The scheme is intended to be used for the processing of people from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, without the need for a “personal interview”

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The Belfast knife-attack suspect was granted asylum under a fast-track application scheme because of his nationality.

Hadi Alodid, 30, only had to complete a Home Office questionnaire rather than attend a face-to-face interview because of the “security and humanitarian situation” in Sudan.

He travelled from the north African country to Paris and then on to Dublin before catching a bus to Belfast in February 2023.

Alodid was granted refugee status and given five years leave to remain in the UK, until 2028.

He appeared by video-link at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie.

The streamlined asylum process (SAP) scheme was set up when Rishi Sunak was prime minister, in an effort to double the average number of asylum claims processed per week in a bid to grip the backlog.

The Tory home secretary at the time, Suella Braverman, and immigration minister Robert Jenrick, have both since defected to Reform UK.

The scheme is intended to be used for the processing of people from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, without the need for a “personal interview”.

There are no longer any schemes for asylum seekers from any country that mean they do not have to be interviewed, it is understood.

According to guidance from when SAP was introduced in 2023, claimants from those countries had a grant rate of “over 95%”, meaning a less rigorous process could be followed to save caseworkers’ time.

Asked about her party’s part in introducing the scheme, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch told LBC Radio: “I wasn’t leader at the time, I also wasn’t in the Home Office at the time.

“All I can do is apologise to people.

“The people who enacted that policy have now run to Reform and pretending they had nothing to do with it. The rest of us are here trying to clean the mess up.

“Our kindness has been exploited. There was an assumption, certainly amongst the civil service, but even within the political class, that everybody claiming asylum was genuine. This is naive. We need to get tough.”

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said asylum seekers are now interviewed in “almost all cases”.

He told BBC Breakfast: “That was a system that was put in place by the last Conservative government, in part because they completely lost control of immigration… It was chaotic.

“And anyone who applies now is properly processed. Their details are taken and everybody is checked against the security databases.

“My understanding is, in almost all cases, that they will be interviewed.”

Once in the Republic of Ireland, Alodid would have been able to travel to Northern Ireland without facing any routine immigration border checks because of the Common Travel Area (CTA), the arrangement between the United Kingdom and Ireland which gives citizens the right to travel freely between both countries.

Gaps in the published data mean it is not known how many asylum seekers are travelling via Ireland to the UK or in the opposite direction.

But Home Office figures show the UK removed only one migrant under an asylum returns deal signed with Ireland in 2020.

The informal returns agreement was signed and then paused under the previous government.

The Government is preparing to intensify efforts to stop the CTA being used as a back route.

A minister said 1,500 enforcement operations linked to “illegal immigration” have taken place in Northern Ireland over the last 12 months with more than 1,200 arrests.

“It is something this Government takes very, very seriously,” Cabinet Office minister Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent told the Lords.

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A man has been hospitalised following a serious assault in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Police were called to Cathedral Road in Cardiff following reports of an assault at around 2.30am.

A 57-year-old man was found injured at the scene and taken to hospital by paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service. A 41-year-old woman was then arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent and assaulting an emergency worker.

Emergency services closed the Esso petrol station on Cathedral Road for around five hours and officers urged the public to avoid the area. The road and petrol station had fully reopened by 8am.

A South Wales Police spokesperson said: “South Wales Police is investigating an assault reported at around 2.30am this morning in Cathedral Road, near the Esso garage, Pontcanna, Cardiff.

“A 57-year-old man was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, where he continues to receive medical treatment.

“A 41-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent and assaulting an emergency worker.

“Those involved are known to each other and inquiries are on-going.”

Dean Midas, the independent County Durham filmmaker behind the ‘Midas-Verse,’ will direct a short film adaptation of Northumberland author Neale Carter’s book, A Warning To Those Who Refute the Dark.

The announcement comes after Mr Midas’ recent success with his festive horror short, Christmas Eve, which went viral and achieved more than 50,000 views on YouTube.

Mr Midas said: “Adapting Neale Carter’s work is a thrilling next step.

“Whether it’s the viral reach of Christmas Eve, the upcoming release of The Stitcher, or the return of the Masquerade Ball, it’s all about creating experiences that resonate with the audience.

The film is an adaptation of Neale Carter’s book, A Warning To Those Who Refute the Dark (Image: Supplied)

“I can’t wait to bring this new, dark vision to the screen.”

