The Black Rabbit is opening in the former Hollathans on Ashfield Terrace in Chester-le-Street after its long-time owners stepped away from the venue after 20 years.

The venue has been taken over by Terry Haley, 32, and Richard Nellis, 57.

Terry runs bars in Durham including The Drunken Duck and the Ye Old Elm Tree, while Richard is best known for running Hibou Blanc and The Grey Owl. He also runs the Abbey Group, a construction company specialising in the hospitality sector.

Black Rabbit is set to open this week in the former Hollathans in Chester-le-Street. (Image: BLACK RABBIT/ FACEBOOK)

The new owners have invested £750,000 into a refurbishment of the premises.

The pair met in a sauna and eventually decided to work together.

The Black Rabbit is set to open on Ashfield Terrace this Friday, April 10, for drinks only over the weekend before closing again from Monday until Friday, April 17, when it will relaunch with a full bar and kitchen.

The owners said the decision to open earlier than planned came after strong interest online from people wanting to visit the venue.

Richard and Terry said: “It has always been a well-established place within the town that recently had dwindled away, but it was still a staple in the area and so when we saw the opportunity we just had to take it.

“The Black Rabbit will be a luxury, nice offering bringing something up market to the area, similar to what Richard has already built with his higher end places.

“Due to demand and response that we didn’t expect to this level we will be opening for drinks only on Friday (April 10) and a full opening with the kitchen the following week.”

Obese-Jecty, a former Army officer, said: “Four weeks late to the Eastern Mediterranean and lasted two weeks before suffering maintenance issues, with the MoD claiming it’s a scheduled stop, just as the potential of retaliatory Iranian strikes within hours is the lead headline around the world.”

Kai Havertz came off the bench to score Arsenal’s late winner at Sporting Lisbon and Theo Walcott insists the Gunners are far better when the German is starting

Theo Walcott is adamant that Arsenal are “always a better team when Kai Havertz is in it” after the German landed a late winner to down Sporting Lisbon.

The Gunners produced the perfect response to their domestic setbacks by beating the Portuguese outfit on the road. Arsenal became the first time to win at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Europe this season, owing to the German’s late goal.

Havertz had begun the night on the bench but combined with another substitute in Gabriel Martinelli to put Arsenal in the driving seat ahead of next week’s second-leg. The ex-Chelsea man had been out injured earlier this season and is still looking to re-establish himself as a starter.

He has previously been used as the focal point of the attack, but that is no longer the case with Arsenal boasting a No 9 in Viktor Gyokeres. It leaves Havertz still seeking a natural home in the starting XI.

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John Cross

READ MORE: Kai Havertz strikes late as Arsenal steal victory vs Sporting Lisbon – 5 talking points

But Walcott insists that Arsenal look better when they find a spot for the German. He said on Amazon Prime Video: “He’s had a few injuries so I’m really pleased for him, but I always feel like they’re a better team when he’s in it.”

Havertz scored for just the fourth time this season but, despite lapping up some of the plaudits, maintained that it was the Arsenal goalkeeper who deserved huge praise. David Raya made several big saves to keep the game goalless until stoppage time, including one in the first-half, with the German citing him as the world’s best.

The match winner said on the Spanish shot stopper: “Unbelievable. I think still underestimated in the world of football but for me, the last two seasons, the best keeper in the world. He’s outstanding, he’s saved us so many times and we’re very glad to have him.”

Arsenal’s win was timely given losses in the Carabao Cup final and then the FA Cup quarter-finals and Havertz maintains that top honours are firmly in their sights with Mikel Arteta’s outfit eyeing the Premier League and glory in Europe.

He said: “Definitely a big turnaround for us because we lost the last two matches. So we wanted to get a turnaround today and we made that happened. We stick together as a group, we have so much more to come this season. Seven weeks to go, we can win big titles and we’re going to go for that.”

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Trent Alexander-Arnold starts for the home side tonight with Jude Bellingham on the bench. 18-year-old Thiago Pitarch is given a start in midfield. With no Thibaut Courtois available tonight, Ukrainian Andriy Lunin starts in goal.

Real Madrid: Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras, Valverde, Thiago, Tchouameni, Guler, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. 
Substitutes: Gonzalez, Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Bellingham, Camavinga, Gonzalo, Asencio, Ceballos, Garcia, Brahim, Mastantuono. 

The visitors are boosted by the return of Harry Kane, who is fit to start after an ankle knock. He forms part of a dangerous attacking quartet for Bayern alongside Luis Diaz, Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise.

