WASHINGTON (AP) — It looks from afar more UFO than UFC.

Maybe it’s the kind of contraption that has carried space aliens to the White House to force a meeting with America’s leader.

But come closer and you’ll see the contours of the eight-sided cage, 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter and shaped, with careful precision, like the MMA league’s signature Octagon. That is, a STOP! sign flipped on its edge, with wire-mesh sides and padded corners fitted with different sponsors’ logos: Morgan & Morgan, Bud Light, Dodge Ram, Corona Extra and Polymarket, which identifies itself as the world’s largest prediction market.

Overhead looms The Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet (27 meters) into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the cage fighting below.

And surrounding all that are risers filled with gray folding chairs forming a temporary arena expected to seat 4,000-plus people for the seven UFC fights being staged on Sunday to celebrate the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.

For non-UFC fans, all of this might be disorienting under any circumstances. But the temporary arena is covering nearly the entirety of the White House’s South Lawn, where Marine One usually lands to ferry the president to out-of-town trips and gobs of kids scramble in the grass during the Easter Egg Roll every spring.

More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn and is contesting a lawsuit meant to block the event.

A packed pre-event schedule includes a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial with UFC chief Dana White and the fighters on Friday night.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Work on the arena began May 20 and has continued for weeks. During a walk-through for reporters on Thursday, construction noises — particularly sanding and hammering — could be heard. Giant cranes were carrying materials around overhead, though that was for the $400 million ballroom that Trump is building nearby, not the UFC fight.

The remaining grassy lawn around the arena, on the other sides of the White House, has been fitted with supplemental spotlights. But the grass that normally grows between the White House and the start of the risers for the arena is now gone, with nothing but dusty dirt that will need to be resodded when this is all over — unless the president really does decide to leave the arena up permanently.

There’s also a large Freedom 250 logo standing between the White House and the arena. Nearby, crews removed the tables and yellow patio umbrellas from Trump’s refurbished Rose Garden and were power-washing that space, as well as the colonnade to the Oval Office, in preparation for the fights.

White has vowed that even heavy lightning — when The Claw might make a conspicuous target for bolts — wouldn’t stop the show.

“I don’t care if it snows,” White said.

​Councillors and the MP for Scarborough and Whitby have hit out at an “incorrect” Government response to a petition calling for stroke services at Scarborough Hospital to be restored.

​Alison Hume MP, who represents Scarborough and Whitby, said there was “only one word to describe my feeling about my campaign at the moment, and that’s frustration”.

​Last year, as part of the campaign, a petition was submitted to the Department of Health to “once again provide specialist emergency assessment, investigation, treatment and care for patients who are potentially suffering from, or have suffered from, an acute stroke”.

​In response, a health minister at the time said: “There have been no direct stroke admissions to Scarborough Hospital since 2015.

​“A limited ‘assess and transfer’ model operated between 2015 and 2020 but was found to be clinically unsustainable and inconsistent with the approved national model for hyper acute stroke units.”

​At a recent meeting of the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee, Cllr Rich Maw said: “The government’s response to your stroke petition effectively endorsed the current stroke service configuration and rejected the case for restoring acute stroke provision at Scarborough.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service. Courtesy Anttoni Numminen.

​Quizzing the MP, he added: “I’ve heard that you are holding a debate and you are pressing to encourage a thrombectomy service in North Yorkshire.

​“But what evidence do you believe could realistically persuade ministers or NHS decision-makers to reconsider this decision?”

​Ms Hume called for a review of current stroke strategy “because it doesn’t cover the needs of rural and coastal communities”.

​Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the Labour MP said the “next step is applying for a debate on why Yorkshire and the Humber don’t have access to 24/7 elective services, so that’s the first thing I’m doing”.

York Hospital. Courtesy Numminen/LDRS

​Speaking after the meeting, she added: “Then I’m applying for a wider debate on stroke services in coastal communities, and that one should be a longer debate in which I hope we’ll get support from MPs, not just in Yorkshire and the Humber, but across the country, because we all have similar issues.

​“Our constituents are miles and miles away from stroke services, and I’m absolutely determined, given that we’ve got a brand-new A&E at Scarborough, that we could be doing the initial scans there.”

Joshua Camplin claimed he was only looking for friendship

A convicted paedophile who arranged to meet a 14-year-old boy a bus station for sex was instead met by waiting police officers, a court has heard.

