By TOM LAWRENCE, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 19:37 BST, 12 July 2026 | Updated: 01:01 BST, 13 July 2026

Two men have died after trying to rescue children who had got into difficulty in the sea in Hartlepool.

Police, coastguards, paramedics and the RNLI rushed to the scene at Seaton Carew Beach in County Durham at around 3.45pm today.

After entering the water to try and assist the children, they were both brought out by the RNLI.

Tragically, despite receiving immediate medical attention, both men were pronounced dead a short time later.

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The children were deemed safe and were taken to hospital to be checked over. 

The families of the men are being supported by specialist officers from Cleveland Police.

Cleveland Police at Seaton Carew Beach in County Durham, where two men died trying to rescue children in the water

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Police rushed to the scene as part of a large emergency response including the RNLI, coastguards and paramedics 

Superintendent Glen Ward said: ‘Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of both the men involved in this tragic incident today.

‘Despite the best efforts of emergency services, sadly both men were pronounced dead a short time after being brought out of the sea.

‘We are conducting enquiries into the circumstances of what happened today, although the deaths are not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the Coroner.

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‘I would like to remind everyone that open water comes with serious risks. We know it is inviting in the hot weather, but we would encourage people to refrain from entering any open water at all. Today we have sadly seen the true tragedy that can happen as a result.

‘Please take extra care and enjoy the warm weather as safely as possible.’

ETHEL Ward Playing Fields have been a talking point of late after locals were left with a massive clean up following a short stay by a group of Travellers.

The fields have been a popular attraction for generations of local people people in Haxby, featuring play equipment and sports grounds and facilities.

They are currently held in trust and managed by Haxby Town Council.

This weekend will see the playing fields host the annual Haxby Carnival, which will take place on Saturday.

But when did the playing fields actually open – and why are they named in honour of Ethel Ward?

Ethel Ward Playing Field, Haxby. Image: Google Maps

A dip into The Press archive reveals the story.

Ethel Ward was the late wife of Kenneth Ward, former resident of the now-demolished Haxby Hall.

Haxby Hall was a grand Grade-II listed house on York Road, dating from 1790 which sat in 22 acres (89,000 m2) of land. It was used to house evacuees from Hull during the Second World War.

A postcard dating from the 1910s shows its grandeur.

Postcard showing Haxby Hall, probably taken around 1910, demolished in 1960 and replaced by the Haxby Hall Residential Home in 1965

Following Ethel’s death in 1944, Kenneth donated a large proportion of the house’s grounds to the town, on the proviso the new playing fields would be forever named in her memory.

The playing fields opened and hosted their first cricket match – between Haxby and Wigginton and local rivals New Earswick – on May 8,1948, and The Press has an account of it, and photos.

The actual match ended in a draw – but what it may have lacked in excitement, made up for in sheer importance.

It marked the beginning of an enduring memorial to Kenneth’s wife.

The ‘new’ pavilion at the Ethel Ward playing field, opened on August 27, 1964

When Kenneth gifted the land his one stipulation was that the playing field be “for ever hereafter… known and designated as the Ethel Ward Playing Fields”.

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On that May day, the new playing fields were officially opened by former Yorkshire and England cricketer Maurice Leyland, who said most great cricketers began their careers on a village ground.

“I started my cricket in a back street and the dustbin lid was knocked off many a time,” he said.

“Through the generosity of Mr Ward you have got some beautiful grounds and a good start.

“There is no reason why, at some future date, Haxby or Wigginton should not produce a cricketer for England.”

Maurice Leyland bowling the first ball of the inaugural cricket match at the Ethel Ward playing fields between Haxby and Wigginton Cricket Club and New Earswick Cricket Club on May 8, 1948. Photo: Haxby and Wigginton History Group

Mr Leyland then went on to bowl the opening over of that inaugural cricket match.

New Earswick romped to a total of 141 all out, with opening bat H Freer scoring 33. In reply, Haxby and Wigginton scored 87 for 8 before the match was declared drawn.

As for Haxby Hall itself, it was demolished in 1960, and replaced in 1965 by the 52 bed Haxby Hall Residential Care Home, with an ambulance station next door.

Mrs M Butterfield receives the title deeds for teh Ethel Ward Playing Fields. Also on the front of the platform at the official opening ceremony were (l-r): Sir William Worsley; Mr Maurice Leyland; Alderman RS Butterfield and Mr Kenneth Ward

On its website, Haxby Town Council, outlines its responsibility for the Ethel Ward Playing Fields, and the current facilities on offer.

