Officers are understood to be working on the theory the mother died giving birth to her baby girl overnight at the family home

Gardai are probing the sudden death of a woman and her newborn child in rural Co Tipperary, it has emerged.

Sources have told us gardai investigating the horror incident in Carrick-on-Suir believe the woman may have died giving birth to her baby overnight.

It is understood the woman’s partner made the grim discovery in a bathroom in their home in the town at around 1pm today.

Sources tell us the woman and her partner are from eastern Europe and have been living in the town for a relatively short period of time.

Although gardai have only just begun their probe, officers are understood to believe the deaths of the mother and her baby daughter are a tragic incident.

The house has been sealed off and a full Garda investigation is now underway.

A Garda spokeswoman told the Irish Mirror: “Gardaí and emergency services are currently at the scene of an incident in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary this afternoon Friday 8th May 2026.”

Gardai have also established an incident room and are set to appoint a family liaison officer.

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Robert Francis-Davies, who died after a short illness, has been described as ‘an absolute force of nature’

Swansea’s longest-serving councillor has died following a short illness. At the time of his death Robert Francis-Davies was a cabinet member for the city council and had been a Morriston ward councillor since 1983.

The Labour councillor held a range of posts as he served continuously for just over 43 years, including the role of Lord Mayor in 2001-02. The council’s leader Rob Stewart described him as “a true Swansea legend and an absolute force of nature who worked tirelessly for the people of Morriston and Swansea”.

Mr Stewart went on: “He was always proud of Swansea and its people. He delivered such positive change during his many years as a councillor, helping oversee the building of the Swansea.com stadium, the National Waterfront Museum and many more.

“He was a proud support of the Swansea barrage and ensured our city continues to make the most of it with the development of the River Tawe corridor.”

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Mr Francis-Davies was “instrumental” in bringing events like Proms in the Park and the Wales Airshow to Swansea, the council leader added. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

“RFD is an irreplaceable figure in the council and Swansea will not be the same without him,” he said. “My thoughts are with Suzanne, Rebecca, Andrew, Rachel and all of Robert’s family.”

The council’s chief executive Martin Nicholls described Mr Francis-Davies as an “unmistakable figure” whose knowledge and experience were “a real asset” to those he worked with.

In the current cabinet, Mr Francis-Davies served as the cabinet member for investment, regeneration, tourism and events. Before that he held positions including chairing the economic development and legal services committees, and vice-chairing the housing and finance committees.

He was a past executive member of the Museums Association and chair of the Council of Museums in Wales.

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The Greens celebrated two victories, but no party achieved a majority

It was a night of mixed fortunes for parties of all colours at Peterborough ‘s local elections on May 8. A dramatic contest saw 18 wards, around a third of all seats on Peterborough City Council up for grabs.

While some party leaders were jubilant and largely satisfied as the results filtered through during the early hours at Kingsgate Conference Centre, others were left disappointed and despondent. The Conservatives – predicted to be wiped-out by some pre-election polls – were arguably the party who left the count in the most chipper mood.

Six triumphs in North, Paston & Walton, Dogsthorpe, Hargate & Hempsted, Ravensthorpe and Park saw them increase their overall number of council seats from 10 to 13. Peterborough’s Conservative leader, Councillor Wayne Fitgerald, said he was “very pleased with the outcome” as this now makes the Tories, once again, the largest party on the city council.

“We are not dead and buried in the city,” he affirmed, adding: “The Conservatives are not going anywhere in Peterborough. We are very much alive, kicking and fighting [and] we’re in it because we believe what we believe in is the best thing for the city. I’m glad we’ve had a good night tonight.”

As a relatively unknown quantity, Reform UK came into these elections with a palpable degree of momentum and confidence. Andrew O’Neil was, up until now, Reform UK’s sole representative on the city council. However, victories in Bretton, Stanground South, Orton Longeville and Eye, Thorney and Newborough ensure he will be far from alone next time the council meets in the chamber.

He said: “We’ve picked up four seats [so] we now have enough to form a group on the council. I was hoping for ten seats, [but] I think we have enough to maybe make a difference.”

Speculating about how Peterborough’s coalition council leadership team will look going forward, Cllr O’Neil said: “There could be a change in the administration and we may be able to play a role in shaping the future council administration.”

