He admitted nine counts of theft from a shop as well as the theft of a Land Rover

A thief has been jailed after he was caught on camera stealing from a shop and then driving away in a stolen car. Thomas Smiley, 36, was captured on CCTV entering the Co-op in Eye Road, Eye, near Peterborough, on April 30.

He was then seen stealing various items totalling £180. He was then caught driving away from the shop in a black Land Rover that had been taken from outside a house in Wordsworth Close, Walton, five days before.

At the time, Smiley was due to appear in court for two thefts from a shop, theft of a bank card and the theft of a red Toyota Yaris from a car park in Fletton Quays in January. Smiley was arrested by the spree offender team on May 27, but not before he had committed a further six shop thefts across the city, stealing up to £687 worth of items.

Smiley, of Lincoln Road, Walton, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Friday, June 5. There, he was jailed for 20 weeks after admitting nine counts of theft from a shop, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent, driving without insurance, driving without a licence, theft of a motor vehicle and theft from a motor vehicle.

He was also handed a 14-month driving ban and ordered to pay £50 in compensation. PC Jack Jenkins, from the northern spree offender team, said: “Smiley had a blatant disregard for the law as he continued to offend despite being subject to court proceedings, and was even brazen enough to commit a theft while using a stolen car.”

To celebrate the launch of their new Northern Explorer ticket, Northern are inviting 10 people to take part in The Great Race Across the North on Saturday, 25 July.

Starting in Manchester, competitors will race across the Northern network to see who can visit the most stations in one day.

At every stop, you’ll need to jump off, grab a photo at the station entrance and catch the next train.

The winner will enjoy a fantastic, free weekend away for two, including a one-night stay at The Midland Hotel, rum tasting at Salford Distillery, a meal at The Black Friar, and Tickets to The Cube.

The new Northern Explorer ticket gives unlimited travel across the North for just £35 a day.

Anyone interested can apply by visiting the Northern Rail website.

Entrants must be 18 years or older.

The volunteer-run Escrick Tea Shop, which meets once a month in the Escrick & Deighton Club, has celebrated its tenth anniversary with an afternoon of community spirit, entertainment and sweet treats.

More than 100 adults and children gathered for the special occasion at the Tea Shop, with a Junior Bake Off competition at the heart of the festivities.

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Pupils from Escrick Primary School added to the celebrations with performances by Year 1 and Year 4 children, who entertained the group with songs and poems inspired by the theme of cake.

Twenty young bakers from across the village also entered the Junior Bake Off, showcasing an array of talent. Winning creations included a lemon and elderflower cake, lemon and white chocolate sandwich biscuits, a chocolate Victoria sandwich, and an entry titled “Dr Paws and Kittens”.

Irene cuts the cake to mark Escrick Tea Shop’s ten-year anniversary. (Image: Submitted)

The community event has long provided a social space for older residents, bringing together people of all ages to foster community and friendship. Organisers say it is increasingly attracting younger families as well.

Anooj Kotecha, a volunteer, said: “It has been targeted at the older members of the community but now we are getting more families attending and we work closely with the primary school.

“The event was fantastic, with a great energy. The school had two young groups perform and the older members were captivated.

“We have older people in the village and families who send their children to the primary and Fulford School – they live in different time zones during the day so it was really nice to see them mix together.”

All cakes at the event are made by volunteers, with the tea shop typically offering five or six homemade bakes each month.

Judith Luscombe, a tea shop volunteer, said: “We have run the Tea Shop for 10 years as a valued community service. It was wonderful to see such a delicious array of cakes, muffins and biscuits produced by our junior bakers today. Here’s to the next 10 years.”

A highlight of the afternoon saw Irene, 93, the tea shop’s oldest regular attendee, cut the anniversary cake.

When Ireland played in the last World Cup to be hosted by the USA, security and visa controversies, and sky-high ticket prices weren’t an issue.

Terry Phelan has recalled how Ireland got through US airport security ahead of the 1994 World Cup with EIGHT kegs of Guinness in their luggage – and partied with U2 after the win against Italy.

One of the stars of Ireland’s campaign 32 years ago, Phelan fears this year’s tournament could be ruined by off-field controversies such as over-the-top security, ticket prices and visa problems.

Senegal and Uzbekistan players and staff were both subjected to unusually rigorous security protocols and searches as they arrived in North Carolina and New York respectively.

Somalian referee Omar Artan was sent home and told that he would not be able to officiate at this summer’s finals after US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) prevented him from entering the country.