It posts: “Ethel Ward Playing Field is held in trust by Haxby Town Council, and is administered by the playing field committee which consists of two town councillors and representatives of each user club.

“There are two football pitches, two netball courts, a multigames wall and a children’s play area. The sports pavilion incorporates changing facilities, and also houses a nursery school.

“The council employs groundsmen, who maintain the pitches, play area, and pavilion on a day to day basis.”

Share your memories of the Ethel Ward Playing Fields in the comments section below…

At least 27 people have died and another 22 are fighting for their lives after a huge fire engulfed a pub in Bangkok, officials said.

In total, 90 people were killed or injured in a pub fire in Bangkok on Sunday night.

A fire broke out in the popular local venue Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, with a musician reporting that it started from near the stage.

The fire escalated rapidly as revellers scrambled to evacuate the premises, but within moments the building erupted into flames.

The inferno was so powerful that it was described as watching a ‘jet engine exhaust’ come out of the door as huge flames spread into the street. 

By the time rescuers arrived at around midnight local time, the fire had already burned through the building.

Casualties were lined up outside the pub, many tragically placed in body bags. 

Firefighters tackled the remaining blaze for around half an hour before bringing it under control. 

Photographs from inside the building show the charred ramins of the tables and chairs

Firefighters and paramedics pictured outside the pub urgently trying to treat victims who were caught in the blaze

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‘The fire spread very quickly, reaching up to the ceiling. Smoke was likely the main cause of death,’ Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters outside the venue on the outskirts of the Thai capital.

He said 27 people were killed and 63 were hospitalised with injuries, including 22 in critical condition, adding that authorities had launched an investigation.

Among those killed, 18 were reported to be women and nine men.

A number of the victims were found near the fire exit and authorities believe there may have been obstructions blocking it, he said.

Laotian tourist Kan Kutirat, said: ‘I heard loud screaming from a lot of people inside – chaos happened.’

He shared a video on Facebook that showed patrons – several with their shirts ablaze – fleeing into the street as flames surged out the door.

Mr Kutirat said he was drinking alone at the bar at around 10pm on Sunday when he noticed smoke rising near the stage.

‘I never experienced anything like this before,’ he said. ‘The images are still stuck in my mind.’

He said he helped carry a woman out of the bar.

He added: ‘I could only get one person out. I tried my best. I’m sorry.’

Inside the bar, witnesses described seeing a row of stools and bottles of beer still on tables covered with white dust.

The smell of burned plastic lingered over the area several hours after the fire broke out, while most of the windows of the bar were blown out.

A small crowd of people gathered behind the cordon of metal barricades and police tape, some of them in their pyjamas.

Thai national police said in a social media post at around 2am Monday (7pm GMT) that the fire had been ‘brought under control’.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had earlier visited the scene.

He said musicians at the venue described ‘smoke from a circuit breaker near the stage followed by the power going out and an explosion’.

‘Most of the victims ran to the back, to toilets with no exit. It could be because of panic because there was fire and smoke in the restaurant,’ Anutin told reporters.

Rescue teams outside the site of the fire in Bangkok after it was brought under control by firefighters

 Witnesses said the fire started at the front of the stage in the venue where smoke was reported coming out of a circuit breaker 

Damaged beer bottles stand covered in the thick dust and ash created by the smoke inside the pub

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Footage showed the huge blaze raging out of the front door of the building in the northern part of the Thai capital, as a huge black cloud of smoke was sent billowing into the sky. 

Photos from the aftermath show the charred remains of tables and chairs and the interior damaged by smoke. 

Social media footage of the blaze showed flames bursting out of the front of the pub and into the street like a blowtorch.

Revellers fled the building in fear as the front of the building rapidly changed from a cloud of smoke into an inferno.

Video taken later shows the aftermath of the blaze, with charred chairs and tables covered in ash.

Several people can be seen lying across the road outside as officers attempt to provide emergency care.

Another video showed the moment as revellers ran away from the building as the flames exploded into the street.

They returned to the front door where smoke was still coming out and tables and chairs had been knocked over from the impact.

The inside of the building remained alight with a burning red glow.

One social media user described the fire as resembling an ‘exhaust thrust from a jet engine’. 

Firefighters from the Phaholyothin, Phaya Thai, and Huai Khwang fire stations battled the inferno with three water hoses.

The bar is located in the Chatuchak District and is a well-known and popular entertainment venue and restaurant in the area, according to local outlet The Daily News.

