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4 crew members eject safely after 2 Navy jets collide at air show

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4 crew members eject safely after 2 Navy jets collide at air show

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — All four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided Sunday during an air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho, officials said.

The two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, were performing an aerial demonstration when they collided, said Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The crash was under investigation, Umayam said. Base officials said the crew members were in stable condition. No other injuries were reported.

“Everyone is safe and I think that’s the most important thing,” said Kim Sykes, marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped plan the air show.

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Planes fell to the ground together

The base announced it was locked down immediately following the crash. The remainder of the air show was canceled.

Videos posted online by spectators showed four parachutes opening in the sky as the aircraft plummeted to the ground near the base about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Boise.

The EA-18G Growler is a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet with sophisticated electronic warfare systems.

Shane Ogden said he was filming the two jets as they came close together. The video shows the two aircraft appear to make contact and then spin in tandem as the crew members eject and their parachutes open. The planes then fall together, exploding into a fireball upon impact as the crew members drift to the ground nearby.

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“I was just filming thinking they were going to split apart and that happened and I filmed the rest,” Ogden said in a text message. He said he left soon after the crash because he did not want to get in the way of emergency responders.

The National Weather Service reported good visibility and winds gusting up to 29 mph (47 kph) around the time of the crash.

Organizers said the air show that includes flying demonstrations and parachute jumps is a celebration of aviation history and a look at modern military capabilities. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration squadron headlined the show both days.

Little room for error

It was remarkable both crews safely ejected, and aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said that may have been possible because of the way the planes collided. They appeared to remain stuck together in midair before falling to Earth. Crews usually don’t have a chance to eject in a midair collision, Guzzetti said.

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“It appears to be a pilot issue to me. It doesn’t look like it was a mechanical malfunction,” he added. “Rendezvousing with another airplane in formation flight is challenging, and it has to be done just right to prevent exactly this kind of thing.”

The pilots who perform at air shows are among the best, but there is little room for error, said John Cox, an aviation expert and CEO of Safety Operating Systems.

“Air show flying is demanding. It has very little tolerance,” he said. “The people who do it are very good and it’s a small margin for error. I’m glad everybody was able to get out.”

This year’s Gunfighter Skies event was the first at the base since 2018, when a hang glider pilot died in a crash during an air show performance.

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In 2003, a Thunderbirds aircraft crashed while attempting a maneuver. The pilot, who was not hurt, was able to steer the plane away from the crowd and eject less than a second before it hit the ground.

The air show industry has been working to improve safety for years at the roughly 200 events held annually in the U.S.

John Cudahy, president and CEO of the International Council of Air Shows, said that there used to be an average of 3.8 deaths a year at U.S. air shows from 1991 to 2006. That number has been steadily improving and since 2017 there have been an average of 1.1 deaths per year, even including a crash in Dallas in 2022 that killed six when two vintage planes collided.

There were no air show deaths in 2025 or 2023, and a spectator hasn’t been killed at an air show in the U.S. since 1952.

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“Safety wise we’ve enjoyed really an unprecedented term of few accidents,” Cudahy said.

Investigators may be able to quickly get an idea of what happened in Sunday’s crash because the crews of both planes survived and will be able to tell investigators what they saw and experienced before the collision. The Navy will lead the investigation, so there won’t be as much information shared publicly as in civilian crashes.

The Iran war has led to the cancellation of some air shows this year at bases where military units are flying missions related to the conflict.

___

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Brown reported from Billings, Montana. Associated Press writers Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed. ___

This version has been updates to reflect that International Council of Air Shows President John Cudahy corrected himself to say there were no air show fatalities in 2023, not 2024.

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24 hours of Irish road carnage after four killed and multiple people injured

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Belfast Live

Gardai have appealed for witnesses to all the collisions to come forward.

Four people were killed and multiple others injured following a weekend of carnage on roads in the Republic.

On Saturday, a woman in her 20s was struck by a car on the N11, Loughlinstown, South Dublin at around 11:50pm. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier in the day, two men were killed in a horrific two-car collision in Birchhill, Co Donegal. The victims, who were aged in their 20s and 30s, were travelling in the same vehicle.

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Meanwhile, a woman and a man in their 20s, who were also in the car, were rushed to Letterkenny University for non-life-threatening injuries.

A man and woman, who are in their 40s and travelling in the other vehicle, were also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

In a separate crash also in Donegal on Saturday, a man in his 20s, was rushed to hospital following a collision on the R238 at Ardmore in Muff, but later passed in hospital. Gardai have appealed for witnesses to all the collisions to come forward.

