Rory McIlroy is headed to his new home ahead of the third major of the season in the U.S. Open after he finished T-12 at the Memorial in Ohio

Career grand slam champion Rory McIlroy is taking a six-day hiatus before tackling the third major of the season at the U.S. Open.

The world No. 2 competed at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio, where severe weather disrupted play on moving day, with hail forcing a suspension and strong winds toppling a television tower.

Following a tied seventh place finish at the PGA Championship and a back-to-back victory at the Masters in April, the Northern Irishman is flying back to Europe to continue settling into his new residence in England and prepare for the U.S. Open over six days.

“I had a couple of weeks off and we got ourselves settled into our house in London for the summer. It was nice to be there for the last 10 days,” The Holywood man said before the Memorial.

The £9million property on the exclusive Wentworth estate in Surrey, bought in 2023, was already one of the grandest piles in the area before the McIlroys began renovations 18 months ago. The six-bedroom mansion, close to the exclusive golf course, has been extended and revamped as the couple and their daughter Poppy move from Florida.

“Two steps forward, one step back,” McIlroy remarked after carding a final-round 4-under 68 at the Memorial Tournament. The golfer has battled driver inconsistency throughout the season, admitting he feels ‘limited’, though he remains optimistic about the upcoming U.S. Open.

“Off the tee still wasn’t where I want it to be,” McIlroy acknowledged. “Thankfully, the fairways at Shinnecock are a little wider than they are here. But, yeah, still need to work on that. I need to work on how I’m hitting it off the tee.”, reports the Mirror US.

McIlroy confirmed he’s identified precisely what requires attention, though.

“I get a little bit underneath the plane on the way down and then from there I try to drag the handle to match it up, and then I get toe strikes, and then the toe strikes are – like, so if I’m aiming a touch left trying to hit a cut and I get a touch underneath it and then I try to save it by dragging the handle, I hit it off the toe and then it goes left,” McIlroy explained.

“But then if I try to hit with one with a draw or pretty neutral, I’ll still get a little bit underneath it, and I’ll release it and it will overturn a little bit. But I have to try to get the club back out in front of me.

“But then when it gets out in front of me, if I do get it there, then it’s about having the right release pattern on the way through.”

Securing his fifth consecutive top 20 finish at the Memorial, he now sets his sights on claiming a second major title of the season at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, New York.

“Just try to keep getting a little bit better each and every day heading into Shinnecock,” he said.

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It comes due to the wider rollout of the EU’s Entry and Exit System (EES).

The new system requires British travellers and other non-EU visitors to provide biometric data, including fingerprints and facial scans, when entering the Schengen Area.

It has received backlash since its introduction, due to it causing longer waits for passengers at airports.

Major airlines, including Jet2 and Ryanair, have called for the rollout of the new system to be suspended until after the summer to allow for a “smoother airport experience” during peak travel season.

CEO of Ryanair’s Malta subsidiary, Malta Air, David O’Brien, has also threatened to pull all flights.

Now, Brits have been issued a fresh warning of six-hour waits at several major European airports due to the EES.

Manchester Airport passengers warned of 6-hour airport queues

Airline industry leaders have warned that the new checks could dramatically increase processing times at passport control.

Rafael Schvartzman, vice-president for Europe at IATA, said the system increases passenger processing times from around 20-25 seconds to as much as 90 seconds per traveller, creating a “hard risk” of lengthy queues and missed flights.

Schvartzman told IATA’s annual meeting that places were implementing the system differently, some did not have the required technology or infrastructure, and kiosks were understaffed, The Times reports.

He added: “What we are seeing is a very hard risk of really challenging times or waiting times, talking about expectations of three, four, five, six hours, which is unacceptable.

“We know for a fact there are many cases where people have lost flights or their connectivity.”

Among the worst-affected holiday hotspots are Lisbon, Lanzarote, Alicante, and Mallorca.

Manchester Airport offers flights to three of the four locations (Lisbon, Lanzarote, and Alicante), meaning passengers travelling from the area may be affected.

The new EU entry and exit system explained

Nicole Kerr, chief executive of transport platform Mozio, said holidaymakers should be prepared for potential disruption.

