BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Every time Vanny Birungi, a volunteer with the Red Cross in eastern Congo, goes out to raise awareness about the latest Ebola outbreak as suspected cases near 1,000, she faces a double threat.
One is the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola, with no vaccine or treatment. The other is the anger and suspicion of residents who have pelted her with stones and verbal abuse in Bunia, a city at the heart of the outbreak.
“We continue to tell them that the disease is out there. Some accept, and others don’t,” Birungi told The Associated Press on Monday as she and colleagues spoke with groups of people in a working-class neighborhood under the scorching sun.
Aid workers are especially at risk in this volatile region where residents, like Birungi, have long been under threat of armed groups that have killed thousands of people and displaced many more in recent years.
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Trust is hard to find among the traumatized population that is wary of outsiders, even those trying desperately to contain the rapidly spreading outbreak that experts say was discovered weeks late. Surveillance for such diseases has been weakened by U.S. and other aid cuts.
“These people should stop bothering us. They just want to get rich. Let’s not forget that Ebola is a white man’s invention,” declared Pierre Basola, a 56-year-old resident of Bunia, who added: “Stop talking to me anyway.”
Cases are nearing 1,000 but health centers are burned
Three times in the past week, healthcare facilities have been attacked. On Sunday, angry young men stormed a hospital treating Ebola patients, forcing medical staff to evacuate them as gunfire rang out.
On Saturday, a group of residents set fire to a tent for suspected and confirmed Ebola cases run by Doctors Without Borders in Mongbwalu, and more than a dozen people suspected to have the virus fled. On Thursday, a center in Rwampara was burned after relatives were barred from retrieving the body of a man suspected to have Ebola.
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Anger is amplified as virus prevention practices keep loved ones from handling bodies in final rites following an illness some have described as sudden and dramatic, with vomiting and bleeding.
The Ebola virus is spread through close contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily fluids, such as sweat, blood, feces or vomit. Experts say healthcare workers and family members caring for patients face the highest risk.
“Trust is almost as important as the health response, because if you get this massive distrust in the communities, they’re not going to go to the health centers,” said Heather Kerr, country director for the International Rescue Committee in Congo.
Armed conflict in the region poses another challenge. To travel from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, to Mongbwalu, aid groups risk potential attacks in a region more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Congo’s capital, Kinshasa.
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Meanwhile, the outbreak now has over 900 suspected cases and more than 220 suspected deaths, the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Monday.
“We are now playing catch-up with a very fast-moving epidemic,” he said.
‘We leave everything to God’
Mado Nditamba, a 70-year-old Bunia resident, said she has seen students running away from aid workers.
“The last time Ebola came, it was not on the scale that we see today,” Nditamba said. “But this epidemic today is worse. We go to the doctors in the hospitals, but they also die. That’s what worries us. We don’t know what to do and we leave everything to God.”
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Congo has had 17 Ebola outbreaks, and the WHO says the country is equipped to respond. But early tests in this outbreak were conducted for a more common type of Ebola, losing valuable time. Experts are still trying to determine when this outbreak began.
There are few places to test for this Bundibugyo type in a region where clinics can run on generators and a major airport serving as a humanitarian hub has been in the hands of rebels for over a year.
Health workers on the ground have told the AP they are underprepared and underprotected. Now an unknown number of responders have been infected, and some have died.
A Congolese doctor was reported dead on Sunday in Rwampara, Rubens Dhedgia, coordinator of the Ebola response in the region, told the AP. In neighboring Uganda, where a far smaller number of cases has begun to spread after Congolese traveled there, at least three health workers have been infected.
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And perhaps most worryingly, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says three volunteers died in Mongbwalu after it believes they handled bodies on March 27 during work unrelated to Ebola.
If confirmed, that would significantly push back the timeline of the outbreak from the first confirmed death in late April in Bunia.
Some residents still believe Ebola is a myth
Even as at least one funeral home manager dusted off coffins for sale alongside a road in Bunia, experts reported a lack of trust among some residents of the region who do not believe the virus exists.
Action Aid, another of the international humanitarian groups responding, said a high level of skepticism and lack of understanding remains, citing residents it questioned in mid-May in Ituri province just after the outbreak was announced.
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“The only way to go, as far as this particular virus is concerned, is community engagement,” said Yakubu Mohammed Saani, country director for Action Aid in Congo.