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It comes as the funeral of talented GAA player Laura Kennedy, who died after a two-car collision on the Nenagh to Dromineer Road R495 last Tuesday night, heard of her love for music, travel and camogie.

The young woman’s funeral took place in Ballywilliam Church in Tipperary on Sunday.

The 20-year-old’s coffin was draped in a Burgess-Duharra flag – the club she played for at levels. Her teammates also formed a guard of honour while her twin sister Ashling and dad John delivered heartbreaking eulogies.

Devastated Ashling began by telling fellow mourners: “Anybody who knew Laura knew that she was kind, smart, funny, talented and amazing at everything she did.

“She was the most stylish person going, always buying more and more clothes on Vinted – the postman never got a break.

“She was also so smart and she knew it … I’d be stressing over an exam and she would try calm me down and just go ‘Ashling, it’s not worth it. It’s just some exam.’

“And she would go back to her room and study for a day and come back with a better result than me.

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“She had one more exam left to finish before finishing her second year in college. Laura to me was not just my sister – she was my best friend. Anything one of us did – the other one did.”

Speaking about the unbreakable bond the pair had, Ashling added: “We couldn’t get away from each other.

“Secretly, I loved it because I knew she was always with me and I was never lonely. There was no chance to be lonely.

“If it was going to college, work, training, the cinema or going to town for our weekly trip to Tesco – I’d look at her and realise how lucky I was to have her.

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“Her smile did something to me and I think it done something to all of us. You couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“I’m so glad I have the most amazing family and friends to get through this because I don’t think I’d be able to without them. We will stay strong for Laura and get the strength from her because she was the strongest person I knew.”

Her distraught dad John then spoke about the impact both Ashling and Laura had on his and his wife Annette’s lives once they were born.

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He said: “On the 10th of the 10th, 2005. Two angels appeared to myself and my good wife Annette and our life changed forever.

“You think you have a life up until that, and you’re happy, and you’ll get on with it, but all anybody wants is for somebody to turn a house into a home.

“We had a beautiful house or bricks and mortar, but two beautiful children came along and made that complete.

“They lit a fire in our hearts. Unfortunately, now one of them has been extinguished

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“But there’s so much power and light in the other one that it is more than double the flame. I know that you’ll keep lighting and Laura will shine her light through Ashling, and that joy that they brought us up to last Tuesday night – we will never forget.

“Laura had so many passions in her life. She loved her music as I said. She loved her Camogie. It’s fair to say that she loved to travel – she wouldn’t be home from one trip before she’d be on the internet planning something else.”

Breaking down, he said: “From short trips to long ones and I’m glad in her short 20 years that we fitted in so much.

“You were 20 years old, Laura and I would give anything for 20 more seconds just to hold you in my arms and tell you how much I love you.

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“I told you every night going to bed that I loved you, and I only missed it when you were gone away. I’m so glad that I did that, but just in case you ever doubted that, from the bottom of my broken heart and from my wife and from your sister Ash … we love you so much and thank you for 20 beautiful, glorious years.”

Tokens to remember Laura’s life included an accordion, her Burgess-Duharra jersey, her favourite coat, her hurl, a bag to symbolise her love for travel and a lab coat to represent her degree.

She was later buried in Monsea Graveyard.

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

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Two arrested after suspected stabbing in Middlesbrough

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Two arrested after suspected stabbing in Middlesbrough

Police received a call from ambulance service colleagues after a man suffered stab wounds in an incident in Parliament Road, Middlesbrough, at about 12:30am on Saturday, May 16.

Police have arrested two people after a man was injured in a late-night suspected stabbing on Parliament Road in Middlesbrough.Parliament Road in Middlesbrough (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

The 27-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening stab wounds in the incident, and received medical treatment before being released from hospital.

CID officers arrested a 51-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman on suspicion of GBH with intent. Both have been released on police bail whilst enquiries continue.

Police have issued an appeal for witnesses and anyone with information or footage.

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“Any witnesses or anyone who may have dash cam footage of the incident or further information, is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101, quoting reference number 092546.”

“Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111.”

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How to watch Arsenal FC vs Burnley: TV channel and live stream for Premier League today

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How to watch Arsenal FC vs Burnley: TV channel and live stream for Premier League today

The Gunners are two points clear of Manchester City with two games to play.

Mikel Arteta’s side know that they just need to win against the Clarets and Crystal Palace to secure a first top-flight trophy since 2004.

