Every Olympic organising committee has to think about what they stand for. How do they want their Opening Ceremony, and by association their Olympics, to be remembered? How to best represent those most nebulous of things, the Olympic values? How to set the tone for the sporting extravaganza that is the next fortnight?

The most recent Opening Ceremony, in Paris 18 months ago, seemed to deliberately court controversy and want to split opinion – remember Marie-Antoinette being decapitated and the row over the ceremony being ‘ungodly’?

Milano-Cortina, by contrast, appears to have gone for a classy, prettily choreographed if perhaps not very memorable opener. An opening segment featured a beautiful balletic dance sequence with lifts that wouldn’t be out of place in an ice dance programme. Mariah Carey’s two minutes on stage were over blissfully quickly and replaced by Grammy-nominated singer Laura Pausini’s stunning rendition of the Italian anthem. Andrea Bocelli closed the show with another flawless performance, the whole stadium falling silent in awe.

And aside from an inexplicable – in true Olympic style – section featuring three enormous tubes of paint descending from the roof of the stadium, and hordes of people dressed as block colour coffee machines, the ceremony was largely tasteful. Pretty. All light and sparkle. Nothing, really, to see here.

And maybe that was intentional, with this Games dogged by political controversy despite the IOC doing its desperate best to avoid any sign of it. Old issues are still raging, like the thorny question of how to deal with Russia, which seems to be inexorably heading towards it being welcomed back, despite widespread opposition and the vast scale of death and destruction in Ukraine; equally there are questions over the continued participation of Israel. There’s the ongoing debate over the protection of the female category, with no verdict imminent on that front either, and age-old concerns over the environmental and economic impacts of hosting the Games.

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But there are fresher concerns too, most obviously the backlash against the US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) and wider anger at the Trump administration’s remarkable efforts at destabilising world peace, from kidnapping the Venezuelan president to threatening to take over Greenland.

American athletes have headed to Milano-Cortina acutely conscious of their shifting place in the world as Europe begins to fear the US rather than shelter behind it. The brutality of ICE in places like Minneapolis has only intensified that feeling. The US ice sports even renamed their hospitality venue from the ‘Ice House’ to the ‘Winter House’ to avoid being associated with the agency.

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Athletes like cross-country legend Jessie Diggins have sought to distance themselves, however subtly, from the administration: she said she would race for “an American people who stand for: love, for acceptance, for compassion, honesty and respect for others… For everyone out there caring for others, protecting their neighbours and meeting people with love – every single step is for you.” US-based British freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, who competed for the US at two previous Olympics, went a step further, appearing to urinate the words ‘F*** ICE’ on snow in a social media post.

Protests have broken out across Milan this and last week over ICE’s presence in Milan; there are no agents physically on the streets, but them having a role in the policing operation at all has been met with fury. Hundreds of protesters gathered in the hours leading up to the Opening Ceremony to chant anti-ICE slogans and set off flares; other demonstrators marched in support of Palestinians, or argued against the Olympics being held here at all amid a cost of living crisis.

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Italian interior minister Matteo Piantedosi dismissed the anti-ICE protests as politically motivated. But if it hasn’t occurred to him, everything about Olympic sport is political, starting with the official names of each country in the athletes’ parade. And there was a political message sent from the crowd, whether the IOC, or Trump’s administration, wanted to hear it or not.

US vice president JD Vance led an American delegation in Milan this week and was present at the Opening Ceremony. An enormous motorcade was seen ferrying dignitaries outside the stadium shortly before the ceremony began; he may have opted for the same understated entrance as he did at the ice hockey on Thursday night, slipping quietly into the posh seats alongside his security.

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The thumping, interminable house music inside the San Siro turned up another couple of notches when Iran was announced, presumably to drown out any potential booing. But no volume increase could block out the definite booing and whistling that accompanied Israel walking out into the stadium, accompanied by a security detail. The loudest cheer of the night, by contrast, was a sustained roar of support for the Ukrainian delegation.

And when Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, were pictured briefly on screen gamely waving American flags as the US contingent walked in, there it was: the unmistakable sound of booing and jeering.

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The pair kept their beatific smiles on for the brief few seconds the cameras remained on them, but the message was loud and clear. It was notable that no other visiting dignitary, save for Princess Anne, had the same acknowledgement by the broadcasters. Perhaps that acknowledgement, pandering to this US administration’s sense of self-importance ahead of LA 2028, was unwise.