How that will be improved, and quickly, is still not clear. Meanwhile, both the WHO and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe the outbreak is larger than the cases reported so far.
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Adetayo reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Associated Press writer Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has lambasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for sharing a video of Army Blackhawk helicopters flying above race cars at the Indy 500.
The helicopter flyover, conducted by Indiana Army National Guard members in the 38th Combat Aviation Brigade Sunday, was part of the “Pace Lap for America,” honoring the U.S. military and the nation’s 250th birthday.
After Hegseth shared a video of the flyover on X, along with an American flag emoji, Newsom’s press office replied, “Sir, we just want lower gas prices.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom has lambasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for sharing a video of Army Blackhawk helicopters flying above race cars at the Indy 500 (Getty Images)
An Army helicopter flyby near Kid Rock’s Nashville-era mansion in March drew intense scrutiny. Two AH-64 Apache helicopters on a training run had hovered near his home, prompting an administrative review. Hegseth later said there would be “No punishment. No investigation.”
“This is a level of respect that s*** for brains Governor of California will never know,” Kid Rock, an avid supporter of President Donald Trump, posted online at the time.
The Independent has reached out to the White House and the Defense Department for comment.
Newsom complained about gas prices, which have increased to about $6.12 per gallon in his state amid the Iran war (AFP via Getty Images)
“I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” he said in response to a reporter’s question about the economic burden of the Iran war.
Americans are struggling not only at the gas pump, but also with high grocery bills and the cost of other living expenses. In April, the annual inflation rate rose to 3.8 percent, the highest level since 2023.
After the U.S. and Israel began launching strikes against Iran at the end of February, Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, causing gas prices to skyrocket (AFP via Getty Images)
Newsom’s press office reiterated its stance when photos showing the early construction of the White House UFC ring were released. “Mr. President, we just want lower gas prices,” the governor’s team wrote on X Monday.
Murray was talking to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing last week. She took issue with Duffy’s reality show, which filmed him and his family on a cross-country road trip to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
“Americans don’t have corporation sponsors to pay for their gas,” Murray said. Duffy defended the project, saying at the hearing that it was meant to unite a divided America.
The mill’s flour is sold at National Trust locations
10:59, 24 May 2026Updated 10:59, 24 May 2026
A Cambridgeshire watermill has warned customers to “stop using the flour” after an inspection. Houghton Mill, an 18th-century working watermill on Mill Street, has advised anyone who has purchased their flour with a 2026 production date to stop using it while further investigation is carried out.
The mill, managed by the National Trust, is situated on the idyllic River Great Ouse. It said it had a routine inspection on the grain used to produce Houghton Mill flour and now further tests are being carried out.
Houghton Mill have confirmed that any affected flour can be returned to the place of purchase for a full refund. The mill’s flour is sold at National Trust locations such as Wicken Fen Nature Reserve, which have also advised customers to not use the flour.
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A statement by the mill said: “Following the routine inspection of grain used to produced the Houghton Mill flour, as a precaution, we’re advising anyone who has purchased Houghton Mill flour with a 2026 production date from our shop to stop using the flour while we carry out further tests.
“Any flour can be returned to the place of purchase for a full refund.”
Houghton Mill has three floors of traditional machinery and milling demonstrations as well as water meadows and pretty walking routes alongside the River Great Ouse.
Professor Ciaran Martin, the former head of the GCHQ agency, said in a post on LinkedIn: “Senior figures in public life should not make unsubstantiated claims about foreign (especially Russian) state hacking against them just when something inconvenient comes out, as in this Mail On Sunday splash yesterday where Mr Farage claims the source of knowledge about his £5 million gift from a crypto tycoon was hacking from Moscow.
In the aftermath of the uber-dramatic wedding, EastEnders presents: ‘the night that changes everything’, in which the Fox-Trueman, Branning, Beale, and Knight families will endure a night of unbelievable drama, with huge ramifications following for those involved and their loved ones.
Following her blood cancer diagnosis, Denise Fox (Diane Parish) is reeling, before an incident with her daughter, Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) means she’s needed urgently – what’s happened to Chelsea?
Ian and Kathy Beale (Adam Woodyatt and Gillian Taylforth) share a warm mother-son moment, before he finds himself shaken to the core by a knock at the door. Left terrified for his future, what’s Ian done?
