Police, firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene in Holgate Road at 7.45pm on Friday (August 7).

Everyone was out of the vehicles when the fire crews arrived, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

The fire service said “casualties were left in the care of ambulance crews”.

Firefighters made the scene safe by isolation the vehicles’ batteries.

The fire service said the incident was “left in the hands of police”.

Images of the scene showed the fronts of both cars, a navy Uber and a silver Vauxhall, badly damaged after the collision outside the Crystal Palace pub.

The stretch of Holgate Road outside the pub was cordoned off after the crash.

McDonald’s set its sights on a Cambridge location, just minutes away from another operating store

McDonald’s has been given the green light to open a new restaurant in Cambridge despite another being just minutes away in the car. Cambridge City Council has granted McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd permission to open the new restaurant at Cambridge Retail Park.

The site, which has been vacant since March 2023, contains a former Frankie and Benny’s restaurant. It has more recently been used as a Turkish Restaurant. The approved plans include the change of use of the site to transform it into a mixed restaurant and takeaway use.

A planning statement says: “The customer seating area comprises a sizeable 112 covers for visitors to eat their meals within a relaxed modern environment. The dining area will include a variety of seating types and table sizes tailored to the customers’ needs.”

According to the proposals, the restaurant is expected to employ more than 120 full and part time staff, which McDonald’s seeks to recruit from the local area.

Located less than one-mile away from the new site, around a five-minute drive, is another McDonald’s location on Newmarket Road. There is also another operating restaurant on Rose Crescent in the city centre.

At the new location, the back of the restaurant would be extended into the existing storage area and alterations to the elevations include a new sliding entrance door and side door. The existing patio area is to be retained and enhanced, with a new children’s playframe and new patio seating included in the plans.

According to the applicant, McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd, the latest figures available show that the fast-food chain contributed £3.18 million to the economy in Cambridge.

Passengers are facing travel chaos at Bristol airport after a runway defect suspended operations for hours leading to cancellations and delays.

Passengers were left stranded on Friday after the airport’s runway was closed at around 6pm. It remained shut, with no flights coming in or out, until 8am on Saturday, but operations have now resumed.

Though the runway has reopened, passengers are now facing hours of delays, with multiple flights affected.

An updated statement on the airport’s website said: “Flights have resumed at Bristol Airport this morning. There will be some disruption to some flights today and customers are advised to refer to their airlines with any flight queries. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Earlier, the airport said that it had suspended operations to assess and repair a “defect on the runway.”

If you have been affected by the runway closure at Bristol airport, please get in touch by emailing daniel.haygarth@independent.co.uk

Among the many flights to be delayed this morning, according to the airport’s online departures board, are the 5.55am service to Faro, which is scheduled to take off at 10.40am, and the 6.20am flight to Menorca, which is expected to depart at 11.30am.

Cancelled or delayed flights: What are my rights to a refund? Check here

Paul Smith, who was due to fly to Glasgow on Friday for his son’s 20th birthday but had to cancel the holiday, told the BBC: “The communication, advice and support for passengers has been really poor”.

Mr Smith said there were no announcements for more than an hour on Friday and claimed that he was only getting information from EasyJet staff in the departure lounge.

On X, responding to a passenger asking if flights have been cancelled today, airline Jet2 said: “Our flights have not been cancelled. They are currently delayed, and are expected to fly later today when the runway re-opens.”

Racism against NHS staff is on the rise, according to the Society of Radiographers (SoR), with members reporting a “noticeable” increase in abuse from patients over the past 18 months – including staff being called “monkeys”, told they are “dirty foreigners”, and, in one case, a man refusing to let a sonographer scan his pregnant wife because of her ethnicity.

Figures from the latest NHS Staff Survey back this up: 9.26 per cent of staff said they had personally experienced discrimination from patients or service users in the last year, the highest proportion in five years.

NHS England says new national staff standards will require organisations to take “meaningful action” against racist patients, including the option to refuse non-emergency care.

The story struck a nerve with Independent readers, many of whom voiced anger on staff’s behalf and called for tougher consequences for offenders.