Having overrun by about 40 minutes the Ceremony finally got to the suits, and IOC president Kirsty Coventry thanked everyone present and watching at home “for believing in the magic of the Olympic Games”.

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“The spirit of the Olympic Games is about so much more than sport. It is about us – and what makes us human,” she continued. “Here, athletes from every corner of the world compete fiercely — but they also respect, support, and inspire one another. They remind us that we are all connected, that our strength comes from how we treat each other, and that the best of humanity is found in courage, compassion, and kindness.”

Wise words. It would be nice if the likes of Vance could heed them, too.

The incident happened during TaylorMania, a Taylor Swift tribute show, which had begun at 7.30pm.

At around 8.10pm, the performance was suddenly stopped after a fire alarm sounded throughout the venue.

For several minutes, it was unclear whether guests needed to evacuate, with some members of staff initially advising people to remain inside while others began directing them towards exits.

House lights were later turned on and an announcement was made confirming that the building should be evacuated.

Some children were seen visibly distressed during the confusion.

Concertgoers were escorted outside the venue and asked to wait in the rain across the road from the Albert Halls while the incident was investigated.

A member of staff at Bolton Albert Halls later confirmed the alarm had been triggered by a haze smoke machine used during the performance.

Once the issue was resolved, guests were allowed back inside and the show resumed.

Taylormania continued despite disruptions (Image: NQ)

Although tribute singer Katy Ellis missed a small number of songs due to the disruption, the incident did little to dampen the spirits of the crowd, with Swifties quickly returning to singing and dancing for the rest of the night.

The award-winning tribute act performed hits from across Taylor Swift’s different musical “eras”, recreating the record-breaking Eras Tour from 2023 and 2024.

The show featured a live band and dancers, two of whom were from Bolton.

Samie Elishi dramatically stormed off during the Love Island All Stars movie night on Friday

One Love Island star stormed off in an explosive movie night that “will never be forgotten”.

The third series of the popular spin-off returned to ITV2 last month, bringing back a group of former contestants to the villa for another opportunity at finding romance.

Over recent weeks, audiences have witnessed numerous heated exchanges, surprising eliminations and several bombshell entries. The latest arrivals included six American contestants, alongside the launch of villa USA.

Tensions flared when the two villas were brought together earlier this week, with disagreements breaking out between Belle Hassan and Sean Stone, as well as Lucinda Strafford and Samie Elishi.

Tonight’s episode featured the much-anticipated return of movie night, with contestants preparing for an evening of cinema-themed entertainment. The All Star selection included Free Millie, How to Lose Leanne in Ten Days, Some like it Scott, The Sean Identity, There’s Something About Samie, Tommy Dearest and Lucinda’s Web, reports OK!.

There’s Something About Samie showcased footage of the dispute between Samie and Lucinda, which started after Lucinda decided to pair up with Samie’s partner Ciaran Davies.

Matters intensified when Lucinda pied Samie during Thursday’s task, as she believed Samie doubted the authenticity of her new relationship with Sean. When the two attempted to resolve their differences, Lucinda started laughing, prompting Samie to storm off furiously.

Upon reviewing the footage, Lucinda remarked: “You weren’t there for me and Sean,” prompting Samie to immediately retort: “Are you alright? I warned you… I was actually trying to warn you… There’s me trying to have your f****** back and then you throw that pie in my face.”

The heated exchange escalated when Lucinda playfully told Whitney Adebayo not to laugh in front of Samie. An irate Samie responded: “Are you taking the p*** out of me again?”

The star continued: “I might need five minutes. This bird keeps laughing in my face, you’re p****** me off,” before storming off with Belle.

Whilst Belle attempted to calm Samie down, Whitney and Leanne Amaning became embroiled in their own dispute, just hours after Leanne had taken Whitney’s partner Yemen Sanders into the secret garden.

The movie night screening pressed on, as did the tension, moments before presenter Maya Jama made her surprise appearance in the villa. “Everyone enjoying movie night? Well, it’s time for a plot twist,” she announced, before the credits began to roll.

ITV audiences were left stunned following tonight’s turbulent episode, with one viewer posting on X (formerly Twitter): “Don’t know about anyone else but I’ve got a headache now from all the shouting. That movie night was absolute carnage!”

Another commented: “And this, is what I call a messy MOVIE NIGHT,” whilst a third remarked: “Love island all starts 2026 movie night gone but will NEVER be forgotten.”

Love Island All Stars airs Sunday to Friday on ITV2 and ITVX at 9pm

For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website

NEW YORK (AP) — There are stages, and then there is the Super Bowl halftime show.