An equal balance of wins and losses meant an evening of mixed fortunes for the Lib Dems which saw them end the night as they started, with eight seats. Party leader Christian Hogg – who retained his Fletton & Stangroun ward – said local politics was “a brutal sport”.

he said: “We’ve lost an absolute cracker of a councillor in Asif Shaheed (Paston and Walton) but we’ve got back Paul Wiggin (Hampton Vale). On the one hand I’m really pleased but, a bit like two years ago, it’s been tinged with sad loss [as] it means we’ve not got a councillor in Paston & Walton for the first time in over 20 years.”

At the start of the evening when the votes were being verified, Labour leader and current Leader of the Council, Shabina Qayyum, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that retaining three of the six seats they were defending would be a “realistic” prospect.

By the end of the night’s proceedings, the party had notched up two ward successes, in East and Central, results which saw the party drop from 13 councillors to 11 overall.

She said: “We’ve gone down a notch. It’s always heartbreaking to lose hard-working councillors from your own party and that’s been the case tonight. Both the mainstream parties… played good… and strong campaigns and sent a really strong message tonight to Reform that the national narrative that is prevailing isn’t quite what it’s cut out to be.”

The Green party also ended the night with two ward victories, with gains in both Orton Waterville and Fletton & Woodston seeing them increase their overall presence on the council by one. Leader of Peterborough’s Greens Cllr Heather Skibsted said she was “delighted,” not just with the brace of seats they secured but also with the fact they were won “convincingly.”

“We were hoping for more wins,” she said, but acknowledged the “rise of Reform had a big impact,” and that “national headlines had made a big difference.” Undeterred, the councillor said the party “will look at what’s happened, learn from it and come back and fight and get more seats next year.”

Peterborough First’s sole victory came in Werrington. However, losses in Hargate & Hempsted and Stanground South means the party now have fewer councillors overall. Speaking on Facebook, party leader Cllr Chris Harper said: “We clearly didn’t do enough in the short amount of time we had to convince many of you to vote local rather than along national lines.

“A minority coalition administration will again be running our city and who that will be we’ll have to wait and see. An interesting few months lie ahead, that’s for sure.”

This is how many seats each party now has on the council:

Conservatives: 13

Labour – 11

Independents – 9

Liberal Democrats – 8

Peterborough First – 8

Green – 6

Reform UK – 5

It is yet to be determined how the new make-up of the council will impact on who is the leader of the authority. Once the dust has settled from these results, the important business of accountable and representative local governance will once again begin.

Criminal Record has brought together a round-up of today’s biggest crime stories.

Every day on Criminal Record we will be bringing you a round-up of the biggest crime stories of the day.

If you love to read about crime in Scotland – this is the place to be every day.

Here’s what has been making the news across the country on Friday.

Man in court after grandad ‘beaten black and blue in home robbery’

A man has appeared in court after a grandad was allegedly beaten black and blue and robbed in his own home.

Gus Tierney told the Record he was viciously attacked by a robber who burst into his home in Renfrew, near Paisley, in the early hours of April 24.

The 68-year-old claimed he had £700 in cash stolen, and was repeatedly beaten to reveal his bank account pin number.

Police Scotland confirmed a 25-year-old man had been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

Read more: Man in court after grandad ‘beaten black and blue in home robbery’

Teen texted ‘I may not survive tonight’ before fatal crash with drunk driver

A terrified teenager texted friends saying “I may not survive tonight” moments before she was killed in a crash caused by a drunk driver.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard Erin Slane, 19, sent the messages while travelling as a passenger in Kyle Patrick’s Ford Fiesta on September 1, 2024. Prosecutors said Patrick, 23, had been driving at speeds of up to 119mph on a secluded Perthshire road while heavily intoxicated.

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Advocate depute Graeme Jessop KC told the court Patrick had spent the night drinking in Perth city centre before offering lifts home to people. Investigators later found he was more than three times the legal drink-drive limit when police took a blood sample around two hours after the crash.

