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The inaugural Washy Comedy Festival will run from May 21 to May 23 at Arts Centre Washington.

It promises a packed programme of laughter with stand-up, solo shows and family entertainment featuring talent from across the region.

Lee Kyle, comedian and co-organiser of the festival from the not-for-profit comedy co-operative Felt Nowt, said: “It’s going to be great – I’m beyond excited.

“A couple of us were doing regular solo shows at Arts Centre Washington and we got talking and it’s such a lovely venue we realised it would be perfect for a festival.

“That’s where the idea came from and we’re delighted with the line-up we’ve pulled together.”

Matt Reed (Image: Supplied)

Headlining the festival is award-winning comedian Matt Reed with his latest show Stalked.

The show dives into the surreal reality of being relentlessly pursued by an over-enthusiastic fan, blending tension, absurdity and razor-sharp humour.

Reed, originally from Sunderland, will take to the stage on Saturday, May 23 at 7.30pm.

Tickets are priced at £13.

Mr Kyle said: “Matt has a really big following and this show is brilliant and a bit different.”

Other highlights include Elaine Robertson’s Edinburgh Fringe-winning show Delulu, which explores self-belief, delusion and navigating modern life, including the fine line between confidence and complete fantasy.

Robertson will perform on Friday, May 22 at 7.30pm, with tickets available for £10.

Alex Redman (Image: Supplied)

Alex Redman will perform on Thursday, May 21 with her show Sunshine Space Cadet. For her show Alex combs through the eccentricities of life, her sunny disposition, mental illness and the conflict that comes with being an oddball whilst also desperately wanting to be liked.

Tickets for Redman’s performance are £10.

Friday’s programme also includes the Babes in Arms Comedy Club at 1pm, hosted by Nicola Mantalios and Kelly Rickard.

The show is designed for parents and carers to enjoy stand-up comedy in a baby-friendly environment.

Tickets are £8.

Mr Kyle will also be performing with his Giant Comedy Show for Families Who Aren’t Boring.

His high-energy performance mixes stand-up and spontaneous audience interaction. It’s family entertainment with an edge – fast, funny and anything but ordinary.

His show will be on Saturday, May 23 at 2pm, with tickets costing £7.

He said: “It’s a show for kids, but I treat them as adults and treat the adults as kids.

“It’s a bit of fun, a bit naughty but a space where the kids can forget about school and just enjoy themselves.”

A mid-air crash erupted above a military site in Idaho with emergency crews rushing to the scene and a massive plume of smoke seen hovering over the area

A mid-air crash at a US air show has sent a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the sky, with witnesses reporting seeing four parachutes moments after the incident.

The collision happened during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show near Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. The event sees military and civilian aircraft perform flying displays and demonstrations.

Officials said the crash took place around two miles north-west of the base, where emergency crews rushed to the scene.

Base spokesperson Antwain Hanks confirmed the crash to the Idaho Statesman.

An air show announcer told the crews were able to eject, the publication added. “We had four good parachutes,” the announcer told the crowd.

“The crews were able to eject. They’re located one mile south of where the smoke is. The parachutes came down.”

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WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaigners have launched new High Court legal action against the DWP’s decision not to compensate the 1950s-born women impacted by changes to the state pension age.

The WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaigners have reignited their fight for DWP compensation. Labour announced in January 2026 that there would be no payouts for the 1950s-born women represented by WASPI and other campaign groups.

WASPI has fought for more than a decade to secure compensation for the generation of women affected by their state pension age rising from 60 to 65 and subsequently to 66, aligning it with men’s. Their argument centres on inadequate notification from the DWP about the change.

They claim many women remained oblivious until the last minute, with their retirement arrangements shattered when they discovered their state pension would not commence for several additional years. In rejecting compensation, the Government argued that the majority of women were aware of the change, and earlier notification letters would have had minimal impact.

