King Alfred the Great’s remains are believed to have been found just days before England’s quarter-final World Cup tie with Norway. 

The lost bones of King Alfred – who led English forces to kill thousands of Vikings during his reign – have been traced to a car park in Winchester, Hampshire, where the former monarch died and was buried.

Alfred was best known for saving England from Viking forces in 878, but he also laid the basis for a unified English nation.

Despite his importance, the whereabouts of his final resting place have long been shrouded in mystery.

Following his death in 899, his remains were moved multiple times and have been until now untraceable. 

Over the last century, there have been several attempts to find the ruler and identify his final resting place, but all have proved inconclusive.

But historian Graham Phillips now says he has discovered his final resting place – and just like Richard III, Alfred is buried under a car park.

He told the Sun the discovery is a ‘good omen’ for England, and a sign they can win this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

The find comes just days before England take on Norway and star striker Erling Haaland (pictured) in a quarter-final tie at the World Cup

Mr Phillips said: ‘I am 100 per cent confident the car park site is where the bones were, and I’m confident they are there now.

‘I think it’s a good omen ahead of England’s match against Norway.

‘We may have finally found Alfred’s remains so is this a sign we can win the World Cup?’

The historian, from Birmingham, has been searching for Alfred for 13 years and said it was ‘bizarre’ he is believed to be beneath a car park.

Famously, Richard III’s remains were also found buried beneath a car park in 2012 in a dig in partnership with archaeologists from the University of Leicester.

Alfred was born in 849 and ruled from 871–99, and is the best known of all the Anglo–Saxon kings.

He was believed to be a gifted leader, warrior, strategist, scholar and administrator.

He defended his kingdom from Viking invaders, winning a decisive victory at the Battle of Edington in 878. 

It is thought up to 6,000 soldiers were involved in the battle on both sides, with casualties presumed to be ‘heavy’. 

Author and historical researcher Graham Phillips claims to have discovered Alfred’s grave after a 13–year hunt

The battle helped Alfred secure Wessex from further attack and saw the Viking leader, Guthrum, baptised as a Christian. 

Alfred died in 899 of unknown causes, and his bones were repeatedly moved.

He was buried in Winchester Cathedral until 1110, when his remains were moved to Winchester’s Hyde Abbey where they were interred before the high altar between the bodies of his wife and son.

The abbey was demolished after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, and the place left in ruins.

In 1866, during construction of a workhouse on the site, the English antiquarian John Mellor excavated the area and found what he thought were Alfred’s bones, but it was later confirmed this was not the case and the remains were from around 200 years after his death. 

Mr Phillips instead believes Alfred’s bones were moved when a prison was built in the area in 1788. 

The possible discovery comes just days ahead of England facing off with Norway in Miami in their quarter-final tie.

The match, which kicks off at 10pm on Saturday, will see Thomas Tuchel’s side go head to head with the likes of striker Erling Haaland, after Norway knocked out Brazil on Sunday to make the final eight.

The exact location where Alfred is believed to be buried is set to be revealed for the first time in a new episode of Weird Britain, on Blaze TV tonight at 9pm. 

Donald Trump has labelled Iran ‘a bunch of scum’ and declared that the ceasefire is ‘over’ after the US and Tehran exchanged strikes overnight.

In an extraordinary press conference at the NATO summit in Ankara, the US president renewed his attack against the Western alliance over Greenland, and threatened to cut off all trade with ‘terrible Spain‘.

Trump ​has repeatedly expressed frustration with Spain, which has not ⁠agreed to NATO’s new defence spending target of 5 per cent ​of GDP and whose Socialist leadership refused to let the ​US use its airspace or bases on its territory for the Iran war. 

‘Spain doesn’t agree to anything, and you shouldn’t carry them,’ ​Trump told NATO chief Mark Rutte.

‘I don’t want to do any trade ​with them, alright?’ he said, turning to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who replied: ‘Yes, sir.’

Trump also criticised the UK, which ‘would not let us use the island for two weeks,’ and said Italy was ‘very bad’, referring to a lack of support over his war with Iran.

He repeated his controversial demand to take control of Greenland, calling it ‘a big problem’.

He claimed the semi-autonomous Danish territory was ‘very important for the US, but it’s not important for Denmark’.

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, July 8

On Tuesday night, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it fired at more than 80 Iranian targets, including over 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats.

In retaliation, the Islamic Republic said it attacked US military sites based in Bahrain and Kuwait.

‘To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum,’ Trump told a reporter in answer to a question about the status of the memorandum of understanding.