George (Colin Salmon) finally sees his adoptive dad, Eddie Knight (Christopher Fairbank) for who he truly is and after bombshells are dropped, George makes a move that changes everything. Will the Knight’s ever be the same again?
Let’s take a deeper look, shall we?
The Fox-Truemans
Already facing huge trauma, there’s more to come for Denise (Picture: BBC)
Confronted by Yolande (Angela Wynter), Denise breaks down and tells her of her cancer diagnosis.
As the hospital rings, insisting she return and immediately begin treatment, Denise is pulled in another direction when it becomes clear that Chelsea needs her.
With her daughter’s life having been turned upside down, she rushes to support her.
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Denise tells Jack the truth (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
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Yolande covers for Denise’s previous absence, but makes it clear that the wider family need to know about her diagnosis, though all Denise wants to do is rest, exhausted and broken.
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As she continues to support Chelsea, Denise realises that Yolande is right and heads home to find Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).
Finally ready, she tells him about her blood cancer.
The Brannings
Max makes an Earth shattering proposal (Picture: BBC)
Aware of the mocking and criticism his relationship with Cindy has been receiving from the wider community, Max decides that it’s time to shut everybody up.
In the aftermath of the wedding, Max grabs the microphone and publicly declares his deep love and affection for Cindy.
What will Cindy say? (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
As she blushes, he reaches down and gets on one knee, just before popping the ultimate question.
Utterly shaken, Cindy blanches as Max asks her to marry him.
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What will her response be?
The Beales
Ian could lose everything (Picture: BBC)
Keen to avoid a confrontation between a squabbling Kathy and Cindy, Ian decides it’s time to take his mum home, completely unaware of what lies ahead of him.
Arriving home, Ian is heartened as Kathy relays how proud she is of his achievements in becoming councillor.
Outside in the Square, though, trouble is brewing.
Kathy and Ian share a special moment (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
A knock at the door soon reveals everything, sending Ian into an utter spin.
Terrified at the prospect of losing everything he holds dear, the question remains, what happened?
When George realises that his adoptive dad is the same racist monster he’s always been, he declares his intention to send him back to prison.
With one card left to play, Eddie reveals that Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) has orchestrated everything in exchange for money.
George decides to deal with Eddie for good (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
As things heat up, old wounds are reopened and begin to pour.
With the tension at an all-time high, George makes a decision to protect his loved ones from his evil dad after renouncing him for good, but what will he do, and will he live to regret it?
What next?
Kat and Alfie attempt to host an after-party (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
The following day, it’s evident that life for a number of residents of Albert Square will never be the same again.
As Kat and Alfie Moon (Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie) host an after party at The Vic, a number of our beloved characters are forced to take a long, hard look at the road ahead and realise just how difficult things are going to be.
Annie Evans-Lewis from Carmarthenshire was working and living near Perth in Australia
Abbie Wightwick and Husna Anjum Senior Reporter
22:15, 25 May 2026
A young woman ‘full of life’ tragically died in a car crash in Australia, as her mother paid tribute to her ‘loving and kind’ daughter.
Annie Evans-Lewis, 21 from Llanybri, Carmarthenshire, was living and working near Perth with her boyfriend Cai James, also from Carmarthenshire.
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WalesOnline reports she tragically lost her life after the collision on Saturday, May 23, her devastated family has confirmed. Annie’s family has launched a fundraiser so that her body can be flown home to home to Wales and for to help pay for her funeral.
Cai, 22, who was holding Annie’s hand in her final moments, has posted a heart-breaking tribute saying “my heart is in a thousand pieces”.
As they prepared to fly out to Australia from Wales, Annie’s mother Angharad Evans and aunt Tanya Davies spoke of their grief and love for Annie. They said she loved to travel and was “full of life”.
After visiting New Zealand two years ago Cai and Annie, who had been together four years, went to work on a farm near in East Pingelly, near Perth, last September.
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Angharad said Annie, who turned 21 in February, was driving her car on Saturday when she swerved and hit a tree. She died from “catastrophic injuries” in hospital later the same day. Medics have told Annie’s loved ones that she may have suffered a seizure at the wheel.
Angharad thanked the huge support the family has received from Cai and Annie’s friends in Wales, Australia and across the world.
“She was a live wire,” said Angharad, “She loved being outside. She loved life. She travelled to New Zealand and came home but wanted to travel again and expand herself, so they went to Australia.”
