At least 21 people have been killed and 61 injured by an explosion at a fireworks factory in central China.

More than 500 rescuers have been dispatched to the scene after the huge explosion, which occurred at a facility in the city of Changsha in Hunan province on Monday afternoon, according to the state-run newspaper China Daily.

The explosion occurred at 4.40pm on Monday, and the force of the blast shattered windows and damaged houses over a wide area near the factory.

Those living nearby were evacuated due to an ongoing risk of further explosions from two black powder warehouses at the site, a Xinhua report said.

Aerial footage broadcast on Tuesday by Chinese state TV showed white plumes of smoke still billowing from parts of the site, operated by the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co.

The cause of the blast has not yet been confirmed, but officials have taken “control measures” against those in charge of the company, without specifying what that means.

Emergency crews were spraying water on the site to reduce the chance of further accidents and the risk of harm to rescuers, officials said.

The rescue teams have also deployed three robots to help with the search and rescue operation.

Chinese president Xi Jinping issued a statement directing “all-out efforts” to search for and rescue the missing and injured.

He also called on authorities to swiftly investigate the cause of the blast and pursue serious accountability measures.

The president also instructed ​authorities to bolster efforts for effective risk screening and hazard control in key industries and the strengthening of public safety management.

Changsha city is a hub for fireworks manufacturing.

Last year, China exported $1.14bn worth of fireworks, more than two-thirds of global sales, data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity shows.

But accidents related to the storage and manufacture of fireworks are relatively frequent. In February alone, China reported two deadly explosions at fireworks shops around the Lunar New Year period.

The beach is known for being one of the best spots to see seals along the Norfolk coast.

A beach easy to get to from Cambridgeshire has been announced as one of the best in Europe. The Trip Advisor awards for 2026 have been released and cover a range of categories including the best beaches across the world.

Horsey Gap on the Norfolk coast has been named one of the best beaches to visit in Europe. While there are many popular seaside towns to visit with lots of attractions for children, if you are looking for a quieter beach to relax on this summer, you might want to try Horsey Gap instead.

The ‘unspoilt’ beach goes on for miles with lots of sandy dunes to explore on a walk. The beach is good for paddling in the shallow waters and sunbathing.

Horsey Gap is probably best known for being a great place to spot grey seals. Throughout the winter, Horsey Gap sees thousands of seal pups being born on the beach with lots of people visiting the area to watch them for afar.

Even though pupping season ends around February, if you visit the beach throughout the spring, you might still be able to see some of the baby seals, as they like to stay in the area to shed and renew their coats. During these times, you can find seal wardens to help visitors and tell them about the wildlife.

Horsey Gap is also popular with those looking for a long and peaceful coastal walk. You can stroll for miles along the beach either towards Waxham and Sea Palling in the north or to Winterton-on-Sea in the south.

If you need a place to pick up something to eat for your trip, you could pop into Poppylands 1940s tearoom, where you can enjoy cream teas and light lunches surrounded by 1940s memorabilia. You could also visit the National Trust’s Horsey Windpump tearoom while visiting the historic site.

Horsey Gap is around a two hours drive away from Cambridge via the A11. A car park can be found right next to the beach, which costs £4 for a stay of up to two hours, £6.20 for up to four hours, and £8.50 for all day.

While John Higgins reached the last four in Sheffield and the final of the Masters this term, O’Sullivan’s win at Alexandra Palace in January 2024 was the most recent occasion that a member of the sport’s fabled ‘Class of 92’ won a Triple Crown event.

“There is a finite amount of time that a player can perform at the optimum level,” said Ferguson.

“There is now a lot more talent chasing them and a lot more talent that’s capable of winning. We’ve seen a big shift in the younger players. What we’re seeing now is multiple players that can actually beat the ‘Class of 92’ and go all the way.”

Liu echoed those comments, adding: “He’s almost 30 years younger than those guys so I think we’re definitely witnessing a change of era.

“A lot of players have already predicted Zhao will be the one who is in the dominant position in the next 10 years or so, but if Wu continues to grow in the next two or three years, he can up there together with Zhao.”

However, it should be noted that English duo Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson, between them, hold five world titles and have won five tournaments this season, including the two other Triple Crown events – the UK Championship and the Masters.

A 29-year-old woman was blue-lighted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after being struck by a motorbike in a hit-and-run on Garthdee Drive, with Police Scotland now investigating.

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A woman has been taken to hospital after being struck by a motorcyclist in a hit-and-run incident in Aberdeen.

Disturbing footage recorded by a Ring doorbell camera captured the woman walking towards an underpass on Garthdee Drive on Saturday, 2 May.

A motorcycle can be seen hurtling towards her before colliding with her on the pavement. She is thrown into the air and lands on the road, before a concerned passerby with a pushchair rushes over to help.

The heartless rider then makes off from the scene.

