The immersive VR sessions place young people at the centre of realistic scenarios involving knives and gangs, helping them understand the dangers and long-term impact of their decisions in a safe environment.

County Durham and Darlington Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “Knife crime in Durham remains low compared to other areas of the country but it is still an issue.

“Our young people are exposed to the same influences and risks as their peers, and some are already engaging in risky behaviour that could escalate into violence if left unchecked.

“It’s vital we intervene early to break the cycle.”

“Through this important work, we will stop serious violence and knife crime from gaining a greater foothold in our communities.”

The programme uses VR headsets and accessories, with a £4,500 contribution from the PCC funding the Virtual Decisions licence and VR accessories including headphones, alongside match funding from Durham Action Against Crime (£2,000), housing provider Livin (£2,000), and The Cornforth Partnership (£2,200).

Additional funding will allow the Newton Aycliffe Rotary Club, which runs the scheme, to expand delivery across more schools and youth groups.

So far, the project has reached 1,194 students in primary, secondary, and special educational needs schools across the area.

Virtual Decisions, the award-winning VR programme in use, has already reached more than 20,000 young people nationwide.

Evaluation shows that after taking part, 91 per cent said they were more likely to consider the consequences of knife crime, while 96 per cent agreed that carrying a knife is more dangerous than not carrying one.

Ms Allen said the programme builds on awareness sparked by the arrival of the Knife Angel sculpture in the region last year.

She said: “The visit of the Knife Angel monument last year provided a platform to initiate difficult conversations about knife crime and to show young people what really is at stake by carrying knives to inform their future decisions.

“This project has built on the momentum of this work, allowing young people to immerse themselves in situations that explore the dangers and potential consequences of carrying knives so they can ‘feel’ the emotional impact of their decisions in a safe environment.

“It goes back to prevention – an approach to community safety that lies at the foundations of my plan – and sparing families the pain and devastation of losing people they cherish to violence by changing behaviour before it’s too late.”

Ms Allen has made tackling serious violence a core priority within her Police, Crime and Justice Plan, pledging to address its root causes in partnership with other organisations.

She has also committed to promoting education as a key protective factor, focusing on improving school attendance and reducing exclusions to help keep young people safe.

Alongside the VR scheme, the PCC and members of the County Durham and Darlington Serious Violence Prevention Partnership have continued to fund other education and intervention programmes.

One such project is delivered by the Foundation of Light, the official charity of Sunderland AFC.

It offers an intensive 12-week intervention for young people aged nine to 15 who are not currently involved in criminal activity but are considered at risk.

The programme aims to improve educational engagement, decision-making, and awareness of the consequences of serious violence.

It targets individuals through schools, youth groups, and community organisations in the Peterlee area.

The man ignored red traffic lights and drove at double the speed limit

A man drove at double the speed limit in residential areas and ignored red traffic lights in a bid to escape police. Thomas Toth, 21, led officers on a high-speed pursuit in broad daylight on May 8.

He was driving a black Audi A3 in Star Road, Eastgate, Peterborough at about 10.35am, when officers on patrol received information that the car was uninsured.

When the officers indicated for him to stop, Toth accelerated and drove at more than double the speed limit in residential areas, ignored red traffic lights and drove on the wrong side of keep left bollards.

The pursuit ended in Ling Garth, Dogsthorpe and Toth ran to try and flee from the officers. He was arrested following a police foot chase.

PC Chris Euerby said: “Toth drove recklessly and clearly with no thought to the danger he was putting other people in. He narrowly missed numerous collisions as other innocent motorists were forced to take evasive action. Thankfully, the pursuit ended and he was arrested before anyone was hurt.”

Toth, of Meadow Grove, Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, admitted dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving without a licence. He was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison, suspended for a year, and handed an 18-month driving ban on Monday, June 29 at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court.

Following the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, Russia endured a period of violent criminal lawlessness known as the “wild 90s”. Organised crime spiked, with gangs taking control of banks, factories and other lucrative markets. Contract killings, shootings and car bombings became part of urban life.

