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Ripon Grammar’s Lottie Whyte to study at university in Paris

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Ripon Grammar's Lottie Whyte to study at university in Paris

Lottie Whyte, 17, from Wensleydale, has earned a place on a French studies degree at a UK university in Paris after achieving A-level results of A, A, and B in French, Politics, and English literature.

A former boarder at Ripon Grammar School, she faced severe anxiety throughout her studies and said she never thought she would make it this far.


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Lottie said: “I am so shocked as I had never fully sat an English exam before. I couldn’t make it through the mocks and struggled when I tried to retake the mock paper on my own, just scraping an E.”

Her anxiety once made it difficult to attend lessons, with panic attacks leaving her unable to enter exam rooms.

She said: “Some days I couldn’t get to lessons at all. I barely made it into my English mock exam because I was standing outside the room shaking so much, I didn’t think I’d be able to go in.

“Eventually, I went on medication because the panic attacks were affecting every part of my life.”

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With the help of the school’s sixth form team, wellbeing staff, and teachers, she learned to manage her anxiety and build confidence, however a key turning point came when staff suggested she might have ADHD.

Lottie said: “They helped remove the shame I’d attached to it and taught me strategies I still use every day.

“Understanding my ADHD changed everything because I finally understood the root cause of so much of my anxiety. I realised I wasn’t ‘too sensitive’ or simply overthinking things.”

ADHD treatment proved more effective than her anxiety medication, and as her symptoms eased, her confidence grew;  she took part in a Modern Foreign Languages debate in York and applied to study abroad, something she never thought possible.

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She added: “If you’d told me in Year 12 that I’d be planning to study in Paris, I would never have believed you. The people at RGS believed in me long before I believed in myself.

“The biggest change hasn’t just been academically. It’s been my confidence, how I understand myself and how I approach life. I genuinely don’t recognise the person who first arrived at RGS.”

Lottie said how she used to be constantly tired because she couldn’t sleep properly and sometimes even became too overwhelmed to eat, but in addition to medication, has found strategies to help alongside words of advice from teachers.

She said: “Mrs Lyons told me: ‘This difficulty will soon be proof of capability’. That’s the thing that’s stuck with me most, a reminder that hard moments pass and mean you’re growing, which has meant a lot. I say it all the time now.”

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Her parents, Ryan and Natalie, praised the support she received, adding: “Lottie just seems so much surer of herself and who she is now.”

“We always knew RGS couldn’t be faulted for academics, but it’s the pastoral support that’s made the real difference to Lottie’s journey – especially with the whole ADHD process.”

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Hand car wash to be replaced with EV charging hub

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Cambridgeshire Live

The plans have received their final approval and can now go ahead

A new electric vehicle charging hub will soon replace a hand car wash in Peterborough. Initial plans to redevelop the site into 10 EV charging bays were approved by Peterborough City Council planners in November last year.

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Applicant Moreco Investments Ltd re-applied for planning permission in June with tweaks to the design of the charging hub, including the layout plan, the charging equipment specification, the introduction of a power cabinet, and the removal of inter-bay landscaping and canopies.

“These refinements improve the operational functionality and accessibility of the scheme while leaving its scale, character, and appearance unchanged,” the plans stated.

Council officers approved the plans once again in August, meaning the development can finally go ahead. The site, located at Parkway Sports and Social Club, will see five charging units across the 10 bays, including two fully PAS-compliant accessible bays which will operate 24/7.

A pedestrian walkway will connect the charging bays with the wider area, supporting informal connectivity to the Boulevard Retail Park and surrounding uses.

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“It will provide significant environmental, social, and economic benefits supporting Peterborough City Council’s Net Zero commitments, the CPCA’s regional charging strategy, and the UK Government’s statutory objectives for decarbonisation,” the plans added.

The officer report noted that the proposed scheme was consistent with the policies of the Peterborough Local Plan and aligned with provisions of the National Planning Policy Framework.

It stated: “The site is surrounded by a range of retail, leisure and commercial uses. The proposed development would retain a commercial appearance which is compatible with the character of the surrounding area.”

