Dolly Parton told her friend and fellow country star Lainey Wilson a poignant message in their final call just a few weeks before her death

Lainey Wilson has recalled the special message Dolly Parton had for her in their final call before her death.

Dolly died aged 80, with her sad passing being announced earlier this week. Her death was confirmed by nephew Bryan Seaver on Instagram, who shared: “I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now. It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.”

Representatives for the country star confirmed Dolly died after a “brief battle with cancer”. The type of cancer was not disclosed. “After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.

Since her death, tributes have been paid for Dolly, with fellow country star Lainey Wilson now speaking out to reveal details of their final phone call.

Lainey wrote: “My Dolly. I felt like you were my friend before we even met.. you made everybody feel that way. But once we became friends, boy did we have a lot to talk about…

“I sure am glad you called a couple of weeks ago. We got to talk about the business, the sacrifice, how special Carl Dean was to you and how important Duck is to me.. you told me that ‘it’s all great and stuff that Duck lets you be you, but you better make sure you let Duck be himself too.’”

Lainey was a huge fan of Dolly growing up but when Lainey became famous, Dolly became a mentor for her. The pair worked on music together, and have even shared the stage regularly. During their phone call, the pair discussed their faith and it was then that Dolly made a poignant comment, that she felt like she wasn’t “finished” yet.

“You also told me to take my time reading the book of Revelation and that I might need to go on back to Psalms for a minute to catch my breath. We talked about how we both feel like we were called into this business and you told me you felt like you weren’t finished. Well my friend, you are not,” she shared.

“The kind of love and light you shined in your lifetime is the kind that never goes away. I am thankful the Lord gave you a gift, you decided to share it, and the Lord decided to share you with us. I can’t wait to see you again and I know when I hug your neck in heaven someday you are still gonna be saying, ‘don’t mess up hair, Lainey girl.’ I will always love you, my friend.”

In a series of interviews before her death, Dolly said she had some health issues she wasn’t “paying attention” to whilst looking after her husband Carl Dean, who died March last year.

“I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” she said in an interview on Friday. However, her diagnosis hadn’t stopped her living life.

“You know me, as I’ve often said, I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve,” she told People on August 21. Dolly vowed to continue working, just “as long as I can to see everything come to life. It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health. I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’.”

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The UK is about to see a stunning, strange “blood Moon lunar eclipse” – though it comes with a catch.

A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves between the full Moon and the Sun. As the Earth blocks out the light hitting the Moon, it changes it so that the lunar surface looks much darker and redder than usual, giving it its informal name.

Here’s everything you need to know about the lunar eclipse, when and how to see it and why it happens.

When will the lunar eclipse be visible in the UK?

The lunar eclipse will arrive early in the morning on 28 August, appearing on this month’s full Moon, which known as the Sturgeon Moon. It will begin at 3.33am local time, and reach its peak at 5.12am, when 90 per cent of the Moon will be covered.

As such, the lunar eclipse is only “partial”. But it will be enough to cause the light-scattering effect that makes the blood moon particularly compelling.

What causes the moon’s ‘blood red’ appearance?

The “blood moon” happens because the light that reaches the Moon must make its way around the Earth. As it does, dust in the atmosphere absorbs more of the higher-frequency blue light, and so gives the Moon a coppery colour and its dramatic name.

How to see the lunar eclipse in the UK

Seeing it is simple, beyond the early wake-up that will be required. It requires no special equipment or particular placement, and can be taken in simply by looking up into the sky.

Because the lunar eclipse arrives shortly before the Moon sets and moves out of sight, however, it may be useful to choose somewhere with a clear view southwest. Otherwise, the Moon itself might be obscured by any buildings or other things on Earth that might block the view.

This time around, for the same reason, it will be especially dramatic. The Moon will be low on the horizon, which makes it appear bigger and even more spectacular than useful because of the view of the Earth that surrounds it.

Are lunar eclipses common?

The lunar eclipse comes amid a busy month for our Moon. It is just weeks since the UK saw its most spectacular solar eclipse for 30 years.

Lunar eclipses of this kind are more common than their solar counterparts. The last total one came on 7 September, 2025, though the Moon was also low on the horizon then and so made parts of the totality hard to see.

They still require a specific and coincidental alignment of the Moon, Sun and Earth, however, and so are still fairly rare. They only happen between two and five times a year – and a total lunar eclipse happens about every two or three years.

Almost 500 people are now ill with salmonella as UK authorities identify two new clusters of infection.

Last week, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the outbreak ‘may be linked to eggs imported from outside of the UK’.

Two people are now said to have died as cases have risen to 474, after two new clusters were discovered.

Some cases date back a year, but all have been linked to almost genetically identical bacteria, suggesting a common food source.

Salmonella outbreaks have been found around Europe, with cases in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The over 100 cases in the Netherlands have been linked to chicken rather than eggs, according to investigations.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) previously said: ‘The investigation done in the Netherlands in 2026 pointed towards chicken meat, although it is based on a small number of patient interviews.’

Investigations go as far back as August 2025, with the majority of UK cases in London, Yorkshire and Humber, although cases have been found in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland too.

Over a third of those affected have needed hospital care, with ages of patients ranging from babies to those in their 90s.

Most get better with treatment and of the almost 500 cases, only two deaths have been linked to salmonella.

This outbreak involves a few specific, near-identical genetic clusters called t5.9411, t5.9765, and t0.24068, with the deaths linked to the first two.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said that there is ‘no evidence that UK-produced eggs are affected’.

Eggs with the British Lion mark or are produced under the Laid in Britain scheme are safe to eat, with a strict salmonella vaccination standard in place for hens.

Prof Ian Young from the Food Standards Agency said: ‘We continue to work closely with the UK Health Security Agency and other partners to investigate.

‘The exact causes of these outbreaks have not yet been identified, but investigations so far have identified links to imported eggs. There is no evidence that UK-produced eggs are affected.’

Will Raw, chair of the NFU Poultry Board, described the news that the serious outbreak was being linked to eggs from abroad as ‘hugely concerning’.

He said: ‘This undermines the excellent work British egg producers have undertaken over decades, adhering to the highest standards, abiding by rigorous testing and building a world-leading reputation.

‘Food produced to standards that would be illegal in the UK is still being allowed into our market. This simply cannot be allowed to continue.’

The UKHSA said: ‘We will continue to follow up cases and investigate any further common sources if they come to light.’

Symptoms of salmonella include stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever, developing within the first 72 hours of being infected.

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

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By PETER HITCHENS, COLUMNIST AND COMMENTATOR

Published: 08:08 BST, 28 August 2026 | Updated: 08:37 BST, 28 August 2026

Donald Trump has signed an executive order officially changing Lake Ontario’s name to Lake America, his latest attack on Canada in an escalating trade war.

‘I guess the purpose of this, more than anything else, is we’re going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately to Lake America. That’s going to take place right now as I sign the order,’ the President said.

According to Trump, this official order is effective immediately, as he set his pen to paper.

‘We defend Canada for nothing, we don’t get anything,’ he told reporters in the Oval Office when asked what prompted these changes. ‘We love the people of Canada, but their representatives aren’t doing an appropriate job.’

Trump says he has been thinking of this name change for a ‘long time.’

The President announced the tariff increase after the two countries failed to reach a trade deal on Friday, sparking a tense back-and-forth between Trump and Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney.

Trump is set to increase tariffs on cars, trucks, automotive parts and steel from Canada to 50 percent by 2027.

‘On Trade, and in other ways, also, they are among the worst Nations in the World to deal with. They feel entitled, and yet, we don’t need Canada, they need us,’ Trump said on Truth Social.

The White House posted this photo on their X account showing the newly named ‘Lake America’

‘I deal with many countries, and Canada is easily the most difficult and unreasonable,’ Trump wrote on social media

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According to Trump, this official order is effective immediately, as he set his pen to paper

The executive order signed today directs Secretary Burgum and the Department of the Interior to update the Geographic Names Information Service to reflect an official name change.

Trump detailed that most of the lake actually sits in US territory.

Lake Ontario straddles the border with New York State, along its southern and eastern shores, and the Canadian province of Ontario to the north. It is not controlled outright by either Canada or the US and has instead been jointly managed under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty for more than a century. 

When pressed on the message the move sends to Canada, Trump launched into an attack on Canadian leadership over defense spending and ongoing economic disputes. 

‘No message, as you know, Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade, very sadly,’ Trump said. ‘Even the military, you know, we defend Canada for nothing. We don’t get anything. They don’t pay us to defend Canada, but we defend Canada, and they understand that.’

He pointed to cross-border equipment as an example of Canada’s reliance on the United States: ‘As an example, we bought icebreakers. They’d like to use them. We have 11 brand new icebreakers coming in. They’d like to use the icebreakers. They don’t pay for anything, and they want to be treated like a state, but they’re not a state.’

Trump teased that the Atlantic and Pacific oceans could be next on his radar.

‘Actually, as you know, we took something called the Gulf of Mexico and we changed it, and now it’s very routinely the Gulf of America,’ Trump noted. ‘So, if you think about it, we have a Gulf and we have a lake. Now, all we need is an ocean. So, maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific.’ 

Trump announced on Monday a new 50 percent tariff on Canadian cars and automotive parts that is set to take effect on January 1 

Returning to his frustration with Canadian negotiators, Trump branded them the absolute hardest trade partners on the planet.

‘Canadian officials have treated us very badly. They’re nasty people. They charge our farmers 400 percent tariffs,’ Trump blasted. ‘People oftentimes they’ll ask me who’s the worst to deal with on trade, and I said that’s easy, Canada. They are the worst to trade, and they feel entitled, and just we can’t have that.’

Asked whether a deepening trade conflict could hurt broader economic affordability, Trump dismissed the concern: ‘Well, ultimately, it’s going to be very good for us because we’re losing… 62 billion a year on average with Canada… We can’t lose that.’

Carney previously claimed the US had made ‘threats’ and demands targeting French-language protections and Quebec culture during tariff negotiations.

This signing follows a viral teaser video posted on the President’s official TikTok account, where Trump offered a sneak peek at his bold rebranding scheme.

In the clip, the 80-year-old sat behind the Resolute Desk displaying a map of the Great Lake, which straddles the US-Canada border.

‘We’re gonna make a little change; we’re gonna call it something different than Lake Ontario,’ Trump said in the video. ‘We’re gonna call it Lake America. And all it takes is a good pen and some intelligence.’

Emergency services are dealing with an incident on the railway near Stalybridge this morning.

Trains have been stopped between Stalybridge and Huddersfield as a result, affecting TransPennine Express passengers heading between Manchester and West Yorkshire.

Services are being diverted, cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes, according to National Rail.

Disruption is ongoing, with the issue expected to continue for at least an hour.

Further details about the nature of the emergency incident are yet to be confirmed.

STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — King Harald V of Norway, who went into exile in the United States as a child during the Nazi occupation of his homeland and refused a string of European noblewomen to marry his school sweetheart, died Friday. He was 89.

The palace said he died at the National Hospital in Oslo at 6:35 a.m.

Harald was Europe’s oldest monarch. The popular king modernized the royal house but refused to follow in the footsteps of other aging monarchs who have abdicated in recent times. His son automatically became King Haakon VIII.

Like other royal houses in Europe, the Norwegian monarchs serve a largely symbolic role, enjoying celebrity status while real power in the democracy of 5.5 million rests with an elected parliament. Harald was crowned after his British-born father, King Olav V, died in January 1991, and reigned during an oil-and-gas-driven economic boom in his country.

“A whole nation is in mourning and the people of Norway are left with a deep sense of gratitude for a long life in the service of Norway,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement. “For more than three decades as monarch, Harald V demonstrated an unwavering faith in the Norwegian people. He helped us to see the best in ourselves — and in one another.”

Royal family fled Norway during World War II

Harald was born in 1937 in Asker, near Oslo, becoming the first Norwegian prince to be born in the country since King Olav IV in 1370. In the following centuries, Norway didn’t have a king of its own until Harald’s grandfather, Haakon VII, was elected king following the 1905 dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway.

Harald was 3 years old when the Nazis occupied Norway at the start of World War II. To avoid capture, his mother fled with him and his sisters, Ragnhild and Astrid, first to Sweden and then by boat to the U.S., while Harald’s father and grandfather went into exile in Britain with Norway’s government.

Haakon’s refusal to go along with German demands garnered respect among his people.

During their time in the U.S., the Norwegian royals were often guests at the White House. Harald was 6 when he carried out his first official duty, christening new warplanes at a Norwegian air base in Canada.

The family was reunited in Norway in June 1945, shortly after the end of the war. Harald attended public schools, the Norwegian military college and Oxford University.

Like his father — an Olympic champion sailor in 1928 — Harald loved the sea and sailboats. He represented Norway at several Olympics, and in 1987 he skippered his yacht to gold in the World Championships.

Harald won the praise of the country with an emotional speech at a memorial service after a right-wing extremist, Anders Behring Breivik, killed 77 people in bomb and gun attacks in Norway in 2011.

“I remain convinced that the belief in freedom is stronger than fear. I remain convinced in the belief of an open Norwegian democracy and society. I remain convinced in the belief in our ability to live freely and safely in our own country,” the king said.

In 2016, Harald gave an unexpected and impassioned speech in support of LGBTQ+ equality, refugees and religious tolerance, saying “Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and girls and boys who love each other.” He added that many Norwegians have emigrated from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Poland and other countries and that they “believe in God, Allah, the universe and nothing.”

The public speech extolled the diversity of the Scandinavian nation and was viewed on social media by millions.

Recent scandals have put royal family under scrutiny

During his reign, the royal family suffered relatively few of the scandals that have plagued their peers in the Swedish and British royal families, though Harald’s daughter Märtha Louise gave up royal duties after raising eyebrows by saying she could communicate with angels and becoming engaged to an American man who identifies as a shaman.

The Norwegian royal family did face unflattering attention in early 2026 as Harald’s daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, faced renewed scrutiny over her connections with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. That raised questions over her judgment, though she is not accused of any wrongdoing. Mette-Marit apologized for the situation she put the royal family in, part of a broader apology for all those she had “disappointed.”

At around the same time, her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted of rape in a high-profile trial and sentenced to four years in prison. Høiby, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship before she met Haakon, has no royal titles or official duties.

In January 2024, after the abdication of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe — his second cousin — Harald said that he stood by the oath he made when ascending the throne: “It lasts for life.”

However, he was hospitalized twice on foreign trips after that, including during a 2024 vacation in Malaysia when he was fitted with a pacemaker and while dealing with a skin infection during a February 2026 holiday on the Spanish island of Tenerife.

___

Jan M. Olsen, a former AP journalist, contributed reporting previously for this story from Copenhagen, Denmark.

Seven people, including two police officers, were killed in a car crash on the A66 when one car drove the wrong way

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Cars were set alight at a balloon release event held in tribute to a victim of the A66 crash. Footage online shows cars reportedly being set on fire in a field in Haswell, County Durham.

Seven people, including two police officers, were killed in the collision when one car drove the wrong way on August 22. A reported by the Mirror, the car burning is thought to be dedicated to Michael Robert Cahill, 23, who lost his life in the horror crash.

Reports indicate that officers were responding to numerous incidents across Teesside on Thursday night, 27 August.

Some 200 police officers, including armed response units, were drafted in from neighbouring forces to support Cleveland Police as they tackled the unfolding disorder. This follows a devastating house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, which broke out shortly before 5.30am.

Two people, including a child, perished in the blaze, leading to the arrest of two men on suspicion of murder. A 48 year old woman remains in hospital in a critical condition, while a further three people sustained injuries not considered life-threatening.

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The fire claimed the lives of Natalie McDonald, 34, and seven year old Valentina Foster, leaving four others injured, with two men arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident. Cleveland Police are working to establish whether the A66 collision was linked to the fire in Birchington Avenue.

Ms McDonald’s grief-stricken brother Josh Kirton told reporters: “My sister was not involved with anything to do with gangs, or the (crash on the) A66. That’s what makes this so senseless.

“People think they can do whatever they like. There’s some terrible people in the world and now my sister and Valentina have gone.”

Alec Brown, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, took to social media to say: “Thank you so much to the superintendent from Cleveland Police that has just taken their time to give updates to myself, Anna Turley (MP for Redcar), South Bank and Grangetown Ward councillors.

“They are working 20-hour days to ensure the ongoing safety of innocent residents. Over 200 extra police officers from forces around the country are here and are en route, from detectives to armed response.

“I will be sending a letter today to our Prime Minister asking for even more resource. The police really are doing an amazing job.

“If it is any reassurance at all, jobs called in to the police are actually down this week, however, the seriousness of the ones that have been called in need serious and swift action.

“Everyone is heartbroken over the loss of the aunt and little girl in Grangetown yesterday. People need to feel safe in their homes.”

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People living on Merlin Grove have raised concerns about the lack of general waste collections, with one resident claiming bins have gone almost a month without being emptied during the summer heatwave.

Maureen Isles, who has lived on the street for 26 years, said the situation is the worst she has experienced in more than two decades living in the area.

She said a scheduled general waste collection on July 23 was not completed until August 1, while another collection due on August 6 had still not taken place as of August 26.

Bins on the back of Merlin Grove are beginning to overflow with rubbish (Image: NQ)

Mrs Isles said she reported the issue to Bolton Council and was told the missed collections were linked to operational issues and difficulties accessing the street.

However, she questioned that explanation, noting that burgundy recycling bins on the same street had continued to be collected as normal.

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Residents say the delays have left bins overflowing for weeks at a time, particularly during periods of hot weather, creating unpleasant conditions and attracting pests.

Mrs Isles said the build-up of waste had become a health and safety concern.

She said: “This is now a matter of health and safety.

“We need this resolved as quickly as possible.”

Flies were gathering on bins (Image: NQ)

The ongoing disruption has meant some households have struggled to dispose of their waste, with residents saying they have run out of space in their bins and have been left with rubbish piling up.

Mrs Isles described the impact the delays have had during the recent warm weather.

She said: “You can imagine we’ve had all that hot weather.

“I’ve had maggots in my bin and I’ve got two indoor cats, so we have cat litter, so you can imagine the smell.”

She added that she is increasingly frustrated because bin collections are one of the services funded through council tax and has also raised concerns that overflowing bins could encourage fly-tipping and attract vermin if the issue continues.

For Mrs Isles, the problem has reached the point where managing waste at home has become a daily challenge.

She said: “I’ve got a bin in here that needs emptying, but I can’t put it anywhere.

“I can’t empty it because I’ve no bin to put it in.”

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “Our waste and recycling crews have experienced ongoing issues with access on Merlin Grove which has impacted their ability to carry out some collections.

“We remind all residents to ensure their vehicles are not blocking the road so our waggons can pass safety and easily.

“In addition, we have had some borough wide operational issues which has resulted in delays to some collections, including returning to streets where there was previously no access.

“Our crews are working extended hours this week to recover as many missed streets as possible.”

Mrs Isles said she and her neighbours simply want a reliable collection service and a long-term solution to prevent further missed collections in the future.