The third soldier killed in an Iranian strike on a base in Jordan on Friday has been identified as a 28-year-old New York resident.

Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, was one of three US service members killed when Iranian forces attacked the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base on Friday, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.

She had previously been listed as missing in action, but is now ‘believed to be deceased’ along with First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, who were also killed in the attack. 

Rampersad belonged to the same unit as Gonzales — the 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command based in Ansbach, Germany.

‘Angel was truly a gift to everyone who knew her. She never sought attention or recognition. She simply wanted to serve, protect others and do her duty with courage and humility,’ New York Assemblyman Pesach Osina said in a statement.

He went on to say he was in contact with Rampersad’s mother, Carol Acevedo, and her father, Basdeo Rampersad.

‘There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child, but our entire community stands beside them during this unimaginable time,’ Osina said.

‘May Angel’s memory be a blessing and may God bring comfort and strength to her family and to the families of the other two service members.’

Meanwhile, a fourth US soldier killed in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone over the weekend was identified on Tuesday as Sgt Michael Emmanuel Swinton, a 30-year-old father from North Carolina who had served for nearly a decade.

Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, and First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, were killed when Iranian forces attacked the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Friday

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Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, was listed as missing following the attack but is now ‘believed to be deceased’

Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton will now receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted to staff sergeant. The Army said it was investigating the circumstances of his death Sunday at an air base in Irbil.

Swinton leaves behind a six-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, his mother said.

‘I will never recover from this,’ his wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, posted Monday on Facebook. ‘We had so many plans for when you got back, I’m sick to my stomach.’ She said she was notified Sunday that he had been killed.

‘His legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched, the laughter he shared, the strength he gave others, and the unconditional love he poured into his family,’ she said via text message. ‘He will forever be missed, forever honored, and forever our hero.’

Swinton enlisted in the Army in 2017 and was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

He lived in Spring Lake, a popular off-base location for Fort Bragg families, according to pubic records. The military gave his hometown as Fayetteville, another nearby community.

‘Sgt. Swinton was an experienced noncommissioned officer who took great pride in his work and the people around him,’ said Brig. Gen. John L. Dawber, commanding general of the Army Air and Missile Defense Command. ‘He answered the call to duty with courage, honor, and selfless dedication.’

A total of 18 US servicemembers have been killed since the war against Iran began in late February.

Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, a 30-year-old father from North Carolina, was killed in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone

An Iranian missile was launched on Tuesday

US Central Command said on Tuesday it had conducted precision strikes targeting Iranian military capabilities the night before

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Despite a brief ceasefire, hostilities were re-enflamed last week after Iranian forces fired on a commercial ship traversing the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. 

The US fired back at Iran in the aftermath, and the renewed strikes between the two countries have now continued for an 11th straight night on Tuesday as Iran kept up its attacks against US allies in the region and once again struck a tanker in the strait, forcing the crew to abandon the ship.

As day broke in the Middle East, sirens in Bahrain and Kuwait warned residents of incoming projectiles.

At the same time, Iran-backed Yemen’s Houthi rebels declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, threatening the flow of global oil supplies and trade. 

With the Strait of Hormuz blocked up, the kingdom has been relying on a pipeline to the Red Sea to get millions of barrels of oil out to market.

A news agency in Yemen that is run by the Houthis, SABA, said Tuesday that six ships in the Red Sea were forced to reroute after they received warnings from the rebel group.

Three Houthi officials told the Associated Press the group warned international shipping companies on Monday to avoid transiting through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz. 

Protesters who support Yemen’s Houthi group brandish weapons and shout slogans as they celebrate the ban decision imposed against the maritime shipping of Saudi Arabia

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Amid the fighting, the international benchmark for crude oil traded Tuesday above $91 a barrel and regular gasoline in the US climbed to an average of $4 a gallon.

At the same time, an estimated $37 billion has been spent in the US on the war effort – as the Trump administration demands another $67 billion in emergency funding for the conflict.

But with US midterm elections approaching in the fall, polls have pointed to the unpopularity of the war among Americans, who have felt the pain of pricier gas and seen new casualties in a conflict that weeks ago seemed to be winding down.

As Secretary of War Pete Hegseth then petitioned Congress to approve the increased funding on Tuesday, he was berated by protesters.

‘Your hands are bloody,’ one woman said as US Capitol police dragged her from the room.

Hegseth resumed talking, only to be interrupted again a few seconds later. 

‘Stop bombing our children in Iran and Palestine – this is illegal,’ a second woman stood and shouted.

Both held signs saying in all caps, ‘NO WAR ON IRAN.’ 

