Alfie Jake Mullans was 18 was he died of meningitis B. His mother Marrissa Mullans, 46, from Manchester has been campaigning for a Government funded vaccination programme for all 16 to 23 year olds. Her Change.org petition launched in 2024 and has gained renewed momentum this week, with around 13,000 more signatures in the last three days.

Marrissa Mullans

Hatton ‘received repeated blows to his head’ over his career, inquest into his death told

Tests carried out on former boxer Ricky Hatton’s brain after his death showed evidence of a neurodegenerative disorder at the centre of a campaign.

The same condition has been highlighted in the deaths of several former footballers, including most recently Manchester United’s former defender Gordon McQueen.

Hatton, who was 46, died at his home in Hyde in September last year. At an inquest into his death on Friday at South Manchester Coroners’ Court in Stockport, a cause of death was given as ‘hanging’ and evidence heard ‘The Hitman’ was found by his agent and close friend on a pool table in an upstairs games room.

Hatton – one of Greater Manchester’s most-loved sporting sons – was said to have been around twice the legal drink-drive limit, with wine found around the pool table.

The inquest also heard a pathologist found evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) – a neurodegenerative disorder which is thought to be connected to repetitive head injuries. In Hatton’s case, it was said to be at the ‘milder end of the spectrum’, but it was referenced by the coroner in her conclusion.

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Alison Mutch, a senior coroner, recorded a narrative verdict, saying Hatton had made ‘significant future plans’ and that no notes were found. She said as a result, she wasn’t satisfied he intended to take his own life.

Ms Mutch said: “Therefore, it is not possible in law for me to conclude suicide. I have concluded a narrative verdict. His intention remains unclear as he was under the influence of alcohol and the neuropathological post-mortem found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and that’s the conclusion I draw.”

Dr Neil Papworth, who carried out the post-mortem examination, said analysis of Hatton’s brain showed ‘degenerative changes’ associated with people older than the boxer, and often associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

He said overall the changes seen were suggestive of CTE associated with repeated trauma to the brain, but at the milder end of the spectrum, resulting in memory loss and cognitive impairment. None of the damage to Hatton’s brain, however, could be said to have contributed to his death, the pathologist said.

The court heard that several samples of his brain were analysed. While ‘no macroscopic abnormalities’ were identified, there was a ‘degree of chronic neuronal loss which is the loss of nerve cells’ in the ‘microscopic’ analysis of the brain, according to Dr Papworth.

He noted that as a boxer, Hatton ‘received repeated blows to his head’ over his career, but he said it was ‘not possible’ to determine the process by which Mr Hatton was affected by CTE.

According to the NHS, Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain condition thought to be linked to repeated head injuries and blows to the head. It slowly gets worse over time and can lead to dementia. The NHS says people who have suffered ‘repeated blows to the head’ or concussions over many years have a higher chance of getting the condition.

Contact sports – including boxing and football – are referenced on the NHS website. It cannot be cured, but symptoms can be managed. It was once known as ‘punch-drunk’ syndrome.

Dozens of former footballers and their families are currently suing the FA, the Football Association of Wales and the English Football League over claims they were ‘negligent and in breach of their duty of care’ to the former players who all developed the condition. They include the family of former Manchester United and England midfielder Norbert ‘Nobby’ Stiles, who won the 1966 World Cup with England.

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Stiles died in 2020 after suffering from dementia and was also found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

The FA, however, has told the High Court it has ‘not been established by science’ that heading a ball or ‘occasional’ concussion can lead to permanent brain damage.

Lawyers for the former players and their families have previously said that the bodies knew or should have known that repeatedly heading a ball in training and during matches was likely to cause brain injuries, and that the risks were known for decades.

In 2020, the FA announced it would introduce updated guidance for heading balls for all age groups between under-six and under-18, which was followed by further guidance for all levels of the sport in England in 2021.

Then, in 2022, it became the first national association to adopt the International Football Association Board’s trial to remove deliberate heading from grassroots matches for players under the age of 12. The association said in 2024 that it was investing and supporting “multiple research projects” to “gain a greater insight and understanding of this complex area”.

The widow of one former footballer – Jeff Astle – has called for the Government to recognise neurodegenerative conditions among footballers as industrial disease.

Her call came after a coroner ruled heading a football was “likely” to have contributed to a brain injury which was a factor in the death of former Manchester United and Leeds defender Gordon McQueen. His death due to pneumonia was owing to frailty, found to be through a combination of vascular dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

McQueen – who was capped for Scotland 30 times between 1974 and 1981, and played for both Manchester United and Leeds United during a 16-year career – died at his home in North Yorkshire in June 2023, aged 70.