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Principality Stadium transformed as new way to buy drinks starts this weekend

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Wales Online

The Welsh Rugby Union has launched Wales’ first-ever Amazon checkout-free stores in order to slash food and drinks queues at the Principality Stadium.

The new stores will make their debut in Sunday’s Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City, where more than 70,000 fans are expected to visit the stadium. Named ‘Now in a Minute’, the new stores – located on level 6 of the stadium – will allow fans to tap their payment card to enter before choosing what they want.

Following that, there will be no need to checkout – removing the need to queue at a traditional till.

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Instead, Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology will use sensors to identify what items have been picked up, with the charge added to your card.

Hospitality partner Aramark UK Have worked with the Principality Stadium to introduce the new technology, which is already in use at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Similar technology has been used elsewhere in the world, with travelling British and Irish fans likely to have used the same checkout-free store at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia last summer.

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The stores will include a range of food and drink, including pies, confectionary, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.

Former Wales international Scott Quinnell was among the first to try out the new stores, with the WRU posting a video of his experience.

The launch is the latest phase of ongoing investment to enhance the experience for visitors through new hospitality and retail innovations.

The stadium recently installed more than 20 self-service eBars.

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“We’re continually looking for new and innovative ways to enhance the experience for the millions of fans who visit Principality Stadium each year,” said Tomos Grace, the WRU’s chief commercial officer.

“The introduction of our new ‘Now in a Minute’ stores gives supporters a faster and more convenient way to access food and drink on event days.”

Tom Ford, VP Marketing, Strategy and Culinary at Aramark UK, added: “When we launched our partnership with Principality Stadium and the Welsh Rugby Union, we spoke about our ambition to put fans and visitors at the heart of everything we do.

“The launch of ‘Now in a Minute’ is another important step on that journey, combining innovative technology with great hospitality to make the matchday experience even better.

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“By making it quicker and easier for supporters to access food and drink, we can help reduce queues while enabling our teams to focus on delivering great service and creating memorable moments for guests across the stadium.

“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved together so far and excited about what’s still to come.”

Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news.

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Driving instructor’s 30-second trick to know speed limit

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Driving instructor's 30-second trick to know speed limit

Francis Noakes shared the advice on his YouTube channel, Driving School TV, explaining that drivers can use sign size and street lighting as key indicators, particularly in urban areas.

He encourages motorists to look out for whether or not the road contains bigger or smaller speed limit signs.

Driving instructor’s trick for knowing speed limit on UK roads

The driving instructor explains that the speed limit in England and Scotland is generally 30mph in built-up urban areas where there is street lighting.

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UK speed limits explained


However, local councils can vary the speed limit if they want to.

He says a big speed limit sign signals a change in speed limit, while smaller ‘repeater’ signs are used to remind drivers of the speed limit when travelling through an urban area where the speed limit differs from 30mph.

Mr Noakes said: “In the UK, if we’re in a built-up urban area and there’s street lighting, the speed limit is 30, but councils can vary that speed limit if they want to.

“If the speed limit is 40mph, there’s speed limit repeaters all the way down the road because it’s not the urban speed limit.

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“Same with this road, the speed limit is 20mph so there’s repeaters all the way down the road.


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“There’s no hard and fast rule of how often they should be repeated, but you will find repeaters.

“Some good advice that I say is wait 30 seconds to a minute, if you haven’t seen a repeater sign then your speed limit is 30mph.

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“Why? Because if it’s not 30 mph then they will not repeat the sign, it’s the urban speed limit.”

The Highway Code supports this, with Rule 124 stating: “The presence of street lights generally means that there is a 30 mph (48 km/h) speed limit unless otherwise specified.”

Government guidance also confirms that this applies to all single and dual carriageways with street lighting in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, unless signs indicate otherwise.

However, in Wales, the default speed limit on lit roads has been reduced to 20mph unless otherwise signed.

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Mr Noakes also clarified the difference between large and small speed limit signs.