U.S. Capitol Police remove a protester from the Tuesday hearing

Meanwhile overseas, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict seeking to revamp diplomacy where he met Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

In a statement, Sharif expressed deep concern over the recent US-Iran escalation, and urged all sides to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could further destabilize the region.

Pakistan’s political leadership and Munir, who serves as both the chief of army staff and defense forces, played a key role in brokering last month´s interim agreement between the US and Iran. Islamabad has been working to persuade both sides to return to the negotiating table.

US President Donald Trump also told reporters that Iranian officials ‘want to desperately meet. And until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest in meeting.’ 

He said the US would soon target the area near Pickaxe Mountain – a fortified underground site near one of Iran´s primary nuclear enrichment facilities.

Iran’s military leaders said any attack on nuclear or ‘other sensitive facilities’ would be considered a major escalation, according to a statement reported by Iranian state media.

‘We declare that if the invading and terrorist military of that country enters such a phase, we will regard it as an expansion of the war across the region, and all interests of the United States, its allies, and its supporters will become targets of powerful attacks by the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,’ said the statement from the armed forces’ Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie‘s youngest daughter Vivienne has filed to legally drop the actor’s last name. 

The 18-year-old has followed in the footsteps of her three older siblings and filed a petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court requesting that her legal name be changed from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie.

The reason behind the teenager’s name change is listed as ‘personal,’ according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail. An official court hearing is scheduled for November 2.

The petition is only the latest move in Vivienne’s ongoing effort to distance herself from the Pitt name.

Back in May 2024, she notably dropped her father’s surname in the Playbill program for the Broadway production of The Outsiders, listing her name as Vivienne Jolie while serving as a producer alongside her mother.

Born in 2008 alongside twin brother Knox, Vivienne is the youngest of the former couple’s six children. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Pitt and Jolie for comment. 

She has followed in the footsteps of her older siblings, requesting that her legal name be changed from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie. Pitt seen in June

A source recently told the Daily Mail that Pitt views the rift with his children as ‘deeply painful’ and ‘believes Angelina’s role in how things unfolded is the ultimate betrayal.’ 

It comes days after the actor’s daughter Zahara, 21, and son Maddox, 24, published notices revealing their intentions to drop Pitt from their last names.

The advertisements were both published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal throughout June and July.

‘Petitioner Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie,’ one notice stated.

‘Petitioner Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie,’ the other said.

The notices both invite dissenting parties to appear at a scheduled hearing over the matter; Zahara’s is scheduled for September 28 while Maddox’s is on September 14.

In the state of California, those seeking to legally change their name must publish an Order to Show Cause, a document requesting the name change, for four weeks in a row in a newspaper before their court date.

Zahara’s notice appeared a month after she filed a petition requesting that her new name be Zahara Marley Jolie.

Maddox also filed to drop the actor’s last name in late May.

The reason behind the teenager’s name change is listed as ‘personal,’ according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail. An official court hearing is scheduled for November 2

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Back in May 2024, Vivienne notably dropped her father’s surname in the Playbill program for the Broadway production of The Outsiders while serving as a producer alongside her mother 

It comes days after the actor’s daughter Zahara, 21, and son Maddox, 24, published notices revealing their intention to drop their father’s last name. Pictured with Jolie in 2024

Jolie and Pitt’s other daughter Shiloh, 20, legally dropped the actor’s last name last year. Pictured with Jolie in 2021

Zahara publicly dropped the last name three years ago when she joined a sorority at Spelman College.

She also went by Zahara Marley Jolie during her graduation ceremony, which her father reportedly skipped, according to TMZ.

‘Nothing prevented him from showing up for her. Or ever visiting her. The day was about all she accomplished. Not whether he was willing to attend,’ a source close to Jolie told the publication.

However, multiple sources have exclusively spoken to the Daily Mail in defense of Pitt, insisting that he is not the absent father he has been portrayed as and that he wants a relationship with his six children.

Jolie and Pitt’s other daughter Shiloh, 20, has also dropped the actor’s last name. 

Last year, Shiloh, who was born Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, legally changed her name to Shiloh Jolie.

At the time, in a statement shared with People, Shiloh’s lawyer Peter Levine said she ‘made an independent and significant decision following painful events,’ adding that she was ‘merely following legal process’ when publishing notice of the change. 

Pitt’s relationship with son Pax, 22, who previously called his father a ‘world-class a**hole’ and accused him of making his younger siblings ‘tremble in fear’, doesn’t seem to be any better, though it is not known if he has stopped using the name as well. 