Members of the public have been urged to call a hotline if they believe friends or relatives were at the venue. 

A police officer stands guard after a massive fire engulfed a bar in Bangkok

Investigators inside the building try to ascertain the cause of the deadly blaze

A shoe left outside the pub where the fire caused catastrophic damage

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The family of a waitress, originally from Laos, who was working at the venue, told Sky News, that she is still missing.

‘They told us that many of the workers inside this venue were from Laos, of course, in this southeast Asian region.

‘But at the moment you just get a sense of the enormity of this blast. And here, just people still lingering around hoping to get further information.’

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: ”We are in contact with the local authorities regarding a fire in Bangkok and stand ready to provide consular assistance to any affected British nationals affected by the incident.’

Thailand has seen similar tragedies in the past.

In 2022, 14 people were killed by a fire at a music pub in the eastern part of the country.

And more than a decade before that, 66 people were killed and more than 200 were injured in a fire during a 2009 New Year’s Eve celebration at the Santika nightclub in Thailand’s capital.

That blaze was said to be sparked by an indoor fireworks display.

More than 2,700 people are estimated to have died as a result of record breaking temperatures during the May and June heatwaves, a study has suggested.

Of those deaths, it is thought just over 40 per cent died as a direct result of climate change, researchers at Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found.

Temperatures hit 35.1C in West London in May and following three consecutive days of record-breaking temperatures, highs of 37.7C on 26 June at Lingwood, Norfolk were recorded amid numerous red health heat alerts across England.

The heatwaves forced several hospitals to declare critical incidents and London Ambulance Service faced its busiest day on record with significantly more life-threatening emergency calls.

But the UK is now regularly experiencing temperatures beyond historical norms, researchers said.

“It’s time we woke up to the fact that we now live in a country with dangerously hot summers. To protect people during future extremes, we must urgently adapt to the reality of the climate we now have, and double down on global efforts to reach net zero emissions to stop this from getting worse,” Dr Clair Barnes, research associate in extreme weather and climate change, Imperial College London said.

For the study, researchers used a statistical model which uses historical records to show how the risk of dying due to elevated heat changes with temperature in each of around 35,000 very small regions across England and Wales.

This allowed the experts to estimate the number of heat related excess deaths that are likely to have happened during these recent heatwaves, using recorded temperatures.

Researchers then factored in how much the UK has warmed due to human-caused climate change and used the data to estimate how many excess deaths would have been expected if the heatwaves had occurred in a world without human-caused climate change.

Modelling suggests that from May 21-29, there were around 550 heat-related excess deaths across England and Wales and about 330 of those would not have occurred in a world without climate change – accounting for around 60 per cent of the deaths.

Similarly, during the second heatwave between June 18-28, estimates suggest there were almost 2,200 heat related excess deaths. But about 800 (40 per cent) of those deaths would not have occurred in a world without climate change, according to analysis.

In comparison, estimates for summer 2025 suggest there were 1,504 heat-related deaths, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

It comes as the third heatwave of the year hits the UK, with temperatures yet again exceeding 34C.

The forecasting agency said it makes 2026 a record year for the most days to reach 34C or higher in a calendar year. It beats the previous record of seven days set in both the summer of 1976 and 2020.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that authorities in Europe plan for extreme heat in the same way they do for winter flu and study authors have suggested heat deaths could eventually match the rate of deaths during the winter months.

“More deaths do happen when it is cold, but they’re not necessarily directly linked to the cold, they are often flu deaths. Whereas we see a direct link between spikes in heat and spikes in mortality,” Dr Barnes said.

Dr Ross Thomson from UKHSA added: “Heat seems to be increasing at a higher rate than perhaps the cold is, we might get to a point where our summer heat excess deaths are actually at a level of cold excess deaths, which is unprecedented.”

The Environment Agency has described heat as the largest and most urgent climate hazard for human health. It increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, lung problems as well as death from drowning.

“Heatwaves can be fatal because of the strain placed on the heart and other organs”, said Jess Beagley, policy lead at the Global Climate and Health Alliance told the Independent: “High temperatures present a particular risk for people with existing health conditions including cardiovascular diseases, as well as on babies as they are less able to regulate their body temperature, and outdoor workers as they are most exposed.”

Ms Beagley stressed the UK is not prepared for hotter summers. Homes and hospitals do not protect the public from high temperatures and we need better insulation, natural shading and air conditioning.

“We must also remember that the increasing severity of heatwaves is primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels – there are limits to how much we can adapt to heat and other climate impacts so it’s vital that we transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, or hazards will continue to increase,” she added.