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Angharad said Annie had been due to come home to Wales for a short visit in July.
“I just want her to come home to us now so we are going out tomorrow.”
Annie, who attended Llansteffan Primary School and Queen Elizabeth High in Carmarthen before going to college to study mechanics, met Cai “on a tractor” at a friend’s farm. She loved animals and the outdoors and had a zest for life, said her mum.
Posting on Facebook Cai described how the young couple had talked of growing old together and how he instantly adored Annie: “When you came into my life I instantly thought you were special, your strong attitude straight away got me addicted,” he wrote.
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“You are the most beautiful lady I’ve ever seen, you were perfect in every single way.
“We often said we couldn’t wait to grow old together and be grandparents watching our family enjoy what we built together. Without you I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Angharad described how Annie, her only child, had survived leukaemia and a ruptured kidney when she was a small child. But she said she had pulled through and had always lived life to the full.
The family’s Gofundme appeal has already raised more than £27,000 with many people in Wales and Australia pledging support.
In a tribute, the appeal says: “The pain being felt by all who knew her and loved her dearly is indescribable.
“Annie was a beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, girlfriend, and a friend to many. She will always be remembered as the most energetic, chaotic, hilarious, loving, kind and down to earth person.
“Money raised from this page will go towards the process of getting her home to Wales for her funeral. This includes: Repatriation and Australian funeral care fees, at home funeral costs, family flights to/from Australia, and any other necessities for the family during this process.”
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The family thanked everyone who has supported them and added in a statement: “Any donations will be so deeply appreciated, we just want our girl home, to celebrate her life, her character, and show her the love she always showed us.
“Annie had just entered her twenties when she travelled from her hometown in Carmarthen, Wales, to Perth, Australia with her boyfriend Cai to begin their wonderful lives together.
“The pain being felt by all who knew her and loved her dearly is indescribable.
“Annie was a beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, girlfriend, and a friend to many. She will always be remembered as the most energetic, chaotic, hilarious, loving, kind and down to earth person.”
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Police in Australia are investigating the fatal crash and are appealing for witnesses.
The family’s appeal to bring Annie home can be seen here.
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A 21-year-old man and 33-year-old woman have been arrested and released on bail following an incident
A car has crashed into a property in Dorchester Park
Neighbours living beside a property in South Belfast that a car crashed into on Monday morning have said this is not the first time there has been an incident at the “dangerous” corner.
A 21-year-old man and 33-year-old woman have been arrested following an incident at Malone Road roundabout at 3.45am on Monday, May 25, when a blue Volkswagen Golf crashed into a property at the junction of Dorchester Park.
The car crashed through the wall of the property before colliding into a conservatory, causing significant damage. Police cordoned off a section of the road following the incident which reopened again at around 12pm.
Local residents told Belfast Live they were shocked to see the damage that had been caused to the property, but this was not the first time there had been an incident there.
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One resident said: “I was sleeping in bed when I heard a loud bang and when I came out to see what had happened I saw the police and an ambulance arriving.
“This is not the first time that something like this has happened there, particularly at night time when the road is not as busy. It can be quite dangerous when cars come around it too quickly.”
“A short time later, officers located two people suspected of being in the offending vehicle.
“A man, aged 21, and a woman, aged 33, arrested following a collision in south Belfast in the early hours of Monday, 25th May, have been released on bail to allow for further enquiries.”
Inspector Colhoun said: “Extensive damage was caused to the vehicle involved, the property and three other vehicles in the area.
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“This is a shocking incident, and it’s only by sheer luck that we aren’t dealing with much more serious consequences this morning.
“The residents of the property had to be moved in the middle of the night, which was an extremely distressing experience for them.
“We would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed this vehicle in the Milltown Road or Malone Road areas, especially those with dashcam or other footage, to contact our officers on 101, quoting reference 157 25/05/26.
The strikes targeted missile launch sites and mine-laying boats in the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil passageway in the Middle East that Iran has effectively closed amid the war, according to the U.S. Central Command.
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” CENTCOM spokesperson Tim Hawkins told the media Monday evening.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines,” the captain added.
The U.S. has carried out ‘self-defense’ airstrikes against Iran, threatening a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran (Getty Images)
“The US military eliminated both IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] vessels and also struck at a SAM (surface to air missile) site in Bandar Abbas that was targeting US warplanes,” Griffin wrote in an X post.
