Twenty-one-year-old Annabelle Mackay has spoken to the BBC about her experience of surviving a meningitis infection.

The University of Kent law student believes she may have contracted it on 5 March at Club Chemistry, or possibly on an evening before this when she was out at a different venue.

So far, there have been 29 cases of meningitis linked to the outbreak, with a vaccination programme being rolled out for students.

“I feel so grateful to be alive and to be here. I’m still dealing with the aftereffects now, but I think I just need to focus on my recovery and getting better and back to myself,” Mackay told the BBC.

Read more here about why this outbreak has spread so quickly, and read more here about the symptoms of the condition.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Federal prosecutors asked a judge Friday to dismiss the charges against two Louisville officers accused of falsifying the warrant that led police to raid Breonna Taylor’s apartment the night she was killed six years ago.

Prosecutors said in a court filing that their review of the case showed the charges against former Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany should be “dismissed in the interest of justice.”

Judges have twice reduced a felony charge against each officer to a misdemeanor, saying there wasn’t a direct link between the false information in the warrant and Taylor’s death. Prosecutors said after the second ruling that they had decided to drop the cases.

“We are elated with this development,” said Travis Lock, an attorney for Jaynes.

Meany’s lawyer, Michael Denbow, said he is “incredibly grateful for today’s filing.”

Meany “is looking forward to putting this matter behind him and moving forward with his life,” he said.

Taylor was shot to death by police when they broke down the door of her apartment while serving a no-knock drug warrant looking for a former boyfriend who no longer lived there.

Taylor’s boyfriend at the time fired at the officers, and Taylor was killed as police fired back.

Federal prosecutors under former President Joe Biden pressed charges against the officers. Under President Donald Trump, though, the Department of Justice asked that Brett Hankison, the only officer serving prison time related to Taylor’s killing, be let out of prison while he appeals his conviction.

Taylor’s mother, Tamkia Palmer, said in a Facebook post that she is extremely disappointed in Trump’s Justice Department.

“Their phone call today informing me that charges against the police are being dropped while implying they have helped me is utterly disrespectful,” Palmer wrote. “This is the first time I’ve heard from them since they took over and it’s clear they have not served me or Breonna well.”

A federal judge sentenced Hankison to 2 years and nine months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for blindly firing 10 shots into Taylor’s windows on the night she was killed. None of the shots hit anyone.

Neither of the two officers who did shoot Taylor was charged, after prosecutors deemed they were justified in returning fire into the apartment.

Police found no drugs or cash inside Taylor’s apartment. The city paid a $12 million wrongful death settlement to Taylor’s family.

The death of Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, led to months of protests in the streets of Louisville in 2020, the same year Ahmaud Arbery was killed while jogging in Georgia and George Floyd was choked to death by an officer in Minneapolis.

___

Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press reporter Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.

Fifa has implemented a landmark policy that teams in their tournaments must include female coaches.

Under the new ruling, at least two staff members on the bench of every team at matches must be women, with one in an assistant or head coach role.

The rules apply to international football and Fifa club competitions.

Looking across the top 10 nations in the world, six would already be compliant although only four of them have female head coaches.

But does action need to be taken in the English game?

In the Women’s Super League (WSL), BBC research suggests three teams would currently comply with Fifa’s rules. Only a third of WSL managers are female, while two clubs do not appear to have any female head coach or assistant coaches.

“To give equal opportunity, sometimes you need to inject,” said Arsenal manager Renee Slegers. “I’m very proud to be part of Arsenal where there are so many women working at a really high level.”

Fifa’s requirements come into effect for the under-17s and under-20s Women’s World Cup and Women’s Champions Cup competitions later this year.

The rationale is to spark a rapid increase in female representation in coaching roles.

The Women’s Super League says growing the number of female coaches is a priority and is taking a “thoughtful approach” in conjunction with the FA.

They point to a number of pathways already established such as the Coaching Initiative, mentoring and an elite female coaching programme, designed to improve access for women to the top levels of the English game.

Slegers added that anything the WSL could do, whether by regulations, influencing or role modelling, was “powerful”.

There was a huge response after concerns were raised over the ‘suspicious’ man

This is the moment that armed police swooped on a park in Salford and surrounded a man who was ‘exercising in a weighted vest.’

The drama unfolded at Mandley Park in Higher Broughton shortly before midday today (Friday, March 20). Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said they received a report of a ‘suspicious’ man in the park.