However, people do not just die from heatstroke, the bulk of people suffer from strokes, heart attacks and sudden cardiac death, Hugh Montgomery professor of intensive care medicine, University College London explained.

However, he stressed climate change can kill people in other ways, including crop failures from drought and flooding, which causes food prices to increase affecting the most vulnerable.

“We are now in a death spiral,” the expert on health and climate change told the Independent, stressing that we need to stop burning fossil fuels: “It takes 400,000 years to fully clear the CO2 we emit today, so if everyone stopped emitting, these are still the foothills of catastrophe. That coupled with impacts on food, power, transport and natural ecosystems, could cause civil unrest,” he added.

By CHRISTOPHER STEVENS, TV CRITIC

Published: 23:50 BST, 12 July 2026 | Updated: 00:25 BST, 13 July 2026

The Dark (ITV1)

Rating: Four out of five stars

When was the last time you saw a stuffed bear in a pub? Not so long ago, hundreds of country inns had one, usually by the door, paws raised, like a bouncer ready for some argy-bargy.

Where they all came from was a mystery, since bears have been extinct in Britain since Roman times. And where they went is a puzzle, too. 

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You can hardly leave a seven-foot furball out for the binmen. Perhaps they were eaten whole by moths.

The decor at The Thistle Moor, a bleak Scottish hostelry in The Dark, is heavily reliant on taxidermy: stags’ heads on the walls, weasels fighting under glass domes, that kind of thing.

But it’s the bear by the entrance that lets us know this is not a pub for soft southerners. The white wine is several degrees warmer than the welcome.

Nothing about The Dark will leave you anxious to book a weekend break in the Highlands. 

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Unlike BBC1’s Shetland, whose spectacular photography has boosted the islands’ visitor numbers by 50 per cent, this six-part thriller makes its remote rural setting look as brutally cold and damp as it is murderous.

But for fans of nasty noir, it’s as fierce and satisfying as neat malt whisky.

From L-R Catherine McCormack as Gloria Maclennan, Laura Donnelly as DI Monica Kennedy, Mark Rowley as DC. Connor Crawford

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The Dark, is a British ITV six-part crime drama television series, adapted from the novel From the Shadows by GR Halliday, about a serial killer who is stalking the Scottish wilderness. Pictured is Ack Hesketh as Owen Maclennan

Mark Rowley as DC. Connor Crawford

Based on a novel by G.R. Halliday, The Dark introduces his taciturn heroine DI Monica Kennedy (Laura Donnelly), a single mother who seems to have upset just about everyone she’s ever met — including bereaved couple Barclay and Bethany, played by Emun Elliott and Helen Baxendale.

At the cinema, DI Kennedy’s small daughter Lucy asks whether the film features monsters. ‘Monsters are scared of me,’ she retorts and, to prove the point, she sends one packing a couple of minutes later with a bone-chilling threat.

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‘I will take you and I’ll bury you somewhere you’ll never be found,’ she warns a wild-eyed woman who makes the mistake of approaching her family. Nothing about her manner suggests this is empty bluster.

No self-respecting serial killer in a Scottish noir will be content with merely murdering the locals. 

Heavy rock of the weekend: 

Dripping in gore and swagger, the French spies-and-superheroes thriller The Sentinels (BBC4) is like a Marvel Comics version of Peaky Blinders.

Set during World War I, it features music as loud as artillery on the Front.

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Their bodies have to be displayed naked, in poses that hint at occult rituals. So far, we’ve had just the one corpse, a teenage male drugged, strangled and laid face down on a ridge with his hands stretched out as if in prayer.

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But it’s not looking good for barworker Rob (Aaron McVeigh), who bicycles home from a pub shift to find a cup of tea waiting for him in his bedroom — which he takes to be an uncharacteristic act of kindness by his dad (Cal MacAninch, a reliably unsettling presence in any crime drama).

Rob knocks back the cuppa. Five minutes later, he’s paralysed and staring in frozen terror as a masked maniac forces his way in through the window — a scene so scary, it tipped right over into horror movie territory. 

Unless, of course, it turns out the bear dunnit.

Patient Kathryn Hulland urged health leaders to agree a deal on the drug, saying that it is “heartbreaking” to know that there is a treatment “just out of reach”.

There is an “inexcusable” postcode lottery of breast cancer care, leading to patients in England, Wales and Northern Ireland being “robbed of precious extra time” with their loved ones, a charity has said.