“UK searches for ‘summer holiday deals’ have increased by 123% in the past three months, as Brits look to secure their travel plans ahead of peak season,” she said.

She continued: “While a holiday is meant to be a relaxing and stress-free experience, experts have warned that changes to the travel industry could cause delays and confusion.”

Nicole said EES was likely to be one of the biggest challenges facing travellers this summer: “Passengers travelling to European airports will now have to use the new European Entry/Exit System, which requires biometric data, such as fingerprints and a facial image.

“While the new system is expected to reduce wait times at passport control in the future, Brits have already experienced long delays as the rollout continues.”

She also warned that delays may not end when passengers leave the terminal.

“Alongside these procedures, travellers will inevitably be met with other challenges which could cause delays, such as airport strikes and long taxi queues when leaving the terminal,” Ms Kerr said.

She added: “In 2025, travellers reported long taxi queues at airports across popular tourist destinations, including the Canary Islands.”

EES is not the only travel change Brits need to know

Britons have also been warned to prepare for the introduction of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), expected to launch later in 2026.

Under the scheme, visa-exempt travellers, including UK passport holders, will need permission to enter 30 European countries for short stays.

Applications will cost €20, although under-18s and over-70s will be exempt from the fee.

Meanwhile, travellers heading to the United States are being encouraged to use the Mobile Passport Control app, which allows passengers to complete border information digitally before arriving at passport control.

Travel expert Gianni Leone, senior product director at Away Holidays, says preparation is key, particularly for families travelling with children.

Parents are advised to:

• Arrive at airports earlier than usual
• Keep passports and travel documents easily accessible
• Pack extra snacks, drinks and activities for children
• Download any required travel apps before departure
• Allow additional time for passport control and security checks
• Pre-book airport transfers where possible

For travellers looking to avoid further delays after landing, it is recommended to book airport transfers in advance.

Sometimes there is an option to use metro or train systems, and even regular buses, but they often need pre-planning.

What are your holiday plans this year? Let us know in the comments.

Drivers in North Carolina were left enraged after many commuters’ worst nightmare at the pump – a station mistakenly stored diesel in a regular gas tank, leading drivers to fill up on the wrong fuel.

A couple of dozen drivers were left stranded at a Speedway gas station in Wake Forest, a suburb of Raleigh, on June 2, and are now facing costly repairs after filling up on diesel while thinking they were getting normal gasoline, according to WRAL.

“This was no fault of none of ours,” customer Brenda Small told the outlet. “We were getting gas. Everyone was planning on going home after they got their gas. Didn’t happen like that.”

It remains unclear what happened to all of the drivers or how they managed to get home. Some customers, including Small, said they relied on rental vehicles while their cars were repaired.

“The guy put the diesel in the wrong tank in the ground, so we’re all pumping what we thought was 87,” Small added. “We were pumping diesel in our vehicles.”

Diesel fuel is typically used for large vehicles, such as semi-trucks and buses as it is thicker and offers better gas mileage. But it burns more slowly and hurts acceleration. When Diesel is put into a car that takes regular gas, it can stop the vehicle from starting and damage the engine.

The extent of the damage — and the subsequent repair costs — depend on whether or not a driver turned their car on. Mechanics typically just drain and clean the gas tank if the car remained off. But if a driver turned the engine on, their car could require more expensive repairs, such as flushing the fuel line or replacing parts. Those repairs can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services sent an inspector to Speedway to investigate the incident, according to WRAL. It remains unclear exactly how the mix-up happened.

State inspector Valerie Thoms told the outlet she’s now testing to ensure the gas station properly cleaned its regular gas tank, and that there’s no diesel fuel left over.

“We want to make sure that the cleanup job has been sufficient enough,” she said.

Small told WRAL a Speedway representative said the company will reimburse her for towing and repairs, but declined to pay for the rental car she relied on and other transportation costs.

The Independent has contacted Speedway and its parent company, 7-Eleven, for comment. The Independent has also reached out to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for more information about its investigation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will look to get nearly $70 billion for immigration enforcement over the finish line Tuesday, enough to fund a pair of Homeland Security agencies through the next three years and the rest of President Donald Trump’s time in office.