Here’s what you had to say:

Patients repay lifesaving care with baseless superiority

It’s been going on forever. Patients who can barely read or string a coherent, expletive-free sentence together thumb their noses at well-educated non-white staff who often speak multiple languages better than they can speak one, while saving lives. Every Black worker in a caring profession among my friends and family can tell you endless stories. Some of the lurching, booze-sodden, abusive, toothless specimens who drag themselves into A&E after a Friday night’s excess are treated with care and respect, only to respond with utterly baseless superiority.

BrotherChe

Anti-immigration rhetoric is fuelling the rise in racism

Sadly, the inevitable rise of racism is a side effect of all this anti-immigration rhetoric. The far right thrive under these circumstances, as do their appalling racist values. When we normalise the far right and groups like Reform, these are the behaviours and values we start to normalise and accept again. If there was a general election today, Farage would probably win.

DH

Threatened with deportation by a patient

This happened to me (a German nurse) and a Portuguese student nurse when we were caring for a patient in A&E.

“So,” he said, “what are you going to do when we kick you both out of the country?” I was tempted to ask what he’d do if neither of us were in the country – but refrained.

Baldrick’s Plan

The NHS depends on foreign workers

Many seem to forget that there are far fewer British people going into nursing and care jobs because of the wage stagnation that’s occurred over the last 15 years, so we need these foreign workers to keep the NHS functioning. Without them it would collapse – there are still 111,000 adult care work vacancies in the UK. Complaining about workers from other countries has risen because of the racist rhetoric Farage has nurtured and encouraged for years now, and to deny that isn’t part of the problem is just ridiculous.

antmanbee

Don’t treat patients who abuse staff with racism

Simple answer – don’t treat racist hospital patients who insult NHS staff with racist remarks. The NHS does a wonderful job, and their staff should not have to put up with racism.

Christopher1959

It’s ignorance and arrogance, not skin colour, that’s the problem

26 years ago, as an area manager in a social housing supported living service, we had white racists who complained about non-white support workers or domiciliary carers. If they complained about or refused care from a non-white person, we’d invite them to go and live elsewhere. It’s not the colour of skin of the care providers that’s the problem – it’s the ignorance and arrogance of a colonialist mindset. Disgraceful.

JimLiverpool

Language standards for registration could be tightened

Racist incidents, from anyone, are disgraceful. However, regarding communication, there can certainly be problems. The NMC publishes “Guidance on registration language requirements”, but in a few cases this does not seem to be adequate – perhaps there should be an actual test at registration.

IndyReader

Bigotry clouds judgement, not skill

The government and NHS senior managers need to stop allowing this sort of behaviour, including assault. If people aren’t happy with what the NHS offers they have a choice of private care. I worked for years as a nurse, and I can assure you the colour of someone’s skin makes no difference to how they perform. Racism and bigotry affect a person’s mind.

Malcolm

Patients can’t dictate who treats them

This is part of a wider pattern of bad patient behaviour – at my local hospital, people even smoke in the grounds despite clear signage against it. There needs to be a much stronger response: racist comments, intimidation and other unacceptable behaviour shouldn’t be treated as minor, and should involve prosecution in serious cases. A patient can refuse treatment from an individual clinician, but they can’t insist the NHS provide a different one.

Musil

I only saw nurses and doctors, nothing else

I had a bypass operation within a few days of diagnosis. I saw nurses and doctors – that’s it, nothing else. How can people see anything else? They helped me, and today I’m alive and writing this comment. The NHS is not perfect, but people are trying to make it better all the time. People complaining about colour within the NHS aren’t getting treatment or help from that.

Redlorries

Sowing division

What a terrible shame that those brought into the country to help the NHS and social care must bear the brunt of these attacks, when governments of both parties are culpable for sowing the division brought about by mass immigration. Little wonder some people have become intolerant when they see their towns and cities change. Mass immigration has been used not to help the NHS but to help capitalists increase their profits by reducing wages and workers’ rights and conditions.

FaithofOurFathers

Be nice and be treated, or leave

Six years ago I was in hospital for almost three weeks for a heart bypass, and every single nurse, doctor or auxiliary – whatever their background – was extremely good at their job. I wish I could say the same for the patients: some missed appointments through their own fault then complained they hadn’t been seen to, one refused a required test, and others were plain rude to staff, treating them like waiters and demanding things without a please or thank you. If people want to be racist, rude or uncooperative, give them one choice: be nice and be treated, or leave. The NHS is stretched and should be allowed to refuse treatment.

slapand

They should be sent private instead

These people should be sent private and see how far that gets them. Even my mother, who is fairly conservative, was shocked by the way other patients treated people of colour during a recent hospital stay – she was so grateful for the excellent care she received from all the staff.