Iran can only enter and leave the US on the days of their games, while Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein was held for questioning for several hours at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

Things ran a lot more smoothly the last time the World Cup was staged in the USA when Phelan was a member of the Jack Charlton side that beat Italy in the Giants Stadium.

Asked what he remembered about security around the 1994 finals, he said: “When you are bringing eight kegs of Guinness through with you, it’s okay, isn’t it?

“We’re the Irish, who’s going to stop the Irish from coming into the USA? Nobody.

“We finished a game in Ireland and Jack said, ‘Right guys, we’ve got to behave ourselves’. And we did behave ourselves.

“He said, ‘You can have a few Guinnesses on the way, on the plane, play your cards and do all that, and when you stop off you can have a few more, but when you get to the hotel you’ve got to finish the kegs of Guinness off and that’s it.

“So when you are talking about visas and certain people not getting in, we were totally fine.

“Then when you are meeting the heads of states and all that, it was absolutely brilliant. We had no problem at all.

“I think it just spoils it. When teams get in, or one or two players can’t get in, then the referee can’t get in, it just spoils the whole occasion.

“There was one player (Iraq’s Hussein), I think he was in an office for nine hours. He didn’t know what was going on, he was just there for nine hours.

“And when a team has to fly in on the same day, go and play, and then fly out again, it’s sad, isn’t it? You have teams (Iran) having to play a game, then get out of the country and go to Mexico, and go back in again.”

Phelan and his teammates had more freedom of movement in 1994 than players this time around can expect.

They even forged a friendship with some local cops while they were in Orlando for the game against Mexico.

“We’d pop out to a restaurant and everything was great, we had no problems,” he said.

“Even with the police around us, I remember two policemen saying, ‘Listen, we are going to the Everglades, would you like to come?’.

“So a couple of the lads, John Charlton (son of Jack) and a couple of the lads, we said yeah.

“They took us out all day to the Everglades, took us to a little hut and said, let’s crack open a few beers and we’ll do some fishing. It was absolutely brilliant.

“We were there in the Everglades and it was fantastic.

“These were police officers in the cars driving in front of the coach going to the games. We were getting out of the coach, after the game we had a couple of days off, and they turned and said, guys do you want to see anything.

“So some guys said, ‘We’d love to see the Everglades’.

“They said, ‘We’ll make that happen for you, be down in the morning and we’ll take you out’.

“So the next morning they put us in the cop car. I thought, sh*t, they’re taking us to jail! They put us in the car, took us out, we went to this little cottage, they cracked open the fridge.

“They said they came down every weekend.

“They said, ‘Right, we’ll get the boat out and take you down the Everglades’, and it was absolutely brilliant.

“We arrived in the Everglades at 10 o’clock in the morning and left around eight at night. It was absolutely brilliant.

“I’d love to know where those two policemen are now because they gave us a fantastic day, a proper day out.”

One of his fondest World Cup memories was the night out with U2 after the win against Italy.

“We had a bit of a knees-up after it. U2 were around the hotel and we went out with them, and it was absolutely brilliant,” he said.

“When we were in Orlando we went down, I think it was called Church Street. It was just like a carnival. It was brilliant, we had no hassle, there were all types of fans.

“It was my first World Cup. Obviously some of the guys had played in ‘88 and ‘90, so their experience was there.

“Talking to the guys like Andy Townsend, Ray Houghton, Steve Staunton, big Niall Quinn and Paul McGrath about what life was like, they just said it was intense. They said, ‘Just keep calm and enjoy yourself while you’re here, because you might never get to a World Cup again’.

“We had such fun.”

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Labour announced in the Autumn Budget 2025 that it would change the tax allowance rules

A major tax change is set to be introduced imminently that will impact certain state pensioners. The significant policy shift will alter the amount of tax some pensioners are obliged to pay.

Labour revealed in the Autumn Budget 2025 that it would modify the tax allowance regulations so that individuals receiving solely the state pension without additional increments will be exempt from paying income tax. This new provision was announced as the full new state pension is forecast to surpass the personal allowance threshold from next April, forcing those whose only income is the state pension into paying income tax.

At present, you can earn £12,570 per year without incurring income tax under the personal allowance. However, the full new state pension now delivers £241.30 weekly, or £12,547.60 annually.

The triple lock mechanism guarantees state pension payments rise each April in line with whichever is highest among three measures: average earnings growth, inflation or 2.5 per cent. As a result, the full new state pension will inevitably exceed the threshold and incur a tax liability following the April 2027 increase.

Nevertheless, the Government has yet to set out the complete details of how the new tax exemption will operate. Kate Smith, head of public affairs at investment platform Aegon UK, commented on the change: “State pensioners receive either the new or old basic state pension.