Speaker Mike Johnson will need near perfect attendance and unity on his side to complete weeks of action on the bill. The legislation got sidetracked when Republicans sought to include $1 billion for enhanced security on the White House grounds, including for Trump’s new ballroom, and the Trump administration tried to create a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies of the president who claim they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted. Those proposals proved politically toxic and were scrapped.

Now, the bill is focused entirely on immigration enforcement, a topic that Republicans have treated as a defining issue between the two major political parties and one they hope will carry them to victory in this year’s midterm elections. The bill provides $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion for the Border Patrol and another $5 billion to cover unforeseen costs, fueling Trump’s deportation agenda.

“It’s long overdue,” said Johnson, R-La., of the bill. “We have to fund border security and immigration enforcement, and it’s sad that Republicans have to do it on our own.”

The funding comes on top of the nearly $140 billion that the Republican-controlled Congress gave ICE and Customs and Border Protection last year as part of Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill.

Democrats objected to giving the agencies more money without significant changes in the way they operate after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. For example, Democrats insisted that agents be required to display their ID badges during enforcement operations and that they get a judicial warrant before entering private property. Instead, the funding will come with virtually no strings attached.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed his party would oppose the package.

“We believe that taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people – not give ICE another $70 billion blank check so that they can unleash brutality on American citizens and violently target law-abiding immigrant communities,” said Jeffries of New York.

The package is the result of a monthslong standoff in Congress after Democrats refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis and other American cities, leading to the longest shutdown in agency history.

Negotiations had been underway with the White House to alter ICE operations as Democrats were demanding. When those negotiations failed, Republicans turned to a complicated procedural maneuver to get around the filibuster and pass the immigration funding with no Democratic votes.

If approved, the package would next go to Trump for his signature, all but assuring an essentially uninterrupted flow of funds for his immigration enforcement and deportation agenda into 2029.

The Senate completed its work on the legislation last week during an all-night session that extended into the early morning hours Friday. The final 52-47 vote on the bill was nearly party line, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska the only Republican to oppose it.

Money comes at pivotal time for immigration agenda

The money will come at a pivotal time for the Department of Homeland Security, which is under new leadership after Trump replaced Kristi Noem with new Secretary Markwayne Mullin in March.

While Mullin has vowed to keep the department out of the headlines, the administration is under pressure from anti-immigration advocates to deliver on Trump’s campaign promise of the largest deportation operation in American history.

So far, the administration has not hit its goal of 1 million deportations a year, but Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has promised more to come, including hinting at immigration enforcement actions in New York, the nation’s biggest city, which is heavily Democratic.

At the same time, the administration is making it more difficult for legal immigrants to remain in the U.S. by working to end Temporary Protective Status, changing the processes for obtaining green cards and leaving some Dreamers — the young people who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children — reporting delays in renewing their status, which allows them to stay and work.

Tight vote ahead

On the House side, Johnson has little margin for error. Republicans can afford to lose only a couple of votes if every lawmaker is present. GOP leadership opted to avoid any hiccups and sent lawmakers home last week rather than take up the bill early Friday once the Senate had completed its all-nighter.

The bill is just a slim package, without the hundreds of pages of details and directives that typically come from Congress when it provides funding for agencies.

Leading up to the vote, Democrats portrayed DHS as an agency that has used its new resources to buy private jets for its leadership, warehouse immigrants in deplorable conditions and attack U.S. citizens.

“To give these rogue agencies another $70 billion now when they still have $100 billion in the bank from last year would implicate all of us in the escalating corruption and shameful actions of this department,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking Democratic member on the House Judiciary Committee.

Republicans countered that they were fulfilling their duty to safeguard the nation and support the men and women charged with enforcing the law.

“Democrats can say whatever they want, but what it’s about is public safety. What’s it about is keeping Americans safe,” said Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn.

Property and finance company Fox Lloyd Jones has completed the sale of Cardale House, a 14,162 sq. ft. purpose-built office building in Harrogate’s established Cardale Park, to Apollo Capital Group.

The property in Cardale Park, on the edge of the town, had been marketed for £1.4million but the actual sale price has not been disclosed.

