The person was confirmed as having tested positive by the World Health Organisation on May 7.
A Brit who was taken to hospital in the Netherlands with hantavirus has returned to the UK, health bosses said.
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The person was medically evacuated from the Netherlands to England and will now follow strict infection prevention and control measures, the Health Security Agency (HSA) confirmed.
The HSA said it is the same person who was confirmed as a hantavirus case by the World Health Organisation on May 7.
An outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius has led to at least 11 reported cases among passengers, with three deaths reported. British crew member Martin Anstee, 56, was among those evacuated from the ship.
The expedition guide and former cop was flown to receive specialist medical care in the Netherlands after being airlifted off the vessel.
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Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at UKHSA, said: “We have worked closely with FCDO and the Dutch authorities to ensure the safe return of a British national who was previously confirmed to have hantavirus and has been receiving care in the Netherlands.
“It’s important to stress that this is an existing case and the wider risk to the general public remains very low.
“As people continue with their isolation period, UKHSA will continue to work with our partners locally, nationally and internationally to ensure everyone has the necessary support in place.”
This comes as six more people linked to the hantavirus outbreak have left hospital to continue their isolation at home, health officials have said.
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Passengers from the cruise ship were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral for checks and an initial isolation period earlier this month.
The people isolating at home and those who remain in hospital are being closely monitored, it added.
Dr Chand added: “We would like to again stress our thanks and gratitude to everyone at Arrowe Park who has worked so hard during this challenging time.”
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The site at Arrowe Park Hospital was last used as an isolation facility at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Some 19 British nationals were listed as passengers on the MV Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde, with four British crew members.
Public Health Scotland warned that a small number of people in Scotland have potentially had contact with the virus and that it was working to get in touch with “a small number of individuals” who could be affected.
Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates MV Hondius, said on Tuesday that the ship is undergoing further cleaning in Rotterdam, on the advice of the GGD local health authority. before it returns to its home port in nearby Vlissingen in the southern Netherlands.
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Worshippers Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby were killed when Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a Syrian-born British citizen, drove into the gates of the Heaton Park synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, in October last year, and then began attacking with a knife, wearing a fake suicide belt.
Preparations are underway at the White House South Lawn for an upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event. The cage fight is scheduled to take place 14 June as part of the America 250 celebrations.
US President Donald Trump said UFC president Dana White, a longtime ally, will build “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House”, along with eight large screens in a nearby park for fans to watch from a distance.
Police said a search was launched shortly after 2pm today (May 26) after a report of a concern for safety when a boy entered the river after temperatures soared across the county.
The River Ribble (Image: Archive)
There was a large-scale search involving officers from Lancashire Police’s underwater search unit and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, along with North West Ambulance Service.
Police said a body was recovered from the river at 7.50pm and, while formal identification has not taken place, police believe it is the body of the missing boy.
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His family are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers.
His death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be passed to the coroner.
A group of English fans were detained by police following an alleged breach of the peace after clashes broke out in Leipzig ahead of Crystal Palace’s Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show rival groups fighting and throwing chairs during the incident. Many were seen falling to the ground as the clash began, while others ran for cover.
A group of men wearing black T-shirts arrived at the scene shortly before violence erupted between the two groups. Chairs and glass bottles were thrown, as seen in one of the clips, as police in riot gear moved in to break up the groups.
The Press Association reported the disturbance happened outside an Irish bar, where German police later detained several English people.
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A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said German authorities told them those involved were being held over an alleged breach of the peace, which is considered a criminal offence under German law.
The Press Association reported the disturbance happened outside an Irish bar, where German police later detained several English people (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
The group were as a result subject to police control measures, including detention, establishment of ID, search of person and full-body photograph.
Crystal Palace will look to take on the European trophy for the first time against Rayo Vallecano. A win for Palace will also secure them a spot in the Europa League next year.
If Oliver Glasner’s team is victorious, Crystal Palace would become the third English club to win the trophy, following West Ham in 2023 and Chelsea in 2025. Glasner has said his ultimate parting gift would be to see his team in the Europa League next season.
The match is set to be played at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena on Wednesday, May 27, with kick-off scheduled for 8 pm BST.
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Fans in the UK can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 6.30 pm BST. The game will also be available to stream live through HBO Max and the HBO app.