Dramatic videos filmed by an onlooker showed the extent of the response and seriousness with which the report was taken before it was eventually found to be a false alarm.

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In the series of clips, officers carrying guns can be seen entering he park and approaching the man from a more than one direction. Their weapons are pointed at him as he can be seen lying on the ground face down in the outdoor gym area of the park.

He then rolls over onto his back before eventually being allowed up onto his knees where he remained for a time with his hands in the air.

At one point he can be seen next to a tree, all the while under the watchful eye of the armed officers, some of whom were stood behind trees and some of whom had their faces covered.

A woman who was working in the nearby Cherrytrees care home, told the Manchester Evening News that helicopters could be heard flying overhead.

She described seeing armed police surrounding the man, with guns pointed towards him and said the man was seen lying on his front.

She added: “He didn’t protest. He was very calm, very quiet. He just laid there, rolled onto his back and police took him away. It was chaos.”

The videos show the man was being escorted from the park by officers. GMP are yet to confirm what happened to the man afterwards.

In a statement issued earlier, they said: “We received a report of a suspicious male on Bristol Street, Salford, at around 11:52am today

“Officers attended and quickly established that the individual was wearing a weighted gym vest and carrying a skipping rope while exercising at an outdoor gym. This was a false alarm and there is no threat to the wider community.”

Mandley Park is situated in the heart of Salford’s Jewish community, around one mile from the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, which was the scene of last October’s terror attack on Yom Kippur.

Large crowds of predominantly young, Jewish people were seen in attendance around Mandley Park after today’s incident unfolded.

A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which protects Jewish communities in the UK, said: “The incident in Mandley Park has now been resolved. Police have confirmed there is no wider risk to the public. We thank GMP for their swift response to what appears to have been a false alarm.”

The small tab of paper, giving details of a fish burger, chips, apple pie and some sort of drink, tells the story of an afternoon on holiday in 1984.

Travelling around Italy with my sister, it proved difficult to find a café in Venice that wasn’t either outrageously expensive or sold nothing but sweet patisseries. We ended up trailing well off the beaten track – to the point where I worried about finding our way back in the maze of alleys – when, almost on the verge of giving up, a garish neon sign ‘BURGER’ appeared. It was like spotting an oasis while lost in the desert.

While making an album of the trip on our return, I stuck the receipt for our evening meal in with the pictures, writing beside it ‘Our salvation.’ I wish I had taken a photo of the small cafe itself, but I was delirious with hunger and it was getting dark.

It’s not the only receipt I have kept from my holidays. Tickets for entry to museums, train tickets, bus tickets, receipts from shops, paper bags, napkins and matchbooks – I’ve got so many my daughters despair. Some of them are in my photo albums and notebooks, alongside pictures taken at the time. I have my ski lift pass from a school trip to Austria, I have the beautiful tickets issued for entry to the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, to see Michelangelo’s David – they are works of art in themselves – and many Paris Metro tickets.

Tickets such as these, for the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, can enhance photo albums

I have even kept small napkins from hotels and sealed, refresher sachets handed out on airlines.They are all mementoes that bring back memories. And I have so many postcards I have bought on my travels, all carefully pasted in scrapbooks in the loft.

With the advent of technology, I thought that sort of thing had all but died out, but, to my delight, it’s on its way back.

According to Hellotickets, the online platform specialising in experiences and attractions in major cities around the world, instead of documenting everything on a phone, travellers are starting to keep the small physical traces of their trip to place in albums or journals.

On TikTok and Instagram, videos about travel journaling – notebooks where travellers collect small memories and snippets from their trips – are attracting millions of views under hashtags like #traveljournal and #traveljournaling.

Hellotickets say travellers are starting to keep items such as tube tickets, postcards, museum maps, shop receipts and even sugar packets from ‘a café where you lingered longer than planned’. The latter brought a smile to my face – I am relieved it’s not just me that squirrels away such things to take home.

People are hanging on to small objects that, together, make up of the story of a trip.

“We’re seeing a real return to tangible travel memories,” says Hellotickets. “Travellers want souvenirs that feel more personal, and small everyday objects often capture the atmosphere of a moment better than a photo.”

Items that travellers no longer throw away include metro tickets, tickets for events and shows, stickers, and maps.

My dad was an avid collector of tickets; they appear in all our family holiday albums – Snowdon Mountain Railway, entry to Portmeirion in North Wales, Keswick launch on Derwentwater, cliff lifts in various seaside resorts…I could go on.