Joshua Camplin had sent a series of sexually explicit messages and photographs to someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy and repeatedly asked for intimate pictures in return, unaware he was chatting to an undercover online police officer running a decoy account.

The 33-year-old defendant would later claim that he that he was only seeking a friendship with the decoy, that he missed the message where the decoy said he was 14, and that he had no sexual interest in children.

Giving Camplin an extended sentence as a dangerous offender a recorder said he did not accept any of those assertions.

Kathryn Lane, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court that in 2019 Camplin was jailed and made subject to sexual harm prevention order for possession of indecent images.

She said as part of that order there were restrictions on the defendant owning internet-enabled devices and he was banned from having social media or online accounts in any name other than his own.

The court heard that in early February this year Camplin, who was calling himself James Brown and had a username Ginger Lad, initiated contact with a profileon the gay and bisexual dating website FabGuys.

Camplin’s messages were not initially replied to by the decoy but then the pair began exchanging messages and they moved their communications to email.

The court the decoy account was being run by an undercover police officer.

The prosecutor said the decoy told Camplin he was aged 14 “but that did not deter” the defendant who sent the supposed teenager a series of sexual messages and photographs and made repeated requests for pictures of the decoy’s penis and bum.

When the decoy replied on one occasion that he was in school the defendant told him to go to the toilets and “show me some”.

The court heard the defendant continued asking for intimate pictures and videos before discussing meeting the ‘teen’ for oral sex.

On March 3 arrangements were made for the supposed child to travel to Newport and the decoy messaged the defendant to say he was on his way.

At 4.15pm that day police arrested Camplin outside Newport bus station.

Joshua Andrew Camplin, of Chepstow Road, Newport, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, attempted sexual communication with a child, and attempting to arrange the commission of a child sexual offence when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has one previous conviction for nine offences from 2019 namely the possession of indecent images.

Darren Bishop, for Camplin, said there was very little mitigation he could put forward as far as the offending was concerned but said his client had encountered the decoy on an adult website and said there had initially been no indication of age.

He said his client acted as the primary carer for his partner who had severe mobility issues and said the offending had been a “betrayal” of that partner.

Recorder Simon Hughes noted in his pre-sentence report Camplin claimed that he was only seeking a friendship with the ‘teenager’, said he missed the email where the decoy told him he was 14, and denied having any sexual interest in children.

The recorder said he did not accept any of those assertions and said he was certain that had the police not attended and had the decoy been a real person the defendant would have had oral sex, and perhaps other sexual activity, with him.

He noted an “escalation” in Camplin’s behaviour from possession of images in 2019 to trying to arrange contact offending in 2026 and said probation had assessed him as posing a high risk to any child.

The recorder said in those circumstances a standard determinate sentence was not adequate to protect the public.

With a one-quarter discount for his guilty plea Camplin was sentenced to a seven-year extended sentence comprising 54 months in custody followed by a 30-month licence period.

He must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence before he can apply to be released but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be let out.

Camplin will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life and he was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.

The Jungle Box in Hertfordshire was home to meercats, owls, iguanas giant tortoises and a 16ft snake

Advertisement

A miracle update revealed a baby tortoise survived a horrific fire at a children’s soft play centre and mini zoo.

The incident happened at The Jungle Box on the Watermill Industrial Estate in Buntingford, Hertfordshire after the fire was reported at around 3am on June 10.

Ten fire engines were called to the disaster according to The Mirror, where animals at the site included meerkats, owls, iguanas giant tortoises and a 16ft snake. Now, fire crews shared on Facebook they discovered the baby tortoise alive in the aftermath of the blaze.

Crews from Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue service had initially thought all animals had died in the horror fire. Posting a photo of the tiny survivor, the service wrote: “We have some heartwarming news to share following yesterday’s devastating fire at the Jungle Box in Buntingford.

“While carrying out the fire investigation, we incredibly discovered a baby tortoise alive in the aftermath, despite earlier fears that all the animals had died. A small but powerful moment after a very difficult incident.”

Investigations into the cause of the fire are still ongoing. Black smoke could be seen billowing from the building as local residents were urged to keep their windows and doors closed.

Road closures were put in place on Aspenden Road and London Road. A neighbouring business, The Spud Twins, expressed their sadness at the news in a heartfelt post on social media.