Bayern Munich: Neuer, Upamecano, Tah, Kimmich, Gnabry, Kane, Diaz, Olise, Laimer, Stanisic, Pavlovic. 
Substitutes: Urbig, Kim, Goretzka, Musiala, Jackson, Davies, Bischof, Ito, Guerreiro, Osmani, Karl. 

Three men were taken to hospital after a violent disturbance thought to have involved weapons on Copster Hill Road in Oldham, with police sealing off the street as they investigate

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Police rushed to a street in Oldham and cordoned it off after three people sustained injuries in a violent incident believed to have involved weapons.

Officers were dispatched to Copster Hill Road shortly before 3pm today after receiving reports of a disturbance involving a group of individuals that turned violent. Three men, aged 19, 23 and 24, were transported to hospital from the scene with injuries not considered to be life-threatening.

Greater Manchester Police are now investigating the possible use of weapons during the altercation.

Police and paramedics were photographed at the scene, where a cordon was observed extending across the pavement. Blood was also spotted splattered on the ground, according to Manchester Evening News.

Anyone with information or CCTV footage is being urged to get in touch with police, reports the Mirror.

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Detective Inspector Kelly Paterson from GMP’s Oldham CID said: “We appreciate the concern an incident of this nature would cause the local community and we’re like to reassure them there is believed to be no wider threat.

“There is a scene in place as our forensic investigators establish the full circumstances of the incident however, we are working at pace to identify those involved.

“Violence has no place on our streets, and our officers will be out in the local area to support communities. If you have any information or footage of the incident, please contact Oldham CID on 0161 856 8906, quoting log 1895 of 07.04.2026.”

Fears of fuel shortages have been sparked recently as the number of tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz was reduced to a trickle amid threats from Iran, which experts say effectively controls the waterway.

Now some of those concerns are coming to fruition with several countries experiencing shortages.

Normally, about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies flow through the strait but since the start of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February shipping has almost come to a standstill.

Money blog: Interest rate on many student loans to be capped

Iranian retaliatory attacks have forced vessels to stay put, causing petrostate storage facilities to fill and some production to cease.

More than 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum liquids per day normally transit the Strait of Hormuz, but daily traffic is reportedly down by about 95%. However, some ships linked to Pakistan, China and India are being allowed through by Iran.

But the impacts of supply disruption are showing up in some countries and not just in higher prices.

Mainland Europe

The risk of jet fuel shortages hitting in early May and June has been highlighted by the head of Europe’s biggest airline, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary, who spoke to Sky News.

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Already in Italy, however, there are temporary restrictions on fuel supplies at four airports.

President of the Italian Civilian Aviation Authority, Pierluigi Di Palma, however, said this was primarily due to increased air traffic during the Easter holidays.

“The Middle East conflict is not yet a current issue, nor does it overlap with the fuel supply issue,” he told Italian media.

The elevated cost of fuel has led to some airline cancellations. Scandinavian airline SAS said last month it would cancel at least 1,000 flights in April due to surging aviation costs.

Meanwhile, in France, just under one in five petrol stations (18%) were on Tuesday morning lacking some ​kind of fuel, according to French junior ​energy ‌minister Maud Bregeon.

The UK

While supplies have not been disrupted in the UK, some petrol stations have had pumps out of service.

A boss of Asda, the UK’s second-largest fuel retailer, warned at the end of March of “temporary shortages”.

Asda’s executive chair, Allan Leighton, said it had been experiencing high demand from drivers and “the odd pump” would be affected as demand outpaced supply.

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‘There will be fuel shortages’

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Supply has remained stable but speaking to Sky News, a former BP executive, Nick Butler, said the government should be “seriously planning how they’re going to handle” potential outages.

Some corners of the world have struggled more, particularly less wealthy nations. While dozens of countries have brought in fuel use curbs as well as increased production measures and are managing, others are affected by low stocks.

Read more: How countries are dealing with rising oil and gas prices

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Are vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz?

The Americas

Peru has faced the double impact of a gas pipe rupture and Iran war-related supply difficulty, leading the government to implement emergency measures, and the UK government advising against all but essential travel to parts of Peru.

Similarly, Cuba has been hit doubly hard by the supply shock. Since January, it has been impacted by supply difficulties after the Trump administration blocked oil supplies from entering the country.

In the US, the average price for a gallon of gasoline topped $4 on Tuesday last week for the first time since 2022, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Asia

In South Korea, people have been panic-buying bin bags amid fears of a shortage. The bags are made from polyethylene which is derived from naphtha – a refined product of crude oil.

In India, a shortage of gas has seen the ceramics industry shut for nearly a month in the western region of Gujarat.