Last time out, they controversially beat West Ham 1-0 thanks to Leandro Trossard’s late goal, and they survived a contentious VAR scare to retain their advantage over Pep Guardiola’s City.

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Parents push for NICU leave after wins in Colorado and Illinois

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Parents push for NICU leave after wins in Colorado and Illinois

NEW YORK (AP) — As his daughter Olivia was born, Marlon White felt his wife’s hand slacken as she fainted. The baby, born at 29 weeks and weighing about 2 pounds, wasn’t making a sound as she was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit. Terrified, he waited in the hall while the doctors stabilized his newborn and wife.

The next day, White, a welder, was back at work. Two days later, his wife, Farra Lanzer-White, was also back on the job, setting up a work station at the Denver hospital. For two months, first at one hospital then another, she kept up with emails and meetings as alarm bells went off each time Olivia stopped breathing, as she herself prepared for open-heart surgery for a condition discovered during her difficult pregnancy.

The Fort Collins, Colorado couple made a choice familiar to many parents with newborns in intensive care: Keep working while the baby is in the NICU to save any parental leave they might have for when the baby comes home. They are now part of a growing movement advocating for the adoption of NICU leave in the country’s patchwork of family leave policies, which differ between states, cities and companies.

In January, seven months after Olivia was born, Colorado became the first U.S. state to adopt paid NICU leave, offering up to 12 weeks for parents with newborns in intensive care on top of the 12 weeks of parental leave under the state’s family and medical leave program. A more modest policy will take effect next month in Illinois, guaranteeing between 10 and 20 days of unpaid leave to NICU parents.

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While advocates want more states to adopt NICU leave, a major focus now is galvanizing support for a federal bill to add NICU leave to the Family and Medical Leave Act, the 1993 law that entitles eligible workers nationwide to take unpaid leave for family and medical reasons, said Inimai Chettiar, president of A Better Balance, a nonprofit that advocates for paid leave and other workplace policies in support of families.

“We think it’s promising in terms of bipartisan support, because as we’ve approached people, it seems that they intuitively understand it,” said Chettiar.

U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Colorado Democrat who is drafting the federal bill said it would offer up to 12 weeks of NICU leave on top of the 12 weeks of parental leave available under the FMLA.

Push for bipartisan support

The U.S. has no federal law mandating paid family or parental leave, an issue that has long divided Democrats and Republicans. While FMLA leaves out many workers who can’t afford to take unpaid leave, Pettersen said the goal is to win bipartisan support for the idea of NICU leave and bring it to the forefront of discussions surrounding parental leave.

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The NICU leave bills passed in Colorado and Illinois offer mixed signals about the potential for bipartisanship. Colorado’s paid leave passed mostly along party lines, while the shorter, unpaid leave adopted in Illinois had overwhelming bipartisan support.

Unlike Colorado, Illinois does not already have a paid family leave program in which it could incorporate NICU leave, said Illinois state Rep. Laura Faver Dias, a Democrat who introduced the bill and whose twin boys were born at 27 weeks in 2014 and stayed intensive care for three months.

Several Republican lawmakers became co-sponsors, including state Rep. Nicole La Ha, whose daughter spent 45 days in the NICU in 2017 after her water broke at almost 30 weeks.

“Unless you have had this experience, you can’t fully understand why something like this is so meaningful,” said La Ha. “You have an infant who is struggling to eat and breathe. The last thing you want to think about is work but unfortunately you have bills to pay.”

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While Colorado’s bill lacked bipartisan support, Colorado State Sen. Jeff Bridges said “it was the quietest opposition you could hear,” with few Republicans or business groups publicly speaking against it. Bridges introduced the bill a year after his son Kit was born two months early and weighing just 2 pounds.

“I wanted to share stories that were so moving that the lobbyists would look like monsters if they opposed it,” Bridges said.

A handful of businesses step in

Nearly one out of 10 babies born in the U.S. are admitted to a NICU, according to the most recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While in the NICU, newborns are still learning to swallow, breath on their own and regulate their body temperature, said Dr. Karen Puopolo, section chief for Newborn Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital and chair of the Committee on Fetus and Newborns of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Parental presence has a “multitude of advantages both ways,” Puopolo said. Skin-to-skin contact slows down the baby’s heart beat, improves their breathing and helps the mother with milk production.

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In recent years, a smattering of companies have adopted dedicated paid NICU leave, including Morgan Stanley, Pinterest and the organic baby formula company Bobbie, while others have extended the length of parental leave or added policies like caregiving leave, which could also help NICU parents.