Pitt’s relationship with 22-year-old son Pax also remains strained though it is currently unclear if he has taken steps to drop the Pitt name as well. Pictured with Jolie in 2018

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Aside from Pax, Vivienne’s twin brother Knox is the only other sibling who has yet to formally drop the actor’s surname. Knox and Jolie seen in 2024

During their high-profile ‘Brangelina’ years, the pair welcomed six children before embarking on a bitter, eight-year divorce battle that was officially finalized in 2024. Pictured in 2014

A source previously told the Daily Mail how Pitt felt after Pax was pictured stumbling out of the Chateau Marmont last year propped up by several friends.

‘He has zero concern with what Pax does or doesn’t do. [Pax’s] actions reflect who he is,’ the insider said. 

‘Brad honestly considers his relationship with Pax unfixable,’ they added.

The source went on to say that the actor doesn’t appear to be planning any outreach to either of his adopted sons: ‘Pax and Maddox have made it abundantly clear how they feel and Brad has nothing to say about either of them.’ 

As for his other children, the source said that Pitt ‘holds out hope that the others will one day come around. Time heals wounds.’

A source close to Jolie also hit back at her ex-husband at the time and said: ‘Brad continues to play the victim. His fractured relationship with his children is a direct result of how he has treated them.’

After meeting on the set of the 2005 film Mr and Mrs Smith, Pitt and Jolie were seen as Hollywood’s ‘It’ couple during their long-term relationship.

They married in August 2014 during a secret ceremony in the South of France and welcomed three children together during their romance: Shiloh in 2006 and twins Vivienne and Knox in 2008.

They also adopted two more, Zahara and Pax, and Pitt legally adopted the son that Angelina had adopted before they got together, Maddox.

After meeting on the set of the 2005 film Mr and Mrs Smith, Pitt and Jolie were regarded as Hollywood’s ‘It’ couple during their long-term relationship. Pictured at Cannes in 2011

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Pitt has since moved on and has been dating jewelry designer Ines de Ramon, 33, for the last few years. Pictured in June 2025 

Pitt and Jolie’s marriage ended after a volatile plane incident in 2016 and abuse allegations, which Pitt has adamantly denied. 

He has also never been charged with a crime and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services cleared Pitt of physical abuse allegations.

The A-listers went on to battle it out in a grueling eight-year divorce battle that was finalized in 2024. 

The family divide was again brought to the forefront when Pitt’s mother, Jane Etta Pitt, died last year at the age of 84.

Sources revealed at the time that she had been cut off from her grandchildren for about nine years and they did not get a chance to speak before her death.

‘The most gut-wrenching part is that Angelina kept the kids away from his parents, from their own grandparents,’ one insider alleged to the Daily Mail last August. 

Following his bitter divorce Pitt has moved on with jewelry designer Ines de Ramon, 33, whom he’s been dating for the last few years. 

A Trump administration push to keep aging Midwest coal plants alive could cost Americans billions of dollars in the coming years, including $117 million in the state of Wisconsin alone, according to the state’s governor.

“Not only are you making energy bills go up for Wisconsinites with no demonstrated need or benefit, but this practice flies in the face of state, local, and utility planning efforts,” Gov. Tony Evers wrote on Monday in a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

“Rather than needlessly increasing energy bills for American families, U.S. DOE should follow Wisconsin’s lead by refocusing its efforts on accelerating our nation’s transition to a clean energy economy and lowering costs for working families,” he added.

The Independent has contacted the DOE for comment.

The Trump administration has used emergency authorities to prolong the life of the Campbell Power Plant in Michigan and the R.M Schahfer and F.B. Culley plants in Indiana, which are connected to the Wisconsin energy system via a regional grid.

“This means Wisconsinites will continue to foot the bill to keep these regional plants online despite their age, inefficacy, and, in some cases, their own operating utilities’ plea to allow these expired assets to be shut down,” Evers wrote of the extensions, which the energy department claims are needed to bolster reliability.

The Campbell plant, whose closing has been delayed five times, has now operated more than a year past its originally planned shutdown.

Donald Trump, a climate denier who received support from the coal industry in the 2024 election, has championed coal as part of his larger push to support fossil fuel development and roll back clean energy initiatives.

Environmentalists argue the administration has illegally used emergency powers to extend the life of coal plants across Washington, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida, decisions the Sierra Club estimates have cost Americans more than $405 million so far.

Critics and some of the impacted states have sued to block the plant extensions.

“Abusing emergency powers in this way sets a terrible precedent for grid planning,” Ted Kelly, director and lead counsel for U.S. clean energy at Environmental Defense Fund, said of one such effort in May.

In addition to propping up aging coal facilities, the administration has worked to support new ones, announcing $700 million in federal funding in June, part of which will flow to the first new U.S. coal plants in more than a decade. The Trump White House has also opened more than 13 million acres of federal land for leasing by coal companies.

