Emergency services were alerted shortly after 2pm on Sunday, February 22, to the incident on the River Tees between Romaldkirk and Cotherstone.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said they first received the call at 2.08pm and sent two appliances and a water rescue vehicle to the scene.

The large emergency presence on the scene (Image: STUART BOULTON)

North East Ambulance Service was contacted by the fire and rescue service at 2.15pm and dispatched two Hazardous Area Response Team crews, a paramedic ambulance and a duty officer to assist water rescue units.

Teesdale and Weardale Mountain Search and Rescue team was also called out to reports of a foot entrapment in the river south of Romaldkirk. Fourteen of their team members attended.

The kayaker was released by the fire and rescue water team and assessed by paramedics at the scene. He was discharged after declining to go to hospital.

Mountain and water rescue were called to the scene (Image: STUART BOULTON)

A spokesperson for North East Ambulance Service said: “We received a call at 2.15pm this afternoon (22 Feb) from the fire and rescue service for a kayaker who had become trapped between two boulders on an island on the River Tees between Romaldkirk and Cotherstone, in County Durham.

“We dispatched two Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) crews, a paramedic ambulance and a duty officer to support water rescue units from Durham and Darlington Fire & Rescue Service.

“The kayaker was rescued and assessed by paramedics before being discharged on scene after declining to go to hospital.”

Emergency services on the scene (Image: STUART BOULTON)

Teesdale and Weardale Mountain Search and Rescue team logs said: “14.28 – 22/02/2026 – The team was called out by Fire & Rescue and NEAS to a kayaker with a foot entrapment in the River Tees south of Romaldkirk. 14 Team members attended. The kayaker was released by the fire & rescue water team and checked over by a NEAS crew.”

A spokesperson for the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue service confirmed that their attendance is due to reports of a kayaker stuck in the River Tees.

They first got the call at 2.08pm this afternoon (February 22) and had two appliances and a water rescue vehicle in attendance.

Team GB will fly home on Monday, after which the post-Games reviews will begin, by both the British Olympic Association and the individual sports themselves.

Over the four-year cycle leading into the Milan-Cortina Games, UK Sport ploughed £25.5m into winter sports on the Olympic programme, up from £22.2m for the Beijing 2022 cycle.

The funding for the next cycle, leading up to the 2030 Games, will be confirmed and announced in the summer, though the individual sports have already received a provisional figure for planning purposes.

But while an important metric, funding isn’t just based on the number of medals won, or a reward for it. UK Sport also looks at future potential, as well as the impact and resonance on the watching British public.

Baker told BBC Sport Team GB’s athletes had gone “above and beyond” in delivering value for money, and asked how that success is now built on, she said: “The reality is we’ve been thinking about it for the past four years. Already the work is in place to build for that next Games and indeed the one after.

“We’ve got some real talent coming through, there is no shortage of British talent, and we know we can show that we can mix it with the best on the world stage when it matters.

“The next four years is about supporting that talent that’s coming through and also making sure that we do everything we can so that when they get here on finals day, they are absolutely at their best.”

UK Sport’s investment is not an ever-growing pot, however, and sports are being encouraged to work together and share resources where possible to build towards the greater good.

Gosling, whose GB Snowsport organisation received £7.3m in UK Sport funding for its 2026 Olympic programme but has had to bring in extra commercial revenue, said: “We know we have the talent and the capability and the world has now seen it.

“We can deliver medals with what we have. We have demonstrated that, but we have greater potential than we’re demonstrating right now.”

She added: “This is just the start. This is not the peak for us. There’s so much more that we can achieve. And I’m super excited because the athletes that are competing and are just near missing, are those athletes that are still very young with a great future ahead of them.

“And guess what? 2030 is just on the doorstep and we’ll be back and we’ll be showing them. Let’s hope we’ll convert those near misses to golds. The world’s our oyster.”

Carnage would be an understatement to describe the closing moments of Liverpool’s victory at the City Ground, but it would not be over the top to call the win a heist – one that puts Arne Slot’s side firmly in the Champions League hunt.

The fact that Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira said he was “angry with football” summed it up. Forest did not deserve to lose.

For large parts of the afternoon, the home fans chanted “In your head, Arne, Arne, Arne” to the tune of Zombie by The Cranberries as Pereira’s side dominated the defending champions.

Before today, Slot had failed to beat Forest in any of his previous three attempts as Liverpool boss.

Yet as the Liverpool players made their way to the away end after snatching a remarkable victory through Alexis Mac Allister, the same chant came from the travelling support, who could hardly believe their luck.