‘They’re led by sick people. They’re vicious, violent people,’ the US president said, adding: ‘If they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over. I’ll speak to our negotiators.’

Earlier, he accused the regime of ‘wanting to take out the US leader’, pointed at himself, and claimed he was on ‘every single one of their lists’. 

He said Washington had given Tehran the greenlight to hold a funeral procession for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but ‘instead of that, they started shooting rockets at ships’.

‘And so we hit them very hard last night,’ he said. ‘I told them, every time you hit, we hit.’

World oil prices soared more than five per cent Wednesday after Trump said the ceasefire was over.

International benchmark Brent North Sea crude jumped 5.3 per cent to $78.09 a barrel, while the main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, advanced 5.4 per cent to $74.23 a barrel.

The US launched extensive strikes on Iran following attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a wave of reprisals against American bases in the Gulf.

The strategic shipping route remains a flashpoint in the conflict, which began in late February with massive US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Tehran insists on controlling the waterway, saying it will charge fees for passage and threatening to hit vessels that deviate from its authorised route.

Its military has struck at least three ships in recent days, prompting an extensive US retaliation.

Both sides reported hitting dozens of targets, placing fresh strain on an interim deal to end their war and pushing oil prices to their highest level in two weeks.

Iranian state media on Wednesday reported a wave of explosions around the strait, including six on the island of Qeshm, seven in the city of Sirik and more in the major port city of Bandar Abbas.

It later also reported a series of blasts in the port city of Bushehr, which hosts the country’s only civilian nuclear power plant and lies near Kharg island, the main oil terminal through which 90 percent of the nation’s crude exports transit.

State media said a member of the military’s Revolutionary Guards was killed in Iran’s southwest.

CENTCOM said its forces had struck Iranian air defence systems, coastal radar sites and 60 IRGC small boats.

The strikes aimed ‘to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor’, it said.

Tehran’s reply came quickly, with the Guards saying they hit dozens of US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, where an AFP journalist heard blasts.

Early on Wednesday, Bahrain’s interior ministry and the Kuwaiti army both reported their air defence systems were triggered, but did not offer details of any possible damage.

Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States of ‘major’ breaches of their memorandum of understanding, including by reinstating oil sanctions and ‘violating Iranian adjustments in the strait’.

Washington revoked sanction waivers on Iranian oil sales, raising pressure on Tehran as it negotiates over a final settlement to the conflict.

The US Treasury Department cancelled a licence announced in June that had allowed Iran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil and related products through August 21.

‘Iran’s actions in the Strait were wholly unacceptable to the United States and will be met with consequences,’ a US official told AFP.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was ‘entirely performance-based’, warning that Tehran would see benefits only if it showed ‘good behaviour’.

Smoke rises at an unknown location following what U.S. Central Command says is a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, in this still image taken from video released July 7

British maritime security agency UKMTO said Tuesday an ‘unknown projectile’ hit a tanker near Hormuz, causing a fire, before two more vessels were struck, at least one by a drone.

CENTCOM identified the ships as the Marshall Islands-flagged Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged Wedyan and the Liberia-flagged Cyprus Prosperity.

All three vessels were struck close to Oman, which had proposed a temporary transit corridor hugging its coastline – an initiative opposed by Iran as it seeks to impose fees on ships using the narrow waterway.

The Al-Rekayyat is Qatari, and Doha denounced the ‘unacceptable’ attack on international maritime navigation and summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador to lodge a complaint.

Iran voiced ‘dismay’ over Qatar’s accusations in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA, calling the claims ‘unacceptable’.

‘We are now in a sensitive period where potential alternatives to an Iranian toll or fee system are being explored,’ Andreas Krieg, a security expert at King’s College London, told AFP.

‘Iran is sending a clear signal that no alternative will be accepted.’

Maritime traffic had tentatively resumed after Washington and Tehran signed the memorandum last month, but Iran has insisted there will be no return to pre-war arrangements, under which vessels could pass freely through the strait.

Under the 14-point US-Iran memorandum, Iran and Oman, which border Hormuz, must hold talks ‘to define the future administration and maritime services’ in the waterway with other Gulf states.

Teesside Lions have teamed up with Pitch! Sports Bar Middlesbrough, which is set to open in July 2026 and will feature a seven-metre LED screen, sports simulators and what aims to be a first-class atmosphere for watching live events.

Located under the A66 and opposite Stack in central Middlesbrough, the venue will offer interactive sports experiences for all ages as well as numerous TV screens throughout the venue.

James Thomson, director of Teesside Lions, said: “We are delighted to welcome Pitch Sports Bar to the Teesside Lions family.

