Emergency services were called to the East Avenue area of the village on Thursday (June 25) after reports of a person becoming unwell. 

The Great North Air Ambulance Service sent one of its helicopters to the scene just after 5.30pm alongside two ambulance crews from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS).

One person was taken to the Darlington Memorial Hospital by road for further treatment, the NEAS has confirmed.

Their current condition remains unknown. 

A NEAS spokesperson said: “We received a call at 5.37pm on Thursday (June 25) to reports of a person unwell in the East Avenue area of Coundon, Bishop Auckland. 

“We dispatched two ambulance crews to the scene and requested support from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). 

“One patient was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital by road for further treatment.”

Giving you an entire library of books at your fingertips, the paperwhite is perfectly compact for throwing in my bag to power through some pages on the commute. Equally excellent for flights, long train journeys and reading in bed without disturbing your partner, thanks to the built-in light, the Kindle paperwhite is a game-changer for reading in every scenario.

The bright spot is opening in style this weekend

The team behind a popular Didsbury brunch spot have announced plans for a New York-inspired gelato and French Toast café opening this weekend.

Caramello first opened on Whitechapel Street in the south Manchester suburb ten years ago and has become known for its patisseries, waffles and gelato ever since and has been hailed as the first halal brunch spot in the city.

Now, founder Sham Sadique has unveiled details of his next site Mello, which will open on Fog Lane this Saturday (June 27). Inspired by the coffee shops in the Big Apple, the venue will serve up ‘proper’ Italian gelato and coffee, as well as overloaded French Toasts and pastries.

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“Mello has been a dream of mine since I started Caramello,” Sadique explained. “I always wanted to merge my love for New York and Italy as a coffee and dessert brand, and we’ve finally made it happen. I can’t wait for you all to try the new French Toast too.”

The bright spot has been created to bring the buzz of New York and the vibes of the city together through an uplifting design that aims to bring a ‘bit of sunshine on a grey Manchester day all year round’.

To coincide with the launch on Saturday, Mello will be giving out hundreds of prizes to celebrate the ‘start of something delicious’ – including free pots of gelato as well as tote bags, t-shirts and more.

On June 27 from 12pm to 4pm, guests will be able to spin the prize wheel to determine their welcome gift – with prizes also including French Toast and drinks. There is no purchase necessary.

The arrival of Mello comes as Didsbury experiences a period of glory for its pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes. Just this month, Irish bar Kennedy’s was named one of the best town pubs in the entire country, whilst Albert’s in Didsbury was recently named as one of the top spots for outdoor dining.

Mello will be open 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm on Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sunday.

Mello is on 153 Fog Lane, Manchester, United Kingdom M20 6FJ.

Callum Hanson, 22, died in hospital following a collision in Pembrokeshire

A Welsh police force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after a 22-year-old man died in a crash in Pembrokeshire. Callum Hanson died in hospital on Wednesday, June 17, after a two-vehicle collision between a motorcycle and a car on the A4075 between Canaston Bridge and Yerbeston.

Tributes were paid to the “deeply caring” young man, with his family describing Mr Hanson as a “kind” and “loving” person. Dyfed-Powys Police has since made a voluntary referral to the IOPC as a police vehicle was in the vicinity at the time of the crash.

The collision involved a grey Kia Sorento and Mr Hanson’s white Yamaha motorcycle. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The driver of the Kia, a 60-year-old man, did not sustain any injuries. Meanwhile, a 22-year-old female pillion passenger of the motorcycle was taken to hospital to be treated for injuries she sustained in the collision.

Mr Hanson’s family said in a statement: “Callum’s family wish to remember him as the kind, loving person he was, who lived his life to the fullest, despite his own personal challenges.

“He was a deeply caring person and spent the last month looking after his grandad, who sadly, also recently passed away. Callum has a passion for gaming and motorbikes and was training to be a mechanic in college.

“Callum will be remembered by his mum Joanne, dad Carl, sister Kacey, nan Heather, girlfriend Emily, and his wider family and friends. The family now ask for privacy during this difficult time.”

Dyfed-Powys Police has confirmed that, due to there not being any suggestion of an active pursuit or any contact between the motorbike and the police vehicle at the time of the incident, the IOPC have referred the matter back to Dyfed-Powys Police for an internal investigation by the Professional Standards Department (PSD).

A spokesperson for the force said: “While PSD carry out their enquiries it would not be appropriate to comment on the matter further.

“The thoughts of Dyfed-Powys Police remain with Callum’s family and friends at this time, and we would still ask that anyone with information about the incident contacts the force.”

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When Donald Trump signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Versailles on June 17 after the G7 summit, it dominated the headlines around the world. This is no more than you’d expect. The 60-day ceasefire, which – despite a few wobbles – appears to be largely holding in both Iran and southern Lebanon, was a major breakthrough, even if US concessions to secure the deal raised more than a few eyebrows.