Liverpool were dull for most parts but deserve praise for their resilience and the importance of Mac Allister’s 97th-minute winner cannot be underestimated in the sense that it took Liverpool level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United, in fourth and fifth.

“It’s one of the biggest robberies I’ve seen in the Premier League this season,” said Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports.

For Slot, who has regularly insisted that Liverpool have been unfortunate on many an occasion this season, there was an admittance that his side had finally got the rub of the green.

“My emotions were emotions of happiness and relief because this is the first time I have to do a different post match press conference,” said Slot.

“We did not play a good game. We have been on the wrong side of the score after a good performance too many times.

“We got more than we deserved. A draw would have been a fair result,” he added. “We needed to be on the right side of things once in a while. It felt we have been lucky”.

And credit is due to Mac Allister too, who found himself in the right place at the right time on two instances late on.

The first was his disallowed goal that came after Stefan Ortega had made a great save to deny Hugo Ekitike. As Ola Aina tried to clear the ball, it hit Mac Allister and flew into the net. But what would have been a fortuitous goal was chalked off because the ball was deemed to have hit his elbow, which was tight to his body.

“It hit my back and my elbow. I understand the rule but if you understand football, that goal should have stood,” Mac Allister told BBC Sport.

“The first half wasn’t good at all; positioning, pressing, intensity. It was not our standard. The second half, I wouldn’t say it was good but it was better,” he added.

William made his first public appearance since his uncle Andrew was arrested on Thursday, with Kate joining her husband on Sunday night’s red carpet.

Prince William has said he needs to be in a “calm state” to watch Hamnet as he attended the Baftas, adding: “I’m not at the moment”. William walked down the red carpet with his wife, the Princess of Wales, at the Royal Festival Hall by the South Bank in London on Sunday in his first public appearance since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.

The royals chatted to representatives from Bafta and the Southbank Centre before taking their seats in the star-studded auditorium for the awards bash. William told Elaine Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, and Allison Kirkby, chief executive of BT Group, he had yet to see Hamnet.

“I need to be in quite a calm state and I’m not at the moment,” he said. “I will save it.”

The big-screen adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning book is about the family life of William Shakespeare and the death of his young son. Kate said she watched the highly nominated film on Saturday.

Chatting with the chairwoman of Bafta’s film committee, Emily Stillman, and executive director of the charity’s awards and content, Emma Baehr, the princess said: “Yes, I think it was a very bad idea actually… ended up with very puffy eyes.”

She said it was “really very very powerful”, praising the “fantastic” and “raw” music score and talking about its portrayal of “intergenerational grief”. Ms Stillman had told Kate that the last time they met was when she was pregnant with Prince George in 2013 and recalled the princess doing Harry Potter spells.

“I do remember that,” Kate said, adding that her children would love to have a closer look into the Bafta film world. “They love the idea of being behind the scenes and finding out how it all happens,” she said.

Kate told Ms Bedell and Ms Kirkby that “the children are getting into film a bit more”. “It’s a really great way to have some of the hard conversations with them,” she added.

“We have still got a long list of films we haven’t seen,” she went on. “Hopefully this will help.”

Kate wore a pink and white gown with a burgundy velvet belt, which matched William’s suit jacket. As the awards ceremony got underway, chairwoman of Bafta, Sara Putt, thanked William for his year-round support.

Andrew was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, spending 11 hours in custody on his 66th birthday, after allegations he shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy.

Kate made her first public appearance since the arrest on Saturday as she donned an England rugby scarf to watch the team lose to Ireland 42-21 in the Six Nations at Twickenham.

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TOTTENHAM 1-4 ARSENAL: The Gunners blew away their north London neighbours with Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres scoring braces after brilliant individual displays

The away end celebrated with a chorus of “you’re getting sacked in the morning.”

As first games in charge go, this was a nightmare for Tottenham’s interim boss Igor Tudor and the few remaining home fans left at the final whistle booed their players off.

And as games go for Arsenal, this was a huge moment and a statement victory which breathed life back into their faltering title challenge.

It was massive for Viktor Gyokeres who scored twice to deliver a potentially game-changing performance because he has struggled so badly at times this season.

It was a big call from Sky pundit Gary Neville to give Gyokeres man of the match when Eberechi Eze also scored twice and was just as brilliant, arguably even more so. Two players with a lot to prove and they did it on the perfect stage.

READ MORE: Arsenal and Man City next five Premier League fixtures compared as title race hots upREAD MORE: Arsenal find perfect derby response as Eberechi Eze haunts Tottenham – 5 talking points

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Incredibly, Arsenal beat Tottenham 4-1 in the reverse fixture back in November and if ever a repeat result could completely change the mood then this was it.