“From our very first conversations it was clear that Pitch! shares our passion for sport, community and providing outstanding experiences for people across the region.

“As a club, we are continuing to grow at every level, from our junior programme through to our senior National League teams, and partnerships such as this are incredibly important in helping us achieve our ambitions.

“We are excited to work alongside the team at Pitch! and look forward to developing a strong relationship over the coming years.”

Pitch Sports Bar is part of the Pneuma Group, a locally based investment company committed to making a positive impact in the region.

The sponsorship agreement will see Pitch! support the Lions’ ongoing work in the National Basketball League, junior development, community outreach and the club’s collaboration with Teesside University.

The partnership is also expected to offer fans, players and sponsors additional opportunities to engage with the club outside of match days.

A spokesperson for Pitch! Sports Bar Middlesbrough said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Teesside Lions.

“The club represents everything that is positive about sport in our region – ambition, inclusivity, development and community spirit.

“We have been hugely impressed by the work being carried out by the Lions and are excited to support their journey.

“We look forward to welcoming players, supporters and sponsors to Pitch! and becoming part of the club’s continued success.”

The announcement comes as the Lions prepare for the 2026-27 season with a renewed focus on player development, community programmes and expanding the reach of basketball in the region.

It marks another year of off-court growth for the club, which sees the partnership as a way to deepen its impact in Teesside.

The Lions have thanked Pitch! for its backing and said they look forward to building a long-term partnership.

The club also encourages supporters and the wider community to follow its progress and activities through its official channels.

Fans can keep up to date with Pitch! Sports Bar Middlesbrough on social media @pitchmiddlesbrough or sign up for updates at pitchsports.bar.

The partnership aims to create new ways for fans to celebrate basketball and engage with the club outside of the arena, reflecting both organisations’ shared focus on community and high-quality experiences.

As the Lions continue to expand their presence on and off the court, the partnership is regarded as another step forward in their long-term vision for basketball across Teesside.

“There’s no need for more protein in a heatwave,” says Aisling Daly, senior lecturer in nutrition at Oxford Brookes University.

But if you fancy it, some of the most common proteins will need cooking (like meat, chicken and fish) and that can be off-putting in the heat. Even an outdoor BBQ can be too hot to handle.

Enter the air fryer. Cooking a chicken leg in the worktop device uses less than half the energy of a conventional oven, according to Radio 4’s Sliced Bread. And because they are smaller and speedier, they also pump less heat into your kitchen.

But experts say don’t forget about your slightly less fashionable slow cooker – likely buried in the back of your cupboard. Even though they run for longer, they’re typically more energy efficient and release even less heat than the air fryer.

The reality, though, is that simply by eating and digesting protein, our bodies produce more heat than other food groups.

That’s due to the energy needed by the stomach, intestines and liver to break down and absorb these complex molecules.

So that steak you crave will only bring you out in a sweat.

But you can also get your protein from lentils, nuts, milk, tofu and cheese too.

To reduce body heat while still getting your protein fix, Dr Daly recommends focusing on things like bean salads, eggs, pre-cooked meats and plenty of Greek yoghurt (frozen too).

Making a smoothie by blending up fruit, veg and yogurt (while adding in peanut butter for protein) can provide a balanced, nutritious meal in an easy way.

And it might also be time to turn to some lighter fish, such as tuna, salmon or prawns.

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The healthcare workers at the epicenter of Congo’s Ebola outbreak are walking off their jobs to protest delays in their payments, threatening efforts to slow the outbreak that officials said continues to spread faster than the response.

In Ituri province, the hardest hit among the three provinces in eastern Congo affected by the outbreak, some of the health professionals and other front-line workers told The Associated Press they’ve not been paid their wages and bonuses since the outbreak was declared on May 15. They also alleged they were working with limited gear, and were being treated unfairly by authorities as well as response teams.

“Since the Ebola virus disease outbreak was declared, we’ve been demanding payment for our work,” Dr. Biensi Kano, a member of the epidemiological surveillance committee in Ituri’s capital, Bunia, told The Associated Press.

The latest government data shows 1,708 recorded cases, including 580 deaths, and that the first month of this Ebola outbreak was already the worst on record, health authorities said. The strike comes at the start of enrollment for clinical trials for the treatment of the Bundibugyo virus that is responsible for this outbreak.

Treatment centers at near-full capacity

The World Health Organization representative in Congo, Dr. Anne Ancia, said Tuesday that the virus continues to spread, fueled by population movements and insecurity, while some treatment centers are at near-full capacity.

The non-payment of benefits “exposes us and our families to significant socio-economic difficulties and seriously undermines our living conditions,” said Kano.