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Mr Carter, who lives in Northumberland, said he aimed to instil “a sense of lingering dread” in his writing.

He said: “Dean’s work in the ‘Midas-Verse’ has that exact same visceral, atmospheric energy, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to see how he translates my words into a terrifying cinematic experience.”

Further details regarding the production schedule, casting, and release plans for the adaptation will be shared in the coming months.

In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

More than 2,200 patients were subjected to corridor care in A&E every day in May, new NHS data has revealed.

The figures have been revealed for the first time after the NHS pledged to publish data on corridor care in hospitals.

Any patient who spends 45 minutes or more in areas of emergency departments or wards deemed as clinically inappropriate – such as hallways or waiting rooms – are considered to have experienced corridor care, according to the NHS.

The first figures to be published show that, on average, 2,241 patients each day experienced corridor care in emergency departments last month, while a further 669 patients received care in similar settings elsewhere in hospital.

Hallways, cafes, cupboards and waiting rooms are some of the unsuitable locations sick patients have been treated in overwhelmed A&E departments.

Corridor care “should never have been normalised,” Siva Anandaciva, director of policy at The King’s Fund said highlighting that patients are routinely being treated “without privacy or dignity.”

“Corridor care is one of the most visible signs of how patient safety and experience are being compromised in the NHS. It is distressing for staff when they cannot deliver the care they want for their patients and it is equally unacceptable when patients are left feeling forgotten and vulnerable at the time they most need to feel safe and cared for,” he added.

NHS analysis found that 20 trusts accounted for more than half of the cases of corridor care in emergency departments and it is now aiming to eliminate the “unacceptable” practice of treating patients in corridors in busy A&E departments.

It comes after reports of patients dying while waiting for care and diabetic patients left for hours without food.

Other sick patients have said they were left on broken beds in pitch-black corridors for 24 hours with no privacy, according to a review of patient care in emergency departments in December by the group Healthwatch England.

“Corridor care is unacceptable, undignified and has no place in our NHS,” health secretary James Murray said.

He said the new data aims to “shine a spotlight” on where the problems are greatest and stressed the “vast majority” of corridor care is in a small number of organisations.

“We have already deployed expert teams to help struggling trusts turn performance around. Ending corridor care for good will take time, and different areas will need different solutions, but we are determined to eradicate this practice,” he added.

A&Es experienced their busiest month on record in May with 2,457,398 attendances – up 25,000 on the previous record set in March earlier this year.

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England from a decision to admit to actually being admitted stood at 50,212 in May, up from 47,750 in April. The figure reached a record 71,517 people in January.

The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission stood at 128,590 last month, up from 122,616 in April.

Some 75.7 per cent of patients in England were seen within four hours in A&Es in May, down from 76.9 per cent in April.

The government and NHS England had set a target of March this year for 78 per cent of patients attending A&E to be admitted, discharged or transferred within four hours.

Meanwhile, the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has risen for the first time in six months.

An estimated 7.22 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of April, relating to 6.11 million patients, NHS figures show.

This is up from 7.11 million treatments and 6.02 million patients at the end of March.

The increase means the size of the list has returned to where it stood in February, reversing the fall that took place in March.

“A&E staff bore the brunt of the heatwave in May, as the hot weather took its toll on the public,” Professor Francesca Swords, national medical director for the NHS explained.

“In the face of record demand during the recent heatwave, NHS staff rose to the challenge, ensuring that as many patients as possible were seen and treated in good time,” she said.

She added that corridor care is “totally unacceptable” and “should have no place in the NHS.”

This story is being updated.

“I am proud of what we have done in less than two years as a Labour Government. We’ve stepped up to lead internationally for Ukraine with the Coalition of the Willing and Ukraine Defence Contact Group, established Britain as a leading voice for Europe in Nato, raised defence investment to 2.5 per cent of GDP three years earlier than anyone expected, launched the deepest defence reforms in 50 years, won the biggest UK defence export deals for decades, published a first-of-its-kind Strategic Defence Review (SDR), gave our Armed Forces the biggest pay rise in nearly 20 years, boosted military morale, fixed over 1,200 of the worst forces family homes, reset relations with European allies and signed major defence agreements with Germany, Norway and France.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued an urgent plea to parents

Health officials have issued a warning to parents after two children in England have died from measles this year.

Experts at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have urged all parents to ensure their children are up to date with their MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) or MMRV vaccines as the potentially life-threatening illness continues to circulate in many parts of the country.

