Blue Talking Therapies has launched an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that enables employers to refer staff directly, offering initial contact within 24 hours and a first assessment within one to two weeks.

The service provides in-person, online, or telephone support and aims to reduce delays in accessing counselling and therapy.

Johnny Morton Blue Talking Therapies with Angela Goggins of Redu (Image: Supplied)

Johnny Morton, operations director at Blue Talking Therapies, said: “Employers want to do the right thing by their staff, but too often support is delayed, fragmented or difficult to access.

“We’ve developed this service to make high-quality therapy quicker, simpler and more responsive for workplaces across the North East.”

The launch comes as the region faces rising mental health challenges.

According to TUC analysis of Health and Safety Executive data, around 29,000 North East workers reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety in the three-year average covering 2022-23 to 2024-25.

The North East also has one of the highest rates of common mental health disorders in England, according to the NHS Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023-24.

The impact extends beyond individuals, affecting the wider economy and workplace productivity.

The region’s economic inactivity rate is 26.3 percent, higher than the UK average of 21.1 percent.

Workers in the North East also take more days off due to sickness than the national average, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

Long waiting times on NHS talking therapy pathways have further increased the burden on employers.

Board papers from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust show that in February 2025, more than 56 percent of patients in County Durham and more than 57 percent in Tees Valley waited over 90 days between their first and second talking therapy appointments.

Some options within the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust pathways involve waits of several months.

Redu Group chief executive Angela Goggins in Seaham was among the first employers to use the new service.

Ms Goggins said: “Having already used the service for one of our staff, we’ve been really impressed with both the speed of access and the difference it has made.

“Not only are the personal positives for our staff member huge for her, but from a workplace perspective we’ve seen a tenfold increase in productivity and attention to her work.

“Knowing staff can access confidential support quickly and appropriately makes a real difference.”

Unlike traditional EAP schemes, Blue Talking Therapies charges only for services used, without a retainer or sign-up fee.

Individual sessions are priced at £90 per hour.

Available treatments include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), and counselling.

The company says only information needed to arrange next steps is shared with referring employers, with therapy conversations remaining entirely private.

Mr Morton, who has more than 27 years’ experience in mental health, leads the organisation alongside clinical director Rebecca Meagher.

Ms Meagher is an occupational therapist and CBT therapist with more than 20 years of experience.

She said: “Good mental health support should be timely, confidential and clinically robust.

“Our aim is to help people access the right support early, before difficulties become more entrenched, while giving employers confidence that their staff are being properly supported.”

Employers can contact Blue Talking Therapies at enquiries@bluetalkingtherapies.co.uk or by calling 0191 258 4958.

Roy Keane has responded to Gary Neville’s dig about Declan Rice’s switch from Ireland to England as Rice prepares for his fourth major tournament with the Three Lions at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in America.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup well underway, Irish supporters are looking back wistfully at the time when Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side were just two matches away from qualifying for the finals.

A total of 48 nations are enjoying the football spectacle across North America, and it’s difficult not to feel left out as the likes of Scotland and England embark on their transatlantic journey.

There remains significant Irish involvement in the competition, however, with Shamrock Rovers’ Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes delivering an outstanding display as Cape Verde stunned the world by holding Spain to a draw on Monday evening.

While Lopes chose to represent Cape Verde, his family’s homeland, another player who actually appeared for Ireland on no fewer than three occasions is preparing to play for England at this year’s World Cup.

This will mark the fourth major tournament in which Declan Rice has represented England, despite making his debut for the Republic of Ireland in 2019.

Rice famously featured three times under Martin O’Neill – with Roy Keane as his assistant – and Rice’s switch still causes pain.

On the most recent episode of Stick to Football, Keane, Gary Neville and Ian Wright discussed comparing the England squad of 2026 to that of the 1990s.

Both Neville and Wright insisted on Rice being included in the team, something Keane was uncertain about, with Neville unable to resist mentioning Rice’s Irish history to wind up Keane.

“You’re just a bit upset still because he didn’t choose Ireland, aren’t you?” said Neville, before Keane quickly replied, “No he did choose Ireland. He played for Ireland, so he did choose them. He changed his mind. He did play for them, he kissed the badge as well in one game.”

Since switching allegiances, Rice has established himself as one of the world’s finest midfielders. He was instrumental in Arsenal’s Premier League title triumph, and will be crucial to any success England enjoy this summer in America.

Rice and his English team-mates kick off their tournament on Wednesday, when they face Croatia.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement officials disrupted “planned attacks” meant to target the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House this past weekend for President Donald Trump’s birthday, and multiple people were in custody, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Tuesday.