There are now fears that the Ukraine war will give rise to a similar situation as members of Russia’s army, as well as former convicts who were pardoned in exchange for military service, return from the frontlines.

A variety of conditions enabled organised crime to flourish in the 1990s. Weak state institutions, economic turmoil and mass privatisation following the Soviet Union’s collapse created a governance vacuum in Russia.

As criminologist Federico Varese, of the University of Oxford, explains in his work, criminal groups stepped in to provide “private protection” in areas where the state was ineffective or absent. They provided services such as contract enforcement, debt recovery and physical business security.

Sociologist Vadim Volkov, meanwhile, describes the rise of “violent entrepreneurs” who commodified coercion in an environment where legal institutions had largely collapsed. Russia’s murder rate surged in this period. Between 1990 and 1994, it more than doubled to a peak of over 33 killings per 100,000 people. This made Russia’s murder rate among the highest globally.

Contemporary Russia presents a different picture. Following Vladimir Putin’s rise to power in 1999, the Russian state has consolidated its authority. Putin quickly expanded the state’s security apparatus while reasserting control over criminal networks.

In many cases, organised crime has become integrated into systems of governance, complementing the state’s political or strategic interests. For example, criminal networks have facilitated sanctions evasion by transporting restricted goods through parallel trade routes and acquiring sanctioned technologies via intermediary networks in third countries.

Reinforcing this transformation

The Ukraine war is likely to reinforce this more recent transformation. Expanded western sanctions imposed since the start of the war have widened opportunities for illicit trade and smuggling networks. But the most significant consequences arise from the social and security challenges associated with large-scale military demobilisation.

Since the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has mobilised hundreds of thousands of military personnel. This includes up to 180,000 former convicts. Many of these people have experienced prolonged exposure to combat. Military service does not inherently lead to criminality and it would be inaccurate to suggest that all returning veterans are likely to become offenders.

However, evidence from post-conflict societies such as Colombia, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Bosnia-Herzegovina suggests that poorly managed demobilisation can reshape criminal markets. Research on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration consistently demonstrates that unemployment, psychological trauma and weak institutional support creates opportunities for criminal groups to recruit former combatants.

Military service also teaches soldiers organisational skills beyond battlefield experience such as logistics, intelligence gathering and network management. These skills are all transferable to contemporary organised crime. In modern organised crime environments, traditional racketeering is complemented by cybercrime, cryptocurrency laundering and transnational financial crime.

Even if only a small proportion of military personnel returning from Ukraine become involved in criminal activity, they could change the composition and improve the operational sophistication of Russian crime groups. While the circumstances differ, the case of Colombia illustrates how poorly managed demobilisation can transform organised crime.

In the 2000s, over 30,000 fighters from right-wing paramilitary groups in Colombia were demobilised. A minority of these former combatants subsequently joined or established criminal organisations. They provided military training, discipline and networks, aiding the capabilities of organised crime.

These groups rapidly became major players in the Colombian organised crime ecosystem. A Human Rights Watch report found they became major perpetrators of drug trafficking, extortion and violence. Estimates suggest they controlled up to half of the Colombia’s cocaine exports by 2011.

The Russian state is far stronger than the one that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This makes a wholesale resurgence of traditional criminal violence unlikely. Instead, the Ukraine war looks set to accelerate a new generation of criminal networks that are more professional, militarised and embedded within state structures.

However, the Kremlin still faces a difficult balancing act. Contemporary Russian governance has relied upon managing and exploiting criminal groups. And Moscow appears wary of the broad social instability that would emerge if criminal organisations become sufficiently powerful or autonomous to operate beyond state control.

Russia has thus began preparing plans for the return of veterans from Ukraine. The Kremlin has implemented initiatives such as the “Time of Heroes” programme. This programme channels selected veterans into public administration and political office following their demobilisation. Although limited, such planning reflects official recognition that domestic consequences of war will extend beyond the battlefield.

Regardless of these efforts, the distinction between organised crime and state power in Russia is likely to become harder to draw than at any point since the end of the cold war.