During the journey, Erin texted friends saying: “I may not survive tonight. I’m scared. Kyle is steaming.” Minutes later, Patrick lost control of the car on the B9099 near Stanley. The vehicle crossed the opposite carriageway, smashed through fencing and rolled several times down an embankment before coming to rest upside down in a field.

Patrick survived the crash and another passenger, 19-year-old Keira Jones, escaped with injuries. Erin, however, died at the scene. The court heard Patrick had also accepted £10 from another teenager for a lift earlier that night.

Read more: “I may not survive tonight” Terrified woman text pals moments before dying in crash

Four suspected voter fraud cases reported in Glasgow during Holyrood election

Election officials have reported four suspected cases of personation during voting in Glasgow constituencies in the Scottish Parliament election.

Three alleged incidents were recorded in Glasgow Southside, with a further case reported in Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn. Personation is when someone attempts to vote while pretending to be another registered voter.

Officials confirmed the ballots involved would still be included in the count, but the cases will be reviewed and referred to police for investigation.

Vote counting across Scotland is due to begin at 9am on Friday after polls closed at 10pm on Thursday. The first constituency results are expected around midday, with further declarations continuing throughout the day and evening.

Read more: Four suspected voter fraud cases found in Glasgow

Farmer finds stabbed body of missing father-of-two in murder that remains unsolved

A farmer made a grim discovery early one morning after spotting a man’s body hidden beneath a hedge while collecting hay bales near Langbank in Renfrewshire.

Police found the victim had been stabbed multiple times and had his throat cut, with evidence suggesting he had been killed elsewhere before being dumped in the field.

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The man was later identified as 34-year-old father-of-two Martin Toner from Glasgow’s south side. He had been reported missing by his wife two weeks earlier and was due to stand trial on cocaine smuggling charges at the time he disappeared.

Toner, who ran a bin-cleaning business, was last seen on June 29, 2004, in Langbank’s Main Street, having earlier visited a gym in Pollokshaws. At the time, police initially believed he may have gone on the run due to his pending court case, but his family always insisted he would not have abandoned his children.

Despite appeals and a £3,000 reward, investigators were met with silence, with officers suggesting Toner’s alleged links to criminality may have discouraged witnesses from coming forward. His mobile phone and distinctive sports bag were never recovered.

The case remained unsolved for years until 2014, when former police officer Douglas Fleming was charged with Toner’s murder.

Read more: Mysterious murder of man found stuffed under hedge with throat slashed in sleepy Scots village

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Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, the list goes on. They’re just some of the star names from Belgium’s golden generation that wrote their name into the Red Devils’ history, finishing third at the 2018 World Cup.

While the vast majority of that glittering squad have now hung up their boots, there are a few stars remaining, still looking for one last taste of glory. The likes of Lukaku and De Bruyne remain key players at Napoli, but there’s a perception that the last of the golden generation are past their best.

They’re out to prove the doubters wrong at this summer’s World Cup. Sure, Belgium aren’t quite the same team that beat England to finish third in Russia, getting the better of Gareth Southgate’s men for the bronze medal, but there’s still a romantic hope they can go far in the competition.

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It’s no secret the most recent major tournament was a disaster for the Belgians, with Domenico Tedesco’s side dumped out of the 2024 European Championships by France after edging through their group with Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia. Real Madrid’s Courtois had fallen out with the head coach and was left out of the squad for the tournament, while Lukaku admitted he wanted to quit the team, claiming there was a toxic environment in the group.

Tedesco was relieved of his duties after the tournament, and French head coach Rudi Garcia was tasked with reigniting their fortunes ahead of the World Cup. Scott Coyne of the Belgian Football Podcast has given an insight into the current state of affairs in Belgium and why Hazard could have a say on this summer’s tournament, despite retiring from football in 2023.

“Absolutely,” he said when asked if it was last chance saloon for the final few members of the ‘Golden Generation’ this summer. “That’s the spine of the side. Obviously, Courtois, De Bruyne, and Lukaku, who have one more tournament in them and are going to have to, not only be fully fit, but perform at their best if Belgium are going to do well.

“What we’ve seen in their qualification for the World Cup has been, for the most part, unconvincing. And they’ve really been untested on the whole. They were in a qualification group where Wales were probably their stiffest competition by quite some distance and were always going to be.