The nature of the potential threat was not immediately disclosed, with additional details expected to be released once charges are unsealed later Tuesday.

Five people were arrested from states including Ohio, Missouri and California, said a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss information that was not yet public.

The FBI learned about the possible threat on June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts extravaganza on the White House’s South Lawn, “and thanks to the rapid action of the FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” Patel said in a post on X on Tuesday morning.

The Secret Service “worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable,” Director Sean Curran said in a separate statement.

Trump, who celebrated his 80th birthday at the UFC event on Sunday, sought to tie the fights to larger celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Évian-les-Bains, France, where he was attending the Group of Seven summit, Trump said he had not been briefed on the thwarted plot.

___

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Évian-les-Bains, France, contributed to this report.

To stay in the top job, a British prime minister has to try and keep certain groups happy. MPs, party members and donors do not like to be ignored.

Nor do the bond markets. And often it feels like they matter the most.

That’s because those markets are what make it possible for governments to spend money. Each of the bonds is essentially a loan from an investor to the state.

In return for the loan, the government pays a certain amount of interest (yield) for a set period, before paying back the original amount.

Governments seen as safe and financially credible can usually borrow at cheaper rates. But if investors become worried about inflation, or excessive borrowing, or weak economic policies or political instability, they might demand higher yields to compensate for the greater risk.

It’s the same principle that applies to ordinary household borrowing. A person with a stable income and a good credit history can borrow more cheaply than someone seen as a financial risk.

Modern governments rely heavily on borrowing to fund public spending on everything from schools to hospitals and defence. This is why they pay such close attention to market confidence.

Within that market are a wide range of investors, including pension funds, banks and insurance companies. Together, their investment decisions determine how expensive it is for governments to borrow money.

If those investors do become worried about a country’s economic management, the government’s borrowing costs go up, leaving less money available for public services, infrastructure, tax cuts or welfare.

The name’s bond

In the UK, total government debt now stands at about £2.9 trillion with interest rates (yields) currently higher than those paid by the US, Italy, France, Canada, Germany and Japan.

Every 1% point rise in yields costs the UK government an extra £16 billion a year in debt interest payments.

And while bond markets may sound technical and distant, their movements can influence everyday household spending. When the interest charged on UK bonds rises, for example, British banks face higher funding costs themselves. This then feeds into higher mortgage rates, more expensive business loans and tighter financial conditions.

Bond markets also affect pensions because pension funds invest heavily in government bonds. Sudden rises in yields can create financial stress for pension funds and affect the value of pension savings.

Taxation is affected too. When governments must spend more money on debt interest payments, they will often have less room to cut taxes or increase spending on public services. In some cases, governments may even need to raise taxes or reduce spending elsewhere to keep public finances under control.

Powerful bonds

A political adviser to the former US president Bill Clinton once joked that he would like to be reincarnated as the bond market because it could “intimidate everybody”.

But if elected governments are constantly worried about what bond markets think, does this limit democratic choice?

Some critics argue that governments have become overly constrained by financial markets and excessively cautious about borrowing and public investment. They question why unelected investors should have so much influence over public policy.

Others respond by saying that bond markets act as an important nudge towards economic stability. Investors are lending real money and naturally want reassurance that governments can manage debt responsibly.

This debate is frequently mentioned in British politics. Comments by Andy Burnham, widely seen as a potential future prime ministerial candidate, that governments had become “in hock to the bond markets” quickly raised questions about how financial markets might react to his economic approach. He later softened his comments in an apparent attempt to avoid unsettling investors.

And the reason why politicians are so careful about unsettling bond markets became painfully clear during the brief premiership of Liz Truss in 2022. When her government announced large unfunded tax cuts, investors were instantly worried about higher borrowing and the lack of a credible fiscal plan.

Bond yields surged sharply and mortgage rates increased as banks and lenders raised borrowing costs. Political pressure on the government quickly became overwhelming. And Liz Truss resigned after just 45 days in office.

None of this means bond markets run the country. Governments still make political and economic decisions. But governments that lose investor confidence can find those decisions becoming much more difficult and expensive to finance.

It also doesn’t mean that markets always get things right. Investors can overreact, panic or misjudge economic conditions. But governments cannot ignore borrowing realities indefinitely, particularly when debt levels are high and inflation remains a concern.

For much of the decade following the global financial crisis of 2007, ultra-low interest rates reduced pressure on governments. Borrowing was relatively cheap and bond markets became less politically visible.