Arsenal had allowed Manchester City to close the gap to two points and their challenge looked in serious danger with Pep Guardiola’s men closing the gap in the rearview mirror.

It was just as big for Arsenal as it was for Tottenham but for very different reasons. Arsenal looked shot to bits after blowing a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at bottom-of-the table Wolves on Wednesday. Their belief seemed to have gone.

Tottenham had brought in Tudor to try and save their season but, while they put in more heart and effort, they find themselves fifth from bottom and just four points above West Ham in the relegation zone. It is too close for comfort.

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But this was some response from Mikel Arteta’s men. Eze scored a hat trick against Tottenham in that game back in November and his opening goal was his first shot on target in the Premier League since. That is down to a lack of opportunities rather than his failings.

In contrast, Arteta has stuck with Gyokeres through thick and thin and it has largely been thin even though, in fairness, his double took him to 15 goals in all competitions.

Eze put Arsenal ahead after 32 minutes. Bukayo Saka refused to give up, beat Pape Matar Sarr on the right edge of the box and then cut it back for Eze who hooked home from close range.

Arsenal’s lead lasted all of two minutes. Declan Rice made an uncharacteristic mistake, conceded possession and Randal Kolo Muani to steal in and smash home his first Premier League goal.

The start to the second half was delayed by the second technical VAR issue of the afternoon. But Arsenal did not let that put them off. Jurrien Timber threaded the ball forward, Gyokeres was unmarked and then smashed home from the edge of the box. It was a cracker.

Tottenham were unlucky to see a second equaliser ruled out. Muani had the ball in the net but it was disallowed for the slightest push on Gabriel. When they played the replay on the big screen, you could see why the Spurs fans were annoyed.

Arsenal got their third after 61 minutes. Eze drove forward, Gyokeres supplied a nice flick and then Saka went through only to be denied by Guglielmo Vicario. The ball deflected off Joao Palhinha’s heel and it came back to Eze to fire home.

Tottenham then surrendered. They had shown more heart and fight. Arsenal keeper David Raya clawed the ball off the line after Richarlison turned the ball towards goal. But there was not much else.

Arsenal got a fourth in injury time. Odegaard supplied the through ball, Gyokeres powered through and smashed home for the icing on the cake.

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Gary Neville was full of praise for Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres as the Gunners got their Premier League title charge back on track with a north London win over Tottenham.

The league leaders dominated their arch-rivals in the opening 45 minutes and took the lead through Eberechi Eze, who was close to joining Spurs last summer.

Eze, who scored a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture at the Emirates Stadium, had agreed a move to Tottenham before Arsenal hijacked the deal and poached him from Crystal Palace.

Arsenal were well worth their 32nd-minute opener but the hosts responded immediately and equalised less than two minutes later through Randal Kolo Muani.

Kolo Muani dispossessed an unusually casual Declan Rice and managed to get a shot away that beat Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

Rice was seen urging his teammates to switch on after Eze’s goal but was soon apologising for his part in Tottenham’s leveller.

Fortunately for Rice and Arsenal the blunder did not prove costly as the Gunners reasserted their dominance after the break and retook the lead through Gyokeres’ emphatic strike.

Arsenal were pegged back by Brentford and Wolves in their last two league games but there was to be no repeat here, with Eze scoring his second of the afternoon to all but put the game to bed.

Gyokeres scored again in injury-time to cap off an impressive performance from both the striker and Arsenal, who maintain their dominance over north London rivals Tottenham.

Gyokeres endured an underwhelming start to his Arsenal career but the £64m summer signing now has seven goals since the turn of the New Year.

Neville was hugely impressed by Gyokeres’ performance against Spurs and said it was his ‘best’ display in an Arsenal shirt for a while.

‘He looks really lively and smart, Gyokeres,’ Neville said after the Sweden international restored Arsenal’s lead at Tottenham.

‘It’s the best I’ve seen him for a while. It’s a great moment for him. He’s still got a lot to do when it comes to him – and he hasn’t always been smooth – but it’s a wonderful finish.

‘Gyokeres has had one of his best games for Arsenal, he’s been a real nuisance. It’s the best I’ve seen him in a big game.

‘He’s never going to be the prettiest striker but he deserves that award. He’s looked sharper today as well, it’s the most involved he’s been in a Premier League game.’

Former Manchester United and England defender Neville was less impressed by Rice’s ‘stupid’ mistake for Tottenham’s equaliser.

‘You cannot believe that,’ he said on Sky Sports. ‘Declan Rice has just joined his backline in making an error, this time it’s a really poor one.