State media in Vietnam said last week ‌the country’s airlines were planning to cut their ​operations due to a fuel shortage.

In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of national energy emergency, which his administration said posed “an imminent danger of a critically low energy supply”.

Australia

Last Friday, Australians were urged to “avoid panic buying” as the government revealed more than 600 service stations had run out of fuel.

Energy minister Chris Bowen confirmed there were 410 service stations across the country out of diesel and 193 without petrol.

Mr Bowen sought to reassure Australians about the fuel supplies, telling motorists there was no need to panic buy.

Africa

Like in the UK, excess demand from South African motorists caused large queues and some outages.

After a March shipment to Mauritius did not arrive, the government introduced energy-saving measures, limiting nonessential electricity use.

In just a few years, generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) has brought about significant changes in many industries from healthcare to education, entertainment to finance, and even law.

The use of gen AI in court verdicts poses significant risks to justice. Erroneous outcomes generated from “hallucinated” information, discriminatory decisions and lack of transparency are all concerns when this technology is introduced to courtrooms.

But already a number of judges around the world have used it in decision-making and judgment writing. This is why some jurisdictions, including the UK, have issued guidelines for judges regarding AI use.

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‘Hallucinated’ cases are affecting lawyers’ careers – they need to be trained to use AI

Broadly, the guidelines suggest judges might use AI as a tool to conduct preparatory works such as drafting summaries of long documents, translating legal documents, identifying legal precedents or enhancing readability of documents. They recommend against the application of it for core judicial functions, including decision-making.

Recently, some senior judicial leaders have opined that AI might be used to decide “low-stakes” or less-complex cases with adequate precautions, such as keeping a human judge in the loop.

In a November 2024 speech, the UK’s second most senior judge, Geoffrey Vos, spoke of a “spectrum” of legal decisions that AI might soon make, or help make.

Vos said the use of AI for “broadly mechanical decisions, like those about the amount of a pension or benefits, or the calculation of personal injury damages and loss of earnings” would likely save money and time. But he called for discussion on whether such use would violate essential human rights.

A year later, Vos again called for “serious debate” about what rights humans should have protected in this context. And he urged that AI be “used responsibly, effectively and safely in legal systems and processes”.

AI has long been discussed as a threat to jobs and livelihoods. But what’s the reality? In this new series, we explore the impact it is already having on different occupations – and how people really feel about their AI assistants.

A number of jurisdictions are testing or using AI in such “mechanical” cases already. Estonia uses a semi-automated small-claims system in civil proceedings for monetary claims up to €7,000 (£6,100), with human clerks overseeing the process.

Frankfurt District Court in Germany has tested an AI system named Frauke to deal with air passenger rights lawsuits. Frauke analyses earlier cases and rulings to create pre-configured draft judgments. Judges assemble final verdicts from these texts following their ruling, significantly reducing the time spent drafting.

Taiwan piloted an AI-powered tool to assist courts by producing ruling notices for Driving Under Influence cases, or aiding and abetting in fraud cases. The AI system generates a complete draft ruling including the facts, legal reasoning, citations and final verdict. The judge reviews this draft and, upon approval, can issue it as the official judgment, with or without modifcations.

It is evident from these examples that the key motivation to replace human judges in a certain category of cases is efficiency. As a result, a few other jurisdictions are also exploring the scope of integrating gen AI to adjudicate certain litigation without human judges.

The cost of using gen AI as judge

Courts are overburdened, and technology like gen AI promises consistency and efficiency. But it would mark a significant change of centuries-old practice. And it risks undermining what some legal scholars argue is a fundamental principle of justice: the right to be judged by a human being.

Court adjudication is not only about reaching a decision. It is about a holistic and fair process that includes the right to be heard – presenting defence, weighing competing narratives, and exercising judgment in light of law and equity.

Algorithmic tools, no matter how advanced, do not hear or “understand” even their own output, let alone human values or changing social contexts. Gen AI cannot recognise suffering, credibility, remorse or vulnerability like a human. That alone makes it unfit to sit in a judge’s seat.

Categorising cases as simple or complex may look pragmatic, but it is both legally and morally dangerous. What counts as a “simple, routine or mechanical” case is itself a human decision. Legal disputes over compensation or benefits may appear straightforward on paper, yet carry significant consequences for the person bringing the case.

Allocating such cases as appropriate for algorithmic adjudication risks creating a two-tier justice system – in which one group of citizens gets to present their case before a human judge, while others are handled by machines. Only the former, I would argue, are exercising their right to a fair hearing and trial before an independent and impartial tribunal, as protected under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Additionally, the efficiency argument may become illusory. Algorithmic systems like gen AI require continuous human oversight, auditing and rectification. Hallucination or mistakes, whether from flawed design or biased training data, can completely negate the claimed benefits.