He said: “If you’ve been going at 30mph down this road [which is a 20mph speed limit] and then slow down once you spot the repeater sign, then you’ve already been caught speeding.

“The big signs signal a change in speed limit.


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“The little ones are just a repeater sign, reminding you of the speed limit.”

The government says repeater signs for a 30mph speed limit are used only on roads with no street lighting.

Repeater signs for the national speed limit (60 mph) are used only on roads with street lighting.

The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and three penalty points on your licence.

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Have you noticed the bigger and smaller speed limit signs in your local area? Let us know in the comments below.

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London bakes in 34C: Is this the final heatwave of the year?

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London bakes in 34C: Is this the final heatwave of the year?

London is sweltering in its fifth heatwave of a record breaking summer, with temperatures hitting 34C on Friday.

The Met Office issued a rare amber “extreme heat” warning from 9am until midnight on Thursday, warning of a risk to life.

The hottest temperature of the year in the UK was recorded in London earlier this week, with the mercury hitting 38.1C in Kew Gardens on Thursday afternoon.

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Belfast teen aiming to become the youngest to take on UK Four Peaks challenge

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Belfast Live

Tyler Reid, 15, is taking on the challenge to raise money for the children’s cancer fund

A Belfast teenager is aiming to become the youngest person to take on the UK Four Peaks challenge in 36 hours while raising money for an important children’s charity.

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Tyler Reid is no stranger to feats of endurance, having already completed seven full marathons and three ultra marathons at just 15 years old.

He developed a passion for these challenges after training alongside his father Ian Reid and Connor Ferguson who have raised thousands to support armed forces and veterans’ charities through their ‘Big Danders’ where they walked and ran around the UK and Ireland.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Tyler said he was looking for something to do to raise money for an important charity, The Children’s Cancer Fund, but wanted a challenge someone his age had never done before.

After some research he found that no teenager had taken on the four peaks challenge in 36 hours and has spent the past eight months training, with his two friends Kai McCullough and Dylan Nasr helping him along the way. They will also be taking on the final peak, Ben Nevis, with Tyler.

He said: “I had been looking for a challenge to take on in order to raise money for charity and discovered that no teenagers had ever done the Four Peaks in under 36 hours and felt that was something that I would be able to do.

“I have chosen the Cancer Fund for Children to support for personal reasons and it is such an important charity.

“This isn’t the first time that I have taken on an endurance challenge like this as I did my first when I was 10 and walked 56 miles from Carrickfergus Castle to Portaferry. Since then I have gone on to complete seven or eight full marathons and three ultra marathons, but I still feel the Four Peaks could be the toughest one yet.

“My Granda, dad and uncle are going to be supporting me along the way in a camper van and I just hope that everything works out well on the day.”

If you would like to support Tyler in his fundraising efforts you can do so via this link.

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

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Championship Odds: Winner, Promotion & Relegation Betting

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Championship Odds: Winner, Promotion & Relegation Betting

The EFL Championship is one of football’s most unpredictable and entertaining competitions, and the 2026/27 season is set to continue that trend as teams battle to reach the promised land of the Premier League.

Betting on the Championship presents its own unique challenges and this season’s Championship could throw up more surprises than usual following the decision to extend the play-offs, with the teams finishing seventh and eighth now also qualifying.

The Standard’s betting experts have put together a guide on the Sky Bet Championship betting markets, including live match odds and outright markets, all in one place, with prices from leading UK betting sites.

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There are 552 regular-season matches in the Championship, plus the play-offs, and bettors will be able to find live odds for each and every game on this page.

Our Championship odds come from leading football betting sites, and any changes made by bookies to the prices will be instantly reflected here.

EFL Championship winner odds

One of the most popular outright markets, in this section you will find the current title odds for the 2026/27 EFL Championship.

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Clubs relegated from the Premier League in recent years will receive parachute payments that make a huge difference financially, meaning this market is currently led by the recently demoted duo of West Ham and Wolves.

However, the winner doesn’t always come from the recently relegated trio, with Coventry finishing top of the pile in the 2025/26 season.