“But that’s not enough really to kind of give us a gauge on where this side actually are at. Garcia is the second coach to have come in since [Roberto] Martinez left and it’s part of what is really a continuing transition. I mean, the work that Tedesco did didn’t generally go down that positively with the fan base, but I think he’s been kind of quite harshly treated.”

Belgium sneaked through their group at the recent European Championship and weren’t particularly convincing before they were knocked out by France. Tedesco was sacked after less than two years in the job, with Belgian fans wondering what would come next.

Coyne said: “I think history might remember that relatively short spell that Tedesco did positively because the one thing he did do was realise that they were essentially at the end of a major cycle. That this was going to have to be the beginning of something new, and that the process in itself is often long, longer than fans’ patience tends to be, and sometimes quite painful as well, with a lot of experimentation.

READ MORE: England Player Ratings: Morgan Rogers was not rested against Tottenham – and it is really showing

“That’s exactly what we saw under Tedesco, this kind of wave of youth and players getting their first caps, which I think was a good thing, and it was certainly something that had to happen. But at the same time, you’re still looking to get results, and I think he did.

“I think just patience ran out a little bit, and there was a feeling that they needed to kind of make a change, because I think the confidence and the speed of the process probably was waning a little bit, rather than what he was actually doing in itself. On the whole, there were far more positives, than negatives to take out of what he did during a short time.

“Garcia’s come in, his appointment’s interesting insofar as there’s been a lot of change at the Belgian FA in the background. So Roberto Martínez leaves, a lot of staff leave with him, and then the FA then go on effectively what is a downsizing programme under a new sporting director, where they’re cutting costs, basically.”

Despite Belgium being somewhat of an unknown quantity heading into this summer’s tournament they still boast an array of Premier League talent, including Manchester United’s No.1 Senne Lammens, Aston Villa midfield duo Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans and Manchester City’s electric winger Jeremy Doku, currently enjoying his best season for the club.

Although they don’t have the hype of the previous golden generation, they can also call on one of the country’s best-ever players – Eden Hazard – for vital tournament experience.

Coyne said: “Most of the side don’t come from the sort of background that a lot of the golden generation did. I think it’s very difficult for somebody to kind of fulfil that same role really on any level.

“I mean, it’s one of the reasons that Rudi Garcia has brought back in players like Axel Witsel, albeit on a short-term basis. And it’s more about having that experience and that presence in that camp to rub off on younger players than to be able to kind of go and play and contribute too much.

“I don’t think the expectation was that somebody like Axel’s going to get that much game time for obvious reasons, but just having him around.”

Thomas Tuchel has taken a similar approach in reintegrating Jordan Henderson into the Three Lions’ set-up, but England haven’t yet brought in one of their nation’s best-ever players to help the national side. While Belgium have given Hazard a call.

“It’s the same as being able to bring Eden Hazard into that kind of training environment as well and deliver some training sessions,” Coyne said. “He’s not officially part of Rudi’s coaching staff, but he has done some work in there because they know each other very, very well.

“There was an expectation that Hazard probably would join the staff. And who knows? I mean, there is still the possibility that he might join the staff to go to the tournament, just to be in there as well, because the influence of these players, it’s a very difficult thing to kind of put a value on in that.

“I think there are indications that some players who, given time, I think could step into what would be considered sort of a senior leadership role. They are still very, very reliant on De Bruyne and Lukaku as well.”

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De Bruyne boasts 115 caps for his country, while Lukaku has scored an incredible 89 goals in 124 caps. In the international break, 17-year-old Nathan De Cat made his first bow for the senior team – not only one to watch in the future, but someone the Red Devils believe can make an impact this summer.

Of those players called up for recent international friendlies, just seven players had over 30 caps, with De Bruyne, Witsel, Thomas Meunier, Timothy Castagne, Tielemans, Lois Openda and Doku among the most experienced players in the squad, though the latter two players only have 33 and 41 caps respectively.

Despite their reliance on the likes of De Bruyne and Lukaku, the Red Devils’ expectations are low ahead of the World Cup, but that’s where previous teams have thrived.