Bandar Abbas is a city located on the coast of the Strait of Hormuz and is home to a key Iranian naval base.
Iranian state media also reported explosions in other cities, according to CNN’s Brianna Keilar.
The strikes targeted missile launch sites and mine-laying boats in the Strait of Hormuz (AFP via Getty Images)
While two of Griffin’s sources said the strikes do not indicate the ceasefire is broken, it’s the latest example of the fraught relationship between the U.S. and Iran amid the nearly three-month war.
The Independent has reached out to the White House and the Defense Department for comment.
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Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier Monday that negotiations to end the Iran war were “proceeding nicely.”
He warned that a peace agreement must “only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all — Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before — And nobody wants that!”
Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier Monday that negotiations to end the Iran war were ‘proceeding nicely’ (Getty Images)
Trump said he spoke to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain and said that “after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.”
The Abraham Accords were a series of agreements brokered by the U.S. in Trump’s first term to normalize relations with Israel. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were the first countries to join the accords.
On Monday, Trump vowed in a separate Truth Social post that any buried enriched uranium in Iran, which he calls nuclear dust, “will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed,” eradicated in Iran or “at another acceptable location”.
The RNLI came to the aid of the person who had fallen on the rocks on Monday afternoon
21:48, 25 May 2026Updated 21:52, 25 May 2026
One person was rescued by emergency services on Bank Holiday Monday after falling on rocks.
Larne RNLI came to the aid of the person who had fallen on the rocks on Monday afternoon, May 25.
The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat Terry at 2.03pm at the request of HM Coastguard following a report that someone had fallen on the rocks at Drains Bay near Larne, Co Antrim.
Helm Willie Evans and crew members Jack Healy, Jordan McIlhinneyand Scott Leitch made their way to the casualties last reported location.
Weather conditions at the time were described as good with a southerly breeze and smooth seas.
On arrival the casualty was located on the rocks close to Drains Bay beach. In a joint operation with HM Coastguard Larne, several crew members went ashore to assist with casualty care.
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Following an initial assessment by a member of HM Coastguard (an off-duty paramedic) the suspicion was that the casualty had broken their leg.
The casualty was then placed on a stretcher and taken aboard the lifeboat. They were then taken to a more accessible part of the shore where they were left in the care of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.
Speaking following the call out, Larne RNLI Helm, Willie Evans said: “We would like to wish the casualty well.
“We would also like to commend the member of the public for raising the alarm, that is always the right thing to do’. Should you see someone in difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.”
WITH the internationally renowned Hay Festival happening about now, it’s timely that there are major developments taking place on the literary front in York.
The Press has kept readers up to date with the progress of Topping & Co and Lucius Books, exciting and significant enhancements to the book scene in York.
York has long been strong on bookshops, not just over the decades but over the centuries. Some readers may remember the characterful Pickering & Co, Booksellers, picturesquely situated at the junction of Shambles and Little Shambles, which had its origins in Victorian times.
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To jog or rekindle bookworms’ memories, a presentation on Pickering & Co, Booksellers of the Shambles (and Goodramgate) is planned for Friday June 5 at 10.30am. The venue is Dringhouses Church Community Hall (St Edward the Confessor) on Tadcaster Road.
The event is run under the auspices of Dringhouses Memories, a group which meets from time to time in the church hall for an informal look at local history. At their meeting on Friday, June 5 they will be recalling some experiences from three decades of Pickerings bookshop in Shambles.
Many York people had part time jobs in the bookshop and former staff who might be interested would be very welcome. It’s informal and there’s no charge. The church has a small car park and several local buses stop close by.
Dorothy Reed,
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Dorothy Reed (former Director of Pickering & Co),
Middlethorpe Drive,
York
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Put effort elsewhere
IT is not often I agree with Christian Vassie but he and Nigel Cummings are correct in stating history cannot be changed and altering plaques isn’t something that should be undertaken.
The energy and effort put into futile efforts to erase links with the former Duke of York would be better spent addressing other issues in this city.
“At Children First, we are committing to do everything we can to protect children from online harm by campaigning for a public health approach that includes stronger regulation, delayed access to devices, better advice and support for parents and caregivers and investment in play, creativity and sport so children have real alternatives to being online.
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