This position came despite the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman examining the matter and concluding there was ‘maladministration’ by the Government. The watchdog proposed payments between £1,000 and £2,950, reports the Express.

New legal challenge

However, WASPI has revealed it is pursuing fresh legal proceedings against the DWP’s refusal to provide compensation. They are seeking a judicial review of the decision at the High Court. Angela Madden, chair of the WASPI campaign, said: “The Government has had every opportunity to do the right thing for WASPI women. Instead, they have made a political choice that risks alienating voters in hundreds of marginal seats across the country.

“Labour MPs have seen the electoral data. They know WASPI women have the numbers to unseat them. Yet ministers continue to ignore the independent Ombudsman, their own backbenchers, and millions of voters.”

A fair compensation amount

Hannah Martin, women’s pensions expert and founder of www.richretiree.com, backs the campaign and believes the WASPI women are deserving of compensation. She said: “I believe they should be awarded compensation. But it’s difficult to ascertain what is a ‘fair’ amount, as the financial impact hasn’t been the same for every woman.

“A flat payment scheme would be much simpler to administer, however this could lead to some women still being left out of pocket, and others receiving more than they lost. Some kind of simplified graduated scheme would be fairer.”

When asked whether the WASPI women stand a realistic chance of ultimately securing compensation, she said: “That’s a tricky question to answer, given Keir Starmer’s change of stance on the issue. In 2018 he rightly said WASPI was ‘a real injustice’ and that ‘we need to do something about it.’ And yet, when given the opportunity to act on these words as Prime Minister, he backed out, blaming lack of money.

“That said, I would never underestimate a determined, angry group of women. The WASPI women are undeterred in their campaign and they appear to have a considerable amount of support backing their legal challenge.”

Numerous individual MPs have previously declared their backing for the WASPI cause. Several political parties have likewise long championed compensation, amongst them the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and the Green Party.

All three parties achieved notable victories in the recent local elections. Ms Martin expressed her hope that this would strengthen support for the WASPI cause, saying: “It’s certainly an emotive issue that impacts and touches a significant number of people across the UK. But politicians have a habit of championing popular issues when campaigning, only to back away from action once they are in a position to actually make a change – as we have already seen with Keir Starmer.”

Ms Madden said: “After losing nearly 1,500 seats in the recent local elections, the [Labour] party now has a clear choice: listen to WASPI women and compensate them fairly, or face the consequences at the next General Election. We will not be ignored, and we will not give up this fight.”

Earlier in May, the country’s tourism minister, Olga Kefalogianni, said the Greek government did not want visitors to be “burdened” by bureaucratic procedures when entering or leaving the country.

She confirmed at the time that British visitors would not face biometric checks at the border at any time during the summer season.

However, European and Greek authorities have now clarified that suspension of the system is permitted only during periods of high passenger traffic at specific entry points and does not apply to any country or nationality.

In response to a question from The Associated Press on Thursday (May 14), the Foreign Ministry said: “We have not received any further update or clarification as to whether, for example, specific nationalities are temporarily exempt from the relevant procedure.”

This won’t just affect Brits, but any non-EU (European Union) nationals who have to go through the biometric scanners.

Greece insists it has “successfully started the full operation of the Entry-Exit System”.

However, in practice, it suspended biometric checks on UK visitors in early April after long queues built up at Corfu airport.

Private tour operators fear additional airport checks could discourage travel from the UK to the EU, and widen the disparity with EU citizens, who can move within the bloc without passport checks

What are the new EU entry/exit system rules?

BBC News reports that back in April, the EU completed the introduction of its controversial new digital border procedure, known as the “entry-exit system”, or EES.

It requires short-term visitors from outside the EU and the European Economic Area to register biometric data each time they enter or leave the Schengen free travel zone.

Recommended reading:

The first time they cross the border, this is meant to include fingerprints and a facial scan, with one of those being checked each time they go through passport control.

Although the system is working well in some parts of the EU, there have been serious difficulties in others, with some passengers experiencing queues of up to three hours.