It was another landmark ruling for those campaigning for greater protection for current players and improved support for past generations, following on from the verdict of death by industrial disease recorded for former England striker Jeff Astle in November 2002.

In a narrative conclusion, the coroner said: “It is likely that repetitive head impacts sustained by heading the ball while playing football contributed to the CTE.”

After the hearing, McQueen’s Sky Sports TV presenter daughter Hayley McQueen and her sister Anna Forbes, spoke about the dangers of heading. Ms McQueen said: “It should have been a turning point many, many years ago when we learned the same thing with Jeff Astle and not much has happened between that time and now.”

Mrs Astle, in her role at the Professional Footballers’ Association, continues to lobby the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council to officially recognise sports-related or sports-caused neurodegenerative diseases, including CTE, as industrial diseases, with the family of former England captain Dave Watson is also challenging the Department of Work and Pensions over the same issue.

As conflict continues in the Middle East travel is still being impacted

Fresh travel warnings have been placed on 33 countries across the world as the conflict between the US-Israel and Iran escalates. Travel has been impacted globally since the war began with the US attacking Iran on February 28, with no sign of calming.

At the beginning of the conflict many flights were cancelled in the Middle East, mainly in the UAE as the airspace was closed. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated travellers from the UK about the global travel impacts due to escalation in the Middle East.

For 34 countries, some of which are popular tourist spots have been advised: “Escalation in the Middle East has caused widespread travel disruption, including airspace closures, delayed and cancelled flights. Your travel plans may be affected, even if your destination is not in the Middle East.

“Before you travel, check travel advice for any countries or territories you are transiting through, check for the latest updates from your airline or tour operator before travelling, review your travel insurance policy for coverage before you travel and monitor local and international media for the latest information and sign up for travel advice email alerts.”

Places issued with the warning

• Australia
• Bangladesh
• Brunei
• Cambodia
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Georgia
• India
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Kiribati
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Marshall Islands
• Nauru
• Nepal
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Samoa
• Singapore
• Solomon Islands
• South Korea
• Sri Lanka
• Tajikistan
• Thailand
• Tonga
• Turkmenistan
• Tuvalu
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Vietnam

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Nicola Peltz has taken aim at her famous in-laws amidst the ongoing fallout with Brooklyn Beckham and his family, while revealing her own relatives class her husband as their son

Nicola Peltz has hit out at Brooklyn Beckham’s family. Amidst the ongoing fallout between the wannabe chef and his parents, Lady Victoria and Sir David Beckham, it doesn’t appear as though their feud will be slowing down any time soon.

In January, Brooklyn, 27, publicly lashed out at his family following years of speculation about their tense relationship. He claimed that his parents had attempted to drive a wedge between him and his wife, Nicola, 31, and had no plans to reconcile anytime soon.

And now, actress Nicola has shared a candid insight into her family life with her billionaire father, Nelson Peltz, and mother, Claudia Heffner Peltz. In a new interview, Nicola has made her position very firm and shared that Brooklyn has been welcomed with open arms by her family and has even started playing football with her siblings.

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She said that her parents view Brooklyn “like another son,” and he “loves” playing football with her brothers, in yet another swipe at David’s impressive career. Speaking to Elle Espana, Nicola said: “He gets along really well with my brothers; they play soccer together a lot.”

In another apparent dig, she commented: “Brooklyn supports my dreams and is the sweetest when I get too hard on myself. He has the biggest heart in the world.” Just last week, Brooklyn once again snubbed his parents and failed to acknowledge his Spice Girls mum on Mother’s Day.

Instead, he praised his mother-in-law, Claudia, as she celebrated her birthday, just days before. Brooklyn said: “Happy birthday to the best mother-in-law. Love u so much and hope u had the most amazing day.”

Brooklyn previously insisted that he didn’t want any part in his parents “performative posts” on social media, but as he celebrated his 27th birthday, his relatives still took to Instagram to share pictures with him – despite being blocked by Brooklyn.

“Brooklyn and Nicola are disheartened they chose to make public Instagram posts for his birthday,” a source said. They went on to tell ET : “These are the exact type of performative public actions that Brooklyn has been trying to put an end to, to no avail. Last summer they issued a legal letter to his parents requesting that any correspondence go through lawyers.”