Illearthstoner

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.

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Jeffrey Epstein was once a powerful figure in finance and elite social circles, building relationships with influential figures around the world.

But after his conviction as a child sex offender, those ties came under intense scrutiny. 

In the years that followed, a growing number of those connected to the disgraced financier died, fuelling persistent speculation surrounding the case.

The latest is Daniel Siad, who was found dead at his home in the suburbs of Paris in late July aged 68.

The Swedish-French modelling scout, who had helped arrange meetings between women and Epstein, was under investigation for human trafficking at the time of his death.

His death was initially reported as a cardiac arrest; however, the 28-year-old woman who had been staying with him claimed he had shown no signs of illness and had often spoken about his healthy lifestyle.

The Nanterre prosecutor’s office has now opened an investigation and ordered a post-mortem examination to establish Siad’s cause of death, reigniting conspiracy theories surrounding the Epstein case.

Epstein’s own death was mired in mystery and speculation. The 66-year-old was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges when he was found dead in his prison cell. 

Jean-Luc Brunel, a 76-year-old French modelling agent, was found hanged in his cell in a Paris prison in 2022 (Pictured with Epstein)

The two guards responsible for monitoring him, who had been assigned after an earlier suicide attempt, reportedly fell asleep and failed to check on him for three hours. At the same time, the cameras outside his cell allegedly malfunctioned.

In 2023, the US Department of Justice concluded there had been ‘job performance failures’ by prison officials but ruled that Epstein had died by suicide. 

Even so, many have continued to question the official account, arguing that Epstein’s knowledge posed a threat to numerous powerful individuals.

Siad’s name appeared thousands of times in the Epstein files over a period of ten years.

Records show Epstein reimbursed Siad for expenses incurred during modelling scouting trips in which he procured women for the financier. 

Emails also show Epstein asking: ‘Wht about new girls?’ while Siad boasted of the women’s youth. In one exchange, he wrote: ’26 but she look 18.’

Although Siad had previously claimed ignorance of Epstein’s crimes, one victim told the BBC that Siad had introduced her to Epstein and was ‘essentially a professional trafficker’.

Earlier this year, former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson accused the scout of rape and human trafficking, claiming he had raped her in the 1990s.

After his death, the model told Agente France-Presse that Siad’s death was ‘very frustrating’, explaining: ‘He was very close to being arrested. We worked so hard for this, trying to have justice.’

Another mysterious death connected to Epstein was that of Jean-Luc Brunel, a 76-year-old French modelling agent who had been facing allegations of rape. 

In 2022, Brunel, similarly to Epstein, was found hanged in his cell in a Paris prison, where he was being held on suspicion of the rape and trafficking of minors, which he denied.

Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre had previously alleged she was forced into sex with the agent. 

After his death, she posted on Twitter: ‘I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to face him in a final trial to hold him accountable.’ 

Prosecutors suspected Brunel of using MC2 Model Management, a US agency he co-founded with Jeffrey Epstein’s financial backing, to house and transport young women for the sex offender. 

Also in 2022, two more of Epstein’s acquaintances mysteriously died. One of them was American lawyer Mark Middleton, who had, while working for former US President Bill Clinton, facilitated access to the White House for the financier, who visited at least 17 times between 1993 and 1995.

Middleton, who had also previously flown on Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’ plane, was found dead at a ranch in Arkansas under gruesome circumstances.

The 59-year-old was hanging from a tree with an extension cord around his neck, and a shotgun wound to the chest. A Stoeger 12-gauge coach shotgun was later discovered nearby.

Middleton, who had also previously flown on Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’ plane, was found dead at a ranch in Arkansas under gruesome circumstances

The other death was that of businessman and fraudster Steven Hoffenberg – widely regarded as Epstein’s mentor

Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico and US ambassador to the United Nations, died in his sleep at his summer home in Massachusetts aged 75

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In 2014, Alfredo Rodriguez, Epstein’s former butler, died from cancer aged 60

Although the coroner ruled the death a suicide, noting Middleton’s history of mental health struggles, those who knew him were more skeptical.