Emergency services were called to the residential area following the incident. A 29 year old woman was taken by blue-light ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Her condition remains unknown at this time, reports the Daily Record.

Police Scotland confirmed they are hunting the motorcyclist who fled the scene. An investigation has been launched and enquiries are continuing.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 4.45pm on Saturday, 2 May, 2026, we were called to a report of crash involving a female pedestrian and a motorcycle on Garthdee Drive in Aberdeen.

“Emergency services attended and the 29-year-old woman was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for treatment.

“The motorcycle had left the area. Enquiries are ongoing.”

Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City will keep fighting Arsenal for the Premier League after dropping points at Everton but admits the title is no longer in their own hands.

Man City were hoping to reduce Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to three points when they visited the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night.

Guardiola’s side blew the title race wide open by beating Arsenal last month but the Gunners responded with wins over Newcastle United and Fulham.

Trailing Arsenal by six points but boasting two games in hand, the title was still effectively in Manchester City’s hands but that required an away win at Everton on Monday.

City led through Jeremy Doku’s brilliant strike on the stroke of half-time but Everton mounted a stunning comeback, going 3-1 up through a Thierno Barry brace and a Jake O’Brien header.

It was then Man City’s turn to produce a brilliant comeback, with the visitors scoring two late goals through Erling Haaland and Doku to avoid defeat.

The 3-3 draw means Arsenal boast a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League ahead of their final three league games against West Ham, Burnley and Crystal Palace.

Assessing the title race after Manchester City’s draw at Everton, Guardiola said: ‘We take the point and until it’s over, we’re going to continue.

‘It’s better than a loss. We played to win. It just shows what the team are. We tried and we have done it. It’s not in our hands. Before it was in our hands. Now, no.

‘We have to do it in our four games that we have in the Premier League. It will be quite similar against Brentford. We will see what happens.’

Discussing the game more generally, Guardiola said: ‘Everton away is always difficult and I give credit to them for their composure and aggression.

‘Second half, they made a step up. We didn’t have as much control and we gave away the goal. After that they come back and make a proper English game, so aggressive in the duels.

‘But in general we made a really good performance. It’s not easy because they play so well defensively, with 10 players there and the fast transitions.’

Man City hero Doku added: ‘It feels painful now. There is still a lot of games to go.

‘We lost two points today. We will keep on fighting – we owe it to ourselves and to our fans.’

Manchester City will look to boost their fading title hopes on Saturday when they welcome in-form Brentford to the Etihad Stadium.

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In a statement, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service confirmed it received a 999 call at 12:51 on Monday, May 4 following reports of an incident involving an electric scooter in the vicinity of Dunluce Road, Portrush.

A spokesperson added: “NIAS dispatched an Emergency Crew to the incident. Ambulance Control also tasked the Charity Air Ambulance, with HEMS crew on board, to attend.

“Following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, one patient was taken by Air Ambulance to the Royal Victoria Hospital.”

The 45-year-old mum was told she needed caffeine to beat the crippling effects

A mum who experienced severe headaches that progressed to vomiting and being “housebound for nine weeks” was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition affecting five in every 100,000 people annually that forced her to consume three coffees, a caffeine tablet and a Coke Zero every day to manage her symptoms.

Sapna Bidwall, 45, an accountant living in Milton Keynes, was diagnosed in January 2024 with Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension (SIH), a type of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, where there is a small hole in the outer membrane that causes the brain to sag downwards, according to The Brain Charity.

As a result, Sapna started experiencing headaches from the age of 42 in July 2023 that her doctor prescribed physiotherapy for, but her symptoms escalated to migraines, as well as frequent vomiting, nausea, and loss of appetite that led to hospitalisation on December 29. Sapna underwent a series of scans and she was diagnosed with SIH before she was told she could manage her symptoms by consuming caffeine. This can help constrict blood vessels and increase CSF production, according to complex spinal surgeon Gordan Grahovac.

In March 2025, aged 44, Sapna decided to have a thoracic laminoplasty procedure to seal the leak, which is when she found out the hole was 10mm wide. In the aftermath of this three-hour surgery, Sapna said she is 98% recovered and has returned to normal life, including no longer being “caffeine dependent”.

Sapna told PA Real Life: “People really don’t understand what a CSF leak is and patients are ignored. “I know so many people who have been told they’ve just got migraines, when it goes deeper. I feel really sad about that because it’s a condition that people are just so unaware about,” she added.

Sapna said her symptoms came on without warning in July 2023 while on a family holiday in Croatia with her husband, Palvinder, and her daughter, Diya, 13. She said she assumed it was “just dehydration”, but she felt “really sick” the next day with nausea and ended up vomiting.

Trying to persist with the holiday, Sapna attempted a 45-minute hike that she “really struggled” with so she “went to lie down” and that is when she noticed her symptoms were much better. She didn’t realise it at the time, but CSF leak symptoms are usually “remarkably worse when standing or sitting upright and lessen or disappear when lying flat”, according to The Brain Charity.

