Figures show there have been 29 road deaths in Northern Ireland so far this year

Extra funding has been granted to re-enforce critical road safety messages amid a recent spike in road deaths in Northern Ireland.

The Department for Infrastructure announced an extra £220,000 funding commitment has been agreed in response to the growing number of road deaths this year.

Figures from the PSNI show there have been 29 road fatalities so far this year, more than twice the number for the same period in 2025, when 14 fatalities were recorded on our roads.

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Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said the funding to re-enforce road safety messages will focus on general driver behaviour and motorcyclist safety.

Minister Kimmins said: “Road safety continues to be a key priority for me, and I remain firmly committed to ensuring that all road users can travel safely and with confidence.

“Every road death is a tragedy and more than a statistic, it shatters families and causes devastating grief. Therefore, given the recent spikes in road deaths, I have committed funding in 2026-27 to re-launch three campaigns this month.

“Beginning May 7th, Priorities, Bike Speed and Bike Aware address general driver behaviour and motorcyclist safety as an initial priority.

“Last year I reinstated the road safety advertising budget, approving an allocation of almost £2 million to Road Safety Promotion for the 2025-26 financial year.

“In addition, the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership (NIRSP) has allocated £500,000 in sponsorship, bringing the total budget to almost £2.5 million.

“This budget funded the development of a suite of campaigns to address the main causations of road traffic collisions, including, hard hitting ads addressing speeding, driver behaviour, drug driving and safety around school buses.”

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Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the agency, said: “We are pleased to confirm that all British nationals onboard the MV Hondius have now safely returned to the UK and are being supported by UKHSA and NHS medical experts at Arrowe Park, who have worked at pace to prepare for the safe arrival of passengers at the facility.

Former TOWIE star James Argent has paid tribute to his co-star Jake Hall, who died suddenly aged 35. Sharing an emotional video on Instagram James said Jake was “one of a kind”

Reality TV personality James Argent has honoured his “dear mate” Jake Hall, saying he “loves and misses so much”, after his unexpected death at 35.

The former The Only Way Is Essex (Towie) favourite, known as “Arg”, has turned to social media to commemorate his co-star, whom he described as possessing “infectious energy” and being “one of a kind”. Argent, 38, shared behind-the-scenes footage with Hall from a photoshoot following a “huge weight-loss goal”, telling his nearly one million followers how “lucky” he felt to have that “beautiful memory” preserved.

Under the video, Argent wrote: “I’ve been processing the loss of my dear mate Jake. Watching videos, looking through photos, listening to voice notes and reading messages from our friendship. It hurts real bad.

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“This footage was taken around four years ago as I’d just hit a huge weight-loss goal. Jake was so proud of me, he organised a full shoot with a videographer/photographer using his own clothing designs at his studio in east London.”

Argent recalled feeling “unsure” about the photoshoot but revealed TV personality Hall “insisted”, adding: “He did this because he wanted me to finally feel good about myself. He gave me so much confidence. He spent the day raising me up.

“We didn’t stop laughing and had so much fun together. I’m so lucky to have this beautiful memory.

“Jake had infectious energy and was one of a kind. Love and miss my mate so much.” The comments were inundated with messages of support from fans, friends and former co-stars alike, including fellow Towie alumni Billie Shepherd, Danielle Armstrong and Ferne McCann.

Hall joined the Towie cast in 2015, going on to date co-star Chloe Lewis before departing the show in 2024. He also ran his own menswear label, By Jake Hall.

Tributes have continued to pour in over recent days, with soap star Ryan Thomas posting a heartfelt message on Sunday morning, in which he revealed the last text he received from the TV personality.

Thomas shared a black-and-white video montage featuring himself and Hall with his 1.3 million followers, praising him as “always the coolest guy in the room”, who had “class, charisma” and a “magic about him that nobody else had”.

Paying tribute to Hall’s eight-year-old daughter River, Thomas also wrote: “His next chapter is written in the stars now and it’s all about River. I promise she’ll grow up surrounded by love and stories about how inspiring and powerful her daddy is.”

The mother of his child posted a message to Instagram on Saturday, saying that both she and her daughter’s hearts were “shattered”.

