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A total of 13 extra places are set to be created at Haxby Road Primary Academy following a City York Council decision to award £7,800 in funding.

Council officials stated the grant would be funded from £333,000 the authority had received from the Government to help increase the amount of local ‘wrap-around’ places.

It comes after the council’s executive approved using a total of £922,800 in September 2024 to expand early years and childcare places.

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The Labour executive heard at the time an extra 390 places in breakfast and after school clubs could be needed so York families could get the care they are entitled to.

Officials forecast up to new 304 places would need to be created so parents and carers could claim their 30-hour-a-week allowance of free childcare by the September 2025 rollout date.

Education Secretary Bridgett Phillipson said in March free childcare hours meant families were now better off after research showed they had saved families an average of £8,000-a-year for every child.

An annual Coram Family and Childcare survey found the cost of a full-time 50-hour-a-week place for a child of two had fallen from around £305-a-week in 2024 to £149.

Education Secretary Bridgett Phillipson said extra free childcare hours were saving families money (Image: PA)

The secretary of state said: “Childcare costs have weighed on working families for too long – pushing parents out of work and stretching household budgets to breaking point.

“We are giving working families the real, practical cost of living support they need to get on.”

In January, the council approved grants worth a total of £51,000 to create extra breakfast and after school club places in three other York schools.

Clifton Green Primary School received £30,000 for 35 breakfast and after school club places, while Dringhouses Primary School received £15,000 for 25.

Wheldrake with Thornganby Primary School got £6,000 to create eight new places for its pupils following the decision.

Andrew Husband, Reform leader at Durham County Council, urged the government to protect “valued landscapes” and change its planning policies to create a “fair and balanced” approach to solar farm applications. 

The Chester-le-Street councillor wrote to Luke Akehurst MP after plans for a large-scale solar farm near Burnhope were overturned at appeal last month.  

Durham County Council initially turned down the application due to its size and impact on the landscape after hundreds of objections and a High Court appeal in July last year.  

But in a new ruling in April, the government’s Planning Inspectorate said the need to tackle climate change and achieve Net Zero targets outweighed the concerns.  

Cllr Husband said it is “very frustrating” that the concerns were “set aside as a result of the government’s overly permissive policy approach to solar development”. 

In a letter to the North Durham Labour MP, he added that other parts of the region are also at high risk of being used for similar schemes. 

He said: “I would invite you to now support your residents by using your undoubted influence in Government to request that urgent action is taken to review the currently overly permissive National Planning Policy Framework policy wording to ensure a more fair and balanced approach to solar development is applied. 

“Until government policy is amended in this manner – to introduce a more balanced approach to include one which seeks to protect valued landscapes and respect residents’ quiet enjoyment of the same – I fear that we will be subjecting our communities to yet more unwarranted commercialisation of our splendid countryside.”

Up to 14 fields near the County Durham village will be overlaid with panels, including areas near the Chapman’s Well nature reserve. 

Lightsource bp, the applicant, added that the solar farm would have “a significant positive impact on the surrounding area, both environmentally and economically”.  

The Planning Inspectorate conceded that the development would “harm” the local area, but the solar farm will only be working for up to 40 years. 

Its report concluded: “The adverse landscape impacts identified would be temporary, reversible and highly localised.”

Are solar farms changing the countryside too much? Let us know in the comments.

It comes just a day after the railway bridge was hit by a tractor

Another vehicle has crashed into the railway bridge on Stuntney Road in Ely. Network Rail was called at around 3.40pm on Tuesday (May 19) with reports that a van had hit the bridge

The crash caused minor delays on some services with trains going through Ely running at a reduced speed. People travelling in the area were told to leave up to 20 minutes of extra time for their journeys.

An inspection of the area was carried out by engineers to check if any damage had been done to the bridge. Network Rail confirmed services ran as normal from 4.45pm.

The railway bridge was also hit by a tractor on Monday evening (May 18). This incident also caused disruption to train services.