Have you experienced long delays travelling to Europe due to biometric checks? Let us know in the comments.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — When Charles Wandfluh voted in Louisiana’s Republican primary over the weekend, he could only conjure the unflattering image of a panicked rodent when talking about Bill Cassidy’s desperate attemp t to cling to his U.S. Senate seat despite opposition from President Donald Trump.

“He’s just a squirrel running around the tree, chasing nuts to find whatever he can get to benefit him,” said Wandfluh, 57, in a suburb of New Orleans.

Cassidy’s scramble was in vain, and his defeat on Saturday demonstrated the near-impossibility of a political future within the Republican Party without Trump’s acquiescence. Despite outspending his rivals, Cassidy finished third in the primary, falling short of even making a runoff. The outcome was the latest and perhaps most spectacular failure by a Republican who tried to cross Trump and get away with it.

Even within a party notorious for its political contortions during the Trump era, Cassidy stood out. As a doctor, he overlooked Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine activism to support his nomination as Trump’s health secretary, only inevitably to clash with Kennedy once he took the job.

Cassidy was also unable to repair his relationship with Trump five years after voting to convict him during his impeachment trial over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Although Cassidy tried to assure Republican voters that he remained committed to Trump’s agenda, that did not satisfy their loyalty to the Republican president.

“He was trying to portray himself side by side with Trump, like he has worked with Trump on this and that,” Wandfluh complained. “I’m like, ‘You voted to impeach the guy!’”

Trump’s endorsed candidate

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, endorsed by Trump, and state Treasurer John Fleming, a former Trump administration official, will compete for the Republican nomination on June 27.

“There is no greater endorsement than the endorsement of President Trump,” said Letlow, who was first in the voting Saturday. “We’ll always be singing that from the mountaintops.”

Trump liked what he heard, posting on social media that it was a “great victory speech tonight by Julia!!!” The president stomped on Cassidy’s electoral grave, describing the senator as ungrateful for previous support.

“His disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of legend, and it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” Trump wrote.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who feuded with Trump in the past but has since become a model of loyalty to the president, had no sympathy for his vanquished colleague.

“What’s the headline? Trump’s strong. Those who try to destroy Trump politically, stand in the way of his agenda, are going to lose,” Graham said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “You can disagree with President Trump, but if you try to destroy him, you’re going to lose. Because this is the party of Donald Trump.”

Purging the party

Graham once described Trump as a “kook” who was “unfit for office,” and he appeared to break with Trump after the Jan. 6 riot by saying “enough is enough.” But Graham did not vote to convict Trump during the impeachment trial, unlike Cassidy and six other Republican senators.

Four of them — Richard Burr of North Carolina, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania — did not run for another term afterward.

Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, who remains in office and is a vocal Trump skeptic, won reelection in 2022 when Trump was out of office. There also is Maine’s Susan Collins, who has faced Trump’s wrath but not a primary challenge as she runs for a sixth term in November. As a Republican senator from a state won by Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the last presidential election, she remains crucial for her party’s control of Congress.

Trump’s grip on his party is noteworthy given his lame-duck status — he is constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term even though he has mused about it — and his low poll numbers. He is presiding over lingering inflation, economic dissatisfaction and an unpopular war with Iran, yet Republicans remain largely in lockstep with him.

As he approaches the back half of his second term, Trump appears to be finalizing a wholesale makeover of the party that he began a decade ago, and his appetite for retribution does not appear to be waning.

Earlier this month, he successfully dislodged five Indiana state senators who opposed his redistricting plan. On Tuesday, he is backing a challenger to U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s primary. Massie angered Trump by opposing his signature tax legislation over concerns about the national debt, pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and opposing his decision to go to war with Iran.

Over the weekend, Trump suggested that he could next target U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado because of her support for Massie.