The Trump administration Environmental Protection Agency, meanwhile, has moved to roll back federal oversight of coal ash and wastewater, and it is working to repeal the 2024 updates to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards regulation and carbon pollution standards.

“Many of the items that were on your wish list are now done,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told members of the National Coal Council on Tuesday. “Over the course of the coming few months, hopefully [we get to] the remainder of those items, although I will not prejudge the outcome of any rule-making.”

‘I bought it for my son for school and to be honest, it’s holding up really well to wear and tear. Very good quality’

While the six week summer holidays may have only just kicked off, many parents will already be thinking ahead to the new school year. As well as new uniforms and school shoes, a durable and spacious bag is among the essentials that children need to carry their belongings.

Just in time for the new term, Decathlon has slashed the price of an Adidas school backpack by 50% as part of their new ‘Middle Aisle’ sale. Originally £29.99, the Adidas 27.5L Backpack in light ochre is now £14.99.

The lightweight everyday bag boasts plenty of room for school essentials. With a 27.5-litre capacity, the backpack measures 15cm x 31cm x 44cm, making it large enough to carry A4 folders, books, PE kit and lunch.

READ MORE: Roman’s £19 summer cardigan that ‘twinkles in the light’ can be worn from day to night

READ MORE: I found a pair of £35 Clarks sale trainers like £89 Skechers that have ‘sock-like comfort’

The bag features multiple storage compartments, a side pocket for water bottles and adjustable padded shoulder straps. If light ochre isn’t suitable, shoppers can also pick up the beige colourway for £19.99, down from £29.99, while the black and purple options have been reduced from £25.99 to £15.99, too.

The bag has earned an overall rating of 4.7 from parents who have praised its capacity and value for money. One said: “Super lightweight and with a handy inner pocket for organising files and water bottle holders on the sides, I don’t regret my purchase.”

Adidas Backpack 27.5 L 3 Stripe Logo

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£29.99

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A lightweight, durable backpack you can take everywhere with its padded straps and many pockets.

Another said: “I bought it for my son for school and to be honest, it’s holding up really well to wear and tear. Very good quality.” While a third added: “It’s very spacious, it fits a lot of things. My daughter takes it to school with her Chromebook inside.”

However, some were disappointed that there weren’t more sections or internal pockets, commenting: “Simple and lightweight backpack for everyday wear. Too bad it lacks internal compartments. Pleasant and timeless look.”

“Great for the start of the school year,” another added. “Large capacity at this price, you might as well get two for next year.”

The backpack deal is part of Decathlon’s first-ever Middle Aisle sale, which the retailer hopes will rival the popular bargain aisles found in supermarkets such as Aldi. Designed to help families manage the rising cost of the back-to-school shop, the retailer says the offers come as 45% of shoppers are actively looking for budget-friendly alternatives and ‘dupes’ without compromising on quality.

Available in the sports retailer’s UK stores, website and app, it will see limited-time discounts on a range of school-ready essentials. The current line-up includes trainers, backpacks and water bottles, with prices locked until 30 August to help families spread the cost of the new school term.

Alternatively, over at Nike this Older Kids’ Backpack (20L) has been reduced by 30%, down to £20.99 from £29.99. It boasts a large main compartment with plenty of room for books while front and side pockets are perfect for smaller items or a water bottle.

Meanwhile, Next’s Black Rubberised Backpack is £40 and a great wipe-clean option. The rubberised roll top backpack comes in black and has functional pockets and rubberised clip fastenings.

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Back at Decathlon, other deals include the Kids’ School Shoes 140, reduced from £14.99 to £9.99. Parent-approved, the lightweight shoes have earned an impressive 4.8-star rating from more than 13,700 customer reviews.

Their Kids’ Playventure Yard Shoes have also been cut from £19.99 to £14.99. This pair has been developed in partnership with 11 healthcare experts, to provide the right balance of cushioning, flex and torsion.

The back-to-school prices are available at Decathlon for the next six weeks.

Two men and two teenagers have been arrested after a hedgehog was painted in the colours of Leeds United football club.

The hedgehog was found looking more like Sonic the Hedgehog with blue and yellow stripes. It was so terrified and struggling to move it could have eventually starved to death, a rescuer at a hedgehog sanctuary said.

The spiny mammal was left unable to ‘curl up’ to defend itself from predators and even had ‘breathing problems’ due to the fumes from the paint.

West Yorkshire Police Wildlife and Rural Crime team today said over the weekend they arrested four men aged 44, 21, 17 and 15.

