DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) — Republicans aiming to flip Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District after redrawing the heavily Black district in their favor will pick their nominee Tuesday to challenge U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, the Democratic incumbent who is seeking a second term despite the political headwinds.

The district is one of several Democratic-leaning districts across the South that were reshaped to favor Republicans following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that severely weakened the Voting Rights Act. The race could help determine the balance of power in the House as Republicans try to hold on to a slim majority in November’s midterms. Both parties have put the district on their priority list.

“We need to win this seat back for the state and for the country. We need to turn it red again,” said state Rep. Rhett Marques, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in the GOP primary.

Six Republicans are competing to challenge Figures, who is unopposed. Voters also will select nominees in three other Alabama districts affected by the Republicans’ redraw.

Democrat Terri Sewell, Alabama’s other Black representative, is unopposed and is expected to keep her 7th Congressional District seat in the fall.

Figures made history two years ago

Figures won the seat in 2024 after years of litigation under the Voting Rights Act. A federal court redrew the reliably red district after ruling that the GOP-controlled Legislature intentionally diluted the voting power of Black residents, who make up 27% of Alabama’s population.

The court said there should be a second Alabama district where Black people are a majority or near-majority. Figures’ election gave the state, for the first time in its history, two Black representatives. They’re the only Democrats in Alabama’s seven-member congressional delegation.

In April, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a majority-Black district in Louisiana as an unconstitutional gerrymander that relied too heavily on race. Alabama Republicans, like those in other Southern states, seized on the decision.

Seeking to implement a map previously drawn by the Legislature, lawmakers approved legislation to nullify the results of ongoing primaries and instead authorize Tuesday’s special primary elections. The Supreme Court in June granted Alabama permission to switch maps.

Six candidates are vying to reclaim a seat that had been reliably red

During a recent forum in Dothan, in the far southeastern corner of the state, the GOP candidates answered questions about the Iran war, data centers and the district’s needs. But much of the attention was on the general election.

“Shomari is going to have the money. He is going to have the opportunity to keep this district. If we get out to vote, we can win it, and we can take this seat back for the Republicans,” Marques said.

“It’s important to get out there and make your voices heard and be represented up in D.C.,” said candidate Hampton Harris, a lawyer.

Christian Horn, a business owner and the lone Black in the race, said Republicans need a candidate who can compete across the district, not just in traditional GOP communities. David Matthews, a former Trump appointee in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Joshua McKee, a former U.S. Army Green Beret, and former Marine James Richardson are also running.

Tom Heisner, a 79-year-old retired air traffic controller who attended the forum, said the GOP is more aligned with his views on border control and other issues.

“I’m fairly confident it will go Republican around here,” he said of the Dothan region. “I’m not so sure up in Montgomery.”

The district was reshaped this year

When Figures won the district, it stretched from his hometown of Mobile across the state’s Black Belt region and to the Georgia border.

Now the district is nestled in the state’s southeastern corner. It includes Montgomery and Tuskegee, both Democratic strongholds steeped in civil rights history. It sweeps through rural areas known for peanut and soybean farming. There is a heavy military presence, with an Air Force base in Montgomery and an Army base in Dale County.

The district’s Black voting age population dropped from 48% to 40% after it was redrawn.

Figures remains confident he can win

Speaking at a community gathering at the Beulah Baptist Church, located not far from the path of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march, Figures said Republicans won’t succeed in making the district “unwinnable” for him.

“That’s in large part because I’ve had the privilege to represent over half of this new district already. We’ve shown up in the communities. We’ve shown them how we can deliver results,” Figures said.

Some Black Alabamians see echoes of the past in the redistricting process.

Maggie Walker, an 80-year-old retired educator from Montgomery, said she interpreted the Supreme Court’s redistricting decision as an effort to install “as many Republicans as possible” in the House. But she is optimistic Figures can win.

“I think he represents us and the things that are important to our state,” Walker said.