It said: “Absolutely devastated for our friends over at the jungle box soft play. If anyone has a visit booked or a party – you will be contacted in due course.”

A horrific knife attack in Belfast has exacerbated tensions which have spilled over into widespread disorder.

Much of the violence has targeted migrants and ethnic minorities. Hadi Alodid, 30, a Sudanese refugee who entered the UK in 2023 via Ireland, has been charged with attempted murder.

Politicians of all stripes have used the attack to raise the need to change the Common Travel Area (CTA) on the basis that it has become a “loophole” in the UK’s immigration regime.

Politicians generally want to be seen offering immediate solutions where issues arise. But here they risk playing into profoundly damaging narratives for societal cohesion, while upending arrangements that thousands rely upon on a daily basis.

What is the Common Travel Area?

The CTA began to operate in 1922, after Ireland’s independence from the UK. Neither country wanted to impose a full immigration regime where people had previously moved freely, especially in the context of managing their new land border. The CTA allows British and Irish citizens to move, live and work freely between the two countries, as well as the Crown dependencies Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

It has persisted, bar a wartime interruption, ever since. Every day people live in Ireland and work in the UK, and vice versa, and move between these countries using the CTA. There are even some road routes that cross the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland multiple times in a short stretch.

The CTA was intended to operate on both an internal and external level. It provided for unrestricted movement to take place between the parts of the CTA. But this was only achievable because both Ireland and the UK aligned their immigration policy and enforced comparable rules of entry.

Brexit threw these arrangements into uncertainty. Although both countries reaffirmed their commitment to the CTA, challenges loomed. With Brexit, the UK became able to exclude or impose entry requirements on citizens of European Economic Area countries, who Ireland, as an EU state, was obliged to freely admit. It also disrupted the arrangements for return of asylum seekers who moved between these countries, which depended upon EU rules.

An immigration backdoor?

The current tension between the Irish and UK governments is that Alodid was permitted to enter Ireland off a flight from France, and was then able to move across the border. Something might well have gone wrong in this case, but the problem is not a lack of immigration powers.

The UK has a broad range of measures that it can employ to manage the border. By law, it is able to treat any area within a mile of the border as a “border area” for the purposes of immigration checks. The Irish authorities operate similar powers and regularly stop traffic, particularly cross-border bus services, near the border.

UK and Northern Ireland authorities maintain the intelligence programme Operation Gull to police immigration affecting Northern Ireland. But it has focused policing on constraining onward movements into Great Britain. The UK government is reportedly set to “intensify” this work.

Politicians frequently propose new legislation to deal with issues around immigration. Here the problem is not the existence of powers, but of resourcing and policing priorities. These can be harder (and require significant funds) to solve. The more requirements of border checks there are, the more people’s lives will be affected by such checks (including carrying more documentation to be able to prove their right to cross).

Even though immigrants can technically be stopped at the border, the issue is what happens next. There is no formal arrangement between Ireland and the UK to return people who have crossed irregularly (without permission or documentation). This has produced tensions in particular cases, but often suits both governments.

Irregular movements across the border are a “two-way issue”, with many asylum seekers arriving in Ireland coming through the CTA, according to the Irish government. Returner arrangements are complex to administer and efforts to return an individual to a “safe third country” have generated litigation. If there is not a disparity in movements, there is little impetus to set one up. If a disparity emerges, or particular incidents create a political storm, then negotiating such an arrangement becomes more fraught.

The CTA arrangements do not mean that Northern Ireland is hosting a disproportionate number of refugees in the UK. Northern Ireland has the lowest percentage of ethnic minority inhabitants of any region of the UK, and its population of nearly 2 million includes fewer than 2,400 people receiving asylum seeker support, according to the latest Home Office figures. Due to the nature of the CTA, there is relatively little data available about how many people claim asylum in the UK having crossed the border from Ireland.

Jim Allister, the leader of the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party, has nonetheless warned of the importation of an “alien culture”.

The circumstances of the initial attack will be exposed in the criminal justice process, but at the moment there is nothing to indicate that this was anything other than an isolated incident. If only we were so fortunate to live in a country where knife crime was alien.

What Northern Ireland does have is a long history of sectarianism and violence. Questions around the border have long been part of this history, and the CTA is bound up in these.