But the noise from Versailles effectively obscured some very significant developments at the G7. First, and most importantly, the G7 leaders’ adept handling of the US president, Donald Trump, seems to have edged him back into line with Europe over the war in Ukraine.

As we’ve come to know over Trump’s presidencies, this could easily change. But for now, the European G7 countries’ pledge to provide more military aid to support Ukraine over the winter will have come as a considerable fillip for Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. And the American president’s promise to provide “backstop” for these efforts made this all the sweeter.

These, and the success of recent strikes on targets deep inside Russia, have greatly improved the mood in Kyiv.

But the apparent unity of the G7 on Ukraine concealed some important differences of approach developing as European members work out if – and how – they might “go it alone” when it comes to their security arrangements. This has been an issue greatly exercising European leaders’ minds as the US downgrades its commitment.

Stefan Wolff, of the University of Birmingham, and Richard Whitman, of the Royal United Services Institute and the University of Kent highlight a row among EU leaders about how to present a united front to Russia as symptomatic of this disunity. And Germany’s recent decision to pull out of a showcase Franco-German collaboration to build state-of-the-art warplanes shows how two of Europe’s “big beasts”, so often at loggerheads in the past, are competing for leadership on key defence issues.

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If Europe wants to ‘go it alone’ on security, countries need to learn to sing from the same songsheet

One of the big things complicating all this is that the diplomatic world has changed significantly during the Trump years. The US president’s singular and mercurial approach to international relations – and his preference for using personal friends or business associates instead of professional diplomats has made if tricky for allies and adversaries alike to navigate complex situations.

We’re lucky to have the insights of Nicholas Westcott, a former British ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo and Niger. Westcott, professor of practice in diplomacy at SOAS, University of London, parses the US president’s unique diplomatic style, pointing out five distinct features of the US president’s approach and the way other countries’ leaders are having to adapt to cope.

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How Donald Trump has changed the way diplomacy is done

One of the issues complicating America’s diplomatic efforts is that Trump’s main envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, are often pursuing parallel business opportunities, sometimes in countries where the US is playing an important role in the mediation of conflicts.

And sometimes these business interests themselves have sparked conflict. This can be seen currently in Albania, where thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest about a coastal resort being developed by companies associated with Kushner on southern Albania’s unspoiled Zvërnec coastline and surrounding wetlands.

Apart from environmental objections, there are also land ownership issues. The protests have snowballed into a broad anti‑government movement, writes Altin Gjeta, a political scientist at the University of Birmingham. Gjeta says the public anger has been exacerbated by the public perception of decades of official corruption – although there’s no suggestion this relates in any way to the Kushner-backed project.

But the unrest is causing problems for Albania’s ruling Socialist party and prime minister Edi Rama, several of whose former cabinet ministers are publicly criticising him over the issue.

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Why a development project linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law has rocked Albania

Flawed agreement

When it comes to the MoU itself, the agreement prompted a great deal of criticism from both the US and its close ally Israel. Israelis were furious, claiming that the US president had sold them out for reasons of his own, putting their long-term security in jeopardy. Many in Trump’s Republican party thought the deal was a capitulation on the president’s part.

The deal highlighted what many of us already suggested: that Iran’s ability to spark economic turmoil by closing the Strait of Hormuz gives it considerably leverage over the US. Ben Soodavar, an expert in foreign relations in the department of war studies at King’s College London, identifies a vicious cycle that presents the US with a serious quandary.

Israel has a right to defend itself against Hezbollah attacks. But when it takes action against Lebanon, Iran reacts by threatening to close the Strait. The US puts pressure on Israel to stand down and Israel resists. The ceasefire deal was largely prompted by Trump’s realisation that the US in unable to put sufficient military pressure on Tehran to break this cycle.

Soodavar fears that once all the players realise that restraint is also unlikely to solve anything, then “escalation ceases to be a choice. It may come to be the only available logic”.

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The flaws at the heart of Donald Trump’s Iran ceasefire deal

Bamo Nouri and Inderjeet Parmar, international security experts at City St George, University of London, foresee a strengthened Iran continuing to flex its muscles in the region.

Tehran, they write, will be encouraged by the clear geopolitical shifts the war has already prompted – not least the cessation of any hopes that the US might have harboured to expand the Abraham Accords and the normalisation of Arab states’ relations with Israel. So the Islamic Republic is likely to continue to compete for influence via its proxies in the region and via “grey-zone” tactics such as cyber-warfare.

Meanwhile the underlying drivers of the conflict remain intact, they write: “US-Iran-Israeli relations are therefore likely to continue oscillating between confrontation and accommodation.”

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Will the US-Iran talks in Switzerland deliver peace? It’s unlikely

I’d hazard a guess and say many of us like chocolate, great for a snack, or added to other treats to satisfy those sugar cravings.