The rest of the top 10 tracks were made up of Rose and Bruno Mars’ APT (fifth), Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else by Benson Boone (sixth), Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club (seventh), Sapphire and Azizam (eighth and ninth respectively) both by Sheeran, and Smith’s Stargazing (10th).
Here’s what the stars have in store for your day (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
The Moon in Libra opposes Chiron in Aries today, holding up a mirror to your self-image. Get reflective, and strive for indvidual improvement.
Aquarius, Sagittarius and Libra, this heightened self awareness will feel uncomfortable at times. Take a step back, breathe and be kind to yourself.
Give others grace, particularly as you will appreciate sensitivity from those around you. Patience may not come naturally but it is essential.
Ahead, you’ll find all star signs’ horoscopes for today: Wednesday May 27, 2026.
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Aries
March 21 to April 20
Today, relationships act as mirrors, highlighting the positives and flaws in a key relationship, showing you your own shortcomings, and inspiring real change. The Moon in Libra opposes Chiron in your sign, suggesting others may have wounds or issues too, so be kind to yourself, but also be prepared to give people leeway, as they may be in a sensitive mood too.
You may notice that some habits and activities soothe you and are enjoyable, while others might drain you. It helps to listen to what your body and feelings are telling you, as a few subtle changes could leave you more energised overall. Sense that introducing something like yoga or meditation on a regular basis could bring peace of mind? Prepare to give it a go.
Feel torn between expressing your true self and fitting in with the group vibe? This isn’t the time to dilute your natural abilities to prevent awkwardness with peers. Yet, you could feel more self-conscious than usual, and might wonder if you really belong with the social scene you’re involved in. Dare to be totally yourself, and your true friends will easily recognise you
The Moon’s face-off with Chiron in Aries suggests being pulled between nurturing your private world and proving yourself publicly. But if you’re not at ease with who you are in those quiet moments, it’s unlikely you’ll feel fulfilled playing your part on the world stage. Start the process of healing deeper wounds, and it will be easier to achieve your dreams.
A conversation or idea may bring up doubts about being understood or taken seriously. You may be keen to hear others’ thoughts. Yet there’s no need to substitute them for your own understanding, as what you know works best for you. Even so, don’t be afraid to consider other perspectives, even if they threaten the status quo, as doing so can be liberating.
Find yourself weighing what you give against what you receive? With the Libra Moon opposing Chiron in Aries, it can be easy to see the glass half empty rather than half full. But a shift in how you view your resources could lead to a gentle healing. While it isn’t good to let yourself be taken advantage of, generosity can lead to opportunities you never expected.
Cosmic messages for Cosmic messages for Virgo today
Libra
September 24 to October 23
You may feel a flicker of vulnerability in a tie, yet it can carry a useful message. Smoothing things over is a wise move, but it’s likely not to be as helpful as understanding why this matter arose in the first place. An edgy line-up could be a call to hold that conversation and get to the root of what is going on. Doing so could deepen and strengthen this bond.
The lunation can reveal subtle stresses in your daily routines that you simply can’t ignore. Feeling sensitive? It’s worth taking some time out to unwind, enjoy some pampering, and generally not put too much pressure on yourself. Small adjustments can lead to decisive shifts, too, so if anything is getting to you, take the lead by doing something positive about it now.
It’s not like you to be a serial people pleaser, but today it could happen as the Libra Moon in your social zone opposes healing Chiron. Will you go out on a limb and do something you’ve wanted to do for a while, even if it upsets your friends? If they’re your real friends, they’ll celebrate your bravery, so don’t worry about what others think. Do what feels good to you.
You’ll be more sensitive to the ups and downs of work-life balance, which could inspire a few key changes. Sometimes all it takes is one minor event to encourage that conversation, whether with a boss or family member. Getting things out in the open could mean that you finally make room to relax, unwind, and nurture yourself more, which has to be a good thing.
You may be more self-conscious than usual about what you say or how you should put something across. The Moon-Chiron face-off hints that tact can be wise, but if you need to talk, then diluting your words too much won’t work either. It helps to deliver them in such a way that it lifts those involved and encourages solutions and a promising way forward for all.