England fans could be handed a boost as reports suggest the England vs Mexico World Cup 2026 may move

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England supporters have reportedly received welcome news as the dreaded 1:00am kick-off on Monday (July 6) now appears unlikely after the Mexico fixture has allegedly been brought forward.

It is reported the game could take place at 7pm on Sunday night (July 5) instead, due to the threat of thunder storms rather than to help out England fans watching at home, according to multiple publications in Mexico.

Warnings of stormy weather had been issued around game time at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City and could have seen the game face kick-off delays. The BBC understands that FIFA is set to bring the game forward due to thunderstorms and heavy rain.

Fifa regulations for World Cup 2026 say it is their right to “cancel, reschedule or relocate” matches “at its sole discretion”, reports the Daily Star. The Press Association reports FIFA is now in ongoing discussions over moving the kick-off time to earlier in the day due to the risk of adverse weather on Sunday.

Pubs and other establishments had been gearing up to get ready for opening late and into the early hours, but it now looks like we may get a more UK-friendly time for fans.

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Donald Trump kicked off America’s 250th birthday celebrations by traveling to Mount Rushmore with his son Don Jr and newlywed wife Bettina, just as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce exchanged their vows in the celebrity wedding of the century. 

The President was flanked by the happy couple, his daughter Tiffany, and her husband, Michael Boulos, as they all boarded the new Air Force One on Friday night, headed for South Dakota.

Not long after that, Swift and Kelce were wed at an elaborate ceremony inside Madison Square Garden with comedian Adam Sandler officiating.

After boarding, Bettina posted an image to Instagram showing a large cookie emblazoned with a picture of the iconic monument with Trump’s likeness added on to it. 

Prior to boarding, the group all shared pictures of themselves enjoying the Great American State Fair in Washington, DC. 

Tiffany and Bettina even had time for a quick mirror selfie at the Presidential Walk of Fame along the West Colonnade of the White House. 

The trip marks Trump’s triumphant return to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, exactly six years after he held a controversial pre-Fourth of July event at the monument amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The president touched down following a flyover of the famous sculpture nestled in the the Black Hills of the state. 

Former homeland security secretary Kristi Noem was then serving as South Dakota governor and embraced a hands-off approach to the virus, allowing the mass gathering to happen despite the health risks. 

Air Force One is seen here performing a flyover at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday night

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The President took to the skies as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce married in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden

Bettina Trump, Michael Boulos, who is partially obstructed, Tiffany and Don Jr leaving the White House on Friday night alongside White House aide Natalie Harp

Bettina and Tiffany in a mirror selfie along the Presidential Walk of Fame before heading for Mount Rushmore

There were also environmental concerns. 

The fireworks display that year was the first since 2009, after the National Park Service stopped them due to wildfire risk. 

Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately cost him reelection in 2020. 

But on Friday, the President will fly into South Dakota on his new Qatari-gifted Air Force One. 

The fireworks ban, reinstated during President Joe Biden’s tenure, has been lifted again. 

There is even a bill in Congress, introduced by Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna, to have Trump’s face added to Mount Rushmore, which features Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. 

The event is part of the Trumpified celebration of America’s 250th birthday, organized by Freedom 250, the group that Trump created by executive order last January to take control of the country’s semiquincentennial festivities.

Congress had already created a bipartisan commission, dubbed America250, back in 2016 to plan the events. 

Not long after boarding Bettina posted an image to her Instagram showing a large cookie emblazoned with a picture of the iconic monument with Trump’s likeness added

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Don Jr and Bettina boarding the new Air Force One on Friday evening

Mount Rushmore hovers over the stage set up for Trump’s appearance in Keystone, South Dakota, on Friday

The dueling groups have caused headaches, including the mass cancellation of musicians booked to play the Great American State Fair, when the artists realized it was being organized by the more partisan entity. 

The Great American State Fair has also been plagued by power outages, low attendance and extremely hot weather. 

Washington, DC, reached 100 degrees Friday afternoon, with the fair postponed for several hours due to the intensity of the heat. 