“We’re going backward with everything,” said Isaiah Sankey, vice chairman of the Montgomery County Commission. “But it’s OK — we are used to the struggle. It’s move forward, you get pushed back.”

Crime kingpin Daniel Kinahan was extradited from Dubai at the weekend to face organised crime charges in his home city of Dublin.

A former police chief has warned that the arrest of International crime figure Daniel Kinahan could lead to a resurgence in violence between Scotland’s two feuding criminal families.

The Irishman, one of the world’s most wanted men, appeared before a Dublin court on Sunday after being extradited from Dubai on charges of being involved in organised crime.

His family run international cartel are alleged to have made almost £1billion over the years from the drugs trade and organised crime in general and are also said to have have strong have strong connections with the Glasgow based Lyons crime family

The Lyons in turn have been involved in a long running murderous feud with another Glasgow family, the Daniel’s, dating back more than 25 years.

Graeme Pearson former Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency says Kinahan’s arrest will have sent shockwaves through the criminal underworld in Scotland and abroad.

He added: “It creates turbulence, bordering on chaos.

“It depends on how the various parties on the outside respond to his arrival in Ireland.

“Because the business of organised crime particularly when it comes to guns and drugs must go on.

“Someone is going to to profit from it.”

Pearson fears further violence between the Lyons and Daniel families as they and other organised crime groups – both at home and abroad – compete to fill the vacuum created by Kinahan’s arrest.

During their long running feud there has been four murders most recently a double fatal shooting of Eddie Lyons jnr and key Lyons associate Ross Monaghan in a bar in Fuengirola in Spain in May last year.

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He added: “When you have new arrangements coming into play you have the threat that somebody will step up and say I am going to be the top dog now and the only way you can do that is by using extreme violence.

“The profits are so huge and now there is an opportunity for change.

“There will be people sitting on the margins saying this is my time and that is when it becomes very dangerous.

“Nobody wants to have it as it was. They all want to have it better. With more profit.

“Somebody needs to run what was previously overseen by the Kinahans and it depends on who these people are and whether or not new partnerships can be delivered.

“It also depends whether or not Police Scotland, the National Crime Agency and others can keep a lid on the groups here in Scotland.”

Pearson continued:” Deals need to be concluded, moneys need to be paid and drugs need to be delivered.

“The confidence to make sure that happens using the regime that existed previously – that is up in the air now.”

Daniel Kinahan and other family members are also wanted by the US Treasury Department who have described their crime cartel as one of the most dangerous in the world.

The Treasury has compared it to criminal organisations such as Italy’s Camorra, Mexico’s Los Zetas and Japan’s Yakuza.

Pearson added:” If Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency can maintain the pressure they have over the last couple of years there is less opportunity for the violence to spread to Scotland.

“Now is the time for them to be aware and vigilant. I would imagine that they already have plans in place.”

The former police chief says Kinahan may still be able to operate his criminal empire from jail adding: “There will be a lot of communication from Kinahan to the outside about what he wants and what his allies want and whether or not they have the firepower to ensure that their wishes are maintained rather than a new power coming into place.

“The people who work from him will still be taking instructions But they will also be watching their own back.”

Kinahan was arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April. He appealed the extradition order over the past few months but his attempts were unsuccessful.

The Lyons’ connections with the Kinahans date back more than a decade and are believed to have been forged first in Marbella in the Costa del Sol and then Dubai in the UAE.

The head of the Lyons crime family Steven Lyons is said to have made that connection after moving overseas following an attempt on his life in Glasgow in 2006

That relationship is believed to have given the Lyons the upper hand in their long-running turf war with the Daniel’s. In exchange, the Kinahans were said to have secured a lucrative drugs network in Scotland.

Steven Lyons is currently in a Spanish prison awaiting trial on money laundering charges having been deported from Bali then extradited from Holland earlier this year.

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An underworld insider said:”Some people believe that the arrest of Kinahan will now give the Daniel feud the upper hand in their feud with the Lyons leading in turn to more violence.