Mixed in with photographs, I think ephemera such as tickets, receipts and postcards make an album all the more interesting. Like my burger bar receipt, they can sometimes tell the story far better than pictures.

Manchester United are looking to tighten their grip on third place when they take on Bournemouth in tonight’s Premier League action.

After that setback against Newcastle United, Michael Carrick’s side responded emphatically at home to Aston Villa last weekend with Bruno Fernandes again at the heart of things.

With Chelsea and Liverpool also dropping points last weekend, United can move six points clear of the chasing pack tonight – and move within four of second place Manchester City who are preoccupied with the Carabao Cup this weekend.

The reverse fixture between these two was a chaotic thriller at Old Trafford, finishing 4-4 in November. But be warned, three of Bournemouth last four games have finished goalless.

 Metro’s LIVE matchday blog will bring you all the build-up, confirmed team news and starting XIs, goal updates and minute-by-minute coverage.

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Pinned Update March 20, 2026 6:46 pm

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Manchester United line-up

Manchester United: Lammens, Dalot, Yoro, Maguire, Shaw, Mainoo, Casemiro, Amad, Fernandes, Cunha, Mbeumo.

Subs: Bayindir, Fredricson, Malacia, Yoro, J. Fletcher, T. Fletcher, Lacey, Mantato, Obi

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March 20, 2026 6:48 pm

Bournemouth line-up

Bournemouth: Petrovic, Jimenez, Hill, Sensei, Truffert, Christie, Scott, Adli, Rayan, Tavernier, Evanilson

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Subs: Mandas, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Smith, Diakite, Kroupi, Unal, Toth, Milosavljevic

March 20, 2026 6:41 pm

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Score prediction

Alan Shearer gave Metro his Premier League predictions earlier today – here’s his verdict for Bournemouth vs Manchester United…

This is a really good game and a tough one to predict. Man United could keep their run going after they bounced back really well from their defeat at Newcastle.

I guess because of the situation that Michael Carrick has put Man United in, then they should go there with full belief and confidence. Away from home, they were really poor at Newcastle, but we’ll have to wait and see whether that’s something they need to look at. Michael Carrick has put them in a brilliant position for Champions League football, and I don’t expect them to get beaten against Bournemouth. I’m going to say a draw.

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Prediction – Draw

March 20, 2026 6:38 pm

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Form guide

Manchester United head into this game off the back of a 3-1 win at home to Aston Villa last Sunday.

Michael Carrick’s side have won four, drawn one and lost one of their last six Premier League games.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, have drawn four Premier League games in a row and their most recent result was a goalless stalemate away to Burnley last Saturday.

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March 20, 2026 6:34 pm

Team news shortly…

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Team news should land at 6.45pm but we know Manchester United will be without Lisandro Martinez, Patrick Dorgu and Matthijs de Ligt are out due to injury.

Bournemouth will be without Tyler Adams, Julio Soler, Lewis Cook and Justin Kluivert.

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March 20, 2026 6:31 pm

How to watch Bournemouth vs Manchester United

You can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League with streaming also available through the Sky Go app and NOW TV for subscribers.

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March 20, 2026 6:30 pm

Bournemouth vs Manchester United kick-off time

Bournemouth vs Manchester United kicks off tonight (Friday, 20 March) at 8pm.

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March 20, 2026 6:25 pm

Welcome

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Good evening and welcome to Metro’s live coverage of Bournemouth vs Manchester United – kick-off is at 8pm…

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HONOLULU (AP) — Thousands of residents in towns north of Honolulu were told to evacuate their homes early Friday morning as flooding from heavy rains intensified and water levels rose behind a 120-year-old dam.

Emergency sirens blared along Oahu’s famed North Shore, where rising waters damaged some homes and vehicles. Honolulu officials issued a “LEAVE NOW” evacuation order at 5:35 a.m. Friday for Waialua and Haleiwa: “Extremely dangerous flooding and Wahiawa Dam is high.”

Officials have been watching dam levels since a storm last week dumped heavy rain across the state, which led to catastrophic flooding that washed away roads and homes. After the worst of it, a similar but weaker storm was forecast to bring more rain through this weekend.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a social media post that the Hawaii National Guard has been activated to respond to the flooding. “The storm of course is very severe right now, particularly on the northern part of Oahu,” he said, describing chest-high flood waters. “It’s going to be a very touch-and-go day.”