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“The thing they’ve built up historically, is they’ve always done better when they’ve had kind of no real expectation of them,” Coyne said. “And for a long time, up until probably the early 2000s, early mid-2000s, Belgium nationally had a reputation for being very good defensively and on the whole quite good in midfield.

“There was a good balance between the defensive side of the game and offensively in midfield. But it was always up top that the doubts were about, they always lacked world-class strikers.

“That was the thing that kind of held them back. The reason they did punch above their weight in a number of tournaments, pre the golden generation, was probably because the collective was greater than the sum of its parts.

“A series of coaches had really done very, very well, actually knitting together a really good team ethic. And that’s something people forget, that it is a team game.

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“Everyone focuses on the stars and the any nation and always talks about them at the expense of kind of the collective unit. Belgium were very, very good at employing that, over a 20, 30-year period leading up to the golden generation, exceeding expectations at tournaments for that very reason.

“They then have a terrible Euro 2000, and off the back of that start to invest in their footballing infrastructure in a major way. That’s what leads to a kind of revolution and their coaching methods and their academies, with some of the Belgian club academies now some of the best ones in Europe.”

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Kim McGuinness says the Prime Minister has a “very short window to turn this around” in the wake of a brutal set of local election results.

Sir Keir insisted on Friday that he was “not going to walk away”, despite Labour haemorrhaging support across the country and mounting speculation about his future in Downing Street.

In the North East, Labour has ceded control of Sunderland City Council to Reform and was on course to lose power in Newcastle, Gateshead, and South Tyneside.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Friday afternoon, Ms McGuinness said the Prime Minister “has got to get this turned around and get it turned around urgently”.

Asked if he should resign, she replied: “Not now, but I think he is on borrowed time. I think there is an opportunity now to demonstrate that the people of the country have been understood, but Keir needs to show he speaks the same language as the people of our region and he wants the same things. 

“I think he does, I think he hears that. But he is now on borrowed time as far as I am concerned. He has a very short window to turn this around and do it very very quickly.”

The mayor, who was elected to a four-year term in 2024, called this week’s local elections a “really sad day for a lot of good councillors” who were not largely responsible for their losses.

Ms McGuinness said: “This is a reaction to how people feel about national government and the state of the country at the moment. That is something that absolutely needs to be listened to urgently. It needed to be listened to before this and now it is absolutely imperative.”

She added: “It is very clear that people do not feel listened to or understood by government – and I get it. They voted for change and, while we have to be realistic about the fact that change takes time, it is not happening quick enough for people. And so part of this is about making sure the promises made to the public are delivered upon and part of it is about making sure it happens quicker.

“Then, finally, I think they [the government] are absolutely terrible at communicating what they are doing. That is definitely having a negative effect on how people feel and understandably so. The voters are never, ever wrong. Now is the time to listen and make sure people know that they are listening and understanding the scale of the challenge.”

Asked if she would support metro mayor Andy Burnham as a potential replacement for Sir Keir, she said that the Greater Manchester figurehead “would make a great prime minister, but he is not an MP and there is not a leadership contest”.

Former deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and health secretary Wes Streeting have also been touted as potential contenders to move into Number 10.

Ms McGuinness also said she had seen “green shoots” from the government, like the Renters Rights Act and lifting the two-child benefit cap.

Speaking in London on Friday, Sir Keir said:  “The voters have sent a message about the pace of change, how they want their lives improved.

“I was elected to meet those challenges but I’m not going to walk away from those challenges.”

Channel 4 has confirmed that Secret Genius will return for an extended second series with hosts Alan Carr and Susie Dent, expanding to seven episodes

Popular Channel 4 programme Secret Genius is set to make a comeback with an extended second series.

Channel 4 has confirmed that the hit show will return for a lengthier second run, expanding to seven episodes. Presenters Alan Carr and Susie Dent will also reprise their roles as hosts, guiding viewers through a fresh collection of challenging puzzles and intelligence tests designed to uncover the remarkable abilities of ordinary people.

The debut series, which launched in February, attracted 2.1 million viewers for its opening episode, as contestants from varied backgrounds arrived at Genius HQ to tackle large-scale interactive challenges inspired by the IQ tests used by Mensa.

The forthcoming series, co-produced by Mothership and WPP Media Motion Entertainment, will feature even more games for audiences to participate in from the comfort of their own homes, alongside new and inventive ways to put both contestants and viewers through their paces.