“It is also possible that others whose names are less well known are waiting in the wings to takeover in Scotland and elsewhere. “One thing is certain a vacuum has been created in the criminal underworld and it will be interesting to see who fills it.”

Faith Curran, described by loved ones as a “happy, adventurous, and outgoing girl”, was found dead in the Gore Water near Gorebridge in Scotland

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An 11-year-old girl who died after being discovered in water at a Scottish beauty spot has been identified and pictured for the first time. Faith Curran died following an incident in the Gore Glen area, near Gorebridge in Midlothian.

The youngster’s family reported her missing in the area at around 12.40pm on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Her body was recovered from the Gore Water close to Shanks Bridge at approximately 4.25pm.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, and her family have been informed. Those close to her have described Faith as a “happy, adventurous, and outgoing girl who enjoyed life”.

Her death is currently being treated as unexplained, though there are not believed to be suspicious circumstances. Enquiries are continuing and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course, reports the Daily Record.

Police have maintained a cordon around the woodland park, with officers stationed behind police tape restricting access to the walking route beneath Shanks Bridge, which carries the A7 road over the Gore Water.

A single bouquet of flowers was laid at the side of the bridge as a tribute to the young schoolgirl. As news of the tragedy emerged, an outpouring of tributes followed from friends, neighbours and members of the local community.

One loved one wrote online: “My darling girl you were amazing. I am in shock. Thoughts are with your family.”

One woman wrote: “RIP little angel. The whole community is so saddened. My daughter was in her class at school, she is distraught. My deepest sympathies to her family.”

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Another commented: “Sending all Faith’s family and friends prayers, love and strength at this devastating time.”

Local councillor Ellen Scott said: “This is a great tragedy for all the family and my thoughts and prayers are with them at this devastating time”.

A Police Scotland spokesperson had previously stated: “We were made aware of concern for an 11-year-old girl in the Gore Glen area, near Gorebridge, around 12.40pm on Thursday August 6.

“The body of the girl was found in the Gore Water near to Shank Bridge around 4.25pm.”

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The actor, who plays Kev Barton in ITV soap Emmerdale, describes his character as “a sympathetic psychopath, if you will”, adding he is not concerned about being cast as a villain following his experience playing paedophile Tony King in EastEnders in 2008.

He said: “You’ve got to give people a bit of credit.

“When I started in EastEnders, there were people who were like, ‘You know, there are people out there who really can’t tell the difference between what they see on telly and real life, and because of the character you’re playing, you’re going to get a lot of shit, and you might need police protection’.”

“And then you go out, and people go, ‘Oh, you’re brilliant in EastEnders’, and that was kind of it.

“I did get hit over the head with a handbag in Selfridges, but apart from that…”

His Emmerdale co-star William Ash, who plays Caleb Miligan, said he has had the same experience, adding: “People are genuinely generally really nice.

“You don’t get any grief, really.

“I did have one woman at the at the petrol station going ‘oh, you’re right horrible to Moira’.”

The pair, who have previously acted together in the 2003 drama Burn It and played brothers in both the 2006 one-off comedy Magnolia and a 2016 episode of Moving On, are currently caught up in an Emmerdale storyline involving an attack on Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) at the depot.

Kev is the guilty party and Caleb has the assault on CCTV, but has been covering it up so he can frame his arch-nemesis, Joe Tate (Ned Porteous).

Coghill said of the footage: “I hold my hands up, it does look bad – I am bent over him with a crowbar and he’s in a pool of blood.”

However, it may not be the bargaining tool that Caleb thinks it is.

Ash said: “I think [Caleb and wife Ruby, played by Beth Cordingly] just don’t know how to handle him, like most people in the village.

“It’s like he’s such a loose cannon.

“You just don’t know what you’re going to get from him.”

Coghill is also adamant he does not want his character to have any more singing scenes, after his character serenaded his estranged husband Robert (Ryan Hawley) with If You’re Not The One by Daniel Bedingfield and then tried to express his feelings to long-lost son Lewis (Bradley Riches) with a version of Boyzone’s Father And Son.