England lost out in the battle to secure the best training facilities in their host city, beaten by their old foes. Both countries are based in Kansas, alongside Holland and Algeria.

England lost out in the battle to secure the best training facilities in their host city, beaten by their old foes and reigning World Champions Argentina again. Both countries are based in Kansas City, Missouri, alongside the teams of Holland and Algeria. The city has proven popular for competing nations because of its position in the Midwest. It ideally situated for travelling to matches across the United States during the biggest tournament ever. Argentina secured what is judged to be the best base in the city, the Sporting KC training centre. For Thomas Tuchel, the location offered a crucial extra ingredient: heat and humidity.

England could travel to the iconic Azteca stadium to meet hosts Mexico on Monday July 6 in the last 16. But the Three Lions faced intense competition to secure training facilities in Kansas. Swope Park on the outskirts of the city has beautiful grounds, and a huge array of pitches.

FIFA World Cup flags are fluttering all the way down the highway to the entrance, with the Union flag now proudly in place alongside the Stars and Stripes. A sign reads, ‘Home of England,’ bearing the Three Lions crest. But it is not as impressive as the £56m performance centre the defending champions Argentina bagged near the city.

And locals say the Netherlands and Algeria also scored when they landed their bases nearby. The Dutch are based at the KC Training Facility used by the Kansas’ women’s team, with a brand new hotel. They have a Reds contingent that Liverpool fans across the globe will follow: Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, and Ryan Gravenberch.

They will play alongside Micky van de Ven of Spurs, Nathan Aké of manchester-city-fc>Manchester City and Bart Verbruggen, the Brighton & Hove Albion keeper.

“The mood in the camp is very good and the facilities are spot on,” a source told the Mirror. “The KC Training Facility is used by the women’s team here but the facilities really are second to none.”

Algeria meanwhile secured a state-of-the-art gym and training complex at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, around 40 minutes west of Kansas.

Tuchel appears to have opted for the privacy and relaxed atmosphere of their Inn at Meadowbrook in Prairie Village on the outskirts of the city, prioritising ‘peace and quiet’.

Chris Thomas, 40, an ex-pat from Leeds, sells traditional British pies with a street food firm called ‘Brit Boy’ in Kansas.

He is a keen Manchester United fan who moved to Kansas four years ago.

He said: “Argentina won the battle of the training grounds. Their place is state of the art and the Algeria one also cost millions. The Dutch facility is where the Kansas women’s team plays, but it is also very impressive.

“So I think England opted for peace and quiet. I believe the local staff at their hotel have been furloughed for the World Cup because England have their own chefs.”

But he added: “What England will get in Kansas is a real taste of America. Of all the places I’ve lived here, it is my favourite place in America.

“This area is famous for its hospitality. There are good golf courses if they do want to play in their free time.

“And if they go out and about in town, no one will bother them. The NFL players go out to eat in restaurants and are always left alone.

“There are some good bars and the locals love to go out for a drink so in that sense it is very English.

“They respect their privacy when they are with their families.”

The secret to tastier carrots is how they are cooked, with four chefs sharing their tips on how to make the humble veg more flavourful and perfectly textured

We’ve all experienced it: anticipating a Sunday roast only to discover the carrots are lacking in texture and taste. This results from straightforward cooking techniques such as steaming and boiling, which merely soften the inherently firm vegetable.

Coating carrots in store cupboard staples like olive oil, rosemary and salt offers a basic enhancement, but culinary professionals favour an alternative approach. When questioned about the optimal method for preparing carrots by Eating Well, all four chefs provided identical responses.

Slow cooking emerged as the unanimous recommendation for an “amazing texture”, and there are numerous approaches to achieve it. The proprietors of the vegan establishment Hey, Sunshine Kitchen, informed Eating Well that gently cooking baby carrots brings them to life by extracting their inherent sweetness.

They advise simmering the carrots for two to four minutes in a covered pan before incorporating butter (they suggest vegan butter, though dairy is acceptable), followed by brown sugar, two teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, the zest of half an orange, two tablespoons of fresh orange juice, and a pinch of sea salt, reports the Express.

Preparing the carrots this way softens them and produces a rich glaze that’s packed with flavour. The secret is to cook them gently and gradually until the sauce becomes thick.

Roasting proves more widespread and an excellent method to add flavour and enhance the texture of this modest vegetable, according to executive chef Alex Moreno of The Hideaway in Beverly Hills.