There have been 736 cases so far this year, compared with 959 cases for the whole of 2025, new figures show, with many of the cases linked to outbreaks in London and the West Midlands.

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The UKHSA said the majority of cases were among unvaccinated children aged 10 and under. Two measles deaths have been reported this year; one child died from ‘acute measles’ and another child’s death was linked to the ‘late effects of measles’, the UKHSA said.

The agency added that in the last month, cases have been confirmed in London, the East of England and the West Midlands.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “Our thoughts and condolences are with the families who have so tragically lost their children.

“Measles continues to circulate in many parts of the country and as we have seen it can be very serious and even fatal.

“We urge all parents to ensure their children are up to date with their MMR or MMRV vaccines, giving them the best and safest protection against measles – which can spread very easily.

“Anyone who has missed out on their measles vaccines can catch up through their GP practice whatever their age.

“Getting vaccinated also helps protect babies who are too young to be vaccinated and people unable to have the vaccine due to a health condition. Please don’t delay and if you or your child are not up to date, book an appointment today.”

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can spread very easily among people who are not fully vaccinated. While many people recover, the illness can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, brain inflammation and, in rare cases, long-term disability or death.

Health Secretary James Murray said the latest measles deaths are a “heartbreaking reminder that measles is not a harmless childhood illness”.

He said: “My thoughts are with the families who have suffered such unimaginable loss. These deaths are a heartbreaking reminder that measles is not a harmless childhood illness.

“Measles can lead to serious complications that can be fatal, and the MMR vaccine, which has saved countless lives, remains the best protection we have against this highly infectious disease.

“I urge all parents and carers to check that their children are up to date with their vaccinations as it is never too late to catch up – even if you miss a dose.

“By ensuring our children are vaccinated, we not only protect them but also help safeguard the most vulnerable in our communities.”

It comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that the UK is no longer considered to have eliminated measles earlier this year, following a plateau in vaccination coverage and a surge in cases.

The latest data shows that 91.8 per cent of five-year-olds had received one dose of the MMR vaccine in England in 2024/25, unchanged from 2023/24 and the lowest level since 2010/11.

The broadcaster has adjusted its schedule throughout the week to accommodate major international football broadcasts.

Tuesday (June 9) saw Coronation Street and Emmerdale replaced by the Women’s European Qualifier between England and Ukraine.

The soaps then aired at an earlier time on Wednesday (June 10) due to England’s Men’s World Cup warm-up match against Costa Rica.

Heads up! ⚽️ Here’s where to find us this week.

Don’t forget, you can catch us at 7am on ITVX and YouTube 🎉#Corrie #Emmerdale pic.twitter.com/QuiLDLLv0b

— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) June 8, 2026

Why are Coronation Street and Emmerdale not on ITV tonight?

Once again, it is a major sporting event that will keep Coronation Street and Emmerdale off air tonight.

Coverage of the World Cup opening ceremony begins at 6.15pm on ITV1, followed by the tournament’s first match at 7.50pm.

The 2026 World Cup starts on ITV tonight 🤩

It all gets started at 6.15 pm with all the build-up and the opening ceremony! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/7SJZc90rRt

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 11, 2026

As a result, both Coronation Street and Emmerdale have been removed from ITV’s evening schedule.

Soap fans will have to wait until Friday (June 12) for the next episodes.

Emmerdale will return for a full hour at 8pm, with Coronation Street following at 9pm, also for an hour-long episode.

No episodes of the soaps will be available to watch on ITV1 on Sunday (June 14).

Have you noticed ITV’s new scheduling this year?

From January 2026, the broadcaster introduced a “soaps power hour” on weekdays with 30-minute Emmerdale episodes at 8pm and 30-minute Coronation Street episodes at 8.30pm.

Coronation Street previously aired for three hour-long episodes a week, while Emmerdale aired four 30-minute episodes and one hour-long instalment.

Announcing the new schedule last year, ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, Kevin Lygo, said: “The new commissioning pattern is viewer-led. 

“We already give more choice than ever to viewers on how they watch us through ITVX and we want to present their favourite soap to them, in the most digestible way.

“In a world where there is so much competition for viewers’ time and attention, and viewing habits continue to change, we believe this is the right amount of episodes that fans can fit into their viewing schedule, to keep up to date with the shows.”

Have these ITV schedule changes disrupted your soap viewing habits this week? Let us know in the comments below.