But mostly, the plight of NICU parents has been a blind spot, said Sahra Cahoon, executive director Love for Lily, a Colorado-based organization that supports NICU families and advocated for Colorado’s new law.

Cahoon launched the organization after her daughter Lily, born at 24 weeks and five days, died after three-and-a-half months in the NICU. Cahoon, who owned a jewelry-making business at the time, said she worked, believing her daughter would survive.

“It’s probably one of my biggest regrets,” Cahoon said, though at the time she felt lucky to be able to work remotely from the hospital and didn’t feel she could afford to give up her income. “We did not know that our story was going to end that way.”

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Feeling unprepared

When Rebeca Herrera-Moreno learned about Colorado’s NICU leave law last year, it brought her back to her son’s time in the NICU six years earlier and she decided to leap into advocacy for a similar provision in her home state of California.

When her son Nico was born at 32 weeks in 2020, Herrera-Moreno was already on disability leave, having entered preterm labor weeks earlier. Her husband, Martin Moreno, was entitled to six weeks of paid parental leave under California law at the time, but they decided he would save that time for when Nico could come home, which ended up being three weeks later.

This 2020 photo provided by Rebeca Herrera-Moreno shows her with her son, Nico, in Los Angeles. (Rebeca Herrera-Moreno via AP)

This 2020 photo provided by Rebeca Herrera-Moreno shows her with her son, Nico, in Los Angeles. (Rebeca Herrera-Moreno via AP)

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This 2020 photo, provided by Rebeca Herrera-Moreno, shows her son, Nico, in Los Angeles. (Rebeca Herrera-Moreno via AP)

This 2020 photo, provided by Rebeca Herrera-Moreno, shows her son, Nico, in Los Angeles. (Rebeca Herrera-Moreno via AP)

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She struggled to enjoy moments with her tiny son while holding him surrounded by machines, monitors and nurses. She would say “I love you” every day before leaving him while guilt swelled inside her that she hadn’t developed that feeling yet. Weeks later at home, she opened to up to her husband, Martin Moreno, who confessed that he had felt the same way.

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Moreno, a health director for a labor union, said he was consumed at the time with his job, which suddenly intensified as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the country. To this day, his most vivid memory of the period isn’t with his son in the NICU, but of a video he helped produce to show workers how to properly wash their hands.

When he came home, he felt unprepared to care for Nico, who had to be fed on his side to prevent choking. He had been oblivious to his wife’s emotional turmoil.

“I wish I would have had more preparation with the medical staff to really feel like I had everything set. And that’s speaking to the medical piece of it — not even addressing being absent for Becky during so much of this,” Moreno said.

Being present

Nearly 800 people have applied for neonatal care leave since Colorado’s policy took effect in January, according to Tracy Marshall, director of Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance Division.

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Among the first were Chris and Stevie Madden, whose son was born almost eight weeks early on Jan. 11.

Stevie Madden, a mental health professional who had been rushed to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked and she began bleeding, said she panicked about how to handle the crisis and work when she realized she had planned to start her maternity leave much later.

A nurse at the hospital, however, told Chris Madden about the new NICU leave, which they both applied for.

Madden, an oil field mechanic, said he wouldn’t have been able to keep him mind on his risky job while his son was fighting for his life. He said he learned how to handle his baby’s delicate skin — press gently, don’t rub — and gained the confidence he needed when Roczen stopped breathing once after returning home and had to be rushed the hospital.

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He told every parent he met at hospital about NICU leave.

“It was life changing not to have to think about money and stress and just be present with your baby,” Madden said.

___ This story has corrected that the woman in the first paragraph lost consciousness during birth, not after, and has corrected the spelling of Rebeca Herrera-Moreno’s first name. ___

The Associated Press’ women in the workforce coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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Kylie Minogue admits how much she’s changed in tell-all Netflix series

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Manchester Evening News

The 57-year-old shared how it’s been good for her to make this series

Kylie Minoque will open up about her life and career in her brand new tell-all series on Netflix, including her battle with cancer.

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Australian popstar Kylie Minogue has a new three-part Netflix series coming out this week, made by the same team who worked on Sir David Beckham’s hit documentary.

It features footage from her childhood and time in Australian soap Neighbours, as well interviews with friends and family including her former co-star Jason Donovan, sister Dannii and musician Nick Cave.

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Speaking at a Q&A in central London ahead of the documentary’s release, Kylie admitted that it had been “good” to make the series. “There’s light and shade for sure,” she said of the film, adding: “We’re all human.”