Acting on behalf of private investor and developer Trevor Wheatley, FLJ secured the sale of the freehold property on an owner occupier basis to Apollo Capital Group so that it can relocate its operations from Hornbeam Park in Harrogate and establish new headquarters in the town.

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Apollo Capital Group, founded by industry specialists Andy King and David Moss, provides funding solutions for luxury, supercar, hypercar and classic vehicles for private clients and businesses. The directors have been active in the high-value automotive finance sector since 1997.

Fox Lloyd Jones says the sale generated strong interest from parties seeking rare freehold opportunities within Harrogate’s office market. Apollo identified Cardale House as a strategic opportunity to create a flagship base aligned with its future growth ambitions.

As part of its relocation, Apollo plans to transform the ground floor into a client entertainment space including the ability to showcase cars and creating a bespoke headquarters environment for their staff tailored to its brand and enhancing customer experience.

Originally developed by Wheatley in 2001, Cardale House has been occupied throughout by Intechnology and was constructed to a high specification, featuring a full-height entrance atrium, open-plan floorplates and secure on-site car parking spaces.

Apollo’s directors, David Moss and Andy King, said: “Cardale House represents an exciting chapter for Apollo Capital Group. The acquisition of the 14,000 sq ft building provides the opportunity to create a bespoke headquarters for our business in a great location, and a working environment aligned with our reputation as specialists in the high-value vehicle finance sector, supporting high net worth clients and specialist motor dealers.”

“Importantly, now this will be an amazing space for the team and company to flourish in the next stage of our growth plan. We are extremely grateful for the support from Nick Salkeld and FLJ throughout the process.”

Nick Salkeld, director at Fox Lloyd Jones, said: “Cardale House represented a rare opportunity to acquire a high-quality freehold building within one of Harrogate’s most established business districts.

“Demand throughout the process demonstrated the continued strength of the Harrogate office market and the growing appeal of the town as a business destination beyond Leeds.”

“We’re pleased to have secured a successful outcome for our client and to support Apollo Capital Group in delivering its new headquarters. This transaction further reflects FLJ’s continued commitment to the Harrogate market and our track record of advising on landmark property deals across the town and wider Yorkshire region.”

When David Sullivan and long-time business partner David Gold bought into West Ham United in January 2010, Sullivan described the club as being in a “serious mess”.

Many fans may look at West Ham in its current state and ask, ‘what’s changed?’.

Confirmation the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is “in contact” with West Ham and seeking “urgent information” from Sullivan “relating to his suitability” under its owners, directors and senior executives test adds another layer to the general sense of uncertainty around London Stadium.

On 7 June, Sullivan stood down as co-chair at the club saying he wanted to focus on fighting what he called “factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life”, describing the investigation as “fundamentally unfair”.

The allegations, uncovered by BBC Panorama and the Times, included allegations from seven women that the billionaire abused his power and preyed on them for sex, in some cases when they were in their late teens. Sullivan says he categorically denies the claims.

While the allegations were not focused on West Ham, they will cause huge concern.

In a statement, West Ham said it has clear and robust safeguarding measures in place and that the club is unable to comment or provide details on “any individual safeguarding matter as per standard practice in the industry”.

West Ham was the first Premier League club to be accredited by the charity White Ribbon UK, in recognition of the efforts it was taking to support ending male violence against women and girls.

In a statement, White Ribbon said its accreditation was about organisations “delivering a three-year action plan that works towards improvement” and is “not a statement about, or endorsement of, individuals connected to that organisation”.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the “deeply concerning” allegations against Sullivan must be “treated with the utmost seriousness” and “investigated by the relevant authorities”.

He may have stood down from his co-chair position but Sullivan remains the club’s largest shareholder, with a 38.8% stake. BBC Sport has been told his sons, Jack and David Jr, will not be taking a hands-on role at West Ham.

The club’s next two most significant shareholders are Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky and Vanessa Gold – the daughter of David who died in January 2023 – who own 27% and 25.1% respectively.

In their statement on Sullivan’s resignation, West Ham said “the club will provide an update on the future structure of the board of directors in due course”.

But it is not the only problem West Ham have to deal with.

Somali referee Omar Artan says he was subjected to an 11-hour immigration interview before being denied entry to the United States for the World Cup despite holding the “right papers” and “right visa”.