They were handcuffed on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal contrary to Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

A woman found an adult female hedgehog at her home in Yeadon, in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Staff at Prickly Pigs Hedgehog Rescue in based in Otley, also in Leeds, who took in the animal, had to scrub clean the oil-based paint from each individual spine and administer pain relief.

Diane Cook, 51, who owns the rescue shelter, said whether it is football-related or not, the actions were ‘absolutely appalling’.

According to Diane, because the creature had restricted movement, it had no way of defending itself from predators and could have easily been ‘killed’.

Or even worse, slowly starved to death or succumbed to malnutrition.

Diane – who runs the shelter from her converted garage – said the paint was so ‘thick and tough it had glued her spines together’.

The animal lover also said the paint was similar to emulsion used for decorating or even one used for road marking road surfaces.

Police chiefs said that all four have been bailed for further enquiries to take place.

A spokesperson for the force said: ‘Four arrests have been made after a hedgehog was sprayed blue in the Yeadon area, Leeds.

‘Over the weekend four men aged, 44, 21, 17 and 15 were arrested on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal contrary to Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

‘All four have been bailed for further enquires to take place.

‘Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or use the Live Chat option on our website quoting reference 13260401913.

‘Information can also be given anonymously to the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.’

Hedgehogs are in decline in Britain and are now listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on Britain’s red list of mammals.

According to the latest State of Britain’s hedgehogs report, numbers of hedgehogs have fallen by up to 30% in urban areas and 50% in rural areas since the turn of the century.

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“We’ve made progress here in Northern Ireland but there are still some areas without any defibrillators at all, and these communities need it most.”

Two rural areas in Northern Ireland that are in urgent need of lifesaving defibrillators have been revealed.

Communities in the West Tyrone area within Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Cusher, part of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, have been pinpointed by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) as places which could immediately benefit from the charity’s Community Defibrillator Funding Programme.

Group leaders in these two areas are being encouraged to come forward and apply for free defibrillators to try to reduce the risk of people in their communities dying from cardiac arrest.

The scheme is open to eligible groups in communities across Northern Ireland, and BHF has said areas with the greatest need will be prioritised. The selected areas are those with a combination of long defibrillator retrieval times, high population density and communities with high deprivation.

West Tyrone has an average retrieval time of 19 minutes 20 seconds, which is one of the longest in the UK, while the Cusher area has an average retrieval time of 9 minutes 20 seconds.

There are around 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) each year in Northern Ireland, but less than one in 10 people survive. However, early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chance of survival.

BHF’s community defibrillator programmes have helped fund 186 defibrillators across Northern Ireland over the past 12 years, with the lifesaving devices being placed in every county.

With limited access to defibrillators in a community, someone’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest is greatly reduced. For every minute without defibrillation and CPR, survival chances decrease by up to 10%.

The BHF says it’s vital that every community has enough defibrillators available in the event of a cardiac arrest, but there are hundreds of areas around the country that still don’t have access to these lifesaving devices.

The awarded defibrillators will be registered on The Circuit: the national defibrillator network, allowing emergency services to easily locate them. There are now over 120,000 defibrillators registered on The Circuit, but they are not evenly distributed.

According to the BHF, more deprived areas have higher rates of cardiovascular disease and more deaths from cardiac arrest. These areas are often also places with fewer defibrillators, partially due to the cost of the equipment as well as the installation.

Keady Michael Dwyers GAA club was one of 70 organisations in Northern Ireland that received a defibrillator as part of the BHF scheme last year.

Chairperson, Patrick Óg Nugent, said: “We were delighted to receive a defibrillator last year under the BHF Community Defibrillator Scheme.

“The club premises plays a vital part in the day-to-day life of the local community covering all ages. Therefore, when the opportunity became available to the club to obtain the defibrillator under the scheme, we very quickly availed of it.

“While it is hopeful that we never have to use the machine, the assurance of it been so close at hand is a big relief to all within the club.”

Fearghal McKinney, Head of BHF NI, added: “When someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts, and quick access to a defibrillator gives someone the best possible chance of survival before emergency help arrives.

“We’ve made progress here in Northern Ireland but there are still some areas without any defibrillators at all, and these communities need it most.

“That’s why we’re thrilled to relaunch our community defibrillator funding programme – to bring more defibrillators into the communities that need them most and hopefully save more lives from cardiac arrest.”

Successful applicants will receive a defibrillator and cabinet, and installation will be arranged where required. Future replacement parts will be free of charge when they expire or are used in an emergency for up to 10 years.

Check eligibility and apply for a BHF-funded defibrillator for your community up until the end of February 2027 – by doing so, you could save a life: bhf.org.uk/fundeddefib.