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When asked by host broadcaster Clara Amfo what the singer hoped her fans would understand about her after watching the film, she said: “I can imagine that fans and maybe even broader than that… maybe that’s one of the reasons that I have this relationship with my fans and the broader audience, is they can see, don’t know if I tried to do this, again it’s very weird to say this about myself, but I’m not invincible.

“I can get the job done and I can shine, hopefully. But I think that, I don’t know, that they understand that you could be me, we could co-exist.”

Kylie was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in May 2005 aged 36. She underwent a lumpectomy and chemotherapy in Paris, and was given the all-clear in 2006. News coverage of her cancer diagnosis caused an unprecedented increase in bookings for mammograms, referred to as the ‘Kylie effect’.

The singer opens up about her battle in the new documentary alongside sister Dannii. Speaking in the trailer, Kylie says: “I felt removed from my body, I was so scared of what was ahead of me.”

Dannii adds: “We didn’t know if she’s ever gonna be well again. I just wanted to be with my sister.”

On some of the public scrutiny and misogyny she has faced during her career, which is featured in the film, the star added: “There’s always a lot of talk about how much I’ve changed.

“”We all change through life, and grown and developed, and certainly that’s evident, as an artist, like I was famous before I knew what I was doing, so you know, and there came a lot of the criticism and the hardship with that, but what’s illuminating to me is, in so many ways, I haven’t changed.

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“Like, the way of dealing with stuff from that time that you’re talking about is kind of how I do it now, like I read the room, do what I have to do, feel the fear and do it anyway.”

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‘Very real dangers’ – Bolton vets see rise in pets poisoned byplants

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‘Very real dangers’ - Bolton vets see rise in pets poisoned byplants

Vets are said to be already seeing a rise in avoidable cases linked to toxic plants and grass seeds, hazards that many pet owners don’t realise are right on their doorstep.

Many popular plants can be harmful if pets chew, lick, or dig them up.

Some of the most common include lilies, rhododendron, tulips, hydrangea, and bluebells.

Dogs may nibble leaves or bulbs, while cats can be affected simply by brushing past certain plants and grooming themselves afterwards. Some plants cause mild tummy upsets, but others can lead to serious illness.

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Flowers (Image: CVS Vets)

Signs of plant poisoning can include vomiting, diarrhoea, drooling, lethargy, loss of appetite, excessive drinking, or collapse. Symptoms don’t always appear straight away, so pet owners should contact their vet immediately if they spot their pet eating a plant they are unsure of.

Owners should check plants are safe for pets before adding them to the garden or bringing them into the home. Bulbs and seeds should also be stored out of reach of pets before planting.

Grass seeds are another seasonal risk, particularly for dogs, and can lead to pain, infection, and complex veterinary treatment. These small, sharp seeds can become lodged in paws, ears, eyes, noses, or under the skin. Common warning signs that owners should look out for include persistent licking of a paw, head shaking, limping, or a sore, weepy eye.

Owners are advised to check dogs thoroughly after walks, especially between toes, around ears and armpits, as removing grass seeds early can prevent big problems later on.

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Ellen Coker, Clinical Director at Regans Bury Road Veterinary Clinic, says “Our pets love exploring the garden as much as we do, but they don’t know what’s safe and what isn’t. Every spring and summer we see cases linked to toxic plants and grass seeds. Supervision and regular checks can make a huge difference to your pet’s health and comfort.

Dog (Image: CVS Vets)

“At Regans Bury Road Veterinary Clinic, we’re always happy to offer advice and reassurance.”

Pamela Illingworth, Practice Director at Pennine Vets Harwood, says “Supervision and regular checks can make a huge difference to your pet’s health and comfort.

“At Pennine Vets Harwood, we’re always happy to offer advice and reassurance. If you have any concerns about your pet’s health, behaviour, or something they may have encountered outdoors, please get in touch.”

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My child had a tantrum in a restaurant – and changed my parenting approach

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My child had a tantrum in a restaurant - and changed my parenting approach
It hit me that eating out with children is no longer worth it (Picture: Catherine Balavage)

My worst parenting moment to date happened last year when my daughter, exhausted after her swimming lesson, threw an epic tantrum in the middle of a Pizza Express.

It started with crying. Then she stood on a chair and tried to shake the railing on the side.

When we tried to get her to calm down, she threw herself to the floor and screamed her head off.

Eventually, embarrassed, I flung her over my shoulder in a fireman’s carry and hurried out of the restaurant.

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As I waited in the cold, dark, winter evening for the rest of my family to emerge – my husband was hastily paying the £91 bill and bundling the other children into their jackets – a Deliveroo driver stared in disapproval at my still distraught daughter, and a woman who was walking past stopped to stare.