On Sunday, fresh off his historic win at the Grammys for his love letter to Puerto Rico, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Bad Bunny will once again surprise audiences with a performance that is gearing up to be a landmark moment for Latino culture.

But what can you expect from his set?

What we know

Apple Music’s Zane Lowe mentioned that Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance is 13 minutes long during an interview with the superstar on Thursday. Historically, they run 12 to 15 minutes.

In the same conversation, Bad Bunny offered few specifics about what viewers will see Sunday.

“It’s going to be a huge party,” he said, playfully dodging questions about surprise guests and other details. “What people can expect from me … I want to bring to the stage, of course, a lot of my culture. But I really don’t, I don’t want to give any spoilers. It’s going to be fun.”

Beyond that: A minute-and-a-half long trailer for the halftime show posted last month set a jovial tone for his performance. In it, Bad Bunny approaches a Flamboyan tree — more on that below — and presses play on his single “Baile Inolvidable” (“Unforgettable Dance”).

The song is modern salsa, performed with students from the Escuela Libre de Música San Juan. It is a featured single from “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” an album that marries folkloric tradition in local Borinquen genres like bomba, plena, salsa and música jíbara with contemporary styles like reggaeton, trap and pop.

In the clip, Bad Bunny sways as he’s joined by different dancers across genders, races and ages: Those include a traditional salsa dancer in a red dress, a firefighter, a cowboy and a viejito wearing a pava (“viejito” is an affectionate term for an older man and a “pava” is a kind of straw hat). It’s representative of the superstar’s international appeal; he is currently the most-streamed artist globally on Spotify.

Will Bad Bunny perform entirely in Spanish?

All of Bad Bunny’s music is recorded in Spanish, so it seems like a safe bet. Were he to include English into his set, it would likely appear in a spoken interjection — or it would be featured in text.

In October, Bad Bunny hosted “Saturday Night Live” and said a few sentences in Spanish during his opening monologue. When he concluded, he joked in English, “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn,” a reference to the Super Bowl and his critics.

On Thursday, he joked that fans didn’t actually need to learn Spanish to enjoy his set — but they should be prepared to dance.

What symbols can we expect?

Puerto Rican flags: In his song “La Mudanza,” Bad Bunny sings, “Aquí mataron gente por sacar la bandera / Por eso es que ahora yo la llevo donde quiera.” In English: “Here they killed people for showing the flag / That’s why I bring it everywhere I want now.” It appears to be a reference to Law 53 of 1948, better known as the Gag Law, a ruling by the Puerto Rican Legislative Assembly which attempted to suppress the independence movement on the island and criminalized displaying the Puerto Rican flag. It was repealed in 1952. It is also one of many reasons Puerto Ricans are known for waving their flag with pride for their island.

It is almost certain the flag of Puerto Rico will appear in some form on the Super Bowl stage. But its colors are worth noting. If it is shown in red, white and blue, that is the current flag of Puerto Rico and has been since 1952. If there are flags that feature light blue, that is reflective of the Puerto Rican independence movement. A black and white version of the flag has become synonymous with Puerto Rican struggle and resiliency. And if there is a flag that more closely resembles the Dominican Republic’s flag, that is the flag of the Puerto Rican mountain town Lares. It was used in the Grito de Lares, the first short revolt against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico in the 19th century.

Puerto Rican expressions: There may be a few Puerto Rican expressions uttered on stage, beyond just those found in Bad Bunny’s music. That could be anything from “Wepa!” which is used in moments of excitement, not unlike exclaiming “Wow!.” It grew in popularity after the release of Alfonso Vélez’s 1974 salsa song “El Jolgorio (Wepa Wepa Wepa).” Or “Acho, PR es otra cosa,” a phrase that became a fan chant during Bad Bunny’s performance of “Voy a llevarte pa’ PR” during his residency. It translates to “Damn, PR is something else.”

Casita: At Bad Bunny’s residency in Puerto Rico last summer, he performed across two stages. One was built to resemble a casita (“little house”), for the pari de marquesina, a house party. These structures are synonymous with Puerto Rico and the Caribbean at large.

Pavas: A symbol that is likely familiar to Bad Bunny fans everywhere, a pava is a straw hat traditionally worn by jíbaros, or Puerto Rican rural farmers. It has become a symbol of pride for the island. The singer even wore a leather version of the hat on the red carpet at the 2025 Met Gala.

