Skatefest 2026 will take place on Saturday, July 18, promising a full day of skate competitions, live music, street art, and community activities.

The grassroots event is organised by Ryedale Skate School in partnership with Norton Town Council.

It aims to create an inclusive space where people of all ages and abilities can experience skateboarding culture.

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Ryan Swain, local skateboard coach and youth advocate, said: “Skatefest is about much more than skateboarding. It’s about community, belonging and giving young people a positive space to express themselves.

“We’ve seen how powerful skate culture can be in bringing people together and building confidence, and we’re proud to be working with Norton Town Council to bring this event back bigger than ever.”

Visitors can enjoy a packed programme throughout the day, including vert and mini ramp competitions, live DJs and music performances, street art demonstrations, and free skate lessons for beginners.

Food and drink vendors, artisan stalls, charity raffles, and a tombola will also be on offer.

Ryan said: “Whether you’re a lifelong skater, someone who’s never stepped on a board before, or just want a great day out with the family, Skatefest is for everyone.

“Events like this help build stronger communities and give young people positive opportunities to connect, learn and thrive.”

Mayor of Norton, Di Keal, said: “Norton town council is delighted to be supporting Skatefest again this year after a hugely successful event in 2025.

“We are installing a second shelter at the skatepark shortly funded by a grant from Live Like Ralph, a charity established in memory of keen skater, Ralph Roberts, who sadly lost his life during the Covid pandemic.

“Ralph’s father, Neil and the Live Like Ralph team visited last year on a fundraising bike ride from Scarborough to Lytham and they loved the skatepark that has been created in Norton. The town council is using the grant to purchase the new shelter, which will be decorated live by a street artist at Skatefest and will feature the Live Like Ralph logo.

“The team at Live Like Ralph will hopefully be joining us to celebrate and enjoy Skatefest and I would encourage families from across our twin towns to visit the skatepark on July 18 to enjoy the event and witness some spectacular skating and stunts.”

The organisers are encouraging local businesses, charities, and independent traders to get involved by hosting stalls or supporting the event.

Interested organisations can contact ryedaleskateschool@gmail.com.

Skatefest 2026 will run from 11am to 5pm on Saturday, July 18.

Should I get a robot vacuum cleaner? Until recently, for most people the answer was no. Even the best robot vacuums had a tendency to mount chair legs and get stuck, wheels feebly pawing at the air, or to have a nervous breakdown in a confined space.

AI has changed all that. “People want robot helpers,” says Colin Angle, the MIT robotics expert whose iRobot Roomba kick-started the whole industry back in 2002. “Rather than clean the whole house, they want to tell their robot vacuum to just clean under the kitchen table, or in the office, but that takes a huge amount of tech.”

The best robot vacuums cost well over £1,000 and even the cheapest are over £300, so these are not toys (although there have been more than a billion views of pets riding robot vacuums on YouTube.) To find out which are worth your hard-earned cash, we put some of the best robot vacuums to the test.

You can read our full reviews below, followed by answers to frequently asked questions, like how long robot vacuums last and which has the best suction. Here’s a quick look at five:

The best robot vacuum cleaners: At a glance

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How to choose the best robot vacuum

Robot vacuums are constantly evolving and have a fascinating origin. Angle helped design the Sojourner rover that explored Mars and one of his robots was sent to the Fukushima disaster zone. It might be surprising to find this technology trundling around your floor, but the challenges are the same: navigating different surfaces, unusual shapes and unexpected obstacles.

“Now they use cameras not just to see where they’re going and remember where they’ve been, but to understand obstacles,” Angle says.

As well as advanced mapping technology, many robot vacuums can now also mop (although not all), and the docking stations have developed, too. While some simply charge the vacuum between cleans, others remove dust, debris and water from the robot’s on board bins and several even clean and sterilise mop pads. Below, you’ll even find a robot vacuum (the Dreame X50) with a mechanical leg for clambering over obstacles.

Ultimately, the best robot vacuum for your home comes down to the flooring you have and your budget; the more you spend, the more power or functionality you’ll get.

How we test robot vacuum cleaners

PSNI announced that a man has been charged to court following an incident on Tuesday

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A man has been charged with child abduction and stalking following an incident in Co Antrim on Tuesday, March 10.

The 58-year-old was arrested following a report of a male approaching a child in the Belfast Road area of Whitehead

A police spokesman said: “The 58-year-old is charged with stalking and child abduction.