Coghill said: “Do you know what, [producer] Laura Shaw did say to me the other week, do you want to do All I Want For Christmas Is You?

“And I said, if you keep me till Christmas 2029, I’ll do it then.

“That’s how my contract negotiations are going.

“But no, it’s excruciating.

“Horrible.”

“If I could sing, I wouldn’t be an actor.

“If I could sing, I would have been in a band in the 1990s.”

Emmerdale is on at 8pm on weeknights on ITV1 and STV or from 7am on ITVX and STV Player and YouTube.

Undated photo of Ricardo Constantino laying wreath on tiler of HMS Tiger. A Royal Navy warship which sank 118 years ago killing more than half of its crew has been discovered by a group of divers off the Isle of Wight. HMS Tiger sank in 1908 after it strayed into the path of another warship during a training exercise and was sliced in two with less than half of its 57-strong crew surviving the incident. Issue date: Monday August 10, 2026.

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At least 132 people are dead and a state of emergency has been declared after Colombia was hit by one of its largest earthquakes in years.

The death toll is likely to rise, with more feared trapped under collapsed buildings.

The magnitude 7.4 quake struck at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) at a depth of 103km (64 miles) in Chocó province, the country’s geological service said. It was felt across an enormous area, stretching for hundreds of miles across western Colombia.

Many of the deaths have been concentrated in the city of Pereira, in Colombia’s coffee-growing region, with surrounding cities and the Valle del Cauca region also hit hard.

The epicentre of the quake was near the village of San José del Palmar, in Chocó province, but local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada said that there had miraculously been no deaths or injuries – despite the roads in and out being damaged.

More than 480 people were injured in the quakes, Colombia’s Association of Capital Cities wrote in a statement update on Monday.

About 55km (34 miles) from the epicenter of the earthquake, the city of Pereira saw some of the worst damage.

Videos verified by the BBC show at least one building collapsing in Plaza Bolívar, the city’s main square, with scattered debris and dust across the open space where many people had gathered.

Local authorities have reported at least 40 people dead in the city’s metropolitan area, with 65 collapsed buildings. People are believed to be trapped in 15 of them.

A curfew is in place in some parts of the city until 05:00 local time on Tuesday.

Thirty-two buildings collapsed in Cali, located about 160km south of Pereira and about 200km from the epicentre.

Dan Cutler, 29, is from London but has been in Colombia for about two months as part of a big trip with his partner, and is currently in Cali.

Being woken by the earthquake, he told the BBC: “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

“We sprinted outside in our pyjamas. There’s no major structural damage to the hotel, but there are surface cracks in the walls, and paint and plaster have peeled off,” he says.

There were also reports of deaths in Manizales, Quibdó, Medellín, across the Chocó and Valle del Cauca regions.

“A Quiet Area is not one that is silent, but rather one that is undisturbed by unwanted or harmful outdoor sound created by human activities from any source”

Belfast City Council is supporting the designation of Lagan Meadows as a “quiet zone” as a consultation by Stormont on noise regulations comes to an end.

In response to the questions that the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has posed within their Lagan Meadows Quiet Area consultation document, namely “Do you agree that Lagan Meadows should be designated as a Quiet Area for the purpose of The Environmental Noise Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006?” City Hall has replied “yes.”

The council however is asking that the department speaks to Belfast City Airport, as its targets could pose a potential clash of interest with noise level regulations for the city.

Lagan Valley Regional Park, established in 1967, stretches from the Stranmillis area of Belfast City to Lisburn City. It is Northern Ireland’s first and only regional park and covers roughly 4,500 acres, stretching 11 miles along both banks of the River Lagan from Stranmillis to Union Locks in Lisburn. It is owned by Belfast City Council.

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A council report states: “A Quiet Area is not one that is silent, but rather one that is undisturbed by unwanted or harmful outdoor sound created by human activities from any source.”