“Even though I long ago endorsed Boebert, if the right person came along, it would be my Honor to withdraw that Endorsement, and endorse a good and proper alternative,” Trump said, although the filing deadline for Colorado candidates passed months ago.

All about Trump

After his defeat, Cassidy addressed Trump’s influence without naming him.

“Our country is not about one individual. It is about the welfare of all Americans, and it is about our Constitution,” the senator told supporters in Baton Rouge. “And it is the welfare of my people, and my state, and my country, and our Constitution to which I am loyal.”

But Trump’s role was central for many Republican voters.

Mark Schulingkanp, who is 46 and works in the shipping industry, said he voted for Letlow precisely to avoid the conflict that has marked Cassidy’s relationship with Trump.

“Getting federal dollars into the state is the most important thing to me, to help people with jobs,” he said. “Clearly having a senator that the president doesn’t like could cause a challenge or impede federal dollars coming to the state for roads, bridges, so many different programs.”

Jeanelle Chachere, a 66-year-old nurse, described Cassidy as a “phony” and said she voted for Letlow solely because of Trump’s endorsement.

“I’m going by what he says because I like what he does,” she said.

In a sign of how Cassidy had backed himself into a political corner, he also lost support in some quarters for going along with Trump’s demands.

Mark Workman, a 75-year-old retired physician, said he voted for Fleming to punish Cassidy for backing Kennedy’s confirmation.

“If Cassidy had stood up and blocked RFK, I would definitely have supported him because that would have been a strong, ballsy move,” Workman said. “He had the ability to stop him and he was too weak to do that.”

___

Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Ed Richardson, programme director for transport at BusinessLDN, said the disruption caused by this week’s strikes will “impact London’s reputation” as a place to invest and do business, at a turbulent time when firms are already grappling with the effects of the Iran war and political instability at home amid the government’s leadership crisis.

A street mural has been painted in honour of Bowie’s one-time performance in the Cambridgeshire city

Before some musical artists conquered the world, they played smaller venues to kick start their career. Across Cambridgeshire, there were a number of venues used by famous musicians that people may not know about.

There was the former Boat Race pub in Cambridge where Oasis played in 1994, as well as Queen who played at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. In Peterborough, there was one music venue where David Bowie played for one time only.

While it was mainly used as a dance venue, The Palais in Wentworth Street was a popular place to be. The venue was established by Wisbech promoter Norman Jacobs.

Mr Jacobs previously provided entertainment at the Corn Exchange, however his lease for the building ended in May 1964. As a result, he moved his venue to Wentworth Street with dreams of a bigger entertainment venue for people.

Throughout the 1960s, the venue was host to a number of big artists including The Kinks, The Who, The Hollies and Manfred Mann. Bowie performed at the Palais with his short-lived band, David Bowie & The Buzz, on March 10, 1966.

This was the only time Bowie performed in Peterborough. Just three years after his Peterborough performance, he shot to fame with Space Oddity.

This was during Bowie’s most famous era in the 1970s when he was his alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. To mark his only performance in Peterborough, which many people may not know about, a mural has been painted in his honour.

The mural is outside the former Palais venue, and was painted by street artist Nathan Murdoch and artist Tony Nero. For anyone who didn’t know Bowie performed in Peterborough before stardom, they can go and see this new piece of street art that marks the occasion.

Countryfile star Adam Henson shared his concerns on his livestock after a ‘terrible’ spell.

Countryfile presenter Adam Henson has had his worries alleviated following a “terrible” spell for some of his animals.

The farming broadcaster provided an update on his lambs after his farm endured a “hideous” drought the previous year.

During one segment in Sunday’s edition of the BBC show, Adam opened by saying: “Improving biodiversity is only one part of the challenge on the farm. We’re also trying to breed livestock that can thrive with fewer inputs.”

He went on to explain: “These are our rams, and last year, we set off with a bit of an experiment, we brought in two new breeds, the Romneys, the white-faced ones, we got two mature rams in there, and they were to breed replacements, so they go on to our yews and we keep their daughters.