“At £12,547 a year, the new state pension is edging closer to the standard annual personal allowance of £12.570, which is frozen until April 5, 2031. The Government has committed that no one receiving only the new or old state Pension, without increments, will have to pay income tax during this Parliament.”

Ms Smith offered her perspective on what putting the new tax policy into practice is likely to entail. She said: “We still have no details on how this will work in practice, but we expect there to be a new allowance for pensioners identified by HM Revenue and Customs as receiving only the state pension and having no other pension income.

“This will need to be updated annually to ensure it keeps pace with triple lock increases to the state pension.” Senior HMRC officials have previously indicated that legislation would likely need to be introduced to bring this into effect, and that this could form part of the autumn finance bill, reports the Liverpool Echo.

The Treasury was recently approached for an update on the tax change policy. An HM Treasury spokesperson said: “Anyone whose only income is the full new or basic state pension without any increments will not pay income tax and we are committed to that over this Parliament.

“By keeping the triple lock, 12 million pensioners will see their income rise by up to £470 this year, and they continue to benefit from the highest personal allowance in the G7.”

The department further confirmed that work on this policy is currently progressing, and that further details will be announced in due course. Chancellor Rachel Reeves was previously questioned about the policy amendment in March. She told the Treasury Committee: “We are working on how that will work at the moment, but we have been clear that, if your only income is from the new state pension, you will not be subject to income tax during the course of this Parliament. We will set out details later this year on how that will happen.”

Another major alteration to the state pension on the horizon relates to the age at which people become entitled to the DWP benefit, which is due to rise gradually. The qualifying age will climb in phases from 66 to 67, between April 2026 and April 2028.

Legislation is also already in place for a further increase from 67 to 68, planned to occur between 2044 and 2046. To verify how much state pension you are expected to receive, you can utilise the state pension forecast tool accessible on the Government website.

An individual typically requires 35 years of National Insurance contributions to receive the full new state pension. If there are shortfalls in your record, you may be permitted to make voluntary payments to address them. This can only be done for up to six tax years retrospectively.

Billionaire Bill Gates testified in a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s most prominent philanthropists, told members he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and that Epstein attempted to use information about his personal life to pressure him.

During his opening statement, Gates said he exercised poor judgement in meeting Epstein and was “one of many people who regret ever knowing him”.

The BBC’s Gary O’Donoghue breaks down the relationship between Gates and Epstein, and how lawmakers reacted to his testimony.

Ramside Estates, the company behind Hardwick Hall and Ramside Hall Hotel, has rebranded the airport lounge under the Ramside name as part of a wider partnership.

The New Ramside Lounge. (Image: Supplied)

The refreshed Ramside Lounge, open to booking by all passengers, features direct lounge to aircraft boarding for eligible SkyPriority KLM Royal Dutch Airlines passengers.

Phil Forster, managing director of Teesside International Airport, said: “It’s great to have the Ramside name featuring in our lounge and terminal – and have Teesside Airport appearing prominently at The Pin.

“The agreement really reflects the quality and the high calibre of partners we have.

“We look forward to forging a close relationship with John and Ramside Estates over the coming months and years – and we’d urge passengers to experience our brilliant lounge when they travel with us.”

The New Ramside Lounge. (Image: Supplied)

The new partnership also includes cross-promotion at both the airport and Ramside’s venues, encouraging leisure and business travellers to fly from Teesside to destinations such as Alicante, Faro, Majorca, Malaga, and Corfu, as well as connecting globally through Amsterdam Schiphol.

John Adamson, owner and managing director of Ramside Estates, said: “We’re very pleased to agree this partnership with Teesside Airport.

“It provides a key gateway to the world, and we’re proud to have opened the Ramside Lounge in our local airport.

“Like us, the airport has ambitions to grow, and I look forward to the prospect of more flights and destinations.

“Seeing the Ramside name featuring in Teesside Airport’s terminal is a point of pride, and we hope passengers enjoy the lounge and service it provides.”

The collaboration follows Ramside Estates’ long-lease of the former St George Hotel at the airport, with plans to develop a new conference and banqueting centre as part of its long-term vision for the site.

Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said: “The airport is on the up with more flights and more international companies coming to Teesside, doing business and expanding here.

“To have Ramside on board with the hotel, the lounge, and our wider terminal is another big boost – and I hope we have more exciting announcements to share in the future.”

Ramside Estates also operates The Impeccable Pig in Sedgefield, Bowburn Hall, and the newly launched entertainment venue The Pin.