In its response to the Stormont department, Siobhan Toland Director of City Services at City Hall states: “Belfast City Council notes that the Lagan Valley Regional Park is presently engaged in the implementation of a five year management plan, covering the period 2023 to 2028. Priority themes identified within the management plan include biodiversity, visitors, neighbouring communities, landscape, heritage and health and recreation.

“Belfast City Council therefore recommends that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs should engage directly with the Lagan Valley Regional Park to ensure that the designation of the Lagan Meadows as a quiet area is appropriately compatible with the park’s five year management plan and the Lagan Valley Regional Park’s stated priority theme of health and recreation.”

It adds: “Belfast City Council additionally notes that George Best Belfast City Airport has recently published a 2040 Masterplan entitled Our Vision for the Future. The airport has indicated that its vision is to deliver growth to seven million passengers per annum by 2040, in a sustainable and responsible way, and that to accommodate the projected growth in passenger numbers will require the number of annual air traffic movements to increase to approximately 61,000; an increase of some 13,000 in the current annual cap of 48,000.

“The Airport Masterplan document states that all growth to 2040 can be delivered within the existing noise contour area limit of 5.2 km2 . Notwithstanding, the George Best Belfast City Airport Annual Performance Report for 2024 highlights that the initial departure route over the city passes close to the Lagan Meadows before turning towards the southeast over Belvoir Park Forest.

“Accordingly, it is recommended that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs should engage with George Best Belfast City Airport concerning the Airport’s 2040 Masterplan in order to identify and understand any potential implications of the Airport’s air traffic movement and passenger growth proposals upon noise levels within the Lagan Meadows and the designation of the Lagan Meadows as a Quiet Area.”

The Environmental Noise Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 aim to put together EU and council provisions into Northern Ireland legislation. END requires periodic noise mapping, the last one in Northern Ireland was conducted 2021.

A council report states: “END additionally requires member states to “preserve environmental noise quality where it is good” through the identification and protection of Quiet Areas within agglomerations, recognising that Quiet Areas can make a beneficial contribution to public health, particularly for people living in noisy city areas.”

At the council committee meeting, SDLP Councillor Séamas de Faoite asked that the council engage with Aldegrove Belfast International Airport. He said: “It has been raised to me increasingly that late-night flights coming into Belfast International Airport are using a flight plan that brings them in over the city, and they tend to be ones that go outside the usual hours of operation. This has become a more increasing occurrence over the summer months.” The committee agreed to his proposal.

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This simple recipe keeps salmon moist and juicy while cooking

Salmon makes for a stunning centrepiece at the dinner table, owing to its wonderfully rich and distinctive flavour. It complements a wide range of accompaniments, from rice and noodles through to new potatoes.

Throughout her illustrious career, Mary Berry has shared a wealth of salmon recipes, including this straightforward dish finished with a velvety cream sauce.

The recipe notes on BBC Food stated: “Mary Berry elevates simple salmon fillets by adding a topping of herby cream cheese and roasted red peppers. Serve with new potatoes and salad leaves or steamed greens.”

The recipe serves six and can be prepared up to 12 hours in advance if covered and refrigerated.

Mary Berry’s cream cheese salmon recipe

Ingredients:

• 280g full-fat cream cheese
• 30g finely grated Parmesan cheese
• One garlic clove, crushed
• Two tablespoons of finely chopped fresh chives
• Six 125g salmon fillets, skinned
• One lemon, juice and zest
• One small bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 150g roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and very thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Combine the cream cheese in a bowl with the Parmesan, garlic, chives and seasoning, then mix thoroughly.

Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper before spreading the cream cheese mixture evenly over each fillet.

Cream cheese plays a vital role in keeping salmon moist during baking, forming a rich, protective layer that seals in the natural juices.

Its high fat content helps the fish retain moisture while lending a smooth, tangy depth of flavour to every mouthful.

Combine the lemon zest and parsley, then scatter the mixture over each fillet, pressing down gently.