Flamboyan tree: The second of the two stages at Bad Bunny’s residency focused on showcasing the island’s natural beauty with its flamboyan and plantain trees. The former are a common feature in Puerto Rican art for its flowers, most commonly seen in brilliant red, orange and yellow hues. The image of the tree evokes Puerto Rico almost as immediately as the sound of its national nocturnal residents, el coquí (a frog with a distinctive sing-song-y call heard only at night.)

El Sapo Concho: Not to be mistaken with el coquí, el sapo concho is the endangered Puerto Rican crested toad that Bad Bunny has used an animated version of in his visuals for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”

Traditional Puerto Rican instruments: Because much of Bad Bunny’s music pulls from bomba and plena, it is likely that a few of those traditional instruments will be on stage. Look out for a cuatro (a small, four-stringed guitar), güiro/güira (a percussive instrument made of a hollow gourd), palitos (also a percussive instrument resembling two long, wood sticks), cencerro (cow bell) and maracas. For the bomba songs, specifically, there may be a barriel (a barrel) and for plena, a pandereta (tambourine.)

Will there be special guests during the halftime show?

It is impossible to predict, but it would be surprising if Bad Bunny wasn’t joined by other performers — particularly other giants of Latin music, and probably, other Puerto Rican performers. The band Chuwi joined Benito for every night of his San Juan residency; it wouldn’t be out of the question to see them on stage for their collaboration, “Weltita.”

Other potential guests, if the residency is a framework to follow, could include Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Young Miko, Wisin y Yandel, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Alfonso Vélez. But the list goes on and on.

Will it be a political performance?

That is in the eye of the beholder. But there is historical precedent for it at the Super Bowl. In 2020, the NFL asked Jennifer Lopez to cut a segment featuring children in cages during her halftime performance, a critique of U.S. immigration policies. She refused. (Bad Bunny was actually a guest performer during that halftime show, which was headlined by Lopez and Shakira.)

Last year, Kendrick Lamar’s set was an artful confrontation of American history and racial dynamics through metaphor, as the actor Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, complained of a performance that was “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto” and reminded Lamar to “play the game.”

Bad Bunny has never steered clear of political messaging. He has criticized President Donald Trump on everything from his hurricane response in his native Puerto Rico to his treatment of immigrants. At the Grammys Sunday, he said “ICE out” while accepting his first televised award of the night. His latest tour skipped the continental U.S.; in an interview he said it was at least partially inspired by concerns that his fans could be targeted by immigration agents.

Trump, a Republican, has said he doesn’t plan to attend this year’s game, unlike last year, and he has derided Bad Bunny as a “terrible choice.”

Following the conclusion of Series 6 on Channel 5, the stars of the hit period drama have been appearing in a new set of videos for MASTERPIECE | PBS during the show’s US broadcast.

In the latest clip, attention turns to the real-life family behind the stories, as viewers are invited to learn more about Jim and Rosie Herriot, the children of author and veterinarian James Herriot.

All Creatures Great and Small (Image: CHANNEL 5)

The video explores their memories of growing up in Skeldale House, the real Yorkshire home that inspired much of the series, and the lasting impact their father’s work has had on generations of readers and viewers.

Fans are told how Jim and Rosie’s experiences have helped shape the tone and authenticity of All Creatures Great and Small, with the production team keen to honour the warmth, humour and humanity of Herriot’s original stories.

The cast also reflects on how important it has been to stay true to the spirit of the books, particularly as the series moves further into a post-war world following the events of Series 6.

The filming of All Creatures Great and Small (Image: CHANNEL 5)

The message struck an emotional chord with viewers, many of whom have followed the show since its debut and feel a deep connection to its characters and setting.

The MASTERPIECE | PBS post accompanying the video read: “Now that you’ve all met the Herriot children on All Creatures Great and Small, learn a little about the real Jim and Rosie.

“Hear about their impact on the series, memories of growing up in Skeldale House, and all the stories they have to share.”

Fans quickly responded, praising the series for staying faithful to Herriot’s legacy and celebrating the personal touches that continue to set the show apart.

All Creatures Great and Small has enjoyed huge success both in the UK and overseas, with its depiction of rural Yorkshire life winning international acclaim.

Series 7 and 8 have already been confirmed, with filming details expected to be announced in due course.

With standing water currently on areas of the Craven Park pitch, an inspection will take place at 11am ahead of the third-round tie, which is scheduled to kick-off at 6pm.

Should the tie be unable to go ahead tomorrow, Sunday is set aside as a contingency day, when it is hoped that the weather in Cumbria will improve.