Artan, who was set to be the first Somali to referee at a World Cup finals, was dropped from the list of officials on Monday after he was barred from entering the country at Miami International Airport.

No reason for Artan’s repatriation has been issued by US immigration authorities, but Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.

After speaking to the US authorities, world governing body Fifa said Artan will miss the tournament.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told the New York Times, external. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream – the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”

A Fifa statement on the decision said: “Fifa can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.

“Fifa is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present.”

A senior adviser to Somalia’s ministry of youth and sports confirmed the denial of entry to the BBC and said Artan had been travelling with valid documents.

A Somali embassy official in Nairobi told the BBC that Artan’s diplomatic passport had been issued specifically to ease his travel after earlier visa difficulties.

“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” said Artan.

Following the 11-hour immigration interview, Artan said he was then taken to a separate holding cell where he was detained for several hours before being put on a flight back to Istanbul, Turkey.

Speaking to BBC World Service, Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force on the World Cup, said: “While I can’t go into the derog [derogatory information] on that I can tell you it was the right decision by customs and border patrol and I support that decision.”

It would not be possible for Artan to stay outside the United States and only referee matches played in Canada or Mexico.

Referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina has created a training hub for the tournament’s 52 referees and 88 assistant referees in Miami.

All on-pitch officials must stay at the base in Florida for training, preparation and security.

In December, Trump told reporters he does not want Somali immigrants in the US, and they should “go back to where they came from”.

“I think that they have a problem with my country,” Artan added.

The number of counterfeit banknotes in circulation has more than doubled in the past year

Brits are being urged to stay vigilant with their money as the volume of fake banknotes circulating has surged dramatically. Even worse, if you don’t spot them fast enough, you could lose out financially – and potentially face criminal charges.

Fresh data from the National Crime Agency revealed that last year saw more than double the amount of counterfeit notes in circulation compared to 2024. Particularly, £20 and £10 notes have emerged as the most frequently forged denominations across the UK.

Manufacturing counterfeit notes, knowingly passing them on or possessing fake currency with the intention to deliberately use or pass it off as genuine constitutes a criminal offence. The maximum penalty can reach up to 10 years behind bars and seizure of assets.

That said, some individuals may end up with dodgy notes in their possession without having any idea they’re fake. This risks leaving them seriously out of pocket, as counterfeit banknotes are “worthless” according to the Bank of England, which cannot compensate you if you realise you’ve accepted a fake note after the fact.

BBC Breakfast’s probe into the issue uncovered the genuine impact this can have on people who unknowingly receive “worthless” cash. One postmaster interviewed by the programme, Imran Khan, described how some small businesses may have customers paying in cash, but when the owners attempt to bank it, the post office’s machine “spits it out and says no, this is a fake.”

Receiving a counterfeit note by mistake is fairly uncommon. The Bank of England points out that at any given moment, there are approximately 5 billion authentic UK banknotes in circulation, set against the most recent estimated figure of 200,000 fake notes, reports the Mirror.

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While you won’t receive compensation if you’re stuck with a counterfeit note, the crucial step to protecting your money’s worth is verifying whether it’s fake before you accept it. Should you inadvertently take a forged note, the cash’s value may be gone but you can hand the counterfeit note over to the police, where it can be assessed by the National Crime Agency and the Bank of England.

Several security features that might reveal whether your banknote is authentic:

• There is a silver foil patch at the bottom that reads ‘pounds’ when tilted to one side and the value of the note when tilted to the other
• A 3D image of the coronation crown appears above the main see-through window.
• On the front of the notes, you can feel raised print
• There is a large see-through window with either King Charles III or Queen Elizabeth II

Additional security features are available on the Bank of England website to assist you in confirming if your cash is legitimate. The Bank of England also encourages the public to flag up any online advertising they encounter claiming to supply counterfeit notes. It states: “Counterfeiting directly funds organised crime.

“It hurts the UK economy by creating losses for businesses, which ultimately affects the cost of things that we buy. It also affects the pocket of anyone who receives a counterfeit note, as they are worthless. If you report counterfeiting to the police, you are helping with investigations and alerting them to a problem in their area. This means that they can take action to protect your community.”