While his family would often throw huge birthday celebrations, Brooklyn spent his day with Nicola, who treated him to a box of doughnuts. Despite his estrangement from his parents and siblings, it’s believed that Brooklyn has maintained a relationship with his grandfather Ted and his wife Hilary, with whom he is in contact.

Taking to Instagram in January, Brooklyn fumed: “For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into. Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always comes out.”

He instructed his lawyers to issue a “desist” letter to his parents and demanded they no longer “tag” him on social media. Brooklyn later blocked his entire family from following him on Instagram. This had been done in order to ‘protect his mental health’. A source familiar with the family’s feud, which kicked off in May, told the Mirror that Brooklyn’s mental health came first, adding that the letter was sent to ‘protect’ the wannabe chef after his “requests to stop” had gone ignored.

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Robert Pattinson is co-starring alongside Zendaya in The Drama and has hailed the actress as one of the “greatest” of our time and also praised her for her calming energy on set

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With the amount of time they have to spend ­together, not just filming but also on promotional events and ­weeks-long press tours, it helps when actors get along. So it’s a good job that Robert Pattinson and Zendaya have a close bond, given they have not one but three major films together out this year.

First for the pair comes Kristoffer Borgli’s twisted romance The Drama, out next month, followed by Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey in July and Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi Dune: Part Three in December.

Robert, 39, says of his co-star: “She is one of the most incredible actresses of the moment. She is so talented but also such a calming influence on set.

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“I have this thing where I overthink lines and look for a deeper meaning but her calm manner always quickly bought me back to the moment.”

In The Drama, Zendaya, 29, stars as Emma Harwood, a bookshop assistant engaged to Robert’s Charlie Thompson, a museum director from London. Days before the couple are due to marry, one discovers unsettling truths about the other that threaten to unravel everything.

While their on-screen chemistry is undeniable, their off-screen friendship has been just as important in shaping their performances. It was in fact Zendaya’s partner, Tom Holland, who first brought the pair together. Robert had previously worked with fellow Brit Tom on The Devil All the Time in 2020.

Robert says: “Tom has been a great friend of mine for a lot of years now, so we had met socially. “I can be a bit quiet in social occasions, so I think Tom had to convince her that I had a personality.

“Thankfully I think he succeeded, and I now consider the pair of them trusted friends.”

For Robert, navigating high-profile roles is nothing new. He first rose to prominence as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005, but it was his portrayal of Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga that catapulted him to A-list status.

The films, released yearly from 2008 to 2012, became massive hits and in 2025 the first novel celebrated its 20th anniversary. Looking back now, Robert admits his relationship with that period of his life has evolved.

He says: “At the time I wanted to move on, but as I have gotten older and the hysteria has died down I actually look back on Twilight with really fond feelings.

“I am still asked about Twilight more than I am asked about anything else, the impact it still has on fans is huge. Due to streaming services there is the new wave of fans. I get asked about it by people who were barely born at the time the first film came out.”

Robert was 21 when he was cast in the vampire franchise – and he struggled with the attention that came with being a global heart-throb.

He says he’s “lost count of the times fans asked me to bite them”, adding that it used to be “a weekly occurrence”. He adds: “That was why I was so keen at the time to move on from those films. I really didn’t cope at all. The first Twilight movie was always my favourite time of the franchise.

“Not because it was necessarily my favorite but because the hysteria hadn’t yet started and we got to enjoy the experience for everything it was.”

Over the next two decades Robert carved out a diverse and critically acclaimed career, landing notable roles including 2022’s The Batman, in which he played Bruce Wayne. During that time, he learned to deal with fame’s highs and lows.

When he was announced as the new caped crusader, fans questioned if he could step in to such an iconic role – but Robert took it in his stride.

At the time, he said he was shocked he wasn’t mocked more, and joked the backlash was only “70% negative”, which he viewed as a bonus compared to past experiences.

Since then he has developed a thicker skin in terms of public opinion. He says: “When it comes to my work and performances I am my harshest critic.

“When I started out I was full of self-doubt, but as you get older you learn to block any criticism out.”

Away from the spotlight, Robert got engaged to actress Suki Waterhouse in 2023 and the couple had their first child, a daughter, in March 2024.

And this week rumours swirled that both he and Zendaya had tied the knot with their long-term loves. It could be said that becoming a father has proved his biggest lesson to date.

He says: “They just bring so much fun, so much joy, so much laughter. Then there is what they teach you. I think I have become so much more patient since I have become a parent. Before, in your mind you think there is some sort of handbook that tells you what to do, but the reality is you learn as you go.”

