Zack Polanski has refused to apologise after he shared an image to his Instagram page featuring a man in a T-shirt that appeared to threaten Nigel Farage.

The Green Party leader also accused Farage of being ‘fundamentally dishonest’ in the way he responded to the post and said he himself had been put in a ‘dangerous spot’ due to Reform’s broader reaction.

Polanski says he inadvertently accepted a collaboration post on the social media site without looking through all the pictures that were included in it.

Among the photographs was a portrait of a man in a shirt with a guillotine and the slogan: ‘We’re only making plans for Nigel.’

Reform UK responded furiously to the post, saying it represented a threat to the life of their party leader and reporting Polanski to the police.

Farage, the leader of Reform, said: ‘If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski.’

On Monday, the Metropolitan Police said: ‘We take reports of this nature extremely seriously, and officers are conducting enquiries into the matter.’

In an appearance on Newsnight yesterday, Polanski declined to apologise to Farage for sharing the picture, saying he did not need to as it was not done deliberately.

He said: ‘If I’d done it deliberately, I’d be apologising.

‘But because this was a mistake, I think the important thing is that I point out it’s a mistake, that I also make sure that I condemn political violence, and also – crucially – I make a commitment to be better on my social media.’

The Green leader added that the picture ‘got less than 1,000 likes’ when it was first posted and has now had 3.2 million views.

He said he believed it was ‘fundamentally dishonest’ for Farage to crop the screenshot to make it look like he posted it himself.

Polanski continued: ‘I’m accepting my responsibility, in that I shouldn’t have accepted that collaboration. I’m accepting that we all need to condemn political violence.

‘But I also think the reporting to the police, the ramping up of the language to say this is incitement to murder [Farage], feels like that’s also putting me in a dangerous spot.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Polanski and Farage battle it out – while Burnham laughs to the top of the polls

MORE: Zack Polanski ‘condemns poor taste’ guillotine t-shirt after Farage calls police

MORE: Reform mayoral candidate said she’s ‘rubbish with money’ and ‘not good at rules’

Cambridgeshire County Council is facing calls for transparency after the payment was revealed by a Freedom of Information request

Cambridgeshire County Council is facing calls for transparency over a six figure sum paid to a college after which they dropped their objections to a guided busway route. Clare Hall, one of the poorest Cambridge colleges, spent £537,483.75 opposing the busway route running along Rifle Range Road.

They had argued this would be “more operationally difficult to deliver, environmentally damaging, and economically expensive” than the Adams Road route.

A Freedom of Information request revealed the county council signed a confidential agreement with the college in which they paid them a total of £158,863 towards their “reasonable costs” after which they dropped their objections.

This was made up of a £48,000 payment to legal firm Dentons, £10,863 to property advisors Newsteer and a fixed sum of £100,000 for the college’s “reasonable legal and other professional costs (including surveyor’s costs)”.

Green Party councillors wrote to the county council’s chief executive, Dr Stephen Moir, asking for a “full and transparent explanation” for the payment.

It said: “We would like to see Cambridgeshire County Council release an official statement to either confirm or deny these claims, clearly and transparently setting out the terms of any agreement made with Clare Hall as well as who was aware of this deal.”

Cllr Peter Rees, of Newnham, said that he had asked three times for an explanation about the sudden withdrawal of their objection but never received a response.

He said: “Residents were surprised by Clare Hall’s sudden withdrawal of their objection and asked me for information. I asked the Council three times in late 2025 and early 2026, but they never gave a response.”

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council said they are looking into this as an internal matter and will not comment further until their enquiries are completed.

Documents from a separate FOI request submitted by a resident, showed Cambridgeshire County Council had considered Adams Road a choice “early in scheme development”. They said they consulted on the choice in 2017 and 2018 when Rifle Range was selected as “the best performing option”.

When the Cambridge Autonomous Metro was being considered, they revisited the choice as the scheme may have “rendered the Rifle Range section of CtoC redundant”.

They said this “significantly altered the scoring for ‘Future Proofing’ in favour of Adams Road” and suggested it “was the better performing option”. But the council said “no formal decisions were taken at this time”.

They held “stakeholder workshops” with local residents on September 17 and November 5 in 2019 and “opposition to the use of Adams Road was voiced by residents represented by North Newnham Residents Association”.

Two meetings of Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Joint Assembly discussed the plans on January 30 and June 4, 2020, at which they said “significant public concern” was noted over the Adams Road option.

They said there was “particular focus on the need to consider cyclists and cycling safety along with forecast growth of cycling from the West Cambridge site”.

Russia’s main domestic security agency said Wednesday that Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging app Telegram, has been charged with aiding terrorism and put on an international wanted list.