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History has its mysteries – the building of Stonehenge, the fate of the Mary Celeste – but little is as baffling as the rise of Ed Miliband.

On Monday Andy Burnham named his Cabinet. Initially all seemed fine: despite rumours, Mr Miliband was not going to be Chancellor. Financiers loosened their girdles. Families thought ‘phew’.

Then came the sucker-punch. Instead of being sent to the Treasury, Mr Miliband was given the Foreign Office.

Red Ed as Foreign Secretary? You might more plausibly claim Alan ‘Chattyman’ Carr had become a Trappist abbot or the Dalai Lama had taken up golf. At the world’s top diplomatic gatherings, we will in future be represented by that trouser-flapping wonk Miliband, cross-eyed agent of chaos.

Has Andy Burnham forgotten the Ed Stone, the socialist menhir Mr Miliband unveiled before the 2015 general election when he was Labour leader? He was going to erect it in the garden of 10 Downing Street if he won.

Does Eyelashes Andy also not remember Mr Miliband cosying up – yuck – to the now disgraced Russell Brand throughout that campaign? Surely he must recall it was Mr Miliband’s cack-handed change to party membership rules that enabled militants to hijack Labour and insert Jeremy Corbyn as leader, with all the anti-Semitism that unleashed into national life? And does our new PM, a supposed man of the people, not see how unpopular the Miliband Net Zero agenda has become?

Before we consider the pressures that influenced Mr Burnham, we must ask why this appointment is such a bad decision. The reasons divide, broadly, into comedy and tragedy.

Ed Miliband is on the surface a farcical figure, a gurning Mr Bean whose arrival at global symposia will confirm international theories about madcap British humour.

Has Andy Burnham forgotten the Ed Stone, the socialist menhir Mr Miliband unveiled before the 2015 general election when he was Labour leader

When the United Nations next debates some critical peace-keeping resolution and the chairman invites the United Kingdom to impart its views, plic will go the microphone button and the ensuing voice will be the squashy-schnozzled, spittle-spotted cronk of Miliband Jnr.

Will he lecture them on climate change and the evils of capitalism? Hell, yeah (as he himself once said when Jeremy Paxman asked if he was tough enough to be prime minister). Once Ed sinks those donkey teeth into an opportunity, there’s no stopping him.

He is a cartoonish figure and in politics it can be no bad thing to have a brand. He may have calculated that goofiness helps disguise his Marxian intolerance. On tax, climate change, property ownership and state regulation he is dauntingly dirigiste. An authoritarian. Yet when he speaks, we often laugh. How foolish of us.

Before you say: ‘Oh, there goes the Daily Mail having a go at Miliband just because his dad Ralph was a notorious commie’, bear in mind that one person cruelly used by Ed Miliband was his own brother David, whom he pipped to the Labour leadership in 2010.

David was senior in years and experience. Indeed, he had been Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010 and was even tipped for a return to the post in the Burnham Cabinet. Is that why Ed was so thrilled on Monday night? Psychologists could write tracts on the matter.

To be Foreign Secretary is the grandest, most grown-up of positions. Eco-zealot Ed will have the use of a private jet when he wishes. Foreign Secretaries deal in life-or-death secrets and they supervise MI6. Wars, treaties, intercontinental fissures: these are the regular diet, along with gastronomic delicacies on the statesmanship circuit.

Given the mess Mr Miliband once made of a bacon sandwich, one dreads to think what will happen when he gets stuck in at a Chinese state banquet. A waterproof cagoule for President Xi, please!

Top envoys generally have poker faces. Sangfroid and inscrutability are essentials of the job. No one is less inscrutable than Ed Mil’. In parliamentary debates he scowls, sighs, rolls his eyes and cackles. Although watchable, it is not always edifying.

Ed pipped his brother David to the Labour leadership in 2010, even though David was senior in years and experience

Given the mess Mr Miliband once made of a bacon sandwich, one dreads to think what will happen when he gets stuck in at a Chinese state banquet, writes Quentin Letts

When the King travels on state visits he is accompanied by the Foreign Secretary. In the more exotic parts of the globe a monarch may be welcomed by dancing, topless amazons. Heaven knows how Ed will react.

Mr Miliband is no fan of Donald Trump. He has in the past called the US President a ‘racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper’. While that may reflect widespread sentiment on both sides of the Atlantic, it was not diplomatic.

High-level contacts with Washington DC will be complicated. The White House will also know that when Sir Keir Starmer proposed allowing US war planes to use British bases for raids on Iran this year, Cabinet opposition was led by Mr Miliband. He reportedly became ‘petulant, pacifist, legalistic and very political’. Uh-oh.