He observed that roasting is his “favourite” slow-cooking technique, for which he embraces the gentle and gradual philosophy. Roasting them when time isn’t pressing delivers an unmistakably “deep, rich flavour” that simply cannot be achieved through alternative cooking techniques.

Advertisement

It’s crucial not to overcook them as you want the texture to retain some firmness. Alex explained that to slow roast carrots, begin by cutting them into thick batons—roughly the size of steak chips.

Roast the batons at 150C (300F) with a drizzle of olive oil and salt for approximately 45 minutes, or until they’re tender and lightly caramelised.

Take the carrots out of the oven and allow them to cool down. This step is essential to preserve their shape and achieve the perfect texture. To crisp the edges, finish them in the air fryer at 400F (200C) for roughly eight to 10 minutes.

Alex explained: “As soon as they come out, we toss them with a mix of warm honey, fresh lime juice, lime zest and flaky salt. The result is sweet, tangy and a little savoury all at once.”

Chopped judge and two-time Tournament of Champions winner Maneet Chauhan highlights that slow-cooked carrots work brilliantly in sweet preparations as well.

They feature prominently in her traditional spiced pudding recipe, which appears in her cookbook Chaat. The recipe recommends simmering grated carrots in a modest amount of water before adding warm whole milk, cardamom, saffron, and sugar, then letting the mixture reduce until the carrots become soft.

When incorporating herbs and spices into carrots, warming seasonings such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper work brilliantly. They’re equally delicious with savoury herbs including rosemary, thyme, parsley, cumin, coriander, dill, garlic, and onion.

The attack happened on Eastgrove Avenue in Sharples at around 9.15pm on June 10 when a masked person smashed a window and threw a lit firebomb into the property.

The incident caused significant damage to the home and left the family shaken, although no serious injuries were reported.

Robert Poole, assistant district secretary for Bolton National Education Union (NEU), said: “This cowardice does not represent the people of Bolton.

“Our strength lies in our unity, and we will not allow acts of terror to divide us or intimidate our communities.

“We send our deepest support to the Imam, his family, and the wider Muslim community at this incredibly difficult time.”

(Image: Public)

The union said it was shocked by the attack and described it as a senseless act of violence.

And it added its members, local teachers, work “everyday to foster inclusion, mutual respect, and safety for all children and families in Bolton, regardless of faith or background.

The union says that hatred and division has not place in the classroom or on ‘our streets’.

In a statement, the organisation said an attack on a faith leader and family home was an attack on the fabric of the town’s diverse communities.

The comments come after Hassan Patel said his family had been left devastated by the attack and were struggling to understand why they had been targeted.

Mr Patel said the family wanted police to explore all possible motives and not rule out any lines of inquiry prematurely.

Greater Manchester Police previously said it believed the incident was a targeted attack and that there was no wider risk to the public.

The Bolton NEU said hatred and division had no place in schools or on the streets and pledged to continue working with community leaders, faith groups and residents to ‘ensue Bolton remaines a safe, welcoming , and united place for everyone’.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 quoting log 3561 of June 10, 2026, via LiveChat at gmp.police.uk, or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police and paramedics were called to Station Approach just after 1.20pm on Monday (June 8) after an 86-year-old woman was struck by a small van.

She was left with serious injuries to her hand and chest and was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle – but tragically died there on Tuesday.

The woman has now been named as Violet Stannard.

Her heartbroken family, who are being supported by specially trained officers, said they would like to “express the heartfelt gratitude to all those who supported her at the scene.”

In a statement, they said: “We would also like to pay our tremendous respect to every single one of the outstanding emergency services who cared for and dealt with the traumatic injuries she sustained and the proceedings following the incident.

“Lastly, to all the amazing staff on Ward 18 Critical Care Unit, RVI, you will never know how much your diligence, quality of care and amazing support shown to the family made such a difference in how we coped with this sudden loss.

“We ask that respect for the family’s privacy be respected while we mourn.”

Drivers were urged to avoid the area following the incident, with the collision unit investigation team remaining at the scene for several hours.

The van driver, a man in his 50s, was not believed to have been injured.

A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called to an incident outside of Durham Train Station on Monday shortly after 1pm.

“We dispatched one ambulance crew and one patient was taken to RVI for further treatment.”