That’s when it hit me: eating out with children is no longer worth it and I will not be doing it again.

Catherine Balavage: Why I've stopped eating out with my kids
I wish I had been more understanding then (Picture: Catherine Balavage)

I’ve always seen eating out as a treat. I love not having to figure out what to cook that night or deal with the clean-up afterwards. My husband and I ate out at least once a week before we had children. 

I used to be a restaurant reviewer and I once reviewed nine restaurants in three days. I love food and eating out was always one of life’s greatest joys.

Before having children I never minded them in restaurants as long as they behaved. A crying baby did not annoy me, but little children running around without supervision made me raise an eyebrow. 

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Looking back, I wish I had been more understanding then that parents were just exhausted – I would never say anything, however. 

After giving birth, I wanted our son to have the privilege of eating out and to learn how to behave in society.

Catherine Balavage: Why I've stopped eating out with my kids
Eating out is such a treat (Picture: Catherine Balavage)

However, I quickly learned not all restaurant-goers are a fan of junior diners.

Even though I always used a scarf, I still remember the judgemental stares I’d get for breastfeeding my baby at the table. It was clear some people deemed it inappropriate and I can’t tell you how many hours I spent feeding them in the loo as a result.

Things only got harder as the kids got bigger too. 

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After travelling for hours to a hotel, my husband and I took the kids for dinner. It was 7pm and the restaurant was abuzz with plenty of other patrons, yet the two women on the table next to us saw our presence as a problem.

Throughout the meal they complained loudly several times about how irresponsible we were for keeping our baby up late or saying how ‘they should be in bed’. It had been a long journey and the comments upset me. I had to bite my lip to stop from crying – it felt unfair and I wish I had said something, instead of ignoring them. 

Catherine Balavage: Why I've stopped eating out with my kids
Things only got harder as the kids got bigger too (Picture: Catherine Balavage)

I think they felt guilty though as, after their meal, they made a point of coming over to say that they could tell we were ‘good parents’. The hypocrisy was astounding.

Because of these interactions and many more, I’ve always tried to be considerate of other diners. I always take a bag of toys and crayons with me to entertain them and the phone only comes out if that doesn’t work.

But even that isn’t enough to please some people. The disapproving looks if you let your children have screen time, if they dare to make a loud noise, or make a mess on the floor and the table is enough to make your blood run cold.

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Not all our family dining experiences have been bad though. Our local Italian is incredibly family-friendly and on some occasions the waitress there has even taken our son while we were eating and walked him around the restaurant  – that was an act of kindness I will never forget.

I also know that it will get easier for the children as they get older. Our oldest is ten and now sits and behaves for an entire meal, that’s partly because he has a better understanding of the behaviour that’s expected of him, but also because he doesn’t tire or bore as easily.

Even so, I won’t be eating out in restaurants now until the kids are all older. While I don’t mind paying money for a treat, spending often three-figures for an experience that leaves me more stressed than before is just not worth it.

Catherine Balavage: Why I've stopped eating out with my kids
A little bit of understanding can go a long way (Picture: Catherine Balavage)

Instead, we order from Deliveroo. Same food, less stress.

It’s a shame it’s come to this but I think it’s society that is to blame – not my children.

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There is a growing intolerance towards children in public spaces and while I don’t think children should be allowed to behave badly in restaurants – it’s up to parents to make sure their children don’t throw food, shout or run around – we do have to accept that, sometimes, they have a moment.

Yes, children have tantrums and sometimes these can happen in the most unexpected places (like Pizza Express). But they also learn by watching as much as by being told what to do.

The more children are respected and welcomed into society, the more they will become functioning members of it. 

As for the rest of us, a little bit of understanding can go a long way.

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Originally published February 17th, 2026

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jessica.aureli@metro.co.uk

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Joseph Fiennes: ‘I was very nervous to play Gareth Southgate on TV’

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Joseph Fiennes: 'I was very nervous to play Gareth Southgate on TV'

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Joseph Fiennes has shed light on the ‘nerve-wracking’ experience of playing Gareth Southgate in a new BBC drama.

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Created and written by James Graham, Dear England chronicles the former England player’s journey as manager of the national team from 2016 to 2024.

Starring Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who) as Pippa Grange, the team’s psychologist and Jason Watkins (The Crown) as former FA chairman Greg Dyke, the four-part series is adapted from James’ Olivier award-winning stage play of the same name.