Speaking to RadarOnline, one former business associate said: ‘He knows nothing about guns. He hated guns. He couldn’t have tied a noose to save his life. The man couldn’t change a light bulb by himself […] His death scenario is completely implausible to everybody that knew him.’ 

The other death that year was that of businessman and fraudster Steven Hoffenberg – widely regarded as Epstein’s mentor.

Hoffenberg and Epstein met in 1987 and quickly became close, regularly travelling on Hoffenberg’s private jet together and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle. 

But their relationship soured when Hoffenberg claimed Epstein was involved in his investor Ponzi scheme, which got him 18 years in prison and a $1million fine. 

Epstein was never charged in connection with what the Securities and Exchange Commission called ‘one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history’, but in 2016, Hoffenberg sued the financier, claiming he was the ‘architect of the scam’.

Hoffenberg was found dead aged 77 at his Connecticut home in August 2022. His body was found in an advances state of decomposition, with police estimating he has been dead for a week. 

A post-mortem examination revealed he had died of natural causes. 

A year later, another figure linked to Epstein died. Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico and US ambassador to the United Nations, died in his sleep at his summer home in Massachusetts aged 75. No cause of death was announced. 

In 2019 it was revealed he had been named in the civil suit between Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell, with Giuffre alleging Richardson was among the powerful men to whom she was sexually trafficked by Maxwell and Epstein.

Epstein donated $50,000 to Richardson’s 2002 campaign for governor, while flight logs show Richardson travelled with Epstein and three of his victims from the British Virgin Islands to the US Virgin Islands in 2011.

A spokesman for Richardson said he did not know Giuffre and had never seen the financier in the company of underage or young girls.

These mystery deaths have spanned over a decade. In 2014, Alfredo Rodriguez, Epstein’s former butler, died from cancer aged 60.

Rodriguez had previously been caught by the FBI attempting to sell Epstein’s ‘little black book’ for $50,000.

This book was dubbed the ‘holy grail’ by prosecutors, since it reportedly contained details of Epstein’s friends and victims. 

According to court papers, Rodriguez said he had stolen the book as insurance, fearing Epstein would make him ‘disappear’.

A few years later, in 2018, a detective who investigated Epstein in the early 2000s in Palm Beach died aged only 50, after a ‘brief illness.’

Joe Recarey, who alleged he was under political pressure to drop the case, had previously told the Miami Herald that he feared for his life.

Joe Recarey, a detective who investigated Epstein in the early 2000s in Palm Beach died aged only 50, after a ‘brief illness’

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Thomas Bowers, who was 55 at the time of his death, had formerly worked for Deutsche Bank, who had taken on Epstein as a client in 2013

Steve Bing, another of the disgraced financier’s associates, died in 2020 by suicide 

In 2021, Epstein’s final cellmate, Efrain ‘Stone’ Reyes died after reportedly contracting Covid

Recarey claimed he was being followed, and routinely had to switch his routes to work or take different cars.

‘I was concerned about my kids because I didn’t know if it was someone that they hired just out of prison that would hurt me or my family,’ he told the Herald.

And just months later in 2019, an Epstein-connected banker reportedly hanged himself at his home in California. 

Thomas Bowers, who was 55 at the time of his death, had formerly worked for Deutsche Bank, who had taken on Epstein as a client in 2013.

In 2020, the company agreed to pay a $150million fine to settle charges brought by New York authorities, admitting it had made a ‘critical mistake’ by doing business with the paedophile. 

Steve Bing, another of the disgraced financier’s associates, died a year later in 2020 after taking his own life.  

The Hollywood producer died after jumping from his 27th floor apartment in Los Angeles aged 55.

Bing, who frequented the same social circles as Epstein, had a history of addiction and had reportedly become depressed during the Covid-19 pandemic, a source told TMZ.

The connection between the two had long been observed. In 2008, celebrity blog Gawker named both Bing and Epstein as members of Bill Clinton’s ‘billionaire boys’ club’.

Following Bing’s death, Carrie Mitchum, the aunt of his late girlfriend Allexanne, claimed in a Facebook post that although Bing was not particularly close to Epstein, Allexanne had persuaded him to ‘make a statement via his attorneys telling what he did know’ about the financier.