A statement from Barrow Raiders on X read: “Please be aware that there will be a pitch inspection at 11am tomorrow to determine whether our Betfred Challenge Cup third round tie against York RLFC can go ahead as planned.

“Both sides and the RFL are keen for the game to go ahead, to avoid congestion in the fixture calendar.

“Should the pitch be deemed unplayable on Saturday, Sunday has been set aside as a contingency day, with the forecast set to improve slightly.”

ℹ️ Please be aware that there will be a pitch inspection at 11am tomorrow, to determine whether our Betfred Challenge Cup third round tie against @YorkRLFC can go ahead as planned.

Full details in the thread below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lwLrom6Es9

— Barrow Raiders (@BarrowRaiders) February 6, 2026

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The match marks a first competitive outing of 2026 for Mark Applegarth’s side as they prepare for their first-ever Super League season, and their final run out ahead of next Thursday’s mouth-watering clash at home to reigning champions Hull KR.

York’s only hit out so far this year saw them fall to a 22-4 defeat at Huddersfield Giants in Matty English’s testimonial last month, with 2025 top-scorer Ben Jones-Bishop scoring the visitors’ only try.

The Knights won both their Championship fixtures against Barrow last year, earning a 36-12 victory in Cumbria in March before a 26-12 triumph at the LNER Community Stadium in July.

The sides last met in the Challenge Cup in 2019, with York running out 32-16 victors.

Nick Ball faces off against Brandon Figueroa in defence of his WBA featherweight title on Saturday night in his home city Liverpool – with hopes of landing a showdown with Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue

I’ve been where Nick Ball is now, on top of the world with every fight a massive challenge.

Ball defends my old WBA featherweight crown against Brandon Figueroa on home turf in Liverpool. That’s a huge advantage against a tough opponent from the United States. Liverpool in February is a world away from his Texas home and Figueroa will feel cold in more ways than one.

Against a partisan Scouse crowd the M&S Bank Arena will arguably be the most hostile venue Figueroa has boxed. But at 5ft 9ins tall he has some things in his favour. Ball is giving away seven inches in height.

READ MORE: Oleksandr Usyk vows to discover new boxing stars with relaunch of promotional companyREAD MORE: Deontay Wilder shows true colours with message to Anthony Joshua after tragedy

Figueroa was a world champion at super bantamweight and has lost only to Stephen Fulton, albeit twice, first a majority loss in their super bantamweight unification bout then for the WBC featherweight crown 12 months ago.

Figueroa has 19 KOs in 26 fights so it’s going to be a tough assignment for Ball, who has to give this guy serious respect.

Ball calls himself the wrecking ball. He has to be just that because at his height, you can’t stand off your opponent.

I gave five inches to Colombian banger Felipe Orozco in 1984 and won. Although I was only 5ft 6ins I had a relatively long reach. Ball does not have that advantage.

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If he’s not punching, he has to keep his head moving, and when he is not doing that he has to be moving his feet, be mobile at all times, relentlessly coming forward.

The big target for Ball is Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, who would represent his biggest pay day. But in order to get that fight he has to keep winning and in spectacular fashion.

But that won’t be easy against a world class opponent who is just as desperate to be crowned champion of the world for a second time.

This is a genuine 50/50 fight. I wasn’t expected to beat either Juan Laporte or Eusebio Pedroza back in the day but I fought just like Ball and took it to them.

My objective was to step on them early without getting nailed. If you do get caught, fire back with three shots of your own and at a pace your opponent struggles to match.

You have to be prepared to go to the ends of the earth at this stage of your career to keep winning.

Hopefully, with a febrile crowd at his back, Ball will find what he needs to retain his crown. But fasten those seat belts because it is sure to be a rollercoaster night.

Follow Barry on X at @ClonesCyclone @McGuigan’s_Gym

WhatsApp users are being urged to change their settings after hackers were able to access personal data.

A flaw was discovered by Google’s Project Zero team which allowed people to send malicious files directly to phones.

The hackers were setting up fake group chats and then inviting random users to join.

If the invitation was accepted, the infected files were downloaded without anyone realising.

The files were then used maliciously to access personal data from people’s devices.

Now users have been told to disable automatic downloads to keep themselves protected.

Although WhatAspp had pushed out a fix to block new infections, it is unclear how many people were affected by the hack.

But turning off automatic downloads will prevent it happening in the future, Malwarebytes said.

This means no pictures, files, video or any other type of media will be automatically downloaded.

To turn it off, open WhatApp and tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.