But, for some, you may prefer to use own-brand chocolate, as it is often cheaper than the iconic brands many know and love.

With this in mind, I compared some milk chocolate from five different major UK supermarkets… and in my mind, one was the clear winner.

I tried own-brand chocolate from Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Morrisons and M&S (Image: Newsquest)

I compared own-brand chocolate from Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons and M&S – but which was best?

I have to admit I’m not really an own-brand chocolate person, perhaps only buying it for baking and other similar pastimes.

So this test was going to be an interesting one, and I will hazard and say I am no expert.

I will also point out that this was not necessarily about price, as different size bars were bought, but more about the taste.

Nevertheless, I will note down the price of each chocolate bought.

Aldi – Dairyfine chocolate – £1.95 – 4/5

Dairyfine is Aldi’s exclusive, budget-friendly chocolate brand, and as with all on this list, it was my first time trying it.

Despite Aldi being a budget-friendly supermarket, and this price being no different, I was pleasantly surprised with this.

It had a nice sweet and creamy taste, and an aftertaste that was nice but not too strong.

It wasn’t quite my favourite, but I can see it being very popular with shoppers, with good taste and being on the cheaper side of things.

Lidl – Fin Carré chocolate – 99p – 3/5

Another popular budget-friendly chocolate brand is Lidl’s own Fin Carré chocolate.

I have to say that this was incredibly good value for money, at just 99p, and it was still good chocolate.

It was a slightly thinner bar I will say, and it was not quite as smooth and creamy as Aldi, but I still thought it was nice.

Another point that dropped the score was the slight sickly flavour it left me with.

Morrisons – Morrisons own brand – £2.30 – 2/5

Sadly, Morrisons was my least favourite of the five I tried.

It was on the slightly more expensive end, and did not have as nice a taste as the budget options.

The Lidl (top left), M&S (top right), Morrisons (middle), Aldi (bottom left) and Tesco (bottom right) chocolate were all slightly different (Image: Newsquest)

I felt it was a tad boring, with no real sweetness or richness to add to it.

Despite this, I will say the aftertaste was ok, and I did not get a bad, sickly feeling.

Tesco – Tesco own brand – £2.30 – 3/5

Another middle-range supermarket brand, and another decent option.

Tesco cost the same as Morrisons, but was slightly better, with a bit more taste and texture to it.

It was definitely more milky and had a nice smoothness about it.

Despite this, I was not a fan of the aftertaste, and as with others, it was a little sickly.

M&S – M&S own brand – £3.50 – 5/5

Perhaps the obvious answer for many, but M&S was the best.

It was naturally the most expensive and is a premium option for many, but not only was it the thickest chocolate, but the taste was also fantastic.

It was a rich and creamy delight, and had a nice aftertaste, and ticked all boxes for me.

And I know that is what you would hope for with the price, but it is exactly what I got, and therefore was my favourite.

Recommended reading:

My final rankings of UK supermarkets’ own-brand chocolate

Here are my five rankings in order and their scores:

1. M&S – 5/5
2. Aldi – 4/5
3. Tesco – 3/5
4. Lidl – 3/5
5. Morrisons – 2/5

What is your go-to supermarket? Let us know in the comments.

Rob Reiner’s son Jake has made his first red carpet appearance since his parents Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner’s deaths, where he attended the premiere of a series he is starring in

Jake Reiner has made his first public appearance since his parents’ deaths. Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner died by multiple knife stab wounds in December 2025. It is claimed that their bodies were found by their daughter, Romy, at their Brentwood home.

Since then, their son Nick was charged with his parents’ murder. He later appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to six felony charges, two of first-degree murder, two of special circumstances involving multiple murder and two counts of special circumstances using a deadly weapon, which was identified as a knife.

Now, Jake has been seen for the first time, attending the red carpet event for Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, which is a project of his dad’s friend Larry David, in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Legion Theatre.

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Taking to Instagram to document the occasion, he said: “Attended the premiere of Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness this week. Comes out Friday on @hbo @hbomax, look out for me in the first episode.”

Jake has been open about discovering the tragic news of his parents’ death. In a Substack post in April, he said: “I received a call from my sister Romy telling me our father was dead. Minutes later, she called back telling me our mother was also dead.

“The 45-minute Lyft ride from downtown to the west side was unendurable … The only thing I could focus on was that I needed to get to my childhood home. I needed to get to my sister. I needed to figure out what the hell just happened.”

Jake said that that day, he felt robbed of so many things. “My parents won’t be at my wedding, they won’t get to hold their future grandchild, and they won’t get to see me have the successful career I’m still seeking,” he added.

“It simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me … Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to lose both parents instantly at the same time,” with Jake describing it all as a “living nightmare”.

Rob Reiner was best known for his work as an actor and director, appearing in The Wolf of Wall Street and in New Girl as Jess Day’s father, Bob Day. He was also the director of popular films, including the heavy metal mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, and A Few Good Men.

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