And so to the tragic side of the matter. In 2013, when Mr Miliband was leading the Opposition, he pulled off a rare feat of defeating the government on a war motion. Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, had used deadly gas on some 1,400 citizens. 

The West wanted to stop Assad and it fell to David Cameron’s coalition government to make the first parliamentary move. Cameron’s memoirs relate how the Labour leader appeared to agree, in private, that military action against Assad was justified.

Then the perpetual man-child Miliband played party-political games. Tony Blair’s Iraq War was still raw in Westminster’s memory. Mr Miliband saw an opportunity and played it for self-advantage. The Commons’ vote against military action – in which a certain Andy Burnham also sided with appeasement – so unsettled Barack Obama that the US went easy on Assad.

Further gas attacks were duly used on Syrian dissidents and Russia’s Vladimir Putin sensed that the West had lost its appetite to stop tyrannous bullies. A year later Putin took back Crimea. Nine years after that he invaded Ukraine.

In his Net Zero proselytising Ed Miliband has often blamed Putin’s Ukraine war for making fossil fuels untenable; had it not been for Mr Miliband’s naked party politics in that Commons vote of August 2013, the Kremlin might never have over-reached itself. Now the idiot responsible is in charge of our foreign policy.

Why has Mr Burnham given him this most sensitive of jobs? I think the answer is vanity. Mr Miliband delusionally convinced himself that he deserved to be Chancellor. When it became apparent he was not going to get it, he worked himself into a huff that could only be assuaged by the foreign secretaryship.

Ed Miliband is a gauche and dangerous nincompoop. In his new position, to which he is so demonstrably ill-suited, he will likely damage our nation’s interests. But it will stroke his ego and soothe his itchy, twitchy brow.

Andy Burnham has prostituted his new government to a fratricidal insecurity complex. Stonehenge’s Neolithic creators would find it astonishing.

Standing on the former Southlands Centre site in Middlesbrough, the new hub has been built to improve access to modern sports facilities, education programmes and community services at the long-standing site.

The development, delivered by Middlesbrough Council and MFC Foundation, features a refurbished 3G pitch, a new grass football pitch and a purpose-built community hub.

Mayor of Middlesbrough Chris Cooke said the investment will bring new opportunities to residents in east Middlesbrough.

He said: “This is exactly the sort of investment residents in East Middlesbrough deserve.

“The new Southlands site brings high-quality facilities and, more importantly, opportunities right into the heart of the community.

“With the Foundation involved, it will help more people get active, develop new skills and fulfil their potential.

“We’ve worked hard to get to this point because we know it will make a huge difference.”

Mayor Chris Cooke opening the new centre on Friday (July 17). (Image: MFC Foundation)

The site will serve as a base for grassroots football, youth programmes, education and training schemes, and a range of wider community initiatives.

The MFC Foundation will now operate the hub.

Charlotte Dinsdale, head of the MFC Foundation, said: “We have been delighted to work alongside Middlesbrough Council on this project.

“This facility underlines our commitment to creating opportunities, improving life chances and making a lasting difference to communities across Teesside.”

She thanked funders including the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund, which each contributed £100,000 towards the project.

Visitors being shown the new facilities. (Image: MFC Foundation)

Charlotte said the hub represented a long-term investment in the area and would help the Foundation expand its work across the region.

Staff previously based at the Riverside Stadium and the Herlingshaw Centre have now moved into the new facility, which opens to the public this week.

Former Middlesbrough midfielder and broadcaster Chris Kamara, who played football at Southlands as a youngster, visited the site during construction.

He said: “I know first-hand how much this community loves its sport and deserves top-class facilities.

“Seeing the Southlands Hub take shape is emotional and exciting.

“It’s going to be a game changer for people here.”

Visitors tested out the new facilities. (Image: MFC Foundation)

It officially opened last Friday (July 17) and saw Mayor Cooke, Middlesbrough and Thornaby East MP Andy McDonald in attendance, as well as representatives from Middlesbrough FC, foundation trustees, EFL officials and contractors Wharton Construction.

Matthew Wharton, director of Wharton Construction, said: “It’s been a pleasure to work with Middlesbrough FC Foundation and Middlesbrough Council to deliver the new Southlands Community Centre and Sports Hub.

“It’s a fantastic facility, and we hope it provides lasting value for the local area for many years to come.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been rapidly expanding its workforce, hiring thousands of new officers as part of the Trump administration’s attempt to ramp up immigration arrests and deportations.

The supersizing of ICE — fueled by an infusion of billions of dollars granted by Congress — has raised concerns about the agency’s hiring practices and whether officers being brought on are receiving proper vetting. Those concerns have been rejected by the Department of Homeland Security.