“He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates’ Court today, on Thursday, March 12.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The boy riding the bike was taken to hospital for treatment

A boy riding a bike was taken to hospital after a crash with a car. Emergency services were called to a crash on The Avenue in Godmanchester at around 4.20pm on Wednesday (March 11).

The crash involved a pedal cycle and car. The boy riding the bike was taken to hospital to treat his injuries. The road was closed while police attended.

A police spokesperson said: “We were called at about 4.20pm yesterday to The Avenue, Godmanchester, to reports of a collision between a pedal cycle and a car.

“The cyclist, a boy, was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries believed not to be serious. There were no arrests and an investigation is ongoing.”

The East of England Ambulance Service has been contacted for more information.

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The Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team said that it was dispatched to help the man, who was found partway down the slope with a suspected hip injury, after falling from his scooter.

After an initial assessment, the team say it ‘became clear the situation was time critical’ and they began to give care and provided blankets to keep the man warm until Yorkshire Ambulance Service arrived on scene.

Once the crew reached the site, Coastguard officers assisted in transporting equipment down the steep path to the scene.

Following further assessment and pain relief administered by the paramedics, the teams carried out a stretcher evacuation up the cliff path before transferring the injured man safely into an awaiting ambulance.

“Steep coastal paths can be challenging terrain, particularly when using mobility aids. If you ever see someone in difficulty along the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard,” said Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team.

To fairly compare models, we put every dehumidifier through a series of structured, real-world tests. We begin with set up, assessing whether it can be unpacked and running within minutes or if it takes time to figure out.

We also judge ease of use, looking for clearly labelled and responsive controls. We check how easy it is to empty and reinsert the water tank and whether any companion app connects reliably and adds genuine control rather than gimmicks. Design details matter too, so we look at cable length, portability, self-draining features and safety cut-offs. Build quality, durability, extra features and overall value for money are all important.

Next, we assess its effectiveness. First, we measure how well a unit reduces humidity after a hot shower, recording how long it takes to bring the room back to a comfortable 50 per cent. Then, we test laundry mode by hanging a standard load of washing and noting how quickly it dries compared to normal conditions.

Finally, we measure noise levels with a decibel app and track energy consumption over the course of an hour using a plug meter.

A tie that had looked enthrallingly unpredictable, only for the first leg to be set by perhaps the most predictable development possible.

Liam Rosenior had replaced Robert Sanchez with Filip Jorgenson specifically for his footwork, and of course it was a bad goalkeeper pass that set up Vitinha for a decisive goal.

After that, Paris Saint-Germain took a step up – and then another two – and Chelsea didn’t go with them.

The ending ensured this match continued some themes of this Champions League week: erratic goalkeeping displays and Premier League defeats, as Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea 5-2.

What will further anger Rosenior was that the scale of the scoreline didn’t really reflect the game. Chelsea’s actual performance hadn’t been in the same sphere as those by Liverpool, Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur – despite the same actual outcome as the last one.

Chelsea had largely given as good as they got in a game of almost the highest European quality… had it just ended in the 74th minute. He later spoke of a “crazy” final 15 minutes where his team – including himself – didn’t stay “calm”. That was maybe summed up in Enzo Fernandez arguing with Jorgensen and Pedro Neto’s moment with a ballboy, for which Rosenior apologised.

Maybe some of the performance is also fatigue from the Premier League season, which is obviously going to be a discussion over the next week.

Chelsea really have to raise it, though.

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A 3-2 reverse was eminently salvageable but 5-2? Kvicha Kvaratshkelia is quite an option to bring off the bench, and he duly maximised that extra space to score another trademark exquisitely curling strike.

The most remarkable thing is that it may not have even been the pick of the goals. All of them involved exceptional class, even if they came from errors and fallibility that actually elevated the game in terms of drama.

That was most visible with maybe the best of them, Ousmane Dembele’s brilliant breakaway. Jorgenson could do little about that or Kvaratshkelia’s first, but the third and fifth?

They might decide the tie.

That might haunt Rosenior, especially to make a call so big – and so conspicuous given Antoni Kinsky – this early in his Chelsea career.

There is of course another story to this game.

The European champions may have finally started to play again. They looked like the best team in Europe again.

There is now always a sense of two sides with this PSG. It should never be forgotten they are ultimately a sportswashing project, who have still assembled one of the most expensive sides in history without “stars”.

And yet, in a purely football sense, they are refreshing.

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In a Premier League that has become dominated by high-definition tactical positioning, so many of their players are willing to take someone and have a shot from anywhere.

They go for it.