The charges against Durov, who was born and began his career in Russia but later moved abroad, came as the Russian authorities restrict Telegram, one of the most popular messaging apps in the country. It is part of a long-term effort to bring the internet under the Kremlin’s full control that has intensified since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Federal Security Service, also known as the FSB, accused Telegram’s administration in a statement of failing to remove “numerous channels, chats and bots” that are “actively used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies, terrorist, and extremist organizations to prepare and coordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass murder, and cyberfraud” in Russia, which resulted in “numerous human casualties.”

The agency accused Ukrainian security services of using a popular dating chat bot on Telegram to lure and recruit Russians for “sabotage and terrorist activities,” and said 46 users of the chat bot, from 12 to 22 years old, have been detained across Russia since July 2025.

Durov earlier this year announced that the Russian authorities opened a criminal investigation against him and accused them of fabricating pretexts to restrict access to Telegram as part of an attempt to “suppress the right to privacy and free speech.”

If convicted, Durov could face up to life in prison in Russia.

Under President Vladimir Putin, Russian authorities have engaged in multipronged efforts to rein in the internet. They have adopted restrictive laws and banned websites and platforms that don’t comply and focused on improving technology to monitor and manipulate online traffic.

Multiple popular social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and X, have been banned in Russia; YouTube has been throttled; popular messaging apps, such as Signal and Viber, have been blocked, and the most popular ones — WhatsApp and Telegram — have been restricted.

While it’s still possible to circumvent some of the restrictions by using virtual private network services, many of them are routinely blocked, too.

At the same time, Russia actively promotes the “national” messaging app known as MAX, which critics say could be used for surveillance. The platform is touted by developers and officials as a one-stop shop for messaging, online government services, making payments and more. It openly declares it will share user data with authorities upon request, and experts also say it doesn’t use end-to-end encryption.

Durov has faced criminal investigations elsewhere. In 2024, he was arrested in Paris over allegations that his platform was being used for illicit activity, including drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse images.

___

This story has been corrected to show the potential penalty is life in prison, not 15 years.

Uefa’s 55 member associations will hold an emergency meeting later this week to discuss Fifa’s controversial proposals to sell stakes in its major competitions.

Football’s world governing body has said it wants to create a new commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including the World Cup, and external investors will be able to buy stakes in it.

That has prompted fears that too much influence in those competitions will be handed to private investors, although Fifa says it will enable more money to be distributed to football associations around the globe.

European football’s governing body took the remarkable step of issuing a response to Fifa’s plans before they had been published on Tuesday, responding to initial reports in the Financial Times and the Times as it condemned the plans, saying they had “crossed a line”.

The meeting will be held virtually and offer the opportunity to work out a plan of action.

Given the strength of feeling – the Football Association says it was not consulted before Fifa released its proposals shortly after Uefa’s statement was made public – it would be a surprise if the possibility of a boycott was not at least raised.

While Uefa knows it only accounts for a quarter of Fifa’s 211-country membership, the body includes most of the world’s most successful teams.

Six of the eight quarter-finalists – and the winners, Spain – at this summer’s World Cup were European. In the 2022 and 2018 editions the figures were five and six respectively.

Uefa knows any competition Fifa puts together would be far less valuable if its members were not involved.

Fifa’s argument that it is compelled to look at proposals that would help it grow the game globally has led to fears that, in the search for greater revenue, its major competitions – the men’s and women’s World Cup and corresponding Club World Cup – could be played more often and include more participants.

That would have huge implications for the football calendar, which is already squeezed, partly because of the expansion of European club competitions.

One senior source within the English game told BBC Sport that the threat posed by Fifa’s plan is one of the biggest the game has faced and is on a par with the European Super League, which created such controversy in 2021 and was scrapped within 48 hours.

It seems improbable that Fifa will back down in the same manner.

Fifa said its plan is to extend global development funding to $10bn (£7.5bn). It is also planning to offer each of the 211 member associations the opportunity to access up to $20m (£15m) in one-off capital.

This latest escalation extends a difficult relationship between Fifa and Uefa, which responded angrily to attempts to host the World Cup every two years when the idea was floated by former Arsenal manager and Fifa’s current chief of global football development Arsene Wenger in 2021.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final this month in protest at a number of controversial moves.

They included US President Donald Trump stepping in to help turn USA forward Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban into a suspended ban, allowing him to play in the last-16 encounter with Belgium.

By AMELIA WYNNE, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 22:53 BST, 28 July 2026 | Updated: 08:24 BST, 29 July 2026

Lorraine Kelly‘s daughter Rosie is married!

The influencer, 32, tied the knot with her partner Steve White in Scotland last weekend and shared the happy news on Instagram on Tuesday.

Taking to her Story she shared a snap of her hotel room as she looked back on the past few days, penning:  ‘Well we got married…

‘Decompressing in Edinburgh after the most special weekend of our lives – will share more soon but taking the time to just soak it all up.’