Some patients with incurable breast cancer which has spread to another part of the body have “died waiting” for Enhertu to be made available, Breast Cancer Now said.

The treatment has been available in Scotland for more than two years and the drug is now available in 26 European countries, the charity said.

Patient Kathryn Hulland urged health leaders to agree a deal on the drug, saying that it is “heartbreaking” to know that there is a treatment “just out of reach”.

The 47-year-old mother said the drug would give her more time with her eight-year-old daughter Grace.

Ms Hulland, from Devon, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019.

She was told she has metastatic breast cancer in her lung and lymph nodes in 2023.

“Living with incurable breast cancer is frightening enough without being told you can’t get the groundbreaking medicine you need,” she said.

“Every extra month matters to me because it’s another month with my young daughter, another chance to make memories together, another month to be her mum and see her grow.

“Knowing there’s a treatment that could help people like me, but that it remains out of reach, is heartbreaking. We shouldn’t be here caught in a deadlock between decision-makers.

“Too many women, mums and daughters like me, have already died waiting for Enhertu. It’s time for all parties to come together and find a solution so families like mine can have what every family wants which is simply more precious time together.

“My life, and my eight-year-old daughter’s happiness, are in the hands of decision-makers. So please, make Enhertu available now for people like me living with incurable breast cancer.”

It is the first licensed targeted treatment for patients with HER2-low breast cancer that cannot be removed surgically or that has spread to other parts of the body, also known as metastatic breast cancer.

Clinical trials have found that women with breast cancer who took the drug survived for around two years, compared with 17.5 months for those who had chemotherapy.

Breast Cancer Now said thousands of people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have “missed out” on the drug.

The charity, along with metastatic breast cancer charities METUPUK and Make 2nds Count, reiterated calls for health officials to strike a deal to make it available for NHS use.

It comes as a new poll, conducted on 2,000 UK adults by CensusWide, found that 78% said they were concerned that people cannot access the drug when it is already available elsewhere.

And four in five (82%) said the drug should be made available on the NHS.

“It’s inexcusable that Enhertu remains out of reach for people with incurable metastatic breast cancer, robbing them of the chance of precious extra time to live. Many have tragically died waiting,” Claire Rowney, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said.

“This is why we’re relentlessly campaigning to see Enhertu made available on the NHS in England for those who so desperately need it.

“The public have clearly spoken with three out of five (60%) declaring the postcode lottery around access to life-extending cancer drugs unacceptable, and four out of five (82%) want to see Enhertu made available on the NHS to people with HER2-low metastatic breast cancer, giving them the chance to live longer.

“People living with this devastating incurable disease don’t have time to wait.

“The clock is ticking and we need to see this unacceptable and tragic situation put right, now.

“Changes to how much the NHS can spend on new medicines have created a new opportunity for Enhertu to finally be made available. There can be no more excuses. Daiichi Sankyo, AstraZeneca, Nice and NHS England must come together urgently and agree a deal – these women need Enhertu now.”

A Nice spokesperson said: “Enhertu for HER2-low metastatic breast cancer is the only breast cancer treatment Nice has been unable to recommend in the last eight years, having made 25 positive recommendations since April 2018.

“In 2024, we concluded that, at the price offered by the company, the treatment was not cost effective, as the cost was too high relative to the benefits it would provide to patients.

“However, following the US-UK trade deal announced in December 2025, Nice is now applying a new, higher threshold for cost-effectiveness decisions. In light of these changed circumstances, discussions between Nice, the company, and NHS England have resumed, with the aim of reaching a commercial agreement that would make Enhertu cost effective.

“Nice stands ready to review its guidance should new evidence be put forward by the company, including a new commercial offer.

“We remain committed to ensuring patients receive the best possible care, and we recognise the significant impact this decision has had on the breast cancer community.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our deepest sympathies go out to all those impacted by breast cancer.

“The independent body Nice (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) ensures patients can access the latest treatments at a price that is fair for the NHS and taxpayers.

“Enhertu has been the only breast cancer treatment that Nice has been unable to recommend for patients in the last eight years.

“As part of the US-UK trade arrangement, Nice is now using a new higher cost-effectiveness threshold, allowing discussions with manufacturers of the drug to resume.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

BEIJING (AP) — Typhoon Bavi made landfall in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang late on Saturday night and was expected to gradually weaken, according to China’s national weather center.

Bavi previously brought strong winds and rain to Japan’s southern islands and Taiwan. It was the second typhoon to impact China in just over a week’s time. The first, Maysak, made landfall in southern China on July 3.