The Flavours of Yorkshire festival will take place over the weekend of July 4 and 5 at Galtres Park, formerly Pickering Showground, with an expected audience from across the region and beyond.

Headlining this year’s event is celebrity chef James Martin, who will host three live cookery demonstrations on Saturday, July 4.

The Flavours of Yorkshire festival will take place over the weekend of July 4 and 5 at Galtres Park, formerly Pickering Showground (Image: Supplied)

Mark Brayshaw, organiser of Flavours of Yorkshire and the force behind the former Malton Food Lover’s Festival, said: “I know that there is still demand, both from the public, who attended the last Malton festival in their droves, and from the local producers who see this as brilliant showcase for their products – not only for sales on the day, but to engage with a loyal customer base through online sales and home delivery.

“We’ve got a brilliant venue here – Galtres Park – where we have space to grow this into a large-scale annual event, with free admission and free on-site parking.

“There’s something for everyone in the family to enjoy, so we’re confident it will be a great weekend.”

The Flavours of Yorkshire festival will take place over the weekend of July 4 and 5 at Galtres Park, formerly Pickering Showground (Image: Supplied)

Sunday’s demo kitchen will feature a line-up of Yorkshire talent, including master patissier Florian Poirot; Gilly Robinson, founder of The Cook’s Place; Yorkshire Pasta founder Kathryn Bumby; Richie Stamp-Mason, development chef at Tofoo & Co; and Masterchef finalist Ollie Farrar from FortySix in Malton.

The festival will also host a curated selection of food and drink producers from across Yorkshire.

Visitors can sample and buy everything from preserves and cheese to baked goods, sweet treats and craft beverages.

Many stalls will offer tastings and the chance to meet the people behind the products.

Free entry and parking are available for all visitors.

Mr Brayshaw said: “This Flavours of Yorkshire event will be friendly, welcoming and full of energy, while also building something new that can grow year on year.

“We’re bringing together some of Yorkshire’s best chefs and producers, but also making sure it remains accessible, with free entry so everyone can come along and enjoy it.”

The programme includes the Whole Hog Barbecue competition, open to the public.

All meat will be provided, and competitors are invited to bring their own flavourings and marinade to impress the judges with a range of pork creations.

Entries must be submitted by June 19 via compbbquk.com/whole-hog-2026.

The festival atmosphere will be enhanced by live music and entertainment across both days.

Organisers promise plenty of space for families and food lovers to relax and enjoy the experience.

For those concerned about missing the British Grand Prix, the race will be shown on a big screen in the festival bar area.

Chef demonstrations will run all weekend, offering practical tips, seasonal ideas and a behind-the-scenes look at professional cooking.

While entry to the festival is free, tickets for James Martin’s Saturday demos must be booked in advance.

All Sunday chef demonstrations are free and do not require booking.

The event is expected to bring visitors from across North Yorkshire and the wider region.

For more details and updates, visit www.rhp-events.co.uk/flavours-of-yorkshire or follow the festival on social media.

Galtres Park is located at Pickering YO18 8EA.

One World Cup referee will be hoping for a quieter time of things when the 2026 tournament kicks off

Wilton Sampaio is the man in charge of the opening game of the World Cup between Mexico and South Africa – four years on from his divisive performance in Qatar. The Brazilian match official has refereed over 250 games across domestic and international competitions, including England’s 2022 quarter-final loss to France.

This match drew major criticism from the English players and fans alike, despite Sampaio awarding two penalties in the Three Lions’ favour. Observers believed the ref had missed multiple incidents throughout the game, including fouls on Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane that would’ve ruled out France’s opener.

Sampaio did not award a free-kick in either instance at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, although he did point to the spot in the second half after Saka was fouled in the box.

Minutes after Olivier Giroud restored France’s lead, the referee awarded another penalty in England’s favour.

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The second spot-kick was only awarded, however, after Sampaio consulted the VAR monitor pitchside to see the foul on Mason Mount. Kane fired his strike over the bar, and England were out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals – but some players felt hard done by thanks to the match official.

Speaking post-match, veteran defender Harry Maguire was open about his issues with Sampaio’s performance. He said: “Really poor, very poor. From minute one: five, six fouls in the first 15 minutes, not one yellow card.

“For me, it’s a foul for the first goal, on Bukayo. I can’t really go into explaining how bad [Sampaio’s] performance really was. I don’t want to go into too much, because I’ll end up getting fined, but it was really, really poor.”

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Maguire wasn’t the only one who had qualms with the Sampaio. Gary Neville, working for ITV, also stuck the boot in. He said: “The referee, I thought he had an absolute nightmare,” Neville said on ITV. “An absolute joke of a referee.