Advertisement

Steve proposed to Rosie two years ago in June 2024 while Rosie was pregnant with their first child.

Two months later they welcomed their adorable baby girl Billie – making Lorraine a grandma.

Lorraine Kelly’s daughter Rosie is married! The influencer, 32, tied the knot with her partner Steve White in Scotland last weekend (pictured at her hen party last month)

Advertisement

Lorraine and Rosie seen together in May 2026

Lorraine has previously said she feels like she is getting a second chance at motherhood as she opened up about being a grandma. 

The star and her husband Steve Smith have recently moved just six minutes away from their daughter’s family, and the legendary broadcaster admitted she is ‘getting a chance to be a mum again’ after the challenges of raising Rosie while she was working. 

Speaking about being a grandma to the Daily Mail, Lorraine said: ‘It’s great. To be honest with you, I’m getting a chance to be a mum again in a way.

Advertisement

‘I’m not being a mum again because [Rosie’s] her mum and she’s got her mum, but I’m getting a chance to do it again and hopefully to do it better.’

Reflecting on juggling motherhood and her career she explained: ‘Because when I had Rosie I was in my 30s, I think I was 34 and I was working and it’s always harder if you’re the mother.’

Praising her daughter she continued: ‘I think you’re amazing. She’s incredible, absolutely incredible. I don’t know how you do everything that you do, but it’s lovely when it’s your grandchild because you read those books that you read yourself.

‘It’s just lovely, and she’s a wee lamb. She’s a credit to you. She’s an absolute angel.’

Advertisement

Lorraine also weighed in on the change in attitude to working mums and pregnancy as she explained how it used to be taboo to see pregnant women on TV. 

Taking to her Instagram Story, Rosie shared a snap of her hotel room as she looked back on the past few days, penning: ‘Well we got married…’

Steve proposed to Rosie two years ago in June 2024 while Rosie was pregnant with their first child

Last month, Rosie celebrated her hen party by jetting abroad with her pals, where she indulged in plenty of glasses of champagne

Advertisement

She sported a bridal veil and fun white sequinned mini dress as she celebrated her wedding with her pals

Rosie posted snaps from her wild hen party with her pals on Instagram, including an embroidered bridal veil and a matching mini dress 

‘Back then that would have been 1993/94 when I was pregnant, it still was quite unusual for pregnant women to be on television, especially every day and especially live television.

‘It wasn’t as frowned upon as it was in the 80s. I mean, I do remember the real trailblazer was Anne Diamond, because Anne was sitting on the sofa pregnant and she made it easier for all the rest of us to follow behind her.’

Advertisement

When Rosie had her baby Lorraine wrote on Instagram: ‘I have been BURSTING to share this wonderful news with you! Baby Billie is an angel and I’m so proud of Rosie and Steve who will be the best parents. 

‘I’m delighted to be Granny Smith and can’t wait to go on adventures.’

Rosie added: ‘Baby Billie Kelly Smith-White is here 29-08-2024.’

‘It feels like she’s been here the whole time and we’re not quite sure what the point of anything was before.

Advertisement

‘I’d heard how amazing midwives are but they are genuinely walking angels – she’s been welcomed into the world with so much love already.’

Dominick Anthony Occhicone has been executed four decades after he carried out a double-murder at an ex-girlfriend’s house

A Florida man has become the oldest person in the state’s history to be executed after he received the lethal injection at the age of 80. Dominick Anthony Occhicone was put to death for the 1986 double murder of Raymond and Martha Artzner.

The couple were the parents of Dominick’s ex-girlfriend Anita Gerrety. Occhicone became the 12th person to be put to death in Florida in 2026, and the second in one calendar day.

His death came almost four decades after his brutal crime, reports the Mirror. At around 3am on June 10, 1986, Occhicone knocked on the door at his ex-partner’s parents property in Pasco County, hoping to rekindle his relationship with Anita.

Court records say Occhicone left the property after Anita threatened to call the local sheriff. However, he returned an hour later with a lethal intent.

Raymond attempted to call the sheriff’s office but the phone line had been cut at the junction box, prosecutors said. Occhicone went on to shoot Raymond in the face.

According to the Herald-Tribune, Occhicone then broke through the door of the property and chased his ex through the house, but she managed to escape with her daughter, she testified.

A short while later she heard gunshots ring out behind her. Her mother, Martha, was later found dead at the property.

Prosecutors say Raymond lived long enough to tell deputies who shot him but died in hospital. Occhicone did not deny the incident but later argued it was not premeditated.

A jury of his peers didn’t believe his claim and he has been on death row ever since. Earlier this week the Florida Supreme Court unanimously rejected his final appeal, and his execution went ahead, 40 years after the brutal killings.