In an official notice to national and provincial authorities over the weekend, front-line workers in Ituri threatened to strike if the wages were not paid in 24 hours. By Tuesday, some had already stopped working although no official strike has been declared.

The aggrieved front-line workers also include safety and security teams, those that often embark on community outreach as well as those burying patients who died from Ebola.

Congo’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the situation. Officials in Ituri, however, said they’ve met with the workers and their concerns are being addressed

When he visited the mining town of Mongbwalu — considered the hot spot for the disease — last month, Congo’s Minister of Health Roger Kamba assured the response teams that the government was prioritizing their working conditions.

“All doctors, all nurses and all staff working on the response will be fully supported. We have the money for that,” Kamba said at the time.

But front-line workers say the reality is different.

“We are doing everything we can to make the public understand how dangerous this disease is. I came here to save people’s lives, but this is how I am being thanked. We are working day and night without being paid,” said Dr. Ghislain Maneba, an epidemiologist and community investigator in the Rwampara health zone.

Meanwhile, the strike by some workers has caused concern among residents in Ituri, where measures to slow the outbreak have resulted in economic hardship.

Bunia resident Anifa Kito said she fears that response efforts may falter, further complicating daily life. “I would ask the authorities to resolve this situation before things get any worse,” she said, standing in front of her tomato stall.

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AP writer Constant Same Bagalwa in Bunia contributed to this report.

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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The 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.

Norman Mackenzie continued to work after the accident but then needed emergency surgery in a bid to save his life

A man died after falling onto a bamboo garden cane while trimming hedges, a fatal accident inquiry has heard. Norman Mackenzie fell backwards onto the cane which pierced his groin and left a fragment of his jeans embedded deep inside the wound, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.

The injury happened while the 68-year-old gardener was trimming hedges at Darnaway Castle near Forres on September 17, 2024. Despite pulling himself free and continuing to work for the rest of the day, the father of two developed a rapidly spreading infection.

Four days later he died at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary from multi-organ failure, septic shock and necrotising fasciitis – described as a flesh-eating bacterial infection. Sheriff David Harvie found that the accident could realistically have been avoided had a safer working platform been used instead of a step ladder positioned beside the edge of a sunken flower bed.

The inquiry heard Mr Mackenzie, who had worked for Moray Estates for around 40 years, misjudged the bottom step of the ladder as he climbed down. He stumbled backwards into the flower bed, where a bamboo cane penetrated his groin.

Believing the injury was not serious, he pulled the cane from his body, rested briefly and then returned to work before going home for lunch and completing the day’s duties. He attended Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin two days later after suffering increasing pain and swelling. Scans showed the injury reached from the scrotum towards the abdomen, but did not reveal that a small piece of denim from his jeans had been driven into the wound.

By the following day his condition had deteriorated sharply. Blood tests showed severe infection and emergency surgery was carried out at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where surgeons discovered widespread necrotising fasciitis and recovered a fragment of torn denim from the wound. Large areas of dead tissue from his lower abdomen, groin and scrotum had to be removed in an attempt to halt the infection.

Despite intensive care treatment, Mr Mackenzie died on September 21. While the inquiry heard evidence that earlier surgery might, with hindsight, have been beneficial if the contamination had been known, Sheriff Harvie concluded there was insufficient evidence to find that the clinical decisions made by NHS Grampian caused or contributed to Mr Mackenzie’s death. Instead, the sheriff identified failures in workplace supervision and the use of inappropriate equipment.

He found there was no clear responsibility for supervising Mr Mackenzie and that he had effectively been left to assess risks himself despite restrictions on the work he was supposed to be carrying out. Following the accident, Moray Estates removed bamboo canes from its sunken gardens and flower beds, tightened accident reporting procedures, strengthened supervision arrangements and reviewed its risk assessments with external health and safety advisers.

Sheriff Harvie made no formal recommendations, noting that significant changes had already been implemented by both Moray Estates and NHS Grampian following Mr Mackenzie’s death. The sheriff offered his condolences to both Mr Mackenzie’s family and friends.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s wedding secrets have been spilled by guest Greg James as he gushed he ‘had the best night.. probably ever’.

The BBC Radio 1 DJ was among the 1,000 guests invited to the epic Madison Square Garden nuptials on Friday night, and on Wednesday he finally returned to his Breakfast Show to reveal all in a Q&A with his team and Swifties who called in.

Greg confessed he had been lying to his friends, family and fans for months, revealing he had received his wedding invite in mid-March and only told his wife Bella Mackie, who was also invited. 

The only other person Greg could discuss the big day with was fellow guest Graham Norton.