You like to be generous, but today you need to know where to draw the line. Yet, deciding where the boundary could be, another matter. Do you give a little bit more, a lot more, or perhaps less? This issue may have been going on for a while, but an incident could test your resolve. Sharing grudgingly just so you don’t upset someone isn’t on. Instead, be strong!
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The BBC hit show is one of the UK’s most trusted consumer brands and its now expanding its investigation team
Monde Mwitumwa TV and Celebrity Reporter
00:01, 27 May 2026
BBC The One Show‘s Watchdog has announced that it’s expanding its investigation team.
The popular segment, which is one of the UK’s most trusted consumer brands, is set to welcome two new presenters, who will film alongside regular hosts Matt Allwright and Nikki Fox.
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BBC viewers will welcome BAFTA-winning presenter and consumer journalist Nick Stapleton and Manchester-based broadcaster and documentary maker Amber Haque.
The duo will bring in fresh expert advice to the series, with Nick’s first report set to air during Wednesday’s (May 27) episode of The One Show.
He will be exposing scam adverts on social media that lure consumers into fraudulent investments.
Nick’s new role holds a special place in his heart as he is the son of the late Watchdog presenters John Stapleton and Lynn Faulds Wood, the much-loved husband-and-wife team who fronted the programme from 1986 to 1993.
He admitted that there is a “real poignancy” in joining the team as his parents are not around anymore.
The TV presenter said: “Uncovering scams and fighting for consumer fairness is in my blood. I grew up watching my mum doorstepping people and holding them to account, and it lit a fire in me.”
He added: “My parents aren’t around any more, so there is a real poignancy in joining Watchdog, a programme that was such a huge part of our lives. I truly believe in public service broadcasting and it’s a privilege to join Matt, Nikki and Amber to continue that legacy.”
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Meanwhile, Amber, whose work spans BBC Three documentaries, hit podcasts and international productions, said: “I grew up watching The One Show and Watchdog and so much of my work now looks at how digital culture and modern systems are affecting people’s lives.
“What makes Watchdog so special is how it holds power to account while staying human and accessible, so it’s a really exciting moment to be joining the team.”
Speaking about his new colleagues, Matt said: “In Amber and Nick we’ve got two of the most talented investigative journalists around. I’m delighted that they’re going to be part of the team and I know they will take Watchdog from strength to strength.”
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Nikki continued: “It’s an exciting time for Watchdog on The One Show. With Nick and Amber, we’ll be able to cover even more of the stories that matter to audiences across the UK. They’re both brilliant and I can’t wait to welcome them.”
Joanne Vaughan-Jones, Editor of The One Show added: “Watchdog remains one of the BBC’s most trusted brands. At a time when consumer issues are evolving rapidly, its role has never been more vital – and with Matt, Nikki, Nick and Amber, we have a brilliant team ready to deliver real impact.”
Watchdog airs every Wednesday from 7pm on BBC The One Show
The government has published plans for “once-in-a-generation” reform of youth justice in England and Wales. The reforms are billed as a blueprint for earlier intervention, more targeted support and addressing the root causes of youth crime.
It’s welcome that the proposals recognise how many children in the youth justice system have grown up with instability, trauma and neglect – and that those in the system often have increasingly complex needs. They also emphasise the importance of trusted relationships with professionals, stronger families and school attendance.
The argument that youth crime is often shaped by complex needs, adversity and missed opportunities for support, maps closely onto what my colleague Jagjit Sandhu and I found in our recent study of young men who have been involved in gangs.
Gang involvement is often discussed in terms of violence, drugs, knives and policing. It can be dangerous, harmful and traumatising, both for young people themselves and for the communities around them. But focusing only on crime misses something important: gangs can also offer belonging, a sense of identity and support for young people. This is often what draws them to get involved in the first place, and what makes it difficult to leave.
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Research has long suggested that gang involvement rarely comes from one cause. Young people may be “pushed” towards gangs by poverty, exclusion, victimisation or lack of support, while also being “pulled” by status, protection, identity and belonging. Gangs can offer protection, power, excitement and social support. These are benefits that, for some young people, are felt to outweigh the risks.
Our study, published in the Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice, involved interviews with five young men in London who had current or previous gang involvement. The study explored how they made sense of their life experiences, relationships and sources of support.