Relatives of the ICE officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine this week told The Associated Press he struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood and never should have been given a badge and gun to patrol American streets.

The precise circumstances surrounding the officer’s hiring were not immediately clear. But the revelations about the man, David Brouillette, shine a new spotlight on ICE’s hiring spree and the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Here is a look at the agency’s hiring and training practices:

A surge in new hires at ICE

In January, Homeland Security said it had hired 12,000 new officers and agents since the hiring surge began and said thousands of those new officers were already out on the streets assisting with investigations. The number includes both deportation officers and agents for Homeland Security Investigations, a separate agency that falls under ICE.

ICE has said the majority of new hires are police and military veterans. But evidence has been mounting that applicants with questionable histories were either not fully vetted before they were brought on or were hired in spite of their past, an investigation by The Associated Press earlier this year found.

At the time, Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, would not answer questions about specific hiring decisions. It did say some applicants received “tentative selection letters” and offers to begin working on a temporary status before they had been subjected to full background checks.

It defended its hiring practices, saying it does rigorous vetting.

ICE’s former acting director, Todd Lyons, said during a congressional hearing in February that he was proud of the hiring campaign, which drew more than 220,000 applications.

“This expansion of a well-trained and well-vetted workforce will help further ICE’s ability to execute the president’s and secretary’s bold agenda,” he said.

The vetting process includes reviewing applicants’ criminal histories and credit scores and conducting background investigations that include interviewing prior employers and other associates, which can take weeks. ICE also promised signing bonuses of up to $50,000, advertised that college degrees were not required and lowered the age of new recruits to 18.

An internal memo, first reported by Reuters in February, told ICE supervisors that if they receive “derogatory information about a newly hired employee’s conduct” they should refer the allegations to an internal affairs unit for investigation. Such information could include the employees’ termination or forced resignations, the memo said.

The DHS inspector general last August announced plans to audit ICE’s hiring and training processes, but no findings have been released.

Applicants have to get a security clearance

Recent job advertisements for deportation officers spell out the current qualifications, including that the person must be a U.S. citizen to apply and will have to pass a background investigation and a drug test.

New deportation officers also have to take a physical fitness test and be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. Once hired, new deportation officers may have to serve a one-year probationary period.

According to the job advertisement, deportation officers are required to carry a firearm, which means anyone convicted of domestic violence is ruled out.

Applicants undergo a medical exam and should be prepared to possibly be polygraphed. The application cautions that any false statements on the application can translate into the job offer being pulled or, if the person has already started work, they can lose their job or go to prison.

The background investigation can include a credit check, reviews of any financial problems like failure to pay child support or taxes and a look at the person’s criminal and drug history.

Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former ICE official under the Obama, first Trump and Biden administrations, said hiring a new deportation officer is similar to any other federal hiring.

Generally, applications are reviewed by a hiring manager who decides which candidates to advance. Once someone gets a tentative offer, the agency conducts a background check.

When people are applying for jobs that involve getting a security clearance, Trickler-McNulty said, they have to disclose on their application any drug use, interactions with police, groups they’re affiliated with, mental health concerns, prior addresses and job history.

Depending on the clearance level, they’ll also ask for references that a background investigator will contact. If there’s red flag such as a DUI or a history of debt, that can trigger a deeper investigation.

“You want to make sure the person is appropriate for a public trust position,” she said.

Concerns over changes to ICE training schedule

Generally, new candidates for deportation officer positions have to go through a 50-day immigration law enforcement training program, according to the job advertisement.

Ryan Schwank, a former lawyer at ICE who was responsible for training new deportation officers, told The Associated Press that the agency reduced the overall amount of training new recruits received and reduced the testing needed to pass before graduating. Homeland Security has denied that it has removed any training requirements or lessened requirements for officers.

Trickler-McNulty said she has concerns over reports the agency shortened training as it was aiming to hire thousands of new officers. ICE officials revamped the training as part of efforts to swiftly hire and train an additional 10,000 deportation officers with an infusion of billions of dollars last summer from Congress.

At the time, the agency had about 6,500 deportation officers. That led to allegations that the department was cutting corners in an effort to get more officers in the field, which Homeland Security and ICE repeatedly denied.

In June, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the agency would be increasing the amount of training for new officers starting this month. In a statement Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security said all new academy training classes beginning July 1 will last for 71 days and officers who graduated under the previous curriculum would get more training under a separate field officer program.

The department also said it was adding new training in crowd control measures, high-risk vehicle stops, live-fire exercises and medical training, in response to what they called coordinated attacks against their officers and ICE facilities.

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Associated Press reporter Jonathan J. Cooper contributed to this report from Phoenix.