However, despite Joseph reprising his role as Gareth for the BBC series, the Handmaid’s Tale star told Metro how the process of switching the stage for the screen brought an entirely different challenge.

‘The play is fictitious,’ he tells me, sitting next to James and Jodie inside a BBC studio.

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‘There’s a disclaimer on the tin that says, at the very top of our show, that these are events that happen, but this is the interpretation of these events, done with absolute examination and detail.

Joseph Fiennes stars as Gareth Southgate in Dear England (Picture:: BBC/Left Bank/Justin Downing)
TX DATE:,TX WEEK:,EMBARGOED UNTIL:04-12-2025 19:00:00,PEOPLE:Harry Kane (WILL ANTENBRING);Gareth Southgate (JOSEPH FIENNES),DESCRIPTION:***EMBARGOED UNTIL 7pm THURSDAY 4th DEC 2025***,COPYRIGHT:Left Bank Pictures,CREDIT LINE:BBC/Left Bank
The BBC series chronicles Gareth’s journey as England manager (Picture: BBC/Left Bank)

‘There is a nervousness about taking what we did in the play and putting it on a lens… If you’re in the middle of a theatre as an audience member if you squint a little bit… [I could] very possibly be Gareth Southgate.

‘But it’s a different thing when the lens is banged [right there in front of me]. So I was very, very nervous about the conceit of playing Gareth.’

Discussing the ‘ride’ he wants audiences to take, Joseph adds: ‘You want them to accept it and then move to the much more exciting things beyond waistcoats, mannerisms and these very famous people.

‘[Dear England] goes beyond football and I think the beauty of the series is that through the lens of the beautiful game we get to examine trickier conversations.’

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Directed in part by Rupert Goold and Paul Whittington, the series sees Gareth open his mind up to ‘face up to the years of hurt to take England back to the promised land’.

Central to this effort is Pippa, who Jodie described as being a ‘fascinating’ character to play.

‘The biggest takeaway for me is how at an international level fear is seen as something that you need to pretend you are immune to,’ she says.

TX DATE:,TX WEEK:,EMBARGOED UNTIL:04-12-2025 19:00:00,PEOPLE:Pippa Grange (JODIE WHITTAKER),DESCRIPTION:***EMBARGOED UNTIL 7pm THURSDAY 4th DEC 2025***,COPYRIGHT:Left Bank Pictures,CREDIT LINE:BBC/Left Bank
Jodie Whittaker also stars as Pippa Grange in the BBC series (Picture: BBC/Left Bank)
Joseph explained how he was ‘very nervous’ to portray the England manager on screen (Picture: BBC/Left Bank)

‘In James’s writing, it’s so beautiful, but then also in Pippa’s own words and her own explanation – fear should not be a vulnerability.

‘And it’s so simple what she articulates that you can’t quite believe you don’t know it until you’ve been told it, and then you feel gobsmacked that it’s not still being implemented.’

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For James, however, the show’s creator – who has also written the acclaimed BBC series Sherwood and ITV’s Quiz – this series was about asking ‘some of the biggest existential questions England faces as a country’.

‘This isn’t endorsed by Gareth, it’s not endorsed by the FA,’ he tells me.

‘But I want to defend him. It’s quite clear my admiration for the people involved, including Pippa and Gareth.

‘They identified that that one of the hugest problems in the England dressing room… was that no one had ever sat them down and gone and what is England to you? What is your country? And they just didn’t feel connected.’

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With the first two episodes of Dear England arriving on Sunday May 24, viewers can expect to see the psychological rebuilding of the England men’s football team and how they overcame their penalty-shootout trauma while transforming their team culture.

Dear England is available to watch on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 24th May.

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Outrage as picture shows trans jail lover Alex Stewart and child killer girlfriend Nyomi Fee

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Daily Record

Nyomi Fee and long-time partner Alexandra Stewart smiled for the picture inside HMP Greenock.

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Scotland’s most controversial jail couple posed for a gay Pride celebration behind bars.

Child killer Nyomi Fee and long-time partner Alexandra Stewart – a biological male who murdered a man in 2013 – smiled for the camera inside Darroch Hall at HMP Greenock.

The photo was taken in happier times for the pair, as the Daily Record revealed recently that they have broken off their engagement.

Fee, who is dwarfed by her hulking fiancee in the photo, is said to still be on “good friends” terms with Stewart, who was formerly known as Alan Baker but chose to live as a woman before being jailed for the murder of John Weir, who he met via a gay dating app.