Albanian model Misse Beqiri shared a series of photographs of herself, Hall and their daughter, saying the influx of messages following his death was “both heartbreaking and beautiful all at once”. The Real Housewives Of Cheshire star also described how she loved Hall from “the very first moment I saw you”, adding: “You left behind your mini version, our River, and for that we are forever grateful. You will always live on through her, and you will forever be with us.”

Fellow celebrities also stepped forward to pay their respects, including Hall’s close friend and former Towie co-star Vas J Morgan, who took to Instagram to describe his death as a “deeply difficult loss”, expressing his wish that they had been given more time together.

Former Made In Chelsea star Akin Solanke similarly shared a heartfelt photo alongside Hall on Instagram, writing: “If I never told you how much you inspired me, I hope you knew regardless.”

On Wednesday, well-known celebrity DJ Fat Tony posted a moving tribute on social media, saying: “Devastating news we love you @jakehall such an awful loss to the world you beautiful man x.”

Michael Pennington, who played Death Star Commander Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, has reportedly died at the age of 82

Michael Pennington, who starred in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, has died aged 82.

The Shakespearean performer, who portrayed Death Star Commander Moff Jerjerrod in the beloved sci-fi classic, passed away on Sunday, May 10, according to reports. Pennington founded the English Shakespeare Company and earned widespread recognition for his theatrical performances, featuring in productions of Hamlet, The Judge, and The Henrys.

Pennington also starred as Antony in the acclaimed 2012 staging of Cleopatra and Antony. At the time he confessed his surprise at securing the prized part. He said: “I’d thought vaguely that it was time that I was playing the Prospero’s and the Lear’s, although there has been quite a spate of King Lear’s recently.”

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Speaking to the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2012 he continued: “So Antony wasn’t really on my radar, although more so perhaps than ‘Richard III’ or Benedick in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ which have never really appealed to me.

“I’d played Antony before in an audio production for the Open University with Lindsay Duncan but I’d always thought of Antony as being very stocky in stature – like Anthony Hopkins who did in fact play the part opposite Judi Dench at the National in the 1980s.”, reports the Mirror US.

He added: “But it’s been absolutely glorious to do. Once you start to work on one of his plays, Shakespeare fires you off in all directions.” Pennington also opened up about his regrets regarding his role as a Jedi.

He said, “I look at it now and I think I overact horribly and I can’t even remember the story-line. We all did it for a song but I suppose that it has given we some kind of calling card for movies. Whenever I come out of the Stage Door after a performance, all people would ask about was ‘Star Wars‘.”

The acclaimed actor also revealed that establishing The English Shakespeare Company stands as one of the greatest achievements of his career. He said, “In retrospect, I’m most struck by the sheer bravura and unlikeliness of it. It’s given me a fund of remarkable stories to dine out on, particularly about some of the scrapes which we got into.”

He went on to express his immense pride in having shaped the next generation of actors and the wider theatrical world through the founding of the ESC. He said, “Yet at the same time we also succeeded in turning a lot of young actors, who might have drifted off elsewhere, into Classical actors. And I see the influence of the ESC everywhere, wherever Shakespeare is done in belt and braces, whenever the productions are irrelevant and joyful.”

Tributes for Michael have been pouring in from co-stars and fellow actors. His good friend and fellow screen veteran Miriam Margolyes confirmed news of his passing in a post uploaded to her social media.

The Harry Potter actress emotionally penned: “Michael Pennington has died. An old friend, from Cambridge days, a very fine actor, brilliant, wise, clear. I am sad beyond measure. Bless your dear memory. Old chum.”

Fans have also shared their sorrow, one devastated fan wrote: “May the force be with you brother.” Another called the actor a “legend”, writing: “May he rest in peace.”

Michael’s cause of death is currently unknown.

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Half of children across the UK now own an AI-enabled toy or device, a new survey reveals, despite widespread parental anxieties regarding their safety and the potential for data risks.

The findings highlight a growing chasm between the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence technology in children’s products and the availability of clear guidance for families on their safe use.