But that changed from 2023. Higher inflation, rising interest rates and elevated public debt have pushed bond markets back to the centre of political debate across many countries.

This helps to explain why discussions about fiscal credibility increasingly dominate modern politics. Bond markets do not decide elections or choose prime ministers. But they can strongly influence what governments feel able to do once elected. And that is why politicians, regardless of ideology, continue to watch them so closely.

SpaceX will move forward with its $60 billion acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Cursor as Elon Musk’s space exploration and AI company seeks a competitive edge against rivals Anthropic and OpenAI after its Wall Street debut last week.

SpaceX said in April that it had the rights to buy Cursor, or pay $10 billion to “work together” with the company.

In a regulatory filing Tuesday, SpaceX said that Cursor will become a wholly owned subsidiary when the deal closes in the third quarter.

Cursor, made by San Francisco startup Anysphere, is a popular AI coding assistant. What SpaceX has described as Cursor’s wide “distribution to expert software engineers” is likely part of what made it attractive to Musk’s company, giving it access to a new customer base.

When it first announced the potential acquisition, Cursor said the partnership with SpaceX subsidiary xAI would enable it to build future AI products using xAI’s massive AI data center complex Colossus, based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Cursor, which started in 2022, helped sparked a trend called “vibe coding” as AI coding assistants have become increasingly capable of doing the work of computer programming.

Cursor competes with other coding tools like Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex but also has relied heavily on partnerships with those larger AI research companies for the foundations of its technology.

It was Cursor’s Composer, combined with Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet, that a prominent AI researcher was playing with for weekend projects when he coined the phrase “vibe coding” in early 2025.

SpaceX became a public company on Friday in what is largely considered a successful debut. Shares of the company have jumped since Friday, and are up 9% before the opening bell Tuesday.

Joanne Jakymec, chief Crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “The CPS has decided to prosecute Ajay Pant for breaching Russian sanctions following a National Crime Agency investigation and the seizure of the shadow oil tanker, MV Smyrtos, travelling through the English Channel over the last weekend.”

The date: 2 May 2009. The place: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid. La Liga game.

Guardiola made a decision. He pulled Messi off the right wing and placed him at the tip of the forward formation – but without the job of a traditional striker.

Samuel Eto’o went right, Thierry Henry went left, and Messi was told: drop, receive, decide. By full-time it was 6-2. The false nine was reborn.

It was nothing new. Gusztav Sebes’ Hungary had dismantled England in their own backyard back in 1953, when in their 6–3 win over England he repeatedly dropped Nandor Hidegkuti into midfield, pulling centre‑backs out of shape and creating space for Ferenc Puskas and Sandor Kocsis.

Johan Cruyff, first under Rinus Michels, played a roaming forward role within the Total Football philosophy for the Netherlands.

At first, Messi became a problem without a solution. When he dropped between the lines, Madrid’s centre-backs had to decide: follow him and leave a hole, or stay and give him lots of space.

Neither option worked. Messi walked through the gap unchallenged. With Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Yaya Toure behind him and Henry and Eto’o stretching the defence wide, every decision the opposition made was the wrong one.

Guardiola repeated the experiment weeks later in the Champions League final against Manchester United. Messi scored with his head 20 minutes from time.

Between 2011 and 2013, Messi scored 96 goals over 69 La Liga matches.

The Ballon d’Or that had been handed to him in 2009 became a near-permanent fixture – he won it in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019 as well, and would eventually accumulate eight. The first arrived when he was 22. The most recent when he was 36.

“I didn’t used to pay much attention to tactics,” Messi told journalist Juan Pablo Varsky in 2024.

“But with Guardiola I learned an enormous amount. I started to understand spaces, ball retention, how the game really works.”

The 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain men’s cycling race will pass through parts of North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire, with Beverley signed up as a finish town for one stage and Helmsley hosting the start of another.

The race will take place from September 2 to September 6, starting in Lincoln and finishing in Earlston in the Scottish Borders.

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Olav Kooij of Team Jumbo Visma won stage three of the 2023 Tour of Britain in Beverley (Image: swpix.com)

Jonathan Day, director of events for organisers British Cycling Ventures, said: “We are delighted to be bringing the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men to these fantastic locations later this year.

“We are bringing new hosts and stages in Lincoln, Boston and Skegness, and Leyburn, and it is fantastic to return to previous hosts of the race in Hull and Beverley, Helmsley, and the Scottish Borders.