Arrange the fillets close together on the prepared baking tray and lay the peppers across the top in an attractive pattern.

Positioning the salmon fillets close together on the baking tray also helps prevent them from drying out during cooking.

Roast in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the salmon is fully cooked. Squeeze over the lemon juice and serve hot with new potatoes and dressed salad leaves.

US President Donald Trump has signed an order that calls for fewer childhood vaccines and also recommends splitting the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) shots.

“Decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today,” Trump said. “In those times, people were much healthier and of course the high rates of autism now observed did not exist.”

The president has long cast doubt on the safety of MMR vaccines, but multiple studies have found no connection between the shots and autism.

The order also recommends that the number of childhood vaccines drop to 11 from the existing 18 recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

The federal government does not have the authority to implement the new recommendations. Shots that are required for school attendance are set at the state level.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said that his administration “is recognising gold standard childhood vaccine recommendations for only 11 core vaccinations against the most serious and dangerous diseases”.

The immunisations recommended for all children under the order are for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, and varicella or chicken pox.

“We’re reducing them,” Trump said. “It’s not only that you’re doing fewer vaccines, or jabs, as they say, but you’re doing them in a series of visits to the doctor.”

The president suggested the MMR vaccine could be “quite lethal” if given at once. He compared it to pouring a bottle of soda into a child’s body.

When a reporter asked for evidence of the “lethal” claim, Trump said: “What I’ve heard is that there are some people that say it is that way.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), external, the MMR vaccine carries a very small risk of febrile seizures for young children. Those with health issues, including severe allegeric reactions or weakened immune systems, are advised to consult with healthcare providers before taking the shots.

The agency says “most people who get MMR vaccine do not have any serious problems with it”, and that getting the vaccine “is much safer than getting measles, mumps, or rubella”.

According to the CDC, there is “no published scientific evidence that shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots”.

Experts say that allowing time between jabs means children are more likely to contract diseases in the interim or that they are more likely to miss appointments if there are multiple shots.

Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F Kennedy Jr said the proposed changes were meant to give parents choice, not prohibit access to childhood vaccines.

Since taking office in 2025, Kennedy has sought to change and loosen vaccine regulations. During a tense 20-minute interview on CNN last week, Kennedy insisted he had “never questioned the efficacy of the MMR vaccine”.

Trump administration officials have said the order means children in the US would receive much less than the 72 shots recommended under the previous vaccine schedule, a figure that assumes annual flu and Covid-19 doses.

Dr Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Trump’s executive order was “dangerous” and not based on “gold-standard science”.

“Delaying or skipping shots is risky, especially as measles continues to spread and children go back to school,” Racine said.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who was the deciding vote in the Senate to confirm Kennedy as health secretary, also admonished Trump’s executive order on Monday, labelling it “wrong”.

“The President does not have the expertise to make these changes,” Cassidy, a physician, wrote on X. “Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.”

Experts fear that if parents refrain from getting their children vaccinated as a result of the discredited idea that childhood vaccines are linked to autism, it risks the re-emergence of diseases like measles.

Multiple studies have found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. A recent high-quality study from Denmark in 2019 looked at 657,461 children and concluded that the data did not support the MMR vaccine causing or triggering autism.

On its website, the CDC recommends that two doses of the combined MMR vaccine be given to children, starting with the first dose at 12-15 months and the second between the ages of four and six.

How often and how many vaccines children in the US receive is based on the times when vaccines will work best with their immune systems and when they are most vulnerable to certain diseases, according to the AAP.

There is no medical reason to delay or skip recommended immunisations, the AAP says.

Trump’s order also calls for the development of alternatives to aluminium in vaccines, and to test if those alternatives are safer and more effective.

But the AAP, external says studies have found no significant health risks associated with the tiny amounts of aluminium salts in vaccines.

Small amounts of aluminium salts – which are found naturally in soil, water and foods – have been used in some vaccines for decades in order to boost the body’s immune response.

That means lesser quantities of the vaccine and fewer doses are needed, according to AAP.