‘Rice tries to dribble past Kolo Muani, who still has a lot to do. Saliba has got to be more aggressive than that, hasn’t he? It’s a nothing challenge and his mate, Gabriel, can’t get across.

‘We’ve seen a few of those stupid little errors from Arsenal’s senior players. Tottenham have had nothing in this game, Arsenal were so comfortable but there’s been a few lapses of concentration and its contagious and it has to stop otherwise they’ll be in trouble.

‘Rice was telling everyone to concentrate after Arsenal’s goal but then it’s so loose from him. I think Saliba could do better but Rice holds his hands up because he knows it was his mistake.’

Arsenal’s north London derby win means Mikel Arteta’s side restore their five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City with 11 games remaining.

Tottenham, meanwhile, stay 16th but are now just four points above the relegation zone.

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MORE: Jamie Carragher singles out Liverpool ‘game-changer’ after win over Nottingham Forest

MORE: Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal: Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres star in dominant win

MORE: ‘Very telling’ – Jamie Carragher spots major warning sign for Arsenal in Premier League title race

Months later, a US Secret Service agent spotted a rifle sticking out of bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The man, later identified as Ryan Routh, fled but was caught. The 59-year-old was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month for attempting to assassinate the president.

Earlier this month plans to create Gibfield Park, between Atherton and the Daisy Hill area of Weshoughton, were unveiled. The proposals include 45,500 sqm of employment floorspace and creating a section of trunk road which is part of a strategy to better link the M61 to the M6 in an east west direction.

Developers Peel Land said Gibfield Park is allocated for development in the regional Places for Everyone Plan (PfE), the long-term joint development plan of nine Greater Manchester authorities.

The policy requires the site to be brought forwards in accordance with a masterplan that is approved by Wigan council. The masterplan is currently being prepared by Peel Land, as landowner.

It has launched a public consultation on the draft proposals. The campaign group ‘Say No To Gibfield Park Development Plans’ are strongly opposed to the plans.

Member, Amanda Coleman, 54, lives on Schofield Lane, immediately next to the affected land. She said: “This is not just any patch of green, it’s a sanctuary for both the people and wildlife of our community.

“For decades, it has been a place residents find solace amidst the rush of daily life and wildlife flourishes. “But now, we are at risk of losing this precious space to the relentless march of development.

“People in Atherton are already grappling with significant challenges, mounting traffic congestion, rising levels of air pollution, and a severe dearth of green spaces where families can breathe and relax.

“Concrete jungles are spreading like wildfire across Greater Manchester and Atherton is no exception. “The planned development on Gibfield Park not only threatens our community’s health and well-being but also obliterates one of the few remaining areas where nature is allowed to flourish. This is unacceptable.

“Our town is at a crossroads. Do we let developers pave over what little we have left, or do we unite to protect our shared environment for ourselves and
future generations.” John Hinckley, 69, of Schofield Lane, believes the development would jeopardise his family’s future plans.

He said: “We moved here 10 years ago and we came to live here purely because of this land. The back and side of our property is next to the development site.

“When we did the land surveys when we purchased there was nothing flagged up about development. The only thing that came up was that it used to be a mining site.

“We’re anxious about what’s going to happen. Our plan was going to be to eventually move closer to our children who live in the Lakes and Scotland but now I fear we’ll never be able to sell our house as it will be totally devalued.”

Debbie Yates, 58, has lived on Wigan Road, Atherton for 14 years. The front of her property enjoys views as far as the eye can see of the green land which is earmarked for development.

She said: “As well as other issues this is about mental health for a lot of people who live here. Those fields are as important to us as sunshine.

“I look out, particularly in the summer months and there can be up to 25 horses out, some with foals. My grandchildren look out and can appreciate nature. One of them learned some of his first words by seeing and recognising the animals.

“People come from far and wide to enjoy the outdoors here, it’s one of the last open spaces left in Atherton. To lose it will have an impact on people’s mental health as it’s a happy sight every single day.”

Mrs Yates also said she feared the views from Wigan Road would be replaced by giant industrial warehouses.

“It makes my blood boil,” she said. “How am I going to sleep with them facing me, there’s going to be night lighting.”

In its consultation document, Peel said their masterplan includes up to 500 new homes across two sites close to North Road and Gibfield Park Way, 45,500 sqm of employment floorspace, the extension of Gibfield Park Way northwards and the creation of a country park.

Peel said the park would ‘preserve green belt land between Atherton and Westhoughton’. The consultation website, the developer said ‘Peel Land is proud to be bringing forward this proposed masterplan’.

It said: “Gibfield Park is strategically located within the NorthFold growth corridor, one of the key growth locations within the city-region. The NorthFold strategic vision was established in 2025 as a collaboration between Wigan and Bolton councils, working together with Greater Manchester Combined Authority and development partners including Peel Land.