The Mount Rushmore event is happening amid drought conditions in the state. 

Ahead of the event, state and federal agencies were going to make a go-or-no-go call on the fireworks display. 

The US Wildland Fire Service also created a fire response plan for the Mount Rushmore fireworks, Politico reported. 

Trump is expected to touch back down in Washington in the early hours of Saturday morning ahead of the Salute to America celebration on the National Mall. 

The stage is assembled on Thursday ahead of the President’s arrival

Trump held a Mount Rushmore fireworks event on July 3, 2020, a controversial move amid the COVID-19 pandemic 

The President watched a Navy Blue Angels flyover display during the event

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That event is also being threatened by extreme heat – it’s supposed to reach 101 degrees in DC on Saturday. 

But Trump remained undeterred. 

‘On July Fourth, it’s going to be approximately 107 degrees out, and I’m gonna go, and I’m gonna make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything,’ the 80-year-old President said Wednesday during his trip to North Dakota to open the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

The President is expected to speak after sundown, around 9.45pm ET, organizers said, with the ‘world’s largest fireworks display’ slated for 10.30pm. 

That means if Trump’s speech runs long, the DC fireworks show could drag into July 5.

A Dickens of a Christmas will be the theme of the annual display at Castle Howard, near Malton.

Running from November 12 to January 3, the Victorian extravaganza is promised to ‘leave you full to the brim with festive cheer!’

A spokesperson for Castle Howard said: “Charles Dickens’ classic novels are brought to life in grand Christmas style, leaping off the page with projections, soundscapes, and theatrical surprises.

“As the cold nights draw in, warm your hands and hearts by the grand roaring fire and encounter familiar faces from Dickens’ most treasured novels, including Ebenezer Scrooge and a ghost or two. Rich in nostalgia, storytelling and Christmas spirit, it’s an immersive journey that celebrates Christmas magic.”

Following the award-winning success of Christmas at Castle Howard with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice’s Christmas Wonderland, CLW Event Design and Imitating the Dog return to bring this joyful experience to life.

So, climb aboard your carriage and join us for a traditional Christmas like no other!.

More information about tickets will be announced very soon. In the meantime, sign up to the Castle Howard newsletter for the latest updates.

Loop’s website shows images of people wearing their devices in casual, fun settings, and the brand has also collaborated with festivals such as Coachella and Tomorrowland.

Alpine CEO Arthur van Keeken says their ear-plugs have been popular with “younger, urban people” – exactly the audience for these types of events.

He believes they are more conscious of looking after their hearing, and wants a future where music fans view ear protection in the same way skiers see helmets.

The British Association of Audiologists – healthcare experts who specialise in diagnosing and treating ear problems – say hearing loss is one of the most common disabilities.

According to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), it affects about one in three UK adults.

The charity’s audiology manager Franki Oliver says that, under a microscope, the sound-sensing cells in our ears and the tiny hairs growing out of them resemble a patch of grass at a festival.

“The first day, the grass looks absolutely beautiful,” she says. “Nice and green.”

“After the first couple of days, it’s OK. But at the end of the weekend it’s looking pretty dead and it’s probably not coming back.

“The same thing is happening with our ears when we expose them to loud noises”.

Oliver says it’s a good thing that ear-plugs are increasingly seen as an “accessory to a night out, rather than something you have to use”.

But, like our ears, they are not all created equal.

There had been speculation the time could change

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England’s World Cup last-16 game against Mexico will kick-off as scheduled at 6pm local time on Sunday (1am on Monday, UK time) after further discussions, it is being reported.

The start of the clash at the Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, was scheduled for 1am UK time, with the government announcing pubs would be allowed to stay open for the match.

However there was speculation on Friday night that the match could be moved to a 7pm UK kick off time due to weather conditions.

FIFA sources indicated no decision was taken to reschedule and the relevant stakeholders will continue monitoring relevant factors.

Under safety rules, games face an automatic 30-minute delay if lightning strikes within eight miles of the stadium, with the clock resetting each time there is a new strike.