The poll, conducted by the British Standards Institution (BSI) to mark its 125th anniversary, found that 50 per cent of children aged 16 and under have already been given at least one AI-powered toy or learning device, such as interactive robots or smart tablets.

Yet, almost half of parents (47 per cent) believe their child would be better off growing up without any access to AI, while a significant 75 per cent express concern that internet-connected AI toys could expose their children to unwanted content or data vulnerabilities.

Despite these profound worries, the survey uncovered a striking paradox: 54 per cent of parents indicated they would be more likely to allow their child to play with an AI-enabled toy unsupervised than to play outside on the street without an adult present (51 per cent), or to let their children visit local shops or parks alone (46 per cent).

Further concerns emerged regarding children’s understanding of AI. Fewer than half of parents (46 per cent) believe their child could distinguish between a human and an AI, and just 43 per cent think their child could accurately assess information provided by an AI chatbot.

A substantial 78 per cent of parents are worried that these devices might respond to sensitive questions in ways they cannot oversee, while 70 per cent fear AI praising or criticising behaviour without understanding its appropriateness or safety.

The demand for clearer safeguards is evident, with nine in 10 parents (91 per cent) stating that a recognised safety certification or mark for AI toys would be important, and nearly a third (29 per cent) deeming it essential.

More than 80 per cent (83 per cent) believe manufacturers should adhere to established standards or codes of conduct, and 72 per cent want clearer information on whether products meet safety or security requirements.

Currently, while traditional toy safety marks like CE or UKCA address physical risks such as choking, and some devices comply with information security standards like ISO 27001, there is no widely recognised, dedicated framework specifically addressing the unique safety, behavioural, and developmental considerations posed by AI in toys.

The UK government has recently published its proposed new product safety framework, which aims to address risks of harm linked to AI, including in children’s toys.

Laura Bishop, BSI’s digital sector lead for cybersecurity and AI, commented: “AI-enabled toys are quickly becoming part of everyday childhood, both in play and learning, and they do have the potential to offer real benefits in terms of development or access to information.

However, the frameworks to support safe, transparent and age-appropriate use are still catching up. Our research shows that while parents are increasingly introducing these technologies into their children’s lives, they are doing so without clear, consistent information about how they work or what safeguards are in place.

As the AI toys and devices available to children evolve and become more sophisticated, it is essential that the frameworks around them develop at the same pace.”

MP Emily Darlington, a member of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, echoed these concerns: “These findings clearly show that AI toys are becoming part of children’s everyday lives far more quickly than Government is able to regulate them or give parents necessary information on the impact they will have on a child’s development.

“Parents are currently being asked to make decisions about complex technology without clear, accessible guidance on how it works, what data it collects, or how to use it safely. It’s our job as the Government to help parents feel informed and confident about the choices they make for their children, rather than leave them to figure it out on their own.

“All of this underlines the need for clearer standards and guardrails, so innovation doesn’t run ahead of safety. Otherwise, we risk children growing up in a world with powerful technologies that we still don’t fully understand – and it may be too late.”

The survey was conducted by Focaldata, polling 1,000 UK parents in April.

Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the agency, said: “We are pleased to confirm that all British nationals onboard the MV Hondius have now safely returned to the UK and are being supported by UKHSA and NHS medical experts at Arrowe Park, who have worked at pace to prepare for the safe arrival of passengers at the facility.

Donald Trump has blasted Iran for making an ‘unacceptable’ ceasefire offer, with fears the Middle East could be plunged back into war.

Washington’s latest proposal addressed a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran has sent their offer to end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and to ensure the security of global shipping.

But the US president posted on Truth Social: ‘I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called “Representatives.”

‘I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.’

Without giving more details, he accused Tehran of ‘playing games’ with the United States for nearly 50 years, adding: ‘They will be laughing no longer!’

Trump is giving diplomacy ‘every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities,’ the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, told ABC earlier.

Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran does not accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. Iran has largely blocked the strategic waterway that’s key to the global flow of oil.

On Friday, the US struck two Iranian oil tankers it said were trying to breach the blockade.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy promised a heavy assault on US bases in retaliation.