The headaches persisted after Sapna returned to the UK so she went to her GP, who referred her to a physiotherapist. The sessions “weren’t really helping” and at this stage, Sapna believed her condition might be menopausal or from using her phone before bed.

Sapna went on two more holidays – Tanzania in October 2023 and the Turks and Caicos Islands in December – where she noticed her symptoms would worsen. During the latter, she said: “I think it was day two when I went on the water slides there and then I woke up the next day and I felt my head was blasting.

“It was really quite bad and intense and that’s when I thought there must be something seriously wrong. Luckily, because I was lying down a lot, I managed to get back to the UK, but I wasn’t feeling right.”

By December 29 – just days after returning from holiday – she was still “really struggling” so she went to her GP and said: “My head is bursting and there’s definitely something wrong. I feel there’s a tumor.”

Sapna’s GP advised her to go to A&E, where she said she was admitted and had a CT scan and two MRIs over the course of a week. On January 2, 2024, Sapna was told that she had “brain sag” and received her diagnosis of spontaneous intracranial hypotension, which she was advised could be helped with rest and caffeine.

Sapna thought to herself at the time: “What sort of condition encourages you to have Coke?” She added that she “never used to drink a lot of coffee” then, so she decided to take that up.

“I started realising, if I’m having caffeine towards the end of the day, around six o’clock, I’m not waking up with a headache,” Sapna said. “So I started making all these adjustments to make myself better.” Sapna was also encouraged to stay at home for at least nine weeks to see if her condition improved, which she described as “like being in prison”.

During this time, Sapna looked up her SIH diagnosis online and found a Facebook group for people with CSF leaks, where she began “asking so many questions” for support. It was through this group that she decided to see a private consultant neuroradiologist named Lalani Carlton Jones in March 2024.

After two myelograms – an imaging test that uses contrast dye to identify where in the spine the leak originates from – Dr Carlton Jones referred Sapna to consultant neurosurgeon Dr Grahovac. In June 2024, Dr Grahovac looked at Sapna’s tests and said her leak was “really small” and that it “might self-heal” so he recommended just monitoring it.

Three months later, a follow-up MRI revealed it was still leaking, so Sapna had to decide if she wanted to go through with spinal surgery. Sapna said: “It was now a year after my headaches started and I was still suffering.

“If I didn’t have caffeine, my life was just not possible. I was caffeine-dependent.”

So Sapna took some time to weigh up the risks of the thoracic laminoplasty surgery and decided to go ahead with it in March 2025. Sapna said she “wasn’t nervous on the day” because she felt “110% confident” in Dr Grahovac.

After the three-hour successful surgery, Sapna said she found out her leak was 10mm but that she was a “functional leaker”, meaning she was “still able to do so much” compared to other people she has spoken to via her Facebook support group.

The next day after her surgery, Sapna woke up and was surprised to not have a headache, especially because she had not had any caffeine. My whole journey after surgery has been brilliant,” Sapna said. “I have never, ever woken up with a headache.”

As for her caffeine intake, she said: “I’m not caffeine dependent anymore, but I’ve now got a taste of coffee, so I do like having one every now and then.”

Sapna added: “I can say all the positive words in the dictionary to express my gratitude to Dr Carlton Jones and Dr Grahovac. I know I’ve got life because of them and I have a second chance. It’s like I’ve won a lottery.”

Charlie Appleyard, a highly talented tattoo artist in London, has rented all her life — at huge costs — and, though she is desperate to own a home, she faces challenges

A late millenial has lifted the lid on the bleak choice her generation faces — cheaper rent or “a safer area to walk home alone at night”.

Charlie Appleyard, 32, is desperate to own a property but, though she has had a meteoric career as a tattoo artist, she is struggling to be able to find enough money for a mortgage. Charlie has rented all her life and, although she budgets and is wise with her money, the young woman feels it is likely she will “live like a nomad” forever.

The self-employed tattoo artist said: “These days, my generation has to choose between cheaper rent and a safer area to walk home alone at night. Of course, I want to own my own home. I dream of owning my own home, making it lovely, having a garden and surrounding myself with my own beautiful things.

“But it is impossible. The main reason is cost – in the 1990s, a small flat around here would have cost £70,000 to £150,000 – now, it is over £500,000. Wages have simply not increased proportionately.”

READ MORE: Renters’ Rights Act means one in four Brits in rented homes now more likely to get petsREAD MORE: ‘Disgusted’ residents find out they were illegally trespassing in their own gardens

With elections this week, young people have stated housing remains a big issue likely to influence their vote. A recent survey of adults aged 28 to 43 revealed 26% have yet to become homeowners — despite previously assuming they would have by this stage — with 68% of those currently renting and 23% still residing with relatives.