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Last month, the Daily Record revealed that Stewart, 38, had been charged with the alleged sexual assault of a female prisoner in the hairdresser at HMP Greenock.

We cannot show Stewart’s face for legal reasons but one former prisoner said: “This photo will speak 1000 words about the reality facing women in jails, who are forced to live ­alongside men. Alex is not just a man but a very large and strong one at that.”

The source added: “Women are told that these trans prisoners are women and they are told they have to refer to them as women and they have to address them by their women’s name or they will be in trouble over hate crimes. It’s stark raving mad.

“The madness of it all is only compounded by the fact they were celebrating a Pride event. Women prisoners have been gaslit for years, forced to acknowledge the supposedly gay relationship between Nyomi and Alex.

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“We know ­sexuality can be complex but plenty of people were asking how exactly a sexual ­relationship between a man and a woman could be a gay one.”

The presence of Stewart in a women’s prison has been a thorny issue for years, leading to a focus on the policy of the Scottish Prison Service, which allows people who declare themselves to be trans female to be regarded as such after a risk ­assessment.

A UK Supreme Court ruling last year backed the contention of the For Women Scotland group, which argued that a woman is defined by biology.

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FWS director Susan Smith said the photo of Stewart will be jarring for many, as they believe it clearly displays a large man in a women’s jail.

The group claims the visual impact is similar to another photo of Isla Bryson, who turned up to the High Court in Glasgow wearing tight leggings that clearly revealed his biological gender to be male.

Bryson, born Adam Graham, opted to declare himself a woman after being accused of two rapes, for which he was convicted in 2023, leading to an eight-year jail sentence. The case made world news and a decision to house the rapist in a women’s jail, HMP Stirling, was reversed.

FWS’s Smith said of the Stewart-Fee picture: “This photo shows the reality faced by women inside HMP Greenock and other establishments, where they have been forced to say a man is a woman just because the Scottish Government said that was the case.

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“Looking at that picture, it would seem quite obvious that this is a man – and a very large man at that. And when someone like that is around women who often have backgrounds of trauma and abuse, they are going to feel unnerved and frightened.

“That will be compounded if the women are being forced to pretend that this is a woman just like them. We know from previous reports that women were being punished for supposedly misgendering prisoners, and one case featured a woman who was put on trial for not using the right pronouns and names and making comments about somebody being male.

“So not only are these women then going to be intimidated by someone like this, they’re going to be ­frightened that anything they say out of that upsets them or that they think is out of order will end up with them being punished – it’s quite ­outrageous.”

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Smith said 70 per cent of women in prisons have suffered head trauma and the majority of them are the victims of domestic violence.

She said: “They’re often in prison because of issues around addiction or due to abusive relationships. They deserve to be protected and to be given a proper chance of ­rehabilitation.

“They can’t just be used for some mad expert social experiment and Scotland should stop this mixing of men and women in jails immediately.”

The Record revealed last month that Stewart was being held in segregation in the female wing of HMP Greenock since being accused of a sexual attack there, which led to their arrest and subsequent charge. A report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.

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Scissors killer Jayney Sutherley, 52, was accused last year at Greenock Sheriff Court of waging a transphobic hate campaign against Stewart and “misgendering” him.

The case was found not proven but evidence presented to court included claims that Fee and Stewart had a sexual relationship behind bars. In that case, Sheriff Thomas Millar stated that referring to trans women as men is not transphobia.

In the Supreme Court case last year, three senior judges ruled that when the term “woman” is used in the Equality Act it means a biological woman, and “sex” means biological sex.

The Scottish Government said it respected the ruling but argued it did not override the upholding of ­protections set out in the European ­Convention on Human Rights.

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There were a total of 19 transgender inmates in Scotland’s jails last June. It is believed only two trans women remain in the female estate. Fee is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of her two-and-a-half year old stepson Liam at his home in Thornton, near ­Glenrothes, in 2014, as is her then partner Rachel Fee, or Trelfa.

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Bikes and power tools stolen from Temple Hirst in burglary

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Stolen motorhome located by police drone in Hartlepool

North Yorkshire Police are appealing for information after a burglary from a barn on the main road in Temple Hirst, near Selby, that took place over the weekend.

It took place between 9pm on Friday, May 15, and 12.30pm on Saturday, May 16, and saw ‘a number of high-value items’ stolen – including two bikes and power tools.


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“We are particularly interested in any footage that may show two unidentified males in the area during the stated times,” said a spokesperson for the force.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have CCTV or dashcam footage, or who may have seen or heard anything suspicious, to come forward.

If you have any information, please contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference 12260088860.

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