Participants described growing up around poverty, violence, family disruption and feeling misunderstood or unsupported by adults and institutions. One young man, Jesse*, recalled times when “there wasn’t no food” and “there was no electric”. Paul described people in his community as “really good people” who sometimes felt their “only choice” was to do something wrong.
But the young men in our study were not only “pushed” by adversity. They were also “pulled” to the gang by relationships that seemed to offer something they could not find elsewhere.
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For Paul, closeness came from shared experience. He described his peers as “literally like the same person [as me] but just put in different houses”. John spoke about his fellow gang members as “brothers.” Tom recalled older gang members who “showed me a lot of love” and helped him feel protected. They described these relationships as central to why gang involvement made sense to them at the time.
The young men did not use this to excuse subsequent violence or criminal behaviour. But it helped them explain why they were drawn to the gang, and why leaving was so difficult.
Why early support and relationships matter
This is where the government’s emphasis on early intervention and trusted relationships is important. The white paper presenting the proposals argues that support for children at risk of offending should be “timely, proportionate and holistic”. It should also be joined up across schools, social care, health, youth justice teams and voluntary organisations.
The proposals stress the importance of stable relationships with trusted adults such as mentors, youth workers, teachers, social workers and other professionals. These adults can help children feel safe, regulate emotions and begin to see themselves as someone with a future outside crime.
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Our findings support this approach. Some of our participants wanted to move away from gang involvement, but needed help to imagine and build a different life. Tom described contact with professionals through a support service as “like two different worlds”, saying that it changed his “mind state”. Others spoke about mentoring, work, family relationships and new peer groups as helping them find purpose and belonging outside the gang.
Support is key to helping young people find belonging and positive relationships outside of gangs. Media_Photos/Shutterstock
The government’s focus on early intervention is welcome, including the expansion of programmes such as Turnaround, a voluntary support programme for children on the cusp of entering the youth justice system. It also proposes opening more Young Futures Hubs, intended to bring local services together so young people can access opportunities, mental health and wellbeing support, and help to move away from crime, and early support hubs, which offer young people mental health support without needing a GP referral.
Separately, it reiterates Labour’s manifesto commitment for new child criminal exploitation measures, including offence and civil orders aimed at adults who exploit children into criminality. The point is not only to improve outcomes for children who offend – effective early intervention also means fewer victims and safer communities.
But policy also needs to keep listening to young people with lived experience of offending. Their voices can help us understand what support looks like from the inside: what came too late, what felt irrelevant and what made change feel possible.
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The need for belonging is not unusual or deviant. It is human. But not all young people have easy access to safe places, trusted adults or meaningful opportunities. YMCA analysis of local authority youth services found that spending has fallen sharply since 2010–11, with fewer council-run youth centres and youth workers than a decade ago.
Research has found crime and violence to be linked to a lack of positive relationships, education and employment opportunities and community support. When these are missing, gangs may fill the gap. Early intervention has to mean understanding what young people are looking for and offering support and opportunities that feel real to them – before gangs become the place they find belonging – and before more people are harmed.
The three-day celebration, running from May 23 to 25, drew crowds from across the region, with a packed programme of live entertainment, family activities and a vibrant parade through the town centre.
Photos from the weekend capture locals proudly marching through the streets in a colourful procession.
Festivities centred around the main stage, where live music kept audiences entertained throughout the weekend, while visitors also enjoyed a mix of food vendors, bars and traditional fairground rides.
A range of community-led activities added to the atmosphere, including a popular pet show, dog agility displays, open mic sessions and a bustling car boot sale.
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Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Organisers have praised the enormous community effort behind the event, thanking volunteers, sponsors, local businesses and emergency services for their support in making the weekend a success.
A spokesperson said: “To the volunteers, committee members, sponsors, local businesses, entertainers, musicians, traders, food vendors, parade entrants, emergency services, community groups, and every single person who gave their time, effort, and support — we truly couldn’t do it without you.
“We hope you all enjoyed Barnard Castle Meet Weekend 2026 as much as we did, and after a little rest, we’ll start looking ahead to doing it all again next year.”
What if you could visit a place that does not exist on any map? A place whispered about online as though it sits just beyond the edges of our known world. A place known quite simply as, the Backrooms.
The Backrooms are an internet-created fictional setting imagined as an infinite network of empty, fluorescent-lit rooms. The concept centres on the idea of accidentally slipping out of normal reality and becoming trapped in this monotonous, labyrinthine environment with no clear exit.