As she prepared to evacuate to a friend’s home on higher ground, Waialua resident Kathleen Pahinui told The Associated Press in a phone interview that the aging dam is a concern every time it rains.

“Just pray for us,” she said. “We understand there’s more rain coming.”

Molly Pierce, spokesperson for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, said the evacuation order covers more than 4,000 people, though the number could be higher.

Officials issued a warning for the dam during heavy rain last week, but the water level receded as rain subsided.

“The water is actively running over the spillway right now,” she said.

The state regulates 132 dams across Hawaii, most of them built as part of irrigation systems for the sugar cane industry, according to a 2019 infrastructure report by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

In 2006, seven people were killed when the Ka Loko dam on the island of Kauai collapsed and water rushed downhill.

Around 2.7 million workers will benefit from the changes

Millions of the UK’s lowest-paid workers are set for a significant earnings boost starting April 1, as the new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect.

The increases – originally announced in the Autumn Budget – aim to assist households struggling with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, though industry leaders warn the move could fuel further inflation.

The primary National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over will climb to £12.71 per hour, a 4.1% increase. According to Treasury figures, this will result in a gross annual pay rise of approximately £900 for a full-time employee.

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A more dramatic shift is coming for younger workers, as the Government moves toward its goal of a single adult wage rate. Those aged 18–20 will see their pay jump by 8.5%, bringing their hourly rate to £10.85.

Here is a full breakdown of the new rates coming into effect next month:

• National Living Wage (21 and over): £12.71 per hour – up 50p
• Rate for age 18-20: £10.85 per hour – up 85p
• Rate for age 16-17: £8.00 per hour – up 45p
• Apprentice Rate: £8.00 per hour – up 45p

Chancellor Rachel Reeves defended the hikes, stating that she accepted the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations to ensure workers are “properly rewarded”.

“I know that the cost of living is still the number one issue for working people,” the Chancellor noted during her announcement. “Too many people are still struggling to make ends meet, and that has to change”.

While the news is a victory for labour groups, the hospitality and retail sectors have expressed grave concerns. Business owners argue that the combination of higher wages and increased National Insurance contributions is pushing many firms to the brink of closure.

Kate Nicholls, chair of UKHospitality, warned that businesses have reached their limit for absorbing costs. “These additional costs make action to reduce hospitality’s tax burden even more important,” she stated, adding that most businesses will have no choice but to pass these costs onto consumers, potentially driving up prices at restaurants, pubs, and hotels.

The wage increase arrives at a complex moment for the UK economy.

With the Bank of England currently holding interest rates at 3.75% and energy bills remaining a significant concern for many as long as the conflict in the Middle East continues, the extra £900 to £1,500 in annual earnings will provide a vital lifeline for the 2.7 million people affected.

Iran has issued a warning that tourist destinations across the globe will not be secure as the conflict with the US and Israel enters its third week

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Iran has issued warnings about potential attacks on tourist destinations worldwide as it continues to expand its missile operations.

The nation’s supreme leader made another defiant declaration on Friday, nearly three weeks after US-Israeli military action began, which has resulted in the deaths of several senior Tehran officials and dealt significant blows to its weapons manufacturing and energy infrastructure.

Meanwhile, a United States official told The Associated Press that Washington is dispatching three additional warships and roughly 2,500 Marines to the Middle East region.

Coinciding with one of Islam’s holiest days, Iran launched strikes targeting Israel and energy facilities in nearby Gulf Arab nations. Tehran has shown its capacity to execute operations that disrupt oil production and affect the worldwide economy, driving up prices for essentials like food and fuel far beyond Middle Eastern borders.

Washington and Israel have offered different rationales for the military campaign, from encouraging an internal uprising to topple Iran’s government to dismantling its nuclear capabilities and missile infrastructure.

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No public signs of any such popular revolt have emerged, nor is there any clear conclusion to the conflict in sight. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei praised the Iranian people’s steadfastness amid the ongoing hostilities.

In a televised written address marking the Persian New Year, Nowruz, Khamenei suggested the strikes by America and Israel were based on the mistaken assumption that eliminating Iran’s top officials would lead to the government’s downfall. He commended Iranians for “building a nationwide defensive front” and “delivering such a bewildering blow that the enemy fell into contradictions and irrational statements.”