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Expressing his delight about the new series, Alan said: “I’m absolutely thrilled Secret Genius is back and to be doing this alongside Susie again!” reports the Mirror.

“We met people last series with unbelievable brains who had no idea how brilliant they were and watching that penny drop was genuinely magical.

“This series feels really special – bigger, more playful, and giving everyone at home the chance to join in and maybe discover a bit of hidden genius themselves. I can’t wait to meet our next batch of undercover geniuses… and try to keep up!”

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Meanwhile, lexicographer Susie, who is also a well-known face on Channel 4’s Countdown, revealed that the first series was “life-changing” for some of the programme’s contestants.

She said: “I’m delighted that Alan and I will have a new chance to discover people who have as yet no idea just how special they are. The first series of Secret Genius proved genuinely life-changing for some of our participants, and it was a privilege to see their newfound confidence.

“I’m already excited at the prospect of witnessing some more incredible minds!”

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Madonna Benjamin, who works as a Senior Commissioning Editor, Documentaries and Factual Entertainment at Channel 4, said: “Secret Genius and the wonderful Alan and Susie struck a real chord with the audience by celebrating intelligence in all its forms and turning it into a joyful, shared experience.

“We’re delighted to be bringing it back with a bigger, bolder new series, helping even more people from across the country to unlock their hidden genius.”

Secret Genius series one is available to stream on Channel 4.

The Record brings you its 5pm round-up of the big election stories so far.

John Swinney declares SNP victory in Scottish election

John Swinney has declared victory for the SNP in the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections after a disastrous day for Labour.

The Nationalists have secured an unprecedented fifth term at Holyrood despite party veteran Angus Robertson set to lose his seat in Edinburgh following an historic breakthrough by the Greens.

Anas Sarwar conceded his party had no chance of winning a first Scottish Parliament election since 2003 after just seven seats were declared on Friday afternoon.

Read the full story

Angus Robertson crashes out of Holyrood after Greens gain in Edinburgh

SNP veteran Angus Robertson is set to crash out of Holyrood after losing to the Greens in Edinburgh Central.

Lorna Slater triumphed in the Capital in a breakthrough moment for the environmental party. The Greens have relied on the list vote to elect MSPs at all previous Holyrood elections, with Slater becoming their first candidate to win a constituency seat.

The result is a crushing blow to Robertson on a day of SNP triumphs elsewhere in the country. His position on the party list means it is unlikely he will now return to the Scottish Parliament.

Read the full story

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar concedes Holyrood election

Anas Sarwar has conceded the Holyrood election to the SNP after a crushing defeat.

The Scottish Labour leader pointed the finger at the UK Government by blaming a “national wave” of anger.

Sarwar had based his campaign of toppling the SNP on prioritising 38 constituencies across the country.

Read the full story

Reports first emerged in the Spanish media on Wednesday that midfielders Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni had been involved in a heated verbal disagreement during training.

It was later confirmed by Valverde himself and the situation is understood to have escalated on Thursday at Real’s training base.

Sources have told BBC Sport the argument continued after training and culminated in Valverde being taken to hospital with a head injury following a dressing room altercation.

Valverde later denied reports the pair had physically fought, insisting the injury occurred after he “accidentally hit a table” during the confrontation.

In a lengthy statement released on Thursday evening, the Uruguay midfielder said he suffered “a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital” and rejected suggestions either player had struck the other.

An emergency meeting was later called involving club president Florentino Perez, members of the coaching staff, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa and captain Dani Carvajal.

Real Madrid subsequently released two statements.

The first confirmed disciplinary proceedings had been opened against both players, adding that the club would provide updates “once the corresponding internal procedures have been completed”.

The second was a medical update confirming Valverde had suffered a concussion and would need to rest for between 10 and 14 days, ruling him out of Sunday’s El Clasico.

“Clearly, someone here is spreading rumours, and with a season without titles, where Real Madrid is always under scrutiny, everything gets blown out of proportion,” Valverde said.

On Friday, Real said the pair had “apologised to each other, the club and their team-mates” and been fined 500,000 euros (£432,037.50) each.