“On behalf of British Cycling Ventures, I would like to pay thanks to our partners across the five stages for supporting the hosting and delivery of this September’s race and enabling us to bring another memorable and action packed five days of world class racing to their communities, spreading the joy of cycling along the route, and inspiring more people to get on a bike and live healthier lives.”

Ineos Grenadiers’ Geraint Thomas (second right) crosses the finish line for the final race of his professional career following stage six of the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain from Newport to Cardiff. (Image: Ben Birchall / PA Wire)

Stage three takes riders from Hull to Beverley, marking a return to two familiar locations.

Hull last hosted a stage start in 2008, while Beverley most recently featured in 2023, when Olav Kooij claimed his third consecutive stage win at Beverley Racecourse.

Beverley also hosted the start of the Tour de Yorkshire in 2016 and 2018, and para-cycling events during the 2019 UCI World Road Racing Championships.

Stage four brings the race into North Yorkshire, beginning in Helmsley and ending in Leyburn.

This marks a return to Helmsley after four years, but it will be Leyburn’s first time as a finish location in the modern Tour.

In 2022, Gonzalo Serrano won at Duncombe Park in Helmsley on his way to overall victory in the race.

Lincoln will host the opening stage for the first time in more than 30 years.

Gonzalo Serrano of Team Movistar and Tom Pidcock of Team INEOS Grenadier lunge for the finish line at the end of Stage Four of the 2022 AJ Bell Tour of Britain (Image: swpix.com)

Day said: “Taking the Tour to Lincoln for the first time, a city synonymous with its love for cycling, will be special for the opening stage of the men’s race, before the route winds its way up the east coast via North Yorkshire, before reaching the Scottish Borders in Earlston.”

Further details, including the full race routes, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Host locations for the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will also be revealed soon.

Stokes, a close friend of Root’s, was left out of England’s squad after he breached the team’s midnight curfew the night after victory in the first Test and was present when a member of England’s security staff was struck by a Saracens rugby player.

Root said he has spoken to Stokes since last week’s incident but he wanted to keep their conversations private. He maintained Stokes still holds the respect of the dressing room.

Root’s previous tenure ended with a run of one win in 17 Tests and he said he would have rated the chances of him becoming skipper again a “0.1% chance” earlier this year.

Last year, he said the “ship had sailed” in regards to him becoming England’s white-ball captain.

Speaking on Wednesday, Root said: “Let’s not look beyond this week.

“That’s the most important thing, trying to deliver a really good performance this week.

“It’s quite a young group of players. So, [I want] to offer my experience in that capacity and focus purely on trying to deliver this week.”

Root has been chosen over vice-captain Harry Brook, who was overlooked amid his own off-field controversy in Wellington when he was clocked by a bouncer the night before a white-ball game last winter.

He will lead an inexperienced England team, including debutants Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker this week.

It is still unclear whether wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, whose wife is expecting their second child, will be available. If not, a third debutant, Somerset’s James Rew, will play.

Root has previously said he stepped down as skipper because he had a “very unhealthy relationship” with the job, but said he only had a “little think” before confirming he would return this time.

“The only thinking that came to my mind is what is the best thing for this team, and is it going to have a big effect on me and my personal life, and which outweighed the other,” he said.

Speaking of his previous tenure, he added: “We played around 20 Test matches in those Covid environments and watched the rest of the world go back to normality around you.

“You are living a very different way to the rest of society.

“Over time that took its toll on the group but also myself.

“I found I ended up being so consumed with everything I wasn’t the person I wanted to be and it was the right time to step away, not just because our performances weren’t where they needed to be.

“It was a great opportunity for a fresh start for English cricket and was absolutely the right decision.

“It is going to be cool to experience it this side of it, the captaincy side of it with Baz and with this coaching group.

“I have never had more fun and got more out of a group of coaches than this one.”

Huge queues remain on a stretch of the M60 today after a five-vehicle crash shut the motorway for hours.

The motorway is closed off on the clockwise carriageway between junction 15 for the Swinton Interchange and junction 16 for Clifton. Clean-up and recovery works are underway after a crash just after 9am.

Motorway cameras show huge queues up to the closure. Drivers have been warned of major delays with queues stretching back at least two miles.

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No serious injuries have been reported, and no arrests have been made, a GMP spokesperson said.

In a post on X at 9.30am, National Highways said: “The #M60 is now closed in #GreaterManchester clockwise between J15 #M61 #Bolton & J16 #Clifton for vehicle recovery and clean up works.

“Traffic is being diverted via the exit and entry slip roads. Current delays of 22 minutes & 2 miles of congestion on approach.”

Follow our live blog below for the latest traffic updates.