“I am not saying that was all down to England’s defeat, people will say that’s excuses, but he was just a bad referee. Rank, bad.”

Despite that performance gaining widespread criticism – from England fans, at least – Sampaio has been awarded the opening match at this year’s World Cup. The Brazilian will be joined by fellow countrymen Bruno Pires and Bruno Boschilia as assistant referees, with Paraguayan Juan Gabriel Benítez serving as the fourth official.

The VAR will be led by Colombian official Nicolas Gallo, with Frenchman Jerome Brisard and Chilean Juan Lara as support in the video room.

Mexico vs South Africa will kick off on Thursday, June 11 at 8pm to kick off the major tournament. This will follow an opening ceremony featuring Shakira and Burna Boy, alongside a host of other music artists.

Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass ‘designed for football’

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You are scrolling through your feed when a screenshot appears showing a public figure saying something surprising or controversial. Within minutes, it is everywhere. Some are angry, others defend it, memes parody it, and arguments spread across platforms.

Later, you discover the person never quite said that exact quote. The words came from a longer interview, the clip was shortened or an incorrect caption was added. But the screenshot has travelled faster and further than the original video ever did. What people reacted to was a version of the message created through circulation, rather than the message as originally delivered. Sound familiar? This pattern can be seen across nearly every viral moment, from political speeches to celebrity interviews.

Research in media and communication studies has long shown that meaning rarely remains fixed once a message enters circulation.

My work examines how these small shifts accumulate as messages move through digital environments. I describe this process as “message drift”, where content becomes separated from its original context as it is clipped, reposted and reframed across digital platforms.

Message drift rarely occurs in a single dramatic moment. Rather, it emerges through a series of small transformations. Evidence suggests this is driven both by limited user attention, and by platforms that prioritise content which is quick to consume and easy to share. Studies of digital attention show that people engage with information in short, fragmented bursts. Social media platforms tend to amplify content that is easily processed and widely circulated.

My research suggests that audiences interpret statements through contextual cues such as captions, commentary and surrounding visuals. The same words can appear sarcastic, alarming or definitive depending on how they are presented.

During the defamation trial between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, short clips and reaction edits spread rapidly across TikTok and other platforms, with viewers often forming strong opinions from fragments of much longer courtroom proceedings. Different clips, captions and reposts pushed audiences toward opposing interpretations of the same events. Fan culture on social media further intensified online reactions around the case.

The circulation of AI-generated images during the 2024 US election cycle also demonstrated how quickly visual content can detach from its original context. Edited campaign images, parody posts and reposted screenshots spread rapidly across platforms and were repeatedly mistaken for authentic political material. Fabricated visuals were shared and debated at speed before people could verify where they came from or whether they were real.

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Short clips of political speeches are frequently shared with captions that emphasise a particular interpretation, even when the full speech suggests a different tone or meaning. For instance, in 2021, images of a crowded House of Commons circulated online with captions claiming MPs were debating their own pay. The image was used to suggest MPs were paying more attention to their own salaries than to other political issues. In reality, at least one of the images was taken during a different debate and mislabelled.

In older media environments, such as broadcast television, newspapers or official press releases, authority depended on who said something and where it appeared. Online, authority increasingly depends on repetition. The version of a message encountered first, or most frequently over time, often becomes the version people treat as the most accurate or authoritative account.

In my own ongoing research, I have asked participants to respond to edited clips, screenshots and images to test how they interpret messages in different formats. When these differing versions conflict, participants have defended their initial interpretations and challenged others, causing disagreement to escalate into argument.

Why this matters

Conflict is not always about competing interpretations of a single statement, where people disagree about what the same message means. Instead, it often arises because people encountered different versions of that statement in the first place.

Digital platforms themselves further intensify this. Studies of online behaviour show that emotionally engaging content is more likely to attract attention and be shared. These versions are more likely to dominate what audiences encounter. As a result, simplified or emotionally charged versions of messages often travel further than the original. It is quicker to process, easier to repeat and more likely to trigger emotional reactions, all of which are linked to higher engagement.

Over time, this can contribute to wider problems in online communication, including polarisation and misinformation. New digital tools, such as generative AI, make it easier to produce realistic but altered images, video and audio at speed and scale, increasing the likelihood that misleading or context-shifted content can circulate widely.

Next time you come across a clip that you have the urge to share or comment on, ask yourself a few key questions. Where did this message first appear? What context might be missing? And how many different versions of it might now be circulating?

Understanding message drift does not resolve these problems on its own, but it can help people recognise what is happening when online debates escalate.