Championship promotion odds

Here you can find the latest prices on which clubs will go up to the Premier League at the end of the 2026/27 season – covering both the two automatic promotion spots and the play-off winner.

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The Championship regularly throws up a surprise package, so there is often each-way value to be found on betting apps.

A prime example is last year’s play-off winners, Hull, who had started the campaign priced at 20/1 to go up.

Sky Bet Championship top 8 finish odds

What used to be the top six finish market has been expanded to become the top eight with the expansion of the play-offs. The sides finishing in seventh and eighth will now qualify for the play-offs, with those sides facing the teams who finished in fifth and sixth in a one-off play-off tie.

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Chicago’s Chicken takeaway in Middlesbrough given zero rating

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Chicago’s Chicken takeaway in Middlesbrough given zero rating

Chicago’s Chicken, in Linthorpe Road near St Barnabas Church, has been told to up its game – with a spokesperson saying it will be undergoing a re-inspection shortly.

The inspection, which took place on June 10, 2026, found standards across the board to be lacking.

In all three separate categories, “major improvement” was deemed necessary. These categories were hygienic food handling, cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building. and management of food safety.

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A rating of zero is at the bottom of the Food Standards Agency scale, which goes up to five.

Middlesbrough-based Chicago’s Chicken advertises paninis, wraps, desserts, sandwiches and of course, fried chicken on the store frontage.

A spokesperson for the business, which also sells ‘buckets’ and ‘nugget meals’ among other items, confirmed the establishment would be undergoing a re-inspection within three months of the initial check, in a bid to improve the rating.

The representative said the firm was content that improvements had been made in the meantime.

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Google reviews rate the takeaway highly with 4.6 out of 5 stars. One reviewer said: “Great quality chicken kebab. Flavour, quality, quantity and freshness all on point.”

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DWP refunds claimants after admitting fraud penalty errors

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DWP refunds claimants after admitting fraud penalty errors

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has handed back, or is handing back, money paid by claimants who accepted penalties instead of facing prosecution.

The penalties, known as administrative penalties, can be offered to people suspected of benefit fraud when investigators believe there is enough evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.

They are calculated at 50% of the overpaid amount, capped at £5,000, and are charged on top of the original benefit overpayment.

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But a DWP review found 197 cases where penalties had been unreasonably offered and should not have been issued.

This included 128 cases from 2023/24 and 69 from 2024/25.

The department said procedural errors, insufficient evidence and circumstances not being fully considered contributed to some of the cases.

A DWP spokesperson said: “In an effort to identify opportunities for improvement, we proactively reviewed our use of Administrative Penalties and identified a small number of cases where they were incorrectly applied.

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 “We have put this right by removing and refunding those penalties, contacting affected customers, and strengthening our processes to ensure decisions are made consistently and appropriately in future.”

DWP strengthens fraud checks

The department has introduced a series of changes following the review, including updated guidance for investigators, revised customer letters and communications, enhanced training and a new permanent independent decision-making panel.

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It has also strengthened quality assurance and oversight and introduced mandatory two-investigator attendance at all Interviews Under Caution.


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Under the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025, the DWP is also introducing independent inspection of end-to-end criminal investigations.

The department said cases from before 2023/24 were not included in the review and no further cases are being examined.

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Importantly, having an administrative penalty removed does not cancel any underlying benefit overpayment.

Any outstanding overpayment will still need to be repaid.

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Manchester United confirm 26-man squad vs AC Milan as Marcus Rashford returns

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Manchester Evening News

Man Utd play their final friendly of pre-season against AC Milan in Wroclaw on Saturday and they have confirmed their squad for the game.

Marcus Rashford could make his first appearance for Manchester United in 20 months after being included in the squad for Saturday’s friendly against AC Milan.

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Rashford hasn’t played for United since December 2024, but he returned to pre-season training this week and the 28-year-old is set to feature against Ruben Amorim’s Milan in Poland.

Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo also return to the squad for the first time this summer, having both reported for pre-season training in Ireland this week.

United are travelling to Wroclaw from Dublin on Friday afternoon after training for the final time at their County Kildare training base earlier this morning.

They took a large group over the Irish Sea for that camp, but some players have returned to Manchester and a smaller squad will travel to Poland for the fixture against the Italian giants.

The presence of Amorim in the Milan dugout adds some extra spice to the occasion. Amorim was the head coach who discarded Rashford at Old Trafford, while he also overlooked Mainoo during his 18 months in charge at United.

Manchester United squad to face AC Milan:

Goalkeepers: Lammens, Mee, Heath

Defenders: Dalot, Mazraoui, Amass, Dorgu, Heaven, Maguire, Shaw, Yoro, Martinez

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Midfielders: Tielemans, Mainoo, J. Fletcher, T. Fletcher, Collyer, Santos, Fernandes

Attackers: Lacey, Mbeumo, Zirkzee, Amad, Rashford, Cunha, Gabriel

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‘Dead’ baby found alive in body bag welcomed back home after ‘miracle’

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Daily Mirror

A baby who endured an extraordinary medical ordeal has finally returned home to his family after weeks of uncertainty

A baby who was pronounced dead before being discovered alive inside a body bag has finally returned home to his family after almost a month in hospital.

Noah Gabriel da Cruz Santos was discharged on Wednesday, August 12, following weeks of intensive treatment after the extraordinary incident in Brazil.

The two-month-old was welcomed back to his home in Rio Claro, São Paulo, where his family marked the occasion with cake, snacks, balloons and a celebratory sign.

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Noah’s relatives also thanked those who had followed his story and supported them with prayers and messages throughout his ordeal.

“God was faithful in every detail and continues to watch over our little miracle. Thank you to everyone who prayed, sent messages, and followed our story. This victory belongs to you, too!” his father Lenildo Santos wrote on social media.

Despite being back with his family, Noah remains in recovery and is currently being fed through a small tube. His relatives said he cannot yet have visitors or be taken into crowded environments because of recent episodes.

His ordeal began on July 15, when Noah, then just one month old, suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest while receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at Santa Casa de Rio Claro.

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Doctors reportedly attempted to resuscitate him for around 45 minutes before he was pronounced dead.

But when funeral worker Regina Célia Paschoal arrived to collect his body, she noticed something that changed everything.

After spotting movement inside the taped-up body bag, she opened it and found Noah alive.

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“I opened it, and the baby started moving even more; he was making a noise, as if trying to breathe,” Regina recalled.

She said she had never experienced anything comparable during her 17 years working in the funeral industry.

“It was a shock, an overwhelming feeling, to realise that we had gone to collect someone who was dead, only to find him alive,” she said.

Her colleague Matheus Batagello was also there and immediately called for medical assistance.

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“It was a desperate moment, but also a relief,” he said.

Matheus initially questioned whether the movement might have been a spasm, but alerted nurses and urged them to examine the baby.

“Look, I need you to go check, because he’s moving and making a sort of hiccuping sound, like he’s choking. So I need you to go over there and make sure,” he told them.

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Noah was rushed back into intensive care before being transferred to a specialist hospital in Bauru on July 17.

He was treated at a University of São Paulo-affiliated facility specialising in craniofacial conditions and was also due to undergo surgery for a cleft palate.

By July 31, he had been removed from a ventilator and was breathing without mechanical assistance.

Santa Casa de Rio Claro has maintained that there was no error in declaring Noah’s death, saying all technical and legal procedures had been followed.

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“The Brazilian protocol for confirming death is recognised for its high standards of rigor and safety,” the hospital said.

Medical manager Nelson Horigoshi told Fantástico that the circumstances could potentially be linked to Lazarus syndrome, an extremely rare phenomenon in which circulation returns after resuscitation attempts have stopped.

However, he stressed just how unusual Noah’s case appeared to be.

“It usually takes minutes. Roughly 70% of those who return do so within five minutes. Just look at how exceptional this child’s case is. We are talking about hours,” Horigoshi said.

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After weeks of treatment and uncertainty, Noah is now recovering at home, where his family said his progress will continue to be monitored “in the comfort of home”.

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