The railway bridge is regularly named one of the most bashed bridges in the UK. In October 2025, the bridge was hit three times in just one week.

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The trio will take over from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who announced they would be leaving Strictly at the end of 2025. 

Reports previously suggested they had been offered deals after the BBC held rounds of auditions. 

Now, the BBC has confirmed that they will step into the ballroom as new Strictly hosts this autumn. 

BBC: Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdecombe are the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing.

— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) May 19, 2026

Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe confirmed as new Strictly hosts 

Announcing the news, Kate Phillip, BBC’s Chief Content Officer said: “Emma, Johannes and Josh’s chemistry is undeniable.

“There’s been so much speculation and hype, so I’m relieved we can share the news with the public at last!

“I’d like to thank all the brilliant people we saw before making this tough decision.

“But the most beloved ballroom in the UK always leads the way, and in a Strictly first we have chosen three outstanding hosts to take up the mantel.

“Along with our amazing Strictly team, who are busy planning fabulous and unforgettable treats for this new series, I know this terrific trio can’t wait to join our judges and pros to bring us must-see TV on the BBC this autumn.”

In the comments section of Strictly’s official Instagram post, fans of the show have shared their thoughts on the new host line-up, including big names like Alison Hammond who said: “This is wonderful, three truly beautiful people . You will all smash it”.

Former Strictly host Tess Daly commented: “Can’t wait to tune in, the ultimate trio”.

Professional Strictly dancer Dianne Buswell said: “This is so exciting. Particularly excited for our fellow pro @johannesradebe babe you are a true star and this role is made for you. We love you”.

What are Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe known for? 

Presenters Willis and Widdicombe have both hosted TV and radio shows. 

Willis is best known for her work on Channel 5’s Big Brother, The Voice UK, Love is Blind: UK, Cooking with the Stars and The Circle. 

She’s also been featured in documentaries, Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones and Change Your Mind Change Your Life. 

She is married to musician Matt Willis, who, as well as presenting and acting roles, is notably the co-founder, bassist and co-vocalist of the pop-punk band Busted. 

Widdicombe is a popular comedian, presenter and actor, having appeared on shows such as The Last Leg, Fighting Talk and Mock the Week. 

He also has a podcast with fellow comedian Rob Beckett, Parenting Hell, about bringing up children, experiences, tips and face-palm moments. 

The comedian has featured on Strictly before, as part of the 2024 Christmas special. 

He scored 36 after dancing a Charleston with pro partner Karen Hauer, but lost out to drag artist Tayce, who scored 40. 

Meanwhile, Johannes Radebe is a professional dancer who has worked on Strictly for several years.

Are you happy with the choice of the new Strictly Come Dancing hosts? Let us know in the comments. 

The world’s major oil and gas companies claim they are leading the energy transition. They spend billions on PR to brand themselves as part of the solution. The data we’ve reviewed tells a different story.

Where a rapid transition to renewables is taking place, incumbent fossil fuel firms have almost nothing to do with it. Analysis by one of us shows that the largest 250 oil and gas companies only own 1.42% of global renewable energy, and just 0.01% of the energy they extract comes from renewable sources.

For decades, many Indigenous peoples and environmental activists have accused the fossil fuel industry of offering “false solutions”. These are projects that amplify the industry’s green credentials while leaving its core business model untouched. Our research supports their case.

We argue that fossil fuel companies’ deployment of renewable energy, biofuels, carbon capture and storage (CCS), green hydrogen and carbon offsetting isn’t designed to oppose decarbonisation, but to manage the conversation around renewables. False solutions signal compliance while helping to mute calls for a systemic transformation.

Mapping the delay

Drawing on the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice, the world’s largest environmental conflict database based at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, we mapped and analysed 48 projects run by fossil fuel firms. These ranged from biofuels to CCS and forest restoration schemes, as well as some renewable energy projects that are owned and used by these firms.

Crucially, we found that these were rarely displacing fossil fuels. Instead, they justify further use of oil, gas or coal.