And in 2021, Epstein’s final cellmate, Efrain ‘Stone’ Reyes died after reportedly contracting Covid at his mother’s apartment in the Bronx.

Reyes, 51, had been jailed on drug charges and was transferred to a private prison on August 9, 2019, leaving Epstein alone in his cell, a day before the paedophile was found dead. 

Reyes’s lawyer said that the two men had developed a good relationship while sharing a cell. 

He said Reyes did not want to be transferred because of ‘the relationship that he built up with Mr Epstein’, adding: ‘I think my client’s presence stabilised Mr Epstein.’

Andoni Iraola has wanted defensive cover after injuries to Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley, and Liverpool have moved to sign someone who can play both at centre-back and right-back

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo to remedy their defensive injury crisis. Araujo, 27, will join the Reds on loan with an option to buy.

The defender’s move to Anfield has come from nowhere, as he was expected to continue at the Camp Nou after signing a new contract until 2031 last year. But Barcelona boss Hansi Flick sanctioned his exit after Liverpool lodged their interest.

Andoni Iraola has been looking to sign a defender in light of injuries to both Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley. Although Araujo prefers to play as a centre-back, he can play also at right-back, providing cover for both positions which Liverpool lack depth in.

The Uruguay international is now set to have a medical with Liverpool before linking up with his new team-mates which could be as soon as this weekend. Araujo has spent eight years at Barcelona, making 213 appearances and scoring 14 goals.

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The 6ft 3in right-footer has also won eight trophies, including three La Liga titles. His career under Flick has been blighted by health problems, struggling to nail down a place in the German’s starting line-up.

Araujo missed the first half of the 2024-25 season due to a serious hamstring injury, and last season, he took a month out after being granted a leave of absence to ‘take care of himself emotionally’. The decision came after he received a red card against Chelsea in a Champions League fixture.

“I’d been dealing with anxiety for a year and a half that turned into depression, and I was playing like that,” Araujo revealed to Mundo Deportivo. “That doesn’t help, because on the field you don’t really feel like yourself.

Will Ronald Araujo be a good signing for Liverpool? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

“You know your worth and what you can contribute on the field, and when I wasn’t feeling well, I knew something was wrong. That day I realised that was it, that I needed to talk to professionals and the club so they could help me.”

Araujo could make his debut for Liverpool when Iraola’s side travel to Newcastle in their Premier League opener on Sunday, August 23. Prior to that, Liverpool will face Monaco and Como in pre-season friendlies at Anfield.

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Fourth round, 30 October 2012, Madejski Stadium

An incredible match, the joint-highest scoring EFL Cup tie in history, and it took extra-time to find a winner.

Still without a win in their return to the Premier League, Reading threw away any joy their fans were feeling as they led Arsenal 4-0 by capitulating to lose 7-5.

Arsenal found themselves four down after 35 minutes, but Theo Walcott’s goal before half‑time sparked a comeback that dragged the match into extra-time.

Marouane Chamakh put Arsenal in front for the first time on the night with a goal in the first period of extra-time, only for Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak to make it 5-5.

But Walcott restored Arsenal’s lead before Chamakh completed the scoring.

A remarkable night was further added to by the faintly ridiculous moment when Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin threw their shirts into the crowd, thinking the match was over, only to have to awkwardly ask for them back once they realised extra‑time was still to come.

The drugs were recovered with the help of Police Dogs Kodi and Larry.

Detectives from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force investigating suspected criminal activity linked to the Belfast INLA have recovered a quantity of drugs and cash and arrested a man following a search in Antrim on Friday, 7th August.

The 29-year-old was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B controlled drugs, money laundering, and child cruelty, following the discovery of drugs hidden in a young child’s bedroom. He has since been released on bail to allow for further enquiries to be carried out. The drugs were recovered with the help of Police Dogs Kodi and Larry.

Paramilitary activities are targeted through the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF), which is a multi-agency task force consisting of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the National Crime Agency and HM Revenue & Customs.

Set up in 2017 with funding from the Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime, this is a partnership that allows the sharing of resources, capacity and capability with a focus on disrupting paramilitary crime groups and making our communities safer.

Detective Inspector Cathy O’Hara said: “With the help of our partners, we remain committed to removing dangerous drugs from our neighbourhoods and to protecting our communities.