Since first emerging online in 2019 on the online bulletin board 4chan, the Backrooms phenomenon has expanded across Reddit, TikTok, YouTube and gaming platforms, where users collectively map, narrate and extend its mythology. Common to much of the user-generated content are eerie images and haunting stories of mysterious, yellow wallpapered corridors and empty office-like spaces that exist outside of, or beyond, reality itself.
Much of the interest on the internet circulates around filmmaker Kane Parsons’ viral “found footage” videos on YouTube. Parsons took the phenomenon from low resolution static images into immersive cinematic exploration, helping to establish Backrooms as one of social media’s most recognisable horror environments. With Parsons now adapting the Backrooms for a feature-length horror thriller, the strange fictive world is rapidly entering mainstream discourse.
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The trailer for the horror film Backrooms.
At first glance, the Backrooms may resemble just another accelerated urban legend (also known as “creepypasta”) such as Slenderman or The Russian Sleep Experiment. But our research suggests something more significant is occurring in terms of changing consumer interest in spaces related to horror or trauma, their mediation, and new ways of experiencing them.
Behind the yellow wallpaper
The Backrooms began with a single unsettling image posted anonymously online: a claustrophobic warren of tawdrily yellow, windowless rooms with aged carpets and harsh overhead fluorescent lights.
Intrigued by the vague mixture of menace and nostalgia that the image evoked, internet users began sharing stories and speculating that the Backrooms is a hidden dimension into which people might accidentally find themselves.
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With commercial tourism, social media and vlogging much of today’s world feels overexposed and overexplained, with seemingly every destination photographed, every experience reviewed and all hidden gems channelled into content. The mystery of the Backrooms felt different.
Today, the r/backrooms subreddit contains hundreds of thousands of members, while Backrooms content across TikTok and Instagram continues to attract enormous engagement. Content tagged #backrooms on TikTok exceeds half a million posts, while Instagram fan pages such as @xbackroom, which have hundreds of thousands of followers, further extend the mythology through images, edits and speculative storytelling. Users create maps, fictional diary entries, survival guides, found-footage videos and first-person explorations that collectively expand the world.
A history of the Backrooms phenomenon.
This is one reason the Backrooms feel different from traditional horror films or ghost stories. Rather than passively consuming a finished narrative, audiences actively participate in constructing and navigating the environment itself.
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Folklore scholar Michael Kinsella has described this kind of online activity as a form of “online legend-tripping” where audiences become contributors, collaborators and world-builders rather than simply spectators.
The horror of familiar places
Dark tourism research reveals that people are drawn to places associated with death, disaster, tragedy and the uncanny, whether former prisons, abandoned sites, or locations connected to unsettling historical events. These locations often involve an encounter with atmospheres that feel emotionally, symbolically or existentially charged.
The Backrooms extend this logic into new and participatory territory. Unlike virtual dark tourism that allows for “armchair travel” to real-world dark heritage sites, there is no physical location anchoring the Backrooms nor any historical tragedy to commemorate. Instead, the Backrooms provide a collectively imagined and online environment of unease, abandonment and liminality.
Interest in the Backrooms persists precisely because they lack a fixed mythology, geographical reality, or narrative history, allowing users to construct meaning around places that, nonetheless, feel uncannily familiar. With their dated decor, hotel-like hallways, overhead ceiling tiles and abandoned office spaces, the Backrooms resemble the overlooked non-places of modern life – spaces many people recognise but rarely notice.
In this sense, the Backrooms reveal how digital culture is beginning to reshape experiences traditionally associated with tourism, allowing for the mundane to become menacing.
The Backrooms operate less like a story people receive and more like a world they enter. Across YouTube videos, video games, VR experiences and TikTok edits, audiences are located inside the environment itself blurring the boundaries between storytelling, role-playing, tourism and online participation.
This boundary-crossing may help explain why the phenomenon resonates so strongly at this cultural moment. The internet is no longer just a network of information or communication platforms; it is gradually evolving into a landscape people emotionally navigate and fully inhabit.
The Backrooms points toward a future where collectively imagined digital worlds function as meaningful cultural environments in their own right: places people travel to, explore, emotionally invest in and repeatedly return to, despite never physically existing at all.
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