Public trust matters in all legal systems. If people lose trust in automated decisions, appeals will increase – adding to the existing backlog of cases.

Emerging technology such as gen AI may be suitable to manage court administration and reducing clerical burdens. But substituting human judges, even in supposedly low-stakes cases, undermines basic principles of justice. Efficiency should not come at the expense of the values the justice system exists to protect.

MoD says the Royal Navy warship, HMS Dragon, is reportedly still on a ‘very high level of readiness’ – despite having to sail into port for repairs to its water systems

The Royal Navy warship deployed to protect Britain’s bases after the conflict in Iran erupted is now in port having repairs.

HMS Dragon, the Type 45 Destroyer, was sent to the Med to protect Britain’s airbases after criticism of a lack of action from the UK. HMS Dragon is one of the most advanced warships in the world packed with high-tech weaponry, including a naval gun capable of firing 25 rounds a-minute.

But the warship has now had to pull out of duties near Cyprus because of maintenance issues after suffering issues with its water supplies.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed the destroyer has now sailed to a safe berth and is undergoing repairs but they stressed the destroyer still remains at a “very high level of readiness” and “ able to sail at short notice if required”.

Officials have described it as ‘a minor technical issue with onboard water systems’ and the crew still had access to catering and showers.

The news will add fuel to the fire after US President Donald Trump mocked Sir Keir Starmer saying he’s “no Winston Churchill’ and derided the Royal Navy.

READ MORE: Greece ‘readying for Iran missile attack’ on NATO bases with thousands vulnerableREAD MORE: HMS Dragon ‘has spent three days in English Channel’ after leaving to defend Cyprus

HMS Dragon was despatched to protect Britain’s air bases in Cyprus, after one of its bases, RAF Akrotiri, was hit by a drone. But it took nine days after the attack for it to set off from Portsmouth as work was finished on board.

The ship’s commander, Iain Giffin said in a statement as they left: “We are trained for this, we are ready for this, we have the equipment and people, we have the support of the British people and, most importantly, our families and friends.”

The drone was launched by Iranian proxy group Hezbollah in Lebanon on Sunday, March 1st and HMS Dragon left on the 10th.

Defence sources insist despite the current technical problems, the crew have had access to water and catering and that a logistics stop at ‘approximately this point in her deployment’ had been planned in advance.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told The Mirror: “HMS Dragon is undertaking a routine logistics stop and a short maintenance period in the Eastern Mediterranean, allowing the ship to take onboard provisions, optimise systems, and conduct maintenance.

“HMS Dragon will remain at a very high level of readiness during this period, able to sail at short notice if required.

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“The UK continues to maintain a robust and layered defensive presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, working in coordination with allies.

“This includes Typhoon and F-35 jets, Wildcat and Merlin helicopters, and advanced counter-drone and air defence systems.”

They said a minor technical issue with onboard water systems was spotted after they arrived in port. They said they would not comment on the location for security reasons.

But officials said HMS Dragon’s weapons and systems will also be “further optimised during this period, allowing for greater flexibility for future deployments in the region, should they be required.”

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This news comes after a Ministry of Defence (MOD) source said on Sunday that reports of a Royal Navy vessel in the Mediterranean being struck by Hezbollah missiles were fake.

Rumour spread on social media over Easter that a British warship had sustained damage after being struck by the Lebanese militant group, with claims they had mistaken it for an Israeli vessel. But an MoD source said the claims were not true.

The US President has given Tehran until 1am on Wednesday UK time to end its blockade of the strait or face ‘obliteration’.

Writing on his Truth Social platform he said: “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.’

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Trump has said the US will attack Iran’s bridges and power stations, saying he was ‘not at all’ concerned that attacks on civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime.

Democrats have been voicing concerns about the 79 year old’s mental state and calling for his removal from office after he used an Easter Sunday social media post to warn Iran to ‘Open the f***in’ Strait, you crazy bas**rds, or you’ll be living in Hell.”

Yassamin Ansari, the only Iranian American Democrat in Congress, wrote on social media: “The President of the United States is a deranged lunatic, and a national security threat to our country and the rest of the world.”

And she said in a statement she will introduce articles of impeachment against War Secretary Hegseth next week for “repeatedly violating his oath of office and his duty to the Constitution.”

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“Hegseth’s reckless endangerment of U.S. servicemembers and repeated war crimes, including bombing a girls’ school in Minab, Iran and willfully targeting civilian infrastructure, are grounds for impeachment and removal from office.”