolonged periods of hospitalization, forcing them to give up their jobs. Many mothers felt that their sense of self-worth had diminished, that their contribution to the family had diminished, and that they had become the ones who needed to be taken care of. They even had to avoid going to their children’s activities, which made them feel sorry for their children and fear that their social circle was shrinking.
“I’m only 32 years old and since I’ve been sick I haven’t been able to work. It’s been six months now and I’m still in treatment. I don’t feel like I have any value left. My children have parent–child sports day and I can’t attend. I’m feeling so poorly that I can’t even go out anymore.”(P18).
Hamas leaders are close to accepting a proposed deal for a ceasefire in Gaza but want stronger guarantees that any pause in hostilities would lead to a permanent end to the 20-month war, sources close to the militant Islamist organisation have said.
Hamas officials met on Thursday in Istanbul to discuss the new ceasefire proposals and later issued a statement confirming they were talking to other “Palestinian factions” before formally announcing a response.
The militant Islamist group has come under immense pressure in recent months, with its military leadership decimated and the Israeli military forcing its fighters out of former strongholds in the southern and central parts of Gaza.
In recent days, Israel has ramped up its offensive, launching an intense wave of airstrikes across Gaza, killing more than 250 Palestinians, according to medical and civil defence officials, including many women and children.
Hardline factions within Hamas have now reluctantly accepted the need for a ceasefire to allow the organisation to regroup and plan a new strategy, one source familiar with the internal debate said.
Since a previous ceasefire collapsed in March, more than 6,000 people have been killed in Gaza and an acute humanitarian crisis has worsened.
Efforts for a new truce in Gaza gathered momentum after the US secured a ceasefire to end the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran last month.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, is expected to fly to Washington on Sunday for talks with Trump about the war in Gaza, the recent war between Israel and Iran, and other regional issues.
Netanyahu has long resisted a permanent end to the war in Gaza, partly to retain the support of far-right allies in his ruling coalition. But Israel’s successes in the war with Iran have strengthened his political position and opinion polls in Israel show strong support for a deal.
On Tuesday, Trump announced that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war.
Israel’s security cabinet met on Thursday night to discuss options for Gaza, including an escalation of the current offensive.
“Judging by the signals from Hamas, there is a high probability that we will start proximity talks in the next few days. If there is consent to proximity talks, there will be a deal,” senior Israeli officials told Channel 12, a major Israeli TV network.
A senior Israeli official close to Netanyahu told Reuters that preparations were now in place to approve the ceasefire deal. Another Israeli source said that an Israeli delegation was preparing to join indirect talks brokered by Qatar and Egypt to cement the deal if Hamas responded positively.
The proposal includes the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the Hamas attack into southern Israel in October 2023 that triggered the conflict, and the return of the bodies of 18 more in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, an official familiar with the negotiations said on Thursday.
Hamas seized 251 hostages during the 2023 attack. Less than half of the 50 who remain in Gaza are believed to be alive.
Aid would enter Gaza immediately under the agreement, and the Israeli military would carry out a phased withdrawal from parts of the territory, according to the proposal. Negotiations would immediately start on a permanent ceasefire.
“We sure hope it’s a done deal, but I think it’s all going to be what Hamas is willing to accept,” Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, told Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday. “One thing is clear: the president wants it to be over. The prime minister wants it to be over. The American people, the Israeli people, want it to be over.”
Speaking to journalists while on his way to a rally in Iowa on Thursday, Trump said: “I want the people of Gaza to be safe. That’s more important than anything else. They’ve gone through hell.”
Netanyahu visited Israel’s Nir Oz kibbutz on Thursday for the first time since the 2023 Hamas attack. The community was one of the worst-hit in the attack, with nearly one in four residents kidnapped or killed.
“I feel a deep commitment – first of all to ensure the return of all of our hostages, all of them. There are still 20 who are alive and there are also those who are deceased, and we will bring them all back,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli prime minister has been heavily criticised for refusing to take responsibility for the failures that allowed the 2023 attack, during which Hamas-led militants killed 1,200, mostly civilians, and has been repeatedly accused of prioritising his political survival over the fate of the hostages.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,00 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to a count by the territory’s Ministry of Health that is considered reliable by the United Nations and many western governments.
The Israeli military said it “follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm” when striking “terrorist targets”.
BBC