The chatshow host and Greg were coincidentally booked on the same episode of This Morning shortly after they received their invites, where they held a whispered conversation in the dressing room.

Greg revealed that they then arranged to have a dinner alongside his wife Bella and Graham’s husband Jono McLeod, laughing: ‘We arranged to have a secret, under the cover of darkness dinner. It was like The Traitors meeting in the tower.’

The BBC Radio 1 DJ and his wife Bella Mackie were among the 1,000 guests invited to the epic Madison Square Garden nuptials on Friday night 

‘We were going to go to a restaurant and he messaged to say maybe not a restaurant so we had a secret dinner round his house to talk about it.’ We had this dinner and were like “what’s happening, where even is this wedding?”. 

At the wedding itself, Greg revealed he hung out with fellow British guests, pointing out: ‘The Brits gravitate towards each other in any situation like that, and at one point it was me and Bella, and Hugh Grant and his wife and we were watching proceedings happen.

He added that with such an array of guests invited ‘every 10 seconds’ he was star struck, pointing out: ‘It was a room full of the most famous people in the world.’

‘I just couldn’t believe it. It was like going to Madame Tussauds but the wax was animated and you could interact with wax and it talked back to you, it was absolutely mad … I had a few wees next to some NFL players.’ 

Greg also insisted that there was no champagne shortage, gushing that ‘the food was plentiful and delicious there was lots of everything.’

‘You know how sometimes at a wedding you get the first drink free on arrival? This was the first 10,000 drinks.’

Greg also revealed that contrary to rumours about watermarked invites, all of his communication about the wedding was electronic.

Taylor invited the Radio 1 DJ live on air in October and he has now revealed he received his official invite in mid March. 

Greg revealed he hung out with fellow British guests, pointing out: ‘The Brits gravitate towards each other in any situation like that, and at one point it was me and Hugh Grant and his wife’

‘This is how long I’ve been lying to you,’ he apologised. ‘The invitation arrived on my phone in the form of a link in the middle of the night when I was trying to get some sleep in Weymouth, during a storm when I had a really upset stomach.’

Greg explained that he was staying in a Weymouth hotel on March 12, the night before starting his Comic Relief cycle challenge.

‘I was going to the bathroom and I turned my phone on and this link came through saying “you have been invited to the wedding”,’ he revealed.

‘It was the night before the Comic Relief challenge and I had to sit with it all week. I turned my phone off and had to be like “I can’t deal with that right now, I’m about to cycle a 1,000km on a tandem”.’

Greg said the only person he told that week about the invite was his wife who calmly told him “you can’t focus on that now, we will deal with that in July”. 

‘So it was during an almighty storm and an almighty storm in my stomach… That was the unglamorous place I received it… All I wanted to do was shout it and tell everyone but you don’t want to be that guy that ruins it all.’

After telling his BBC bosses he was taking annual leave, he also told a white lie to organisers of the Crosswires podcast festival he was at on Thursday night. 

‘I couldn’t tell the people at the festival why I couldn’t do the rest of the weekend. I went “something’s come up”. I think they assumed it was to do with my dad not being very well so that felt bad! I can’t use him as an excuse!’ 

Greg and his wife Bella met up with fellow guest Graham Norton before the wedding, laughing that their secret dinner ‘was like The Traitors meeting in the tower’

Greg did concede that the lack of a paper invite made him suspicious that he was part of some Radio 1 prank, admitting: ‘Honestly until we were in there there was a huge part… Bella and I were like “this could be a scam” until we were in we were like “we might have made a big trip for nothing here”.’

The Radio 1 star scored his invite months after Taylor, who he has interviewed multiple times over the years, told him live on his show that he would be there. 

After Greg joked that he wanted to meet her NFL star beau Travis, Taylor laughed that he’d get the chance at the wedding, telling him he was ‘obviously’ invited.

Taking to his Instagram Stories on Saturday, Greg revealed he had indeed been at the star-studded celebration after fans wondered if he made the guest list.

After skipping his Radio 1 show on Friday, Greg had insisted to listeners he was busy in Sheffield for a live recording of his Bad Chat podcast at the Crossed Wires festival. In fact, he had jumped on a flight across the Atlantic to make it in time for Taylor’s evening nuptials. 

Sharing a photo of a slice of pizza the morning after, he joked: ‘I am currently experiencing the world’s greatest hangover and unable to reply to the hilarious number of messages I have received over the last 24hrs. 

‘But just to say: true to her word, of course the invitation arrived and I couldn’t tell anyone. And oh my God, what an unbelievably brilliant night. I’m off for a nap.’