That isn’t to say that Luis Enrique isn’t highly tactical himself. What he has essentially done is enhance the Spanish positional game for the first time in 15 years, adding dribbling and intensity to a system that is almost supposed to be the antithesis of that. That comes from a lot of hard thinking and hard work, if an admittedly easy schedule to facilitate it.

The end product is nevertheless something that looks so free… if occasionally too free.

PSG have some clumsy moments themselves.

They are far from perfect, and that included last season.

And Chelsea, for their part, did initially prey on that and force more errors.

The back-and-forth of the goals were cases in point.

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After Bradley Barcola had displayed precisely this willingness to just let go with the opening goal – a blockbusting strike in off the bar, albeit with considerable space – there was a spell when it looked like they could just overwhelm Chelsea with their live-wire attacking.

If Rosenior will face a lot of questions about the Jorgensen decision, though, he does deserve credit for many of his in-game calls. It is clearly one of his best qualities.

Chelsea duly recalibrated around Enzo Fernandez, who had one of his finest games for the club.

Everything went through him, including the two goals.

It was his pass that put Malo Gusto into space for Chelsea’s equaliser. The finish was strong but it still went through Matvey Safonov.

A theme of the European champions’ more underwhelming 2025-26 campaign has been whether they are missing Gigi Donnarumma. It was hard not to think he’d have saved that… but the Italian wasn’t exactly having the best night for City.

Chelsea began to really press PSG in from there, only for Luis Enrique’s side to exploit their own weakness.

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This, typically, was done in the most direct way possible: pure pace. After Cole Palmer had a shot well saved by Safonov – no questions that time – Desire Doue showed quick thinking to immediately get the ball to Dembele.

He exhilaratingly surged up the pitch, although Wesley Fofana initially did well to stay with him. Just when it seemed like Dembele might have been pushed wide, he turned in, then went out – and in the process turned Fofana inside out – to finish supremely.

It was the type of move that was so impressive it produced one of those deafening sounds from the crowd, but it wasn’t definitive.

Chelsea again responded. PSG again showed their own fallibility. Pedro Neto displayed his own directness down the left, before squaring for Fernandez to finish emphatically.

It was another supreme goal, and should have been the set-up for a grand crescendo, an operatic back and forth.

Only one team stayed at the level, though, as Jorgensen – and Rosenior – endured a dismal low.

That may well be it for the tie. PSG do not look the kind of team to give up a three-goal lead now they’re European champions.

And they finally look like they can be that again.

Chelsea and Rosenior, by contrast, look like they still have a bit to learn.

When e-cigarettes first appeared around 2010, they were hailed as a breakthrough: nicotine delivery without the toxic tar and combustion byproducts of traditional cigarettes. Public health bodies cautiously endorsed them as a tool for adult smokers to quit, often citing early claims that vaping was 95% less harmful than smoking. More than a decade later, with millions now vaping regularly, the picture is less clear.

A recent study, published in the American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology, found that people who vape or smoke have nearly 50% higher odds of elevated blood pressure compared to non-users. This isn’t proof that vaping directly causes high blood pressure – other factors such as diet or exercise could play a role – but it adds to a growing body of evidence that vaping’s early reputation for safety deserves a harder look.

The science behind the concern isn’t complicated. Nicotine in e-cigarette vapour triggers immediate spikes in heart rate and blood pressure. The flavourings and other chemicals can damage the lining of blood vessels – the tissue that prevents clotting and keeps blood flowing smoothly. Research reviews have found elevated rates of heart attack among vapers, particularly among those who also still smoke traditional cigarettes.

The lungs tell a similarly worrying story. A 2022 study comparing vapers, smokers and non-users found that vapers had measurably reduced lung function – even after accounting for any previous smoking history – as well as higher rates of wheezing, coughing and bronchitis-like symptoms. Further research from 2023–25 links vaping to increased airway resistance and asthma flare-ups, with some effects persisting well beyond a single vaping session.

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Vaping makes lung bacteria more harmful and cause more inflammation

Perhaps the most urgent concern is what has happened among young people. The World Health Organization now describes e-cigarettes as “harmful and not safe”, warning of a new wave of nicotine addiction among teenagers who never smoked in the first place – and who are three times more likely to go on to smoke traditional cigarettes as a result.

Large surveys have linked regular vaping in young people to depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, with nicotine’s known effects on the developing brain almost certainly playing a role.

Supporters of vaping argue that its risks are acceptable if it helps established smokers quit – and there is something to this. A 2024 review by Ireland’s Health Research Board found that e-cigarettes do help some adults stop smoking, particularly when combined with behavioural support.