On Friday, Iran’s chief military spokesman, Gen Abolfazl Shekarchi, issued a stark warning that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide would not be safe for Tehran’s adversaries. This declaration has raised concerns that Iran may resume using militant operations beyond the Middle East as a strategic tool.

A US official confirmed the additional deployment of American forces to the region, disclosing that the USS Boxer along with two other amphibious assault ships have been dispatched carrying roughly 2,500 Marines. Two further US officials acknowledged vessels were being sent, but refused to reveal their specific locations.

All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of military operations. US and Israeli officials have maintained that weeks of continuous strikes have severely weakened Iran’s military capabilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted on Thursday that Iran’s naval forces had been devastated and its air capabilities significantly weakened, claiming their ballistic missile production facilities had been knocked out. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard disputed the missile assertion on Friday.

“We are producing missiles even during war conditions, which is amazing, and there is no particular problem in stockpiling,” Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini, a spokesman, was quoted as saying in Iran’s state-run IRAN newspaper.

Moments after this announcement, Iranian state television broadcast that Naeini had been killed in an airstrike.

NATO’s supreme commander, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, announced on Friday that the alliance has pulled several hundred personnel out of Iraq and repositioned them to Europe.

Those withdrawn were serving in NATO’s security advisory mission, which was set up in 2018 to provide guidance to Iraqi defence and security authorities.

The withdrawal followed a wave of Iranian strikes targeting troops stationed at British, French, and Italian bases across the nation. Iran has intensified its assaults on energy infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations after Israel struck Iran’s extensive South Pars offshore natural gas field earlier in the week.

Loud blasts shook Dubai as air defence systems engaged incoming projectiles over the city, where many locals were observing Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. In Iran, Nowruz celebrations continued despite Israel confirming additional strikes, with blasts echoing throughout Tehran.

Explosions were also audible in Jerusalem after the Israeli military issued alerts about incoming Iranian missiles. Emergency services confirmed treating two people, both approximately 70 years old, who suffered minor injuries.

U.S. President Donald Trump launched renewed attacks on NATO partners who have refused his request for support in safeguarding the strait. Allied nations have opted not to participate in the conflict, explaining they received no prior consultation before the U.S. and Israel commenced operations. Trump labelled NATO members “COWARDS” on social media, proclaiming: “NATO IS A PAPER TIGER.”

Stevie Ross, 66, was out walking Ollie at Mill Farm in Livingston on Saturday when he suddenly slipped down an embankment and into the high water of the River Almond.

A father and son have been left heartbroken after their dog was swept away in a fast-moving river – but the pair are continuing their determined search following a potential sighting.

Stevie Ross, 66, was out walking Ollie at Mill Farm in Livingston on Saturday, March 14, when he suddenly slipped down an embankment and into the high water of the River Almond. The 15-year-old springer spaniel is completely deaf, has a weak back leg, and is showing signs of early-onset dementia – and, nearly a week later, the dad is fearing the worst.

Stevie and son Corey, 24, have been out daily looking for him and the pair have even bought a drone to search further afield. Stevie told Edinburgh Live: “He fell down an embankment into the water, which was quite high. Because he’s 15 now and got a weak back leg, he’s not the strongest swimmer. I couldn’t get to him because of all the foliage and trees, and he just disappeared in seconds.”

“I’m devastated, because he’s my best friend. He gets all my problems. I tell him when I come home at night what I’ve been doing and talk to him constantly. Him and Corey are also inseparable. We’ve had him since Corey was 10, so he’s absolutely heartbroken as well.”

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The pair have had support from Muzzle Mutts, a volunteer search crew for lost dogs, who arranged for a tracker dog, drones and thermal imaging cameras to search areas around the river, which eventually runs into the Firth of Forth at Cramond.

Stevie added: “Our feeling is he’s possibly got out of the river and he’s wandering about goodness knows where. We’ve been up and down the river, in the water with waders. We need to find him.

“I’ve got to the point now that even if I found his wee body, at least I’d have some closure. But I’m hoping that’s not the case, we’re not giving up. We had a sighting near Blackburn last night, so we’ve been out there today. We had another one as well not long after he went in, and were fairly sure it was him, but we couldn’t find him.”

Ollie is described as a black-and-white springer spaniel. He was wearing a black harness with white reflective strips and a label reading “Security”. Stevie has warned people not to approach him in case he becomes frightened – instead advised them to contact the “Hazel Muzzle Mutts” page via Facebook.

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