It meant Occhicone became the oldest person in modern history to be executed in Florida. He is also the second-oldest person to be put to death in the US after the execution of 83-year-old Walter Moody in 2018.

Occhicone was executed six hours after 68-year-old James Duckett. The former policeman died by lethal injection for the rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee while he was working in central Florida in 1987.

He was the 11th inmate to be executed in Florida in 2026. He declined to make a final statement when asked, simply responding “no sir”.

Four minutes later, he was shaken by a prison warden who also shouted his name. Duckett was found to be unresponsive and confirmed dead shortly after.

He was given a lethal injection made up of three drugs at Florida state prison, near Starke. The deaths of Duckett and Occhicone were the first double execution in Florida since 1964, when Blake Emmett and Dawson Sie were both executed in the electric chair.

The last time any state carried out two executions in a day was back in 2017, when Arkansas held back-to-back killings. Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis has made his state’s death chamber the busiest in the US as the end of his final term approaches.

He has previously said too many families have waited too long to see justice, leading to an uptick in lethal injections. Across the United States, use of the death penalty has been in decline for more than two decades.

There has however been an upturn due to Florida. Since 2025, the state has carried out almost half of the executions across the whole of the United States.

Ensure our latest stories always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani says his right biceps is not 100% in addition to his sore left knee, and both factored into the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar not throwing a bullpen last week.

The four-time MVP hasn’t pitched in a game since July 3 but has continued to play regularly as the designated hitter for Los Angeles.

“My biceps is not 100%,” Ohtani said through a translator Tuesday night while speaking with media for the first time since before the All-Star break. “Just similar issue with the knee. Do we consider pushing this? It is still July. So I think the conversation would be a little different if we’re in August or September.”

Ohtani hit his 10th leadoff home run of the season in a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners. It was his 28th leadoff shot as a Dodger, tying him with the late Davey Lopes for second all-time. Ohtani finished 3 for 4 with a walk, a double, three RBIs and a run.

“I do think that the road trip was exhausting for everyone. I do think that with the day off, he came in fresh and looked more like himself,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Certainly the way he swung the bat, the way he’s running, he’s not compromised. Until I hear otherwise, he’s going to be in the lineup.”

Ohtani had a lubricant injection in his knee just before the All-Star break and he skipped the game in Philadelphia to rest.

“I really took the All-Star break as that opportunity to really stay off my knees,” he said. “It’s really something that I have to just deal with over the course of the season.”

Ohtani said in Japanese that the injection wasn’t a cure-all and he mentioned “a decision that I’m going to ultimately make after the season’s over” without clarifying what he was referring to.

He explained the lingering knee soreness was caused by pitching.

“In terms of running, I’m not exactly at 100% capacity,” he said. “When I know it’s not, then it’s always a little harder to be aggressive on the basepath.”

Ohtani said his knee is getting better, which is a priority.

“I don’t think the team has really come to a place exactly where, do I pitch through it or not?” he said. “That’s still really up in the air.”

If Ohtani’s health issues don’t improve, Roberts was asked whether it’s possible the right-hander wouldn’t pitch in the postseason for the two-time defending World Series champions.

“I guess anything’s possible, but for me, it’s highly unlikely,” Roberts said. “Given where we’re at in the calendar, if the knee continues to get better, the arm continues to feel better, I would expect him to pitch. All I know is that we’re trying to, I’m trying to, give him the best opportunity to be as healthy as possible, so he can help us on both ends of the baseball.”

Roberts said when Ohtani is cleared to pitch again, he’ll need to go through a buildup process.

“I don’t think anyone can kind of foresee what that looks like,” the manager said.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Plenty of the fastest-rising girls’ names end with an ‘a’

What about the fastest growing boys’ names?

Police, ambulance and fire crews were in attendance between Eaglescliffe and Thornaby stations from around 11pm on Tuesday night.

The incident forced disruption to Grand Central services between London King’s Cross and Sunderland, as well as Northern services between Middlesbrough and Newcastle and Saltburn and Darlington.

National Rail said: “The emergency services have safely completed their work in the Eaglescliffe area allowing all lines to reopen. As service recovers, trains may still be cancelled or revised.”

The disruption is expected to continue until around 8am.

However, passengers have been warned services between Middlesbrough and Newcastle and Darlington and Middlesbrough or Saltburn could still be cancelled or delayed while timetables recover.

Northern has advised customers they can travel on the next available service to their destination and said ticket restrictions, including Advance and Peak restrictions, have been lifted during the disruption.

Police, ambulance and fire were in attendance late last night around 11pm.

The Northern Echo have contacted the emergency services for statements on the incident.

By LAURA TROTT

Published: 21:52 BST, 28 July 2026 | Updated: 07:36 BST, 29 July 2026