Another sticking point in negotiations is Iran’s highly enriched uranium. The UN nuclear agency says Iran has more than 440 kilograms (970 pounds) enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons grade.

‘We considered it possible that they might intend to steal it through infiltration operations or heli-borne operations,’ General Akrami Nia said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war isn’t over because the enriched uranium needs to be taken out of Iran. ‘Trump has said to me, “I want to go in there,” and I think it can be done physically,’ he said.

It came after Trump fired off 16 posts on Truth Social, featuring AI images of ships sinking in Iran and mock-ups of renovations in Washington.

The US President went on one of his infamous posting sprees to share images of sinking ships in Iran, explosions and a UFC fight on the White House front lawn.

In one image, captioned ‘Bye Bye, Drones’, an AI image showed an American warship blasting Iranian drones out of the sky with lasers.

Another showed Iranian drones dropping like butterflies into the ocean, with images of actual blue butterflies next to it.

It appears the President got the phrase ‘dropping like flies’ mixed up with butterflies.

Other posts showed AI mockups of a UFC fighting stage on the White House lawn, which Trump plans to host for America’s 250th this year.

Trump also took a dig at his predecessor Barack Obama.

He wrote: ‘[Iran] finally found the greatest SUCKER of them all, in the form of a weak and stupid American President.

‘He was a disaster as our “Leader,” but not as bad as Sleepy Joe Biden! For 47 years the Iranians have been “tapping” us along, keeping us waiting, killing our people with their roadside bombs, destroying protests, and recently wiping out 42,000 innocent, unarmed protestors, and laughing at our now GREAT AGAIN Country.’

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EastEnders picked up the prestigious award at the annual award’s ceremony

The Bafta TV Awards viewers were left frustrated as the prestigious soap award was cut short during the BBC’s broadcast of the annual award’s show.

A host of stars attended this year’s ceremony, which was held at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London. On presenting duties for the evening was Greg Davies, best known for presenting Taskmaster and appearing in The Inbetweeners.

During the show’s opening VT, Greg could be seen traveling through the history of TV with a young boy who was more interested in social media. At one stage the pair appeared in the classic EastEnders scene where Kat Slater revealed she was Zoe Slater’s mum.

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Once again bringing up the BBC soap during his monologue, Greg said: “You think Daniel Day-Lewis could cut it in EastEnders? No Daniel, you don’t have time to sit with the character.

“You have to get your sister-in-law pregnant, do a shift in the cafe and have a fight with Phil Mitchell before lunch.”

Competing for the Best Soap award this year was EastEnders, medical drama Casualty and the beloved ITV programme Coronation Street. For the second year in a row, EastEnders took the award home.

Accepting the award was Denise Fox actress Diane Parish, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of playing the character. It was announced last week that Denise will be seen being diagnosed with blood cancer in the coming weeks.

However, the category was one of the ones which didn’t air in full. Instead, a brief segment of Diane’s acceptance speech was shown in a montage. Other categories not included were Live Event Coverage, Daytime and Children’s Scripted.

Those watching the Baftas at home rushed to X, previously known as Twitter, to call out the Baftas for not including the soap awards, with the medium remaining one of the most popular across all of UK television.

@amz07 said: “Absolute scandal not fully showing #eastenders winning the best soap #bafta #baftatvawards @bbc.” @sevandrec added: “RELEASE THE FULL SOAP CATEGORY AT ONCE @BAFTA.”

@RyanJL wrote: “lmao BAFTA said ‘oh soap? yeah here we did that one earlier’.” @AndiMcLellan posted: “quite telling of the current soap climate that Best Soap has been bumped to VT about awards nobody cares about. #BAFTAs.”

@demelcy commented: “Speedy best soap part #baftas.” @Joc7376 noted: “Why are some of the biggest awards soap, daytime and sporting only shown as ‘presented earlier’ #baftas.”

The news also arrives after it was confirmed in recent months that the The British Soap Awards will not be airing this year, meaning there will be less opportunities than normal for the stars to be recognised for their work.

A chartered Titan Airways flight transported the passengers from the Canary Islands, landing at Manchester Airport on Sunday evening.