Click settings, head to storage and data and click media auto-download.

Uncheck all media types, and then press OK.

What is the bug?

The bug makes people’s computers vulnerable to ‘spoofing’, which involves cyber crooks disguising their malware as an attached image file.

The documents allow the malware slip into the device, letting hackers to execute code – a script tells gadgets what to do.

The attack, called arbitrary code execution, uses a dodgy program to rip open a device’s backdoor so scammers can steal passwords, turn off security protections and even seize control of the device.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Throughout the entire two-hour journey the child, aged about three, jumped up and down on his seat, climbed onto and under the table, almost knocked over the drink of a fellow passenger, looped his arms over the back of his seat disturbing the traveller sitting there, and was generally noisy and unruly.

In short, his behaviour was terrible, but, as far as we could make out, he was not told off once. The only effort the mother made to rein him in was to thrust an iPad under his nose. It kept him occupied for about ten minutes.

We pitied the very patient people sitting alongside them – a man trying to work on his laptop and a woman trying to get some sleep. Both were the height of politeness throughout constant interruptions. I would rather have sat on the floor beside the toilet. At no point did the mother, who was on her phone most of the time, apologise for her son’s behaviour.

It’s not the first time I have witnessed awful behaviour from children on public transport. I used to travel regularly on the route between Bradford and York, and dreaded the school holidays. The frequent presence of badly behaved kids made the journey torturous; I once sat opposite a child who poured his fizzy drink onto the table and proceeded to make patterns in it with his finger, and another who stuck jellied sweets all over the window. Both were accompanied by parents and neither were told off.

This is why I would happily travel in a child-free carriage – I’d even pay extra to do so if the option was there.

In France, the state-owned rail company SNCF has introduced child-free carriages on some trains, bringing both praise and criticism, with France’s children’s commissioner Sarah El-Haïry among the critics. She described the move as ‘shocking’ and insisted travelling with children is ‘a reality to be supported’.

The real issue does not, however, lie with the children themselves. It’s the adults supervising them who are at the root of their behaviour. Too often, children are left to their own devices, while the parents tap away on their mobile phones with no thought for other people.

As a parent myself, I know how hard travelling with a young child can be, but it’s easy enough to prepare for a journey, take along a couple of children’s books, a toy or two and maybe paper and crayons. Also, it takes no effort to point out things from the window.

The French child-free trains, which ban youngsters aged under 12, target business travellers. Were it introduced here I’d want it to go further and be available to everyone. The only problem would be demand. My guess is that most people want to avoid other people’s offspring on public transport, whether trains, buses or planes.

It’s the same in restaurants, cinemas and other public places. My heart sinks if I end up sitting in close proximity to young kids.

Of course it’s not only children who can cause offence on public transport. In an ideal world, there would be a train carriage for ‘quiet, respectful adults,’ who don’t conduct business with work colleagues loudly on their phone, watch violent films without headphones or spread the contents of their KFC Mighty Bucket for One across the table.

But it’s not an ideal world – far from it. Increasingly, people behave as they like and don’t seem to care how others perceive them.

When we left the train it didn’t surprise me in the slightest to see empty drink cans, sweet papers and sandwich wrappers left on the table and floor where the parent and child had been sitting.

Police, the air ambulance and paramedics were called to Lanark Terrace on Friday, January 30 at 1.55pm.

A child was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, but tragically was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Air ambulance, paramedics and police attended the incident (Image: PROVIDED)

Durham Police has confirmed enquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The air ambulance and North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) previously confirmed they attended the scene and transported the child to hospital.

Police previously said: “Police were called to a medical incident at an address in Ferryhill at 1.55pm today (Friday, January 30).

“Paramedics also attended, and a young child was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham.  

“Sadly, the child was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

“Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the child’s death, which is currently being treated as unexplained.”

null (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

A week on (Friday, February 6), they have confirmed enquiries into the circumstances and incident remain ongoing.

At the time, a spokesperson for the Great North Air Ambulance Service said: “We were activated at 1.54pm to reports of a medical incident in Ferryhill.

“We had a doctor and a paramedic on board our aircraft and they arrived on scene within 10 minutes.

“Our team assessed and treated the patient before the patient was transported to hospital by road.”

null (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson added: “We were called to a private address in Ferryhill, County Durham on Friday January 30 at 1.52pm.

“We dispatched two ambulance crews and were supported by our colleagues at Great North Air Ambulance Service.

“One patient was taken to University Hospital of North Durham by road.”