For instance, CCS facilities are often linked to “enhanced oil recovery”. That involves CO₂ captured from a power plant or factory being injected into wells to squeeze out more fossil fuels from underground reservoirs – an approach that actually extends the lifespan of oil fields. The industry’s own documents back this up: the Global CCS Institute’s 2025 status report lists 77 commercially facilities in operation around the world. Of these, it notes 33 were developed to enhance oil recovery.

Likewise, “clean hydrogen” is often used to greenwash projects that are actually built on continued gas production. Even renewables can become false solutions. We found solar and wind farms built specifically to power refineries and oil and gas drilling. These projects don’t decarbonise the grid, they simply make it easier and cheaper to extract fossil fuels.

New tech, old injustices

False solutions do more than lock in fossil fuel dependence. Across the 48 cases there were examples of land conflicts. Carbon offset schemes often involve high emitters paying to protect or restore a forest or other ecosystem, to “make up” for their emissions. But in practice, they can lead to the enclosure of previously common land and the loss of communal or Indigenous rights. Biofuel plantations can displace smallholders, replacing local food systems with industrial-scale farms.

Indigenous and traditional communities are disproportionately affected by false solutions. Many projects are sited on ancestral or sacred land without meaningful consultation or consent.

Resistance to these projects is often framed by the fossil fuel industry and its supporters as hostility to climate action or a form of nimbyism. But our data suggests that, in many cases, these communities are opposed to projects that perpetuate the fossil fuel economy.

We also found evidence of governments channelling public subsidies to fund many of these projects. Such cases amount to a direct cash transfer from taxpayers to private companies for promises that deliver minimal emissions reductions.

They are, therefore, in effect helping to delay the end of the fossil fuel era.
Yet these projects have enabled politicians to claim they are climate leaders without having to confront a powerful industry.

After examining these 48 conflicts, one lesson becomes unmistakable: false solutions are not experimental missteps. They are in effect helping to delay the end of the fossil fuel era.

The buzzard was found with shotgun pellets in its wing in the Bransdale area on May 4.

The bird was also found to have a broken leg, and was taken to a vet, were sadly, it had to be euthanised due to its injuries.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “The bird was x-rayed, and pellets from a shotgun were found in its wing.

“It is believed the broken leg occurred up to 48 hours before it was found, and may have been caused by a hard landing – so the buzzard could have been shot within that same 48-hour period.

“Buzzards and other birds of prey are legally protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. To intentionally kill or injure one is a criminal offence.

“Anyone with any information about how the bird came to be injured is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference 12260080894.”

Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of Wimbledon due to injury, following his withdrawal from the French Open.

Alcaraz announced the news on social media on Tuesday. He will also miss Queen’s, the London grass-court tournament that many players use as a warm-up for Wimbledon.

The update follows news in April that the Spaniard would not compete at the French Open in Paris, which began this week, due to a wrist problem.

“My recovery is going well and I feel much better, but unfortunately I’m still not ready to be able to play,” Alcaraz wrote on Tuesday.

“And that’s why I have to withdraw from the grass-court swing at Queen’s and Wimbledon. They are two really special tournaments for me and I’ll miss them a lot.

“We keep working to return as soon as possible!”

Alcaraz is a two-time champion at Wimbledon, having beaten Novak Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 finals. The 23-year-old finished runner-up to Jannik Sinner last year.

Alcaraz, a former world No 1 who is currently ranked No 2, is also a two-time champion at Queen’s. He lifted the trophy there in 2023 and 2025.

Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Wimbledon leaves Sinner the heavy favourite to win the grass-court major, just as the Italian is on the clay of the French Open.

Sinner, 24, said he was “sad” to learn of Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Roland Garros in April, but that news – and Tuesday’s – gives the world No 1 a great chance of taking his grand slam haul from four to six in the coming months.

Before beating Alcaraz at SW19 last summer, Sinner narrowly lost to the Spaniard in an all-time classic French Open final. The rivals met again in the final of the US Open, where Alcaraz triumphed.