The 20 British passengers, who were tested for hantavirus before getting on the flight, will be taken to isolate at the UK’s initial Covid quarantine site at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside.

Emergency services in the North West said they expected the passengers to be housed and provided with clothes at the “managed setting” for up to 72 hours.

The Arrowe Park facility has six storeys of self-contained flats with their own bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms, kitchen and lounge facilities.

Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, told the media that Arrowe Park would do “welfare checks on each individual”.

She added: “There’s nobody being transferred to us that has been symptomatic in any way.

“There’s no impact on the hospital. Services are running as normal, patients should still attend their appointments.”

The hospital leader said if passengers develop symptoms, they will be taken to Royal Liverpool University Hospital, which houses the regional Tropical and Infectious Diseases Unit.

Ms Holmes said hantavirus is “very different” to Covid and the risk to the general public is “really low”.

She added: “You’ve got to have really, really close contact. It’s not like Covid or flu or those types of viruses.”

After their isolation, public health specialists will assess whether passengers can isolate at home or at another suitable location based on their living arrangements.

Britons returning to the UK will stay in self-isolation for 45 days and will not be allowed to take public transport to their homes.

In a post on X, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Thank you to all those who worked around the clock to get passengers from MV Hondius back to the UK by special flight this evening with public health protections in place.

“The UK has worked with Spain, South Africa, the Netherlands and the WHO to coordinate safe returns.”

The MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife on Sunday morning, with Spanish authorities beginning evacuations of the cruise ship by nationality and ferrying passengers to a port by small boat.

While they were being bussed from the port at Granadilla de Abona to Tenerife South Airport, some British passengers, clad in blue PPE, waved and gave thumbs up as they passed watching media.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said its goal was to finish the ship’s evacuation, with the exception of 30 crew members remaining on board, by 7pm on Monday.

Passengers were told to leave their luggage on the ship and were only allowed to take a small bag with essential items such as their phone and passport.

The Spanish health ministry said on Sunday that 94 people of 19 nationalities had been taken off the cruise ship.

One of five ‌French passengers showed symptoms during their ‌repatriation ⁠flight, French Prime ⁠Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Sunday.

In a post on X, he said all five were “immediately placed in strict isolation until further notice” where they will receive medical care and undergo further testing.

Some 30 crew members and a nurse from the Netherlands, as well as the body of a passenger who died on board, will remain on the ship, which will sail to Rotterdam in the Netherlands where it will undergo disinfection, the WHO said.

The WHO said on Saturday there had been six confirmed hantavirus cases linked to MV Hondius and four patients were in hospital.

It added that eight cases, including three deaths, had been reported – with one previous suspected case being reclassified after testing negative for hantavirus.

The UKHSA said three British nationals are included in the eight cases – two involve confirmed hantavirus and another is suspected.

The two confirmed British cases are in hospital in South Africa and the Netherlands, while the third British national with a suspected case is being supported on the British overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha where they live.

Six paratroopers, an RAF consultant and an Army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade were parachuted onto the South Atlantic island, while oxygen supplies and medical aid were also dropped on Tristan da Cunha, which is normally only accessible by boat.

The Ministry of Defence said it was the first time medical personnel had been parachuted in to provide humanitarian support.

Police sealed off an area of Broughty Ferry Beach in Dundee on Sunday.

A body has been found in water near where a teenager vanished last month. Phoenix Birkett, 17, was last seen on the Tay Bridge in Dundee in the early hours of April 8 and was reported missing to Police Scotland the same day.

On Sunday May 10, officers sealed off part of Broughty Ferry Beach after a body was discovered in the water. A large cordon was put in place as detectives carried out their investigation.

Locals said they also saw forensic teams in the area just after 12pm. No formal identification has been made, but Police Scotland say the family of the teenager, from Guardbridge, Fife, have been informed.

Officers do not believe there to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 12.30pm on Sunday, 10 May, 2026, a body was recovered from the water on Broughty Ferry Beach.

“Formal identification is yet to take place however the family of a 17-year-old male, who was reported missing in Dundee on Wednesday, April 8, has been informed.

“There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.”

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