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Vaping now more common than smoking among young people – and the risks go beyond lung and brain damage

But many people who vape to quit end up doing both – vaping and smoking – which means they are still exposed to tobacco’s most harmful chemicals. And the evidence for traditional nicotine replacement therapies such as patches and gum, backed by decades of clinical trials, remains stronger.

We don’t yet have human data confirming that vaping causes cancer. But this reflects how new the habit is rather than how safe it is. A review of laboratory studies show that e-cigarette vapour causes DNA damage and cell death in ways that look uncomfortably familiar to early tobacco research – research that preceded the smoking-related cancer epidemic by two or three decades.

Safer is not the same as safe

The original message – that vaping is far safer than smoking, and a reasonable tool for quitting – made sense at a time when tobacco was killing enormous numbers of people. But “safer than smoking” is not the same as safe, and that distinction matters enormously when teenagers are interpreting the message as permission to start. NHS Scotland is already clear that vaping carries real risks and is not suitable for young people.

We’ve tasted the bitter waters of tobacco, where delayed action fuelled generations of disease. To fix smoking, we’re now engineering a “solution” that could spawn tomorrow’s crises – akin to ditching petrol cars for electric vehicles to slash emissions, only to grapple with toxic lithium battery e-waste mountains clogging landfills and supply chains.

Both trades address one urgent harm while blindsiding us to downstream perils: leaching chemicals, recycling nightmares and resource wars. With vaping, signals of cardiovascular strain, lung irritation, youth gateways and addiction are flashing red, even if full epidemics lie years ahead.

The sensible conclusion is not complicated. If you have never smoked, don’t vape. If you do smoke and want to quit, patches, gum, medication and proper support remain the best-evidenced options. Vaping may have a role as a short-term bridge – but not as a permanent habit, and not for anyone who wouldn’t otherwise have been a smoker. The warning signs are there. The question is whether we act on them before the long-term consequences become impossible to ignore.

Months after the last of the United States’ 1-cent coins were pressed, some states are beginning to offer their own 2 cents on the penny problem by setting rounding guidance for cash purchases.

President Donald Trump announced early last year an end to penny production, saying it was wasteful. It cost 3.7 cents to make each 1-cent coin in 2024, according to the U.S. Mint. The move led to a shortage of pennies in cash registers last summer, forcing consumers and businesses to confront a penniless future in which making exact change would be difficult.

The Treasury Department has said it will continue circulating the roughly 114 billion pennies that exist for “as long as possible.” Pennies must still be accepted as payment.

One solution to the penny problem is rounding to the nearest nickel, using a practice called symmetrical rounding. If the final price, after taxes, ends in one, two, six or seven cents, payment in cash rounds down. For example, $1.91 or $1.92 becomes $1.90. If the price ends in three, four, eight or nine, cash payment rounds up. For $1.98 or $1.99, the consumer pays $2.

A bill introduced last year in Congress and passed out of the House financial services committee would apply symmetrical rounding across the country. U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., said in an email the federal law is important to prevent a “confusing patchwork of state policies.”

The bill hasn’t been voted on in the House and would still need to move through the U.S. Senate before reaching Trump’s desk.

Some states are looking to what’s next

In the meantime, bills to deal with penniless cash transactions have passed both chambers and await the governor’s signature in Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington. Some states are proposing to allow businesses to round cash purchases, while others consider requiring it.

In Indiana, a bill signed into law this month by Republican Gov. Mike Braun tells businesses they must round cash purchases for all transactions that do not end in a zero or five. Lawmakers revised that provision in a second bill that makes rounding optional, which would take effect Sunday if Braun signs it into law.

In both bills, Indiana businesses can choose to always round cash purchases up to the nearest nickel, always round down or round up or down depending on the amount.

In Republican-led Tennessee, legislation makes symmetrical rounding exempt from legal claims under a state consumer protection law but does not require rounding.

“It is to provide safe harbor for private businesses,” said Republican Rep. Charlie Baum, the bill sponsor in Tennessee, during floor debate.

Rounding bills have been introduced in about two dozen states since late last year, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking service Plural.

Outside of lawmaking bodies, some state agencies have published guidelines to advise that rounding should happen after tax, and that businesses must make sure the full taxed amount still goes to the state.

Will consumers pay more with rounding?

Cash isn’t used as ubiquitously since the rise in electronic payment methods. Still, about 8 in 10 U.S. adults said they recently used cash in a 2024 survey conducted by the Federal Reserve. Cash was more often used by older adults and those in lower-income households.

The Treasury wrote online that prices would be “rounded down just as often as they will be rounded up, so there should be no overall effect on consumer prices.”

But researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond used a 2023 survey to show prices that didn’t end in zero or five were especially likely to end in eight or nine. Payment amounts could be different when multiple items are purchased or depending on the tax rate, but overall, prices more often being rounded up would lead to millions of dollars gained by businesses and lost by consumers collectively, amounting to a few pennies lost per person.

Do people think it’s fair?

As businesses have introduced rounding, some Americans have taken to social media to say they feel scammed, even if it is a penny or two at a time.

Nikki Capozzo-Hennessy, 50, said she tends to pay in cash because it makes her more conscious of her spending. The Trumbull, Connecticut, resident posted her grocery store receipt online when she noticed the rounding adjustment on a purchase of $8.73, with tax. The store chose to round down and she gained three cents.

Capozzo-Hennessy said it might feel taxing if she had to hand over extra pennies every time, but she also thinks it’s practical to stick with one rule. She runs a food truck business and said they’d likely use symmetrical rounding to be consistent.

“At the end of the day it’s three cents, but I can imagine with all the purchases that you make, it can add up,” Capozzo-Hennessy said.

Washington state Rep. April Berg, who introduced a rounding bill there, said she understands people who feel frustrated losing a penny but that the elimination of the hard currency leaves little option.

“We did make sure that everyone is allowed to pay exactly what they owe,” Berg said of her legislation.

What about the nickel?

The Treasury says ceasing penny production will save $56 million annually, but rounding could increase demand for nickels. The 5-cent coins also are costly to make, reaching nearly 14 cents each in 2024, according to the Mint.

The proposed federal legislation currently includes a potential cost-saving solution, allowing the Treasury to adjust the coin’s composition to use cheaper zinc and nickel instead of copper and nickel.

A 22-year-old man allegedly arranged the murders of his parents and 10-year-old sister for their inheritance, police said

A 22-year-old man’s plot to ‘do away with his family’ was foiled when police had his parents fake their own deaths.

Russian authorities have disclosed how they tricked the suspect into believing he’d contracted a hitman to eliminate his wealthy parents and 10-year-old, all in a bid to inherit their wealth.

Detectives became aware of the alleged scheme and staged the murders in the family home, even having his parents fake their own deaths.

The police then sent images of the fabricated murder scene to the son, who was entirely unaware of the covert operation.

An officer assumed the role of the hired assassin in the Russian resort of Sochi, a host city for this year’s FIFA World Cup, reports the Mirror.

The son had provided the “contract killer’ detailed instructions on how and where his family should be murdered, it is claimed.

He’s even said to have sketched out a floor plan, pinpointing where security cameras were located, and how to dodge guard dogs.

He agreed a price with the undercover copper for wiping out all three of his relatives, police said, and insisted on seeing pictures of his slain parents.

The man’s mum and dad – ” with detailed instructions on the method and location for his family’s execution, it is alleged.

He’s even reported to have drawn up a floor plan, indicating the positions of security cameras and how to evade guard dogs.

He negotiated a fee with the undercover officer for eliminating all three of his relatives, police stated, and demanded photographic evidence of his deceased parents.

The man’s mum and dad – “devastated” by their son’s purported plans – played dead in the police mock-up, and photographs of them, appearing to bleed from “fatal” knife wounds, were taken.

The “assassin” arranged a meeting in a Mercedes and presented the photographs of his “murdered parents” to the man.

Images of the man’s sister were not made public, and it remains uncertain whether she was involved in the police sting operation.

Upon seeing the photos, the suspect showed “delight” and agreed to pay the negotiated £38,000 fee to the person he believed to be a hitman, once he had received his inheritance.

However, the son – whose identity has been kept confidential – was swiftly apprehended by armed officers, as shown in police footage.

He admitted his guilt immediately, according to authorities in the Krasnodar region, who revealed that he had previously tried to kill them twice.

“He wanted to get rid of parents because they were not giving him money,” a police source disclosed.

“Before looking for a killer he tried to get rid of his relatives twice. He searched on the internet to find out how to carry out the murders.

“The criminal planned to put pills in the kettle to poison his parents but his father discovered something was amiss. Then the son intended to break a thermometer in his parents’ car so that they would be poisoned with mercury vapours. But he lost his nerve.”

During interrogation, the young man confessed: “I had been planning it for several months. I’m so done with them, they didn’t understand me, so I found a contract killer.”

His parents “cannot believe he could do this”, officers reported.

His father is the head of a significant educational institution in Sochi.

The family owns a sizeable property and vehicle, as well as savings which would have been inherited by their son.