Alcaraz also won the Australian Open in January, beating Djokovic in the final after the Serb overcame Sinner in a scintillating semi-final. The Spaniard’s victory in Melbourne made him a seven-time major champion, but he will have to wait until the US Open in September at the earliest to add to that tally.

Alcaraz’s last competitive outing on court was in Barcelona in April, where he was beaten by Tomas Machac in the round of 16. Before that, “Carlitos” was defeated by Sinner in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters. Both tournaments are played on clay.

The Ely bridge is one of the most-bashed in Britain

A tractor struck a railway bridge in a Cambridgeshire city causing disruption to train services on Monday, May 18. Network Rail received a report of a vehicle striking a bridge at Ely just after 6pm.

The crash caused minor disruption to some passenger services using the freight line and platform three. Following an inspection of the bridge, it was deemed there was no damage reported. Train services resumed at 6.40pm the same evening.

A previous Freedom of Information (FOI) submitted by CambridgeshireLive to Network Rail revealed the bridge had been struck 80 times over the last five years. In October 2025, the bridge was hit three times within one week.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “We received a report of a vehicle striking a bridge at Ely yesterday at around 18:07. This caused a minor impact on some freight and passenger services using the freight line and platform 3.

“After inspection of the bridge, no damage was reported and services resumed at 18:40pm.”

Over 630,000 customers and employees had their data leaked onto the dark web – and the company has since been fined nearly £1 million

The owners of a Cambridge water company have been fined nearly £1 million after thousands of customers and employees had their data leaked. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined South Cambridgeshire Staffordshire Plc £963,900.

The company owns Cambridge Water. The fine follows a serious cyber attack that led to the information of 633,887 customers and employees, including those in the Cambridge Water area, having their data leaked on the dark web.

In its Monetary Penalty Notice, the ICO confirmed the cyber attack traced back to September 2020. It mostly took place between May and July 2022.

Elena Karpathakis, managing director at Cambridge Water said: “We are sorry for the worry and disruption this cyber attack caused. We know that customers place their trust in us to protect their information. As soon as we became aware, we worked to contain the cyber attack, support those affected and put additional protections in place.

“Since 2022, we have continued to invest significantly in our cyber security, including strengthening governance and monitoring, and we will continue this focus as threats continue to evolve. We remain focused on doing the right thing for our customers and learning from what happened.”

The cyber attack on South Staffordshire Water began with a phishing email. The recipient of the email opened an attachment which allowed the scammer to install software onto the company’s system.

This remained undetected for nearly two years. In May 2022, the hacker then moved through the IT network. The breach was identified in July 2022 when IT issues prompted an internal investigation.

The company discovered a ransom note that the hacker had unsuccessfully tried to send to members of staff. Between August and November 2022, the company detected that more than 4.1 terabytes of stolen data had been released on the dark web.

This included: personal details including full name and email addresses, HR information from employees, and customer account information. The ICO investigation found South Staffordshire failed to implement a range of UK controls.

These included:

• Inadequate controls that led to the hacker being able to escalate to administrator privileges;
• Inadequate monitoring and logging;
• Use of obsolete and unsupported software on some devices;
• Inadequate vulnerability management, including unpatched critical systems and the absence of regular internal or external security scans.

Law firm Leigh Day is now representing around 6,500 people impacted by the data breach. Sean Humber, Leigh Day partner and group claims data breach specialist, said: “This significant fine recognises South Staffordshire’s serious failures that resulted in the personal information of hundreds of thousands of its own customers being stolen, leaving them at a huge risk of being targeted by fraudsters.”

Gene Matthews, Leigh Day partner and group claims data breach specialist, added: “Those personally affected by the data breach are likely to have strong claims for compensation for the distress caused by the breach, as well as any financial losses suffered.

“While the amounts are likely to vary from individual to individual, given the sensitivity of the information, many of the claims for compensation are likely to be substantial.”