Chinese authorities have evacuated more than 1.7 million people as of Saturday and issued high alerts while eastern China braced for Bavi, which had maximum sustained winds of 144 kph (89 mph) near its center.

After passing north of Taiwan on Saturday and making landfall in the coastal city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang, Bavi is expected to move northwestward inland, the National Meteorological Center said.

Earlier, at least 17 people were killed in the southern Philippines, mostly due to landslides that were set off by seasonal monsoon rains that Bavi intensified before the typhoon blew away toward Taiwan, Philippine officials said Saturday.

China evacuates over 1.7 million people

Authorities in Zhejiang had evacuated more than 1.7 million people by Saturday morning, the official Xinhua News Agency said. By noon, Shanghai, also on China’s eastern coast, relocated around 34,000 residents from high-risk areas, according to Xinhua.

Southeastern Chinese cities near the coast prepared for the impacts. In Ningde in Fujian province, more than 3,700 people were relocated from high-risk onshore areas as of Friday evening, Xinhua said. Authorities in Fujian province placed over 17,000 emergency rescue workers on standby.

China’s weather center issued an orange typhoon alert, the second-highest on a four-tier level, with many schools and ferry services suspended. Hundreds of flights have been canceled, and some high-speed railway services halted.

The center on Saturday also issued the first red alert for rainstorms of the year, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Chinese authorities said Saturday they have allocated 40 million yuan ($5.9 million) in central natural disaster relief funds to support Zhejiang and Fujian provinces’ typhoon prevention and emergency rescue and relief efforts.

Landslides kill more than a dozen in the Philippines

In the Philippines, a landslide set off by monsoon rains that Bavi intensified hit a village before dawn Friday in the coastal town of Malapatan in southern Sarangani province, killing at least 10 villagers and leaving three others missing, Office of Civil Defense spokesperson Diego Mariano said.

A separate landslide in Calanogas town in southern Lanao del Sur province before dawn on Friday killed five people, with six others missing, he said.

Two people drowned in floodwaters Wednesday in the southern province of Bukidnon, Mariano said without providing other details.

Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said about 11,000 villagers moved to 77 emergency shelters mostly in southern Philippine provinces in recent days due to the stormy weather.

John Simm and Nikki Amuka-Bird star in the BBC’s new murder mystery drama I, Jack Wright

BBC viewers were quick to react to the BBC’s new crime drama.

Penned by Chris Lang, the acclaimed writer behind Unforgotten, Innocent, The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, I, Jack Wright is a gripping whodunnit featuring Nikki-Amuka Bird, John Simm, Daniel Rigby, Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis, Zoë Tapper, Percelle Ascott, Harry Lloyd and Liz Kingsman.

A synopsis reads: “I, Jack Wright, is a propulsive whodunnit with family secrets at its core. The apparent death by suicide of high-powered businessman Jack Wright (played by Trevor Eve) sends shockwaves through his family, leaving a mystery that pits greed, loyalty and suspicion against one another.

“As his many wives and children fight over the remains of his estate, a dogged police detective investigates – and uncovers the shocking truth about this well-heeled clan.”

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Just minutes into the opening episode on BBC One on Sunday, July 12, fans were taking to social media to have their say.

And it seems they were taken by surprise that legendary actor Eve’s character was killed off no sooner had the opening credits stopped rolling.

One said: “Eddie Shoestring didn’t last long in this,” referring to Eve’s ’80s private detective TV drama Shoestring.

Another commented: “Looked at the cast for #IJackWright and thought ooh, nice! Then one of my favourite actors character was dead in the first 5 minutes! Hopefully there’ll be some flashback scenes.”

But despite Jack Wright’s quick demise, viewers seemed to like the whodunit with one saying: “It’s a bit like Cluedo.” Another said: “ooh blimey! Binge time!”

The drama was shot in London, specifically Holborn and Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Paris, and Hertfordshire. The Wright family’s principal residence, Marston House, was filmed at the Mansion House North Mymms Park.

I, Jack Wright originally launched in April 2025 on UandAlibi before being snapped up by the BBC. This means not only will series one be re-aired by the channel, but they’ve also secured series two, which is currently in production.

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The first series comprises six episodes in total. The opening episode launched on BBC One on Sunday, July 12, with a double bill.

Those who enjoyed the opening two episodes won’t face a lengthy wait, as episodes three and four will be broadcast on Monday, 13 July. Episodes five and six are expected to air on Sunday, 19 July.

I, Jack Wright airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer