Tens of thousands of passengers have been left stranded

Hundreds of flights have been suspended after an airport had to be closed because of the ash cloud caused by a volcanic eruption. Tens of thousands of passengers have been left stranded. 209 flights were suspended after ash from Anak Krakatau blew into the airspace near Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Sunday.

Soekarno-Hatta is the main airport in Indonesia. The volcano started erupting on Friday night and there were two more eruptions on Sunday. More than 22,000 people have been hit by the suspension of flights, which has hity major international routes.

There is no tsunami warning linked to the eruption in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. The health minister has urged residents to stay indoors and wear face masks.

Local newspaper Kompas said schools cancelled activities on Saturday after students reported eye irritations. Fishing vessels have also been grounded amid health concerns.

Resident Aldi Candra Prayogi told Kompas it felt like “small grains of sand had gotten into my eyes” and he is having to clear the path outside his home every five minutes.

Anak Krakatau emerged from the sea in 1927 inside the caldera formed by the catastrophic, climate-altering eruption of the original Krakatoa volcano in 1883.

The volcano grew at an average rate of 5 meters per year for decades and collapsed in 2018, triggering a tsunami which killed more than 400 people, and injured thousands more. Anak Krakatau remains one of the most active volcanic systems in Southeast Asia. It routinely experiences eruptive phases, building its cone back up through fresh ash deposits and lava flows while under continuous monitoring by Indonesian authorities.

Roughly 300,000 to 400,000 British nationals visit Indonesia every year. Jakarta is the single most important transport hub in Indonesia and a major transit node in Southeast Asia, acting as the primary gateway for air, sea, and land movement across the archipelago.

Soekarno–Hatta International Airport processes well over 50 million passengers annually, ranking as one of the busiest airports in Southeast Asia.

A section of Bridge Street was closed to motorists following the arrival of North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and York Rescue Boat shortly before 7.45pm on Saturday (September 5).

A cordon was placed close to the road’s junction with North Street.

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Four police vehicles, two fire and rescue appliances, an ambulance team and a crew from York Rescue Boat were called to the scene.

Four police vehicles, two fire and rescue appliances, an ambulance team and York Rescue Boat were called to the scene (Image: Newsquest)

Pedestrians were able to access the street, taking care to walk around the cordon.

In a social media post at 10.11pm, a spokesperson for York Rescue Boat said: “As you may have seen we had an incident on Ouse Bridge earlier this evening, now safely resolved with the assistance of our colleagues from North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and The York BID Street Rangers.”

The spokesperson added that the crew from York Rescue Boat were able to return to their routine patrols the same evening.

The Wales international believes his disallowed goal against Tottenham should have stood after VAR intervened at the City Ground

Neco Williams has publicly questioned the decision to rule out his goal in Nottingham Forest’s goalless draw with Tottenham, insisting he did not handle the ball.

The Wales international thought he had given Forest the lead at the City Ground when he battled between Micky van de Ven and Sandro Tonali to force the ball over the line from close range.

Referee Craig Pawson initially awarded the goal, only for VAR Peter Bankes to intervene and rule that Williams had handled the ball immediately before scoring.

Williams was adamant afterwards that the officials had made the wrong call, arguing the evidence did not meet the threshold required for VAR intervention.

“It’s a goal,” Williams told Sky Sports.

“VAR is there for when there’s a clear and obvious error, and for me, that’s not clear and obvious.

“I’ve seen the images back and not one moment I thought I hand-balled it.

“I headed it in between my arms. If you pause it, it’s going to look like it hit my arm, but it didn’t hit my arm.”

The decision proved costly for Forest, who were held to a 0-0 draw despite believing they had scored what could have been a winning goal.

Forest manager Oliver Glasner was also highly critical of the VAR intervention, saying the available replays did not clearly demonstrate that the ball had struck Williams’ arm.

“The referee allowed the goal and I have watched it back – because in the game I could not see anything, nobody could – and I have seen five or six different angles,” Glasner said.

“To be fair, from one angle, you can guess that the ball touched the arm, because the shirt moves a little bit.

“But it is not clear. Is it the ball? Tonali was on the line… VAR cannot intervene when he is guessing.”

Glasner said the decision went against guidance given to Premier League clubs before the season, when the threshold for VAR intervention was emphasised.

“It was not clear and obvious,” he said. “We had a briefing before the season that the threshold for VAR intervention should be very high.

“That is why this was a wrong intervention, for me.”

The Forest boss stressed that he understood the difficulty of officiating Premier League matches but felt the intervention ultimately undermined the referee’s original decision.

“What we are told – and this is exactly the right way – to support the referee; to keep the threshold for VAR intervention very high and to strengthen the referees’ decisions,” Glasner said.

“That is what they did not do today.”

Williams was also frustrated by what he felt was a wider pattern of decisions going against Forest during the game.

“I think a lot of decisions didn’t go our way today,” he said. “But this is football.”

Glasner claimed Forest should also have been awarded a penalty after Mohammed Kudus bundled Williams over while the Welshman challenged for a header.

The manager subsequently spoke to Pawson, although he acknowledged that the referee had little choice once VAR had advised him that the goal should be disallowed.

“I told him after the game that, I feel the goal should have stood,” Glasner said.

“But if he gets told it is handball, he has to trust that. He has to trust the VAR.”

Jonathan Ross’s rarely-seen son Harvey has married his long-term partner Muna Silver in a lavish wedding at London’s Kew Gardens.

Harvey, 32, the only son of presenter Jonathan, 65, and screenwriter Jane Goldman, 56, tied the knot with photographer and producer Muna on Friday, more than a year after their engagement was revealed. 

Harvey’s parents and sisters, including Honey, 29, and Betty, 35, were among those in attendance on the big day. Guests shared glimpses from the ceremony and evening celebrations on Instagram. 

Honey – who took her boyfriend, video producer Gav Murphy, 40, as her date – posted a video of the bride and her fellow bridesmaids posing for photos. She captioned it: ‘Best day ever.’

Muna wore a strapless white wedding gown with a fitted bodice and full skirt, completing the look with a long veil and carrying a bouquet filled with deep red, burgundy and purple flowers.

Harvey’s parents and sisters, including Honey, 29, and Betty, 35, were among those in attendance on the big day. Guests shared glimpses from the ceremony and evening celebrations on Instagram

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Honey locked lips with her boyfriend Gav Murphy 

She was surrounded by a bridal party dressed in various shades of red and burgundy, with the women wearing different styles of floor-length dresses and carrying dark calla lilies.

The ceremony space was decorated with an arch of deep red and purple flowers and greenery, continuing the dramatic colour scheme used throughout the day.

Honey, who wore a dark red dress with ribbon shoulder straps, joined the group for photos before later becoming one of the most enthusiastic guests when Muna threw her bouquet.

After emerging with the flowers, she joked on Instagram: ‘We were incredibly chill about catching the bouquet actually.’

Honey revealed she had fought for the bouquet 

Jonathan first revealed last year that his only son was engaged (Harvey pictured with dad Jonathan, fiancée Muna and his mother Jane Goldman earlier this year)

Muna looked stunning in her plunging gown as she posed with her new sister-in-law

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She then posted another celebratory clip from the dance floor with the caption: ‘No big deal actually!!!’

A photo-booth strip shared by Honey showed her posing with her boyfriend Gav during the reception, with the print stamped ‘MUNA & HARVEY’ and dated 04-09-2026.

The evening celebration was decorated with floral garlands arranged around the venue’s huge windows as guests crowded around the dance floor.

The couple chose the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for their wedding, exchanging vows in the Nash Conservatory before continuing the celebrations at the Grade I-listed Orangery.

The venue was filled with beautiful details 

Kew’s Classic Wedding package – which costs £12,500 plus VAT (£15,000) – allows up to 200 guests to marry in the Nash Conservatory, hold drinks in the Princess of Wales Conservatory or on the Sir Joseph Banks Lawn and then dine and dance in the Orangery until midnight.

The wedding comes just weeks after Muna celebrated her hen do in Portugal with Honey and a group of friends.

Muna wore a floor-length black dress and white bridal veil for the trip, while Honey revealed she had been heavily involved in organising the celebrations.

Speaking on Reel Talk, the podcast she hosts with her father, Honey joked that the planning had ‘gone through the roof’ and admitted navigating the bridal group chat had proved unexpectedly stressful.

She said: ‘I wouldn’t wish a bridal group chat on my worst enemy.’

Kew’s Classic Wedding package – which costs £12,500 plus VAT (£15,000) – allows up to 200 guests to marry in the Nash Conservatory, hold drinks in the Princess of Wales Conservatory or on the Sir Joseph Banks Lawn and then dine and dance in the Orangery until midnight

She looked sensational in a flowing gown 

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Harvey and Muna have been together since at least 2018, when Jonathan first shared a photo of them together, and Muna later appeared with the Ross family on Celebrity Gogglebox in 2021.

Jonathan publicly confirmed his son’s engagement in April 2025 during an appearance on Jessie and Lennie Ware’s Table Manners podcast, after Honey announced: ‘He did just get engaged!’

The broadcaster then revealed that the couple were also thinking about their future together, adding at the time: ‘They’re thinking of starting a family next year.’

Despite being born into one of Britain’s best-known showbusiness families, Harvey has generally stayed away from the public eye.

Honey shared inside looks at the raucous festivities 

He made a rare appearance alongside Muna and his parents at the opening gala for Death Note: The Musical at London’s Barbican Theatre last month, shortly before the wedding.

Muna works as a photographer and producer and has shared her photography under the name Fadu Photos.

Harvey has worked in the video games industry and was credited as a programmer on the 2019 adventure title The Bradwell Conspiracy, which also featured his famous father as a voice actor.

Works are taking place to ‘modernise’ traffic signals

A busy Cambridgeshire road will undergo six-week long roadworks to “modernise” its traffic lights. Cambridgeshire County Council will carry out roadworks along London Road and Broadway in Yaxley from Monday, September 14.

The roadworks are anticipated to take around six weeks. A Yaxley Parish Council spokesperson said: “Please be aware that Cambridgeshire County Council will soon be carrying out essential works to modernise the traffic signals at the London Road/Broadway junction in Yaxley.

“The works are being carried out to modernise the traffic signal equipment, improve reliability, replace obsolete street furniture and ensure the junction meets current standards.”

Temporary traffic lights will be put in place while the work is carried out. The council spokesperson added: “Every effort will be made to minimise disruption to traffic and pedestrians, and access to private properties and businesses will be maintained wherever possible. Please allow a little extra time for your journey and take care around the works.”

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Premier League clubs continue to work behind the scenes despite the summer transfer window closing earlier this week. Following a record-breaking spending spree involving Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham, attention is already turning towards January. Arsenal had a relatively quiet Deadline Day, with a move for Julian Alvarez remaining out of reach, but the club is expected to be active when the winter window opens.

Greater Manchester Police were called to an address on Manchester Road at around 8.15am on Friday, September 4, following reports of a stabbing.

Officers attended and found a man in his late 20s with injuries consistent with a stabbing.

He was taken to hospital for treatment.

Police have now confirmed that while the victim’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, they have been assessed as life-changing.

Police were called on Friday morning (Image: Phil Taylor)

In an update, a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “The victim has sustained life-changing injuries, although these are not believed to be life-threatening.

“One man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 assault.”

The arrested man remains in police custody for questioning.

Emergency services remained at the scene throughout much of Friday as investigators carried out enquiries and gathered evidence.

A police cordon was in place for several hours along Manchester Road while officers worked in the area.

The incident was reported on Manchester Road, Walkden (Image: Phil Taylor)

Detectives previously said they did not believe anyone else had been involved in the incident.

Anyone with information, CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone footage that could assist the investigation is asked to contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or via gmp.police.uk, quoting log 565 of September 4, 2026.

Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

It was the iconic Saturday night singing contest that was as much about the drama as the thousands of hopefuls dreaming of instant stardom.

From the unseemly spats between The X Factor’s celebrity judges – both on and off air – to the burgeoning romances between contestants, it was television (and ratings) gold for ITV, with millions tuning in every week at its peak.

Simon Cowell, who created the format and was head judge, revelled in it all – never has there been a man who enjoys column inches so much.

Now, eight years after the final curtain came down on the last series of The X Factor, amid floundering viewing figures, the show is set to return.

And the gargantuan task of pulling off this prime-time comeback, I hear, is provoking just as much drama as the show generated in its heyday. As one insider tells me: ‘The problem with The X Factor was always that there were so many people involved – you had ITV, Simon Cowell’s team and the production company, Talkback Thames. That is why so many of the disagreements happened. Many of them were around money and that hasn’t changed.

‘There are lots of big ideas but little being agreed on right now.’

One of those big disagreements is said to be between ITV and Talkback, who are yet to finalise the fee the network will pay to broadcast the show. Half of that fee will go to Cowell, who owns the format and will have the final say on any decisions about how the show is made.

And those unresolved negotiations have led to an unedifying briefing war against ITV’s other singing show, The Voice, which moved from the BBC in 2017.

‘The Voice has always been a thorn in The X Factor’s side,’ says Katie Hind’s insider. The Voice is judged by Danny Jones, will.i.am, Kelly Rowland, Sir Tom Jones and Tom Fletcher

The aim, sources say, is to drive up the cost for The X Factor as much as possible by spreading allegations – very publicly – that The Voice isn’t doing well.

The show opened with a peak audience of 2.5 million in its Saturday night slot two weeks ago, which is a respectable figure on terrestrial channels today but doesn’t compare to the 19.4 million who watched Matt Cardle win The X Factor in 2010.

‘The Voice has always been a thorn in The X Factor’s side,’ says my insider. ‘It was once its BBC rival but when it moved to ITV things got very vicious on The X Factor side of things. It used The Voice as a stick to beat ITV with to get more money.’

The other sticking point that has led to ‘very irked people’ is Cheryl Tweedy’s move to The Voice. In nabbing the ex-Girls Aloud star, the show has denied The X Factor its hugely popular former judge as a mentor for the next series, which starts being filmed this month.

‘Even though she has been out of the limelight for a long time, she’s a national treasure, people love her,’ says the source.

Despite the row over money between ITV and Talkback, the numbers this time are significantly smaller than the eyewatering deals between Cowell and ITV in the past.

Regardless, Cowell will not allow it to be made cheaply. ‘He has far, far too much pride to do that,’ says a source who knows him. ‘He’s a perfectionist.’

That has left ITV, which is struggling financially, with a problem: It needs to find a way to afford it.

In previous years, individual judges’ salaries alone were reported to be £1.5 million for the series – and up to £10 million for Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field.

‘Back in the day, each live episode might have cost around £1 million to make,’ says the source.

‘But back then, ITV made a lot of money from advertising. That doesn’t happen anymore, so you are looking at a huge reduction in costs. It would have half of the old sum, if not less.

‘Like other terrestrial broadcasters, ITV doesn’t have the money it used to have so it will struggle to make a big budget show now, but then Cowell won’t cut corners.

‘The problem for ITV is that Simon holds the keys. The X Factor cannot come back without his blessing and it if isn’t going to be up to his high standards then it won’t happen.’

I’m told one solution might be to have fewer live shows and more pre-recorded room auditions, which are cheaper to make.

As for the judges, sources at ITV say the channel is ‘beyond obsessed’ with influencers, while Talkback Thames is minded to stay with traditional celebrities.

‘Simon Cowell, who created the X Factor format and was head judge, revelled in it all – never has there been a man who enjoys column inches so much,’ writes Katie Hind

In nabbing ex-Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole, fellow ITV music show The Voice has denied The X Factor its hugely popular former judge as a mentor for the next series

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The X Factor final in 2010 earned 19.4 million viewers, who all watched Matt Cardle (centre) win. He beat runner-up Rebecca Ferguson and third-place finalist One Direction

Simon, however, won’t be taking centre stage again, sources have stressed. The live shows are a gruelling commitment and I understand he would rather do a second Netflix series. His first, Simon Cowell: The Next Act, last year created the boyband December 10.

‘ITV, like all channels, is really struggling to pull in viewers on Saturdays,’ an insider says. ‘Any return for The X Factor would have to be lower budget and there will need to be compromises.’

They are also discussing changing the format to appeal to a younger generation who do not typically watch TV on Saturday night. Some have suggested creating more controversial moments that can be shared on social media.

The insider added: ‘While Simon doesn’t want to be a judge, he could play some role on the show given how much he has learnt about appealing to the younger audience from work with December 10. Its success has convinced Simon that real talent can still be found on shows like this.’

This is something The Voice has failed at, repeatedly. ‘Can you name one winner?’ asks a source once heavily connected to The X Factor. They have a point.

The X Factor, which launched in 2004 with Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh as judges, has spawned some of the world’s most successful stars after winners and some runners-up secured deals with Cowell’s record label Syco Music.

Among them are Leona Lewis, with three number ones, One Direction (70 million records sold worldwide), and Little Mix (five number ones). ‘Simon is very proud of this,’ says a friend. ‘It would be a shame to undermine it all by bringing a Poundland version of The X Factor back.’

The UK economy is likely to have shrunk slightly in July due to pressure from weak retail sales and increased energy costs for households, economists have warned.

Experts at Investec and Pantheon Macroeconomics have predicted that the Office for National Statistics will reveal UK GDP fell by 0.1% for the month when it releases the latest growth data on September 11.

It would represent a downbeat start to the leadership of Andy Burnham, who was appointed Prime Minister during the month.

In June, the UK economy grew 0.3% as hospitality and leisure firms received a boost from football fever and the prolonged hot weather.

It meant the economy expanded by 0.4% during the second quarter of the year.

However, economists have predicted that there is now likely to be a correction as stronger-than-expected June activity may have brought forward spending from July.

Investec analysts said: “After a positive first half of the year, where the UK economy actually outperformed the rest of the G7, growing by 1%, we expect the third quarter will begin with a weaker performance.

“Some evidence of this has already been seen in soft retail sales for the month, whilst we expect the rise in household utility bills due to the 13% uplift to the energy price cap would have had a dampening effect.”

Pantheon Macroeconomics’ Robert Wood also pointed to a 0.1% decline for July and predicted that growth in the third quarter will slow to 0.2%.

He said large parts of the services sector are likely to have witnessed declines and drag on the overall performance of the economy.

Retail and wholesale activity is likely to have slid by 0.3% for the month but this will be more than offset “a surge in accommodation and food services output in July” amid a boost from the World Cup and hot weather.

Thomas Pugh, chief economist at RSM UK, added: “Services are likely to have been a tale of two consumers.

“England’s World Cup run should have delivered a strong month for pubs, restaurants and hotels, but a 0.5% fall in retail sales suggests households changed where they spent, rather than opening their wallets wider, spending more money over the bar, but less at the tills.”

As towns in Greater Manchester go, Heywood is one of the biggest. But locals say there is something missing.

The Rochdale borough town has no trams running through, no train stations and a bus service that takes around an hour to get to Manchester city centre. The journey time between Heywood and Manchester is around 30 minutes by car.

So last year, when Andy Burnham announced there would be spades in the ground on the new tram link for Heywood by 2028, there was elation.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) confirmed they are working on a business case for the Heywood project which falls under what TfGM’s Oldham-Rochdale-Heywood-Bury Tram-Train pathfinder scheme.

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The new Metrolink line would connect Bury to Rochdale via Heywood and then loop back through Shaw towards Oldham. However, no plans have been formally approved.

Mr Burnham is now the Prime Minister and his successor as Greater Manchester mayor, Bev Craig, hasn’t mentioned the Heywood Metrolink extension. However, she did speak about the expansion of the tram network to Stockport in her mayoral manifesto.

This is why the MP for Heywood and Middleton is keen to push the agenda regarding the project. Elsie Blundell fears it could get lost amongst the many major projects going on in the city-region.

Mrs Blundell said: “It’s imperative that TfGM stays focused on this link and makes sure that it is delivered on schedule: spades in the ground in 2028, as promised.

“Whether by bus, tram or train, it is unacceptable that Heywood is the only sizeable town in Greater Manchester not to have a quick link into the city centre.”

There have been no changes to the plans announced, with the new GM mayor expected to meet with the Heywood and Middleton North MP in the coming weeks. Currently there has been no suggestion that spades won’t be in the ground by 2028, as promised by Andy Burnham.

Once built, the scheme would give Greater Manchester two Metrolink firsts: The first ‘orbital’ Metrolink route, i.e. one which does not go via the city centre, and the first ‘tram-train’, set to be rolled out across the city in coming years.

Tram-trains are fully electric, using overhead wires like trams for power on some sections of track, and batteries on other stretches. The revamped Bury Interchange will be built to handle tram-trains, trams, and buses, according to a TfGM report.

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The business case for Heywood is expected to be completed in 2026, Burnham announced in August 2025. It formed part of the Greater Manchester Strategy put forward the previous month.

What TfGM have said

A spokesperson for TfGM said: “This is a large and complex scheme and work is still ongoing. There are several key next steps coming up – including timetable modelling with Network Rail, market engagement with vehicle manufacturers, and making space as part of the Bury Interchange Redevelopment for a future third platform.”

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) mayor and local council leaders pledged for 90 per cent of people in the city-region to be within a five-minute walk of a bus or tram that comes at least every 30 minutes by 2030. The idea is to link every borough in Greater Manchester to the Metrolink network, with a long-term plan for major expansion of the Bee Network.

This promise of better connectivity for all in the city-region is why Elsie Blundell is also pushing for the return of the 167 bus service. This ‘express’ bus service would take commuters directly from Heywood into Manchester city centre.

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Currently, the 163 bus starts in Bury, goes through Heywood, Langley and Middleton before going to Manchester. The journey takes around an hour from Heywood.

The re-imagined 167 bus would start in Norden, stopping at Bamford, Heywood and Rhodes before heading into the city centre. Mrs Blundell’s campaign, started almost as soon as she took office in July 2024, pointed out that Heywood’s provision of local bus services wasn’t adequate.

She feels the current provision doesn’t provide the means for commuters to travel swiftly to Manchester City Centre – holding back the potential for local residents to access jobs and opportunities elsewhere in the city-region.

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A massive project like the introduction of a new tram-train line would take years before it is up and running. So a new express bus service would go some way to improving opportunities for the people of Heywood.

Mrs Blundell said previously: “If services improved, including the re-introduction of the 167 service, the vast majority of people who responded said they would use buses more. Given that two thirds also described current services as ‘bad’, it means there is both room for improvement and real interest from passengers to see it happen.

“Improving buses is good for everyone on the road. Reducing traffic and congestion by using the bus to school, work, hospital or the shops, will be good for everyone.

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“When it comes to local bus services the needs of communities in my constituency are not currently being met. We must take this opportunity to press ahead and deliver better bus services for everyone living in our area.”