Peel Land added: “A key element of the emerging proposals is a country park for all to use, approximately 29 hectares in size (equivalent to around 40 football pitches). The Country Park will be accessible from both the east and west to integrate it into the new and existing communities.

“The park will deliver habitat enhancement, creation and long-term protection through ecologically led landscape design. The focus will be on improving existing habitats and creating new features, including a series of wetland pockets in the central area.

“The park will include a 1km walking and running loop that will be accessible to all, as well as a heritage trail providing information about the coal mining history of the site. ” Peel said following the consultation, feedback will be reviewed as they move towards finalising the masterplan for approval by Wigan Council.

Each of the proposals for housing and employment space will require separate planning applications, subject to the masterplan being approved.
The consultation information can be found at https://gibfieldpark.consultationonline.co.uk/.

Cambridge is known for being the birthplace of football as we know it today

With its educational centre of excellence, it’s no surprise that some of the world’s most important inventions have come from Cambridge. From the structure of DNA, to the first reflecting telescope and the first graphical computer game, Cambridge is well established on the map of scientific discoveries.

When it comes to sport, the first thing most people associate Cambridge with is the boat race. But aside from this, when Cambridge’s elite students weren’t studying, they were busy coming up with the rules for a sport which is now played by people across the world.

Cambridge is credited as being the birthplace of football as we know it today. While the ‘Cambridge Rules’ aren’t used in competitive football today, they do serve as the foundation for the rules, having a significant impact on the first laws of football which were published by the Football Association (FA) in 1863.

The 11 rules were thought up on Parker’s Piece in the 1848 and were stapled to trees around the park, marking the first time football had any formal laws. The Cambridge Rules are are said to be the first football rules which allotted each player an area of the pitch, and based the game on passing the ball.

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According to Cambridge Rules 1848, the rules were as follows:

1. This club shall be called the University Foot Ball Club.
2. At the commencement of the play, the ball shall be kicked off from the middle of the ground: after every goal there shall be a kick-off in the same way.
3. After a goal, the losing side shall kick off; the sides changing goals, unless a previous arrangement be made to the contrary.
4. The ball is out when it has passed the line of the flag-posts on either side of the ground, in which case it shall be thrown in straight.
5. The ball is behind when it has passed the goal on either side of it.
6. When the ball is behind it shall be brought forward at the place where it left the ground, not more than ten paces, and kicked off.
7. Goal is when the ball is kicked through the flag-posts and under the string.
8. When a player catches the ball directly from the foot, he may kick it as he can without running with it. In no other case may the ball be touched with the hands, except to stop it.
9. If the ball has passed a player, and has come from the direction of his own goal, he may not touch it till the other side have kicked it, unless there are more than three of the other side before him. No player is allowed to loiter between the ball and the adversaries’ goal.
10. In no case is holding a player, pushing with the hands, or tripping up allowed. Any player may prevent another from getting to the ball by any means consistent with the above rules.
11. Every match shall be decided by a majority of goals.

When it comes to a football goal, you’re probably familiar with the white metal frame and net. The standard measurement is 7.32m wide and 2.44m high.

In the 19th century, they didn’t have goals readily available. Their goal was marked by two trees. On the edge of Parker’s Piece are two ash trees, which are said to be the origin of the goal size which is still used today.

Parker’s Piece remains a popular spot in the city for sport, especially during the summer months when people can be seen playing badminton, rounders, and of course, football.

In 2018, a monument called ‘Cambridge Rules 1848’ was installed in Parker’s Piece. The monument is made up of four stone pillars, each of which are engraved with the Cambridge Rules translated into several languages.

Mexican drug lord “El Mencho” has been killed in a military operation, an official has said.

The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, whose real name is Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, died on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

An official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, told the news agency the military operation was carried out in the western state of Jalisco.

It followed several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations.

Videos posted on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over Puerto Vallarta, a major city in Jalisco, and people running through the airport of the state’s capital in panic.

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The US State Department had offered a reward of up to $15m for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest-growing criminal organisations in Mexico.

In February, the Trump administration designated it as a foreign terrorist organisation.

The cartel carried out a daring assassination attempt in 2020, with grenades and high-powered rifles, in the heart of Mexico City against the then-head of the capital’s police force, who is now head of federal security.

The DEA considers it to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s most notorious criminal groups.

The cartel has a presence in all 50 US states, where it distributes tonnes of drugs.

It is one of the leading suppliers of cocaine to the US market.

Like the Sinaloa cartel, it earns billions from the production of methamphetamines and fentanyl.