Many of this 26%, such as Charlie, live in the Southeast of London where property prices are significantly greater than elsewhere in the UK. Charlie also commutes from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, into central London, adding another large expense on her outgoings.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Charlie said: “I am feeling distinctly left behind. The only consolation is looking around and realising it definitely isn’t just me. But nor does it feel like a ‘phase’ or a ‘current crisis’. This is the way things are, and if anything, it is going to get more and more difficult. I think we may well be the generation of eternal renters.

“When I mention buying a home to all my friends, I get the same response — an eye-roll and a hollow laugh. I feel a bit as if I am living like a nomad — flitting from one insecure perch to another.”

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) reports Gen Z may never own a home. Young people today would have to pay six times more for their first home than their parents. Indeed, Charlie’s mother Diana bought her irst one-bedroom flat in Bowdon, south Manchester, when she was 25 for £29,000 and, at Charlie’s age, Diana and her husband Ross were owners of a four-bedroomed farm conversion in Alcester, Warwickshire.

But today’s first-time buyer has to find a deposit which is, on average, twice their yearly salary — £60,000. This is on top of the fact that the average salary — while rising, obviously — has barely doubled since the 1990s, from £15,034 to £37,430.

This is compounded by new research which shows only one in 10 newly built homes reaches the open sales market. Figures from estate agent CRM providers Alto, combined with ONS statistics, revealed the vast majority of new build properties don’t reach the open market for Brits to purchase.

A man who regularly walks his dog in the woodland has said it is ‘disgusting’

Part of a woodland next to a recycling centre has become a “dumping ground” for scrap metal and other rubbish. Andy Jones, who lives in Arbury, enjoys walking his dog in the woodlands next to Milton Recycling Centre.

However, Andy says part of the woodland is “disgusting” as it is a hotspot for fly-tipping. Every time he goes past this part of the woodland, there are hauls of scrap metal dumped, as well as fridges in ditches and other electrical items.

“I love the woods but it’s so bad – it’s getting worse,” said Andy. “I think it’s always been like that. I think it’s known as a dumping ground. There is all kinds of stuff there. There are ditches filled with stagnant water because the fridges in them are blocking the flow of water.”

Andy finds it “sad” that the area has been left like this. He added: “It’s a nice area, but all of this illegal dumping is ruining the environment. I don’t think many people go there now because of all of the stuff there.”

The woodlands are located next to Milton Recycling Centre, which is used for household waste.

Andy added: “All of this stuff looks like it’s for business use. Maybe people are dumping it there because they don’t want to pay the cost of getting rid of it?”

South Cambridgeshire Council oversees waste collection and fly tipping for the area. However, a council spokesperson said the woodland was privately owned.

A council spokesperson said: “While we understand how upsetting dumped waste can be for residents, the land in question is privately owned and not within our control. Under national government guidance, responsibility for clearing waste on private land rests with the landowner, regardless of the type of waste or how it came to be there.

“We would encourage the landowner to seek advice from the Environment Agency or get in touch with us on the appropriate next steps.”

CambridgeshireLive was unable to contact the private landowner.

United Airlines Flight 169 was landing when it struck a light pole on the adjacent turnpike and footage has emerged which shows the plane also struck a bakery truck

Terrifying footage has captured the moment a passenger jet hit a truck while coming in to land and a major US airport.

United Airlines Flight 169 was landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday, May 3, when it struck a light pole on the adjacent New Jersey Turnpike, as previously reported by the Mirror. New footage has emerged which shows the plane also struck a bakery truck.

The flight, which was arriving from Venice, Italy, was approaching Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to land. The United Airlines Boeing 767 was travelling more than 257km per hour when it crossed over the turnpike, just outside of the airport, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24.

A preliminary investigation found that a tyre from the plane’s landing gear and the underside of the plane “collided with a pole and a tractor-trailer. The pole then struck a Jeep,” New Jersey State Police spokesman SFC Charles Marchan said in a statement.

“The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital.”

Dashcam footage from within the bakery truck showed the driver travelling. The truck was travelling north on the turnpike to deliver bread products to a Newark airport depot when the incident occurred.

The plane’s landing gear tires suddenly strike the truck, shaking the vehicle and shattering glass.

Driver Warren Boardley was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and was later released.

Nobody on the flight was injured.

The pilots and air traffic control did not appear to be aware of the incident, an Australian news site reported.

The aircraft was instructed to taxi to the gate while other aircrafts continued to land on the runway.

Air traffic controllers reported a “hole in the side of the aeroplane” to an operations vehicle preparing to inspect the runway about half an hour after the landing.

A spokesperson for United Airlines said its maintenance team was evaluating damage to the aircraft and promised “a rigorous flight safety investigation into the incident”.

The plane’s crew has been removed from service as part of the investigation.