FIFA’s World Cup regulations say the governing body has “the right to cancel, reschedule or relocate one or more matches…for any reason at its sole discretion, including as a result of force majeure or due to health, safety or security concerns”.

England playmaker Morgan Rogers said of any potential change: “It’s just another obstacle to overcome. We’ll be ready regardless of the time.

“I’m not concerned about it, but won’t be happy if it wakes me up, I’ll be honest. We’ll deal with it as best as possible. It’s another obstacle to get over.”

England team-mate Marcus Rashford also downplayed the impact of a potential kick-off change.

“I think for us it’s the same, how we prepare for the game,” the forward said. “It has to be the same, we have to be focused, we have to be ready for anything.

“I think it’s one strength of the group, everyone included, the players, the staff, we’re ready for whatever challenges get thrown at us. Obviously it’s not ideal, but also it doesn’t matter.”

The prospect of the fixture time moving shocked former England right-back and coach Gary Neville.

“For our players it’s worse, it’s a sporting disadvantage to England,” he said on ITV. “There’s a sporting integrity issue here as well because I’ve never seen a League Two game moved, I’ve never seen a Sunday League game moved.

“FIFA are just willy nilly making it up and moving a game. It just feels a little bit sort of strange.”

A kick-off alteration would only add to what England boss Tuchel knew would be “a lot, a lot, a lot of obstacles” awaiting them in Mexico.

An intimidating atmosphere awaits at the Azteca, while the visitors are braced for hostility outside the team hotel.

But altitude could be the biggest challenge, with the match taking place more than 2,000 metres above sea level.

Tuchel said: “My understanding is that we cannot adapt to the altitude.

“That is just a huge advantage that Mexico will have. It just takes too much time.

“We have only three days in between (the last-32 win over DR Congo and the Mexico game). This is physically just not possible to adapt to the altitude, which is quite high.

“We knew that before, so this is just something, it’s just a disadvantage, with which we will have to deal.”

This is breaking story. We will bring you an update when one becomes available.

Three people have reportedly been shot with two said to be dead at a shopping centre

Two people have reportedly tragically died at a shopping centre in Michigan, US, following the outbreak of a fight, police have said.

Cops descended on the Fairlane Town Center mall in Dearborn, Michigan, at around 2pm today which was packed with families visiting the shops in anticipation of the July 4 holiday weekend.

Emergency services swarmed the scene to reports of gunshots as police cordoned off the mall near Evergreen Road and Michigan Avenue.

Video footage show people running in terror as gunshots could be heard while shutters where pulled down at stores, reports The Mirror.

Now an officer from Dearborn Police has confirmed there were “three gunshot victims and two have passed away”. One person died at the scene and another succumbed to injuries at hospital.

At a press conference the officer said: “Our investigation is at a preliminary stage, but it appears that this was not a random act of violence, it seems to have been between two parties who knew each other at the mall.

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“A fight began to escalate leading to gunfire, it appears both parties had firearms. We have a number of them at the station and we are interviewing them.”

Earlier a statement from Dearborn Police read: “This is an active and ongoing investigation. We are asking residents and visitors to avoid the area while officers secure the scene and investigators conduct their work.”

“Please stay clear of Fairlane Mall while police secure and investigate this incident,” Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said in a statement on Facebook.

Gabrielle, who owns a store in the shopping mall says how she suddenly heard shooting and the stores were put into lockdown. “It seemed like it would be a nice day, the parking lot was fuller than normal with people,” she told Fox 2 Detroit.

“I had two young woman in the store so we herded them up when we heard the shots, we closed the gate, and went into the backroom.

“I heard three loud noises, people running, then a couple mores shots it may have been five or six, it was so sudden, my store is tucked away in the corner so I couldn’t see what was happening it was just the noises.”

Another woman who was at the shopping mall at the time with her daughter said: “It’s sad, it is really sad, I’m praying for the families because there were kids in the mall they will have seen what happened.”

While a further shopper, Weston Fantroy, said that he was buying a birthday present for his daughter when he heard what sounded like four or five gunshots and saw people panicking so he ran out of the shopping centre.

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