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NEW YORK (AP) — CBS News said Friday it is shutting down its storied radio news service after nearly 100 years of operation as part of a round of layoffs, blaming a shift in radio station programming strategies and challenging economic times.

When it went on the air in September 1927, CBS News Radio was the precursor to the entire network, giving a youthful William S. Paley a start in the business. Famed broadcaster Edward R. Murrow delivered reports from London during World War II as part of the service.

Today CBS News Radio provides material to an estimated 700 stations across the country, and is known best for its top-of-the-hour news roundups. The service will end on May 22, the network said Friday.

“While this was a necessary decision, it was not an easy one,” CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and president Tom Cibrowski said in a memo to staff on Friday.

Along with newspapers, radio was the dominant force in how Americans got their news from the 1920s through the 1940s, with Americans listening to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats” during the Depression, before the format was largely supplanted by television in the 1950s. Radio is even less a force in modern society, with the world online and on phones. Those seeking audio often turn to podcasts before radio.

The front page of CBS News’ website did not immediately carry news of the demise.

Weiss is not a stranger to CBS’ storied history. Addressing her staff in January, three months into her job as CBS News boss, she invoked the network’s legendary newsman Walter Cronkite as a symbol of old thinking and said that if the network continues with its current strategy, “we’re toast.”

Weiss announced the hiring of 18 new contributors and said CBS News needs to do stories that will “surprise and provoke — including inside our own newsroom.”

Weiss, founder of the Free Press website and without broadcast news experience before being hired by CBS parent Paramount’s new management, has quickly become a headline-maker and polarizing figure in journalism. She held a “60 Minutes” story critical of President Donald Trump’s deportation policy from being broadcast for a month and has critics watching to see if she’s moving the network in a Trump-friendly direction.

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David Bauder covers the intersection of media and entertainment for The Associated Press.

Steven Dale and his son Christian Dale appeared before Chester Magistrates’ Court yesterday (March 19).

The 70-year-old is alleged to have committed fraud by false representation relating to a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan for Bury FC Heritage Ltd in February 2021.

Dale, of Heath Rise, Whitmore, Staffordshire, is also charged with failing to keep, preserve or deliver up adequate accounting records under the Companies Act 2006 and Insolvency Act 1986 for The Bury Football Club Company Limited and Dale Acquisitions Ltd.

His son, Christian Dale, 41, of the same address, is charged with the same offences under the Companies Act 2006 and Insolvency Act 1986 in relation to Dale Acquisitions Ltd.

Both were bailed after appearing before the court, and the case has now been sent to Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on Thursday, April 16.

The charges follow investigations into the pair by the Insolvency Service.

Businessman Steven Dale bought Bury FC from Stewart Day for just £1 in December 2018 when Day stepped down as Bury chairman after six years, a period which saw a number of financial problems for The Shakers.

In August 2019 the club was also expelled from the English Football League (EFL) after 125 years.

In 2020, Dale placed the company into administration and fans formed Bury Association Football Club while Bury FC was in crisis.

The vehicle was confiscated by the Atherton Neighbourhood Team in the Spa Road area over the weekend in response to complaints from the public.

A spokesman for the team said: “Thank you to the local community for continuing to report these issues.

“Your information helps us take action and keep the area safe for everyone.

“If you witness any further anti-social behaviour or nuisance vehicles, please continue to report it via 101 or online.

“Thank you for your continued support.”

Police are urging residents to remain vigilant and to keep reporting any concerns or sightings of anti-social behaviour or illegal vehicle use.

Anyone with information about crime in Atherton or the surrounding area can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

This is based on the classic Italian tuna and bean salad, but I’ve gone further. If you have time to toss the beans with the dressing a few hours before you want to assemble and serve, do it. The beans taste wonderful once they’ve marinated for a while. You can roast the peppers yourself or use ready-cooked ones from a jar.

The quality of the tuna and the anchovies is very important. I use jarred Ortiz tuna or canned Charles Basset (the latter isn’t as good but it’s cheaper). Waitrose also do very good own-label jarred tuna in olive oil. This means it’s not a cheap meal, though, as good canned tuna is expensive. When I need this to be a cheap and cheerful lunch, I use supermarket own-label tuna tinned in olive oil. You don’t have to be strict about the quantity of tuna; jars and tins vary a lot in the weight they contain. Get whatever you can find and use your judgment.