“They came from a flock where they’d been concentrating on working out that those lambs need less wormers that you’d put into the gut of the animal to kill the stomach worms. They’re expensive to use but they are also a little bit damaging to the environment,” reports the Express.

“The other rams over there are the Hampshire Downs, and for the Hampshire, it is all about meat production, but for them, last year’s lambs, it was a difficult trial, because we had a terrible drought with very little grass.

“This year, we’ve got to work out whether they’re producing the quality of lamb we need to be able to send into the markets.”

Adam continued by explaining how Hampshire Downs had been introduced to rear lambs that thrive solely on their mother’s milk and grass, eliminating the requirement for manufactured feeds, thereby reducing costs and environmental impact.

Following last year’s challenging drought conditions, Adam and his livestock manager Sam are examining this year’s outcomes.

Adam said to Sam: “Last year, we had that hideous drought, I was feeding hard food to the yews and lambs which is very unusual, it got quite difficult to judge.”

Sam replied: “They really go backwards, it was a tough time, there was nothing we could do.”

He added: “It was a tough time so fingers crossed, we have a fairly stable year weather wise, that would be great, so they’ll thrive.”

Observing some of the flock, Adam noted how one set of twins appeared “tremendous”, while Sam expressed that he was “really impressed”.

“They’ve absolutely grown over the last few weeks,” he remarked, describing the Hampshires as “beautiful to look at and really lovely to work with”.

Adam concluded: “I’m glad they’re looking well, perfect!”

Meanwhile, in another segment of the programme, Adam introduced a new arrival to his farm, an adorable young pony.

“She’s huge!” Adam exclaimed upon first seeing the Suffolk Punch, a rare horse breed.

“Every foal that we can get that’s fit and healthy is very, very valuable to the breed,” he explained.

“She’s got such long legs and she’s only 17 days old!” He added: “Aren’t you beautiful? It’s alright, your mummy is nearly there!”

Adam remarked upon the “beautiful” connection between the mare and her foal, noting: “She seems pretty relaxed,” before revealing the foal’s name as Hera.

He explained: “Hera is a Greek Goddess and lady of protection, so I need to do a bit of work with her, she’s still quite nervous. It’s lovely to have her… little Hera there, she’ll be a superstar.”

Countryfile airs Sunday at 6.15pm on BBC Two and iPlayer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of people streamed onto the National Mall for a daylong prayer rally Sunday billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation under God.”

Against the backdrop of the Washington Monument, worship music blared from a stage that made clear the event’s Christian focus. Arched stained-glass windows, set underneath grand columns resembling a federal building, depicted the nation’s founders alongside a white cross.

Several speakers celebrated Christianity’s ties to American history, a blending of ideas that critics flagged ahead of the prayer gathering as supporting Christian nationalism.

From the stage, the Rev. Robert Jeffress embraced the term, which is often taken as a pejorative. “If being a Christian nationalist means loving Jesus Christ and loving America, count me in,” said the prominent Southern Baptist pastor.

President Donald Trump was expected to address the gathering in a video message. Other top Republicans, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., were also on the schedule as part of the celebrations this year marking 250 years of U.S. independence.

Only one name on the Rededicate 250 program was not Christian. Most were among Trump’s longtime evangelical supporters, including Paula White-Cain of the White House Faith Office and evangelist Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse.

“We are deeply concerned that what is really being rededicated is a nation to a very narrow and ideological part of the Christian faith that betrays our nation’s fundamental commitment to religious freedom,” said the Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, a Baptist minister who leads the progressive Christian organization Sojourners.

The conservative Christian lineup featured guests who often argue that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, a narrative disputed by many historians and other religious traditions.

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, noted the religious diversity of early America, including Jews, Muslims and Indigenous people. “I want to shine a light on America’s history as a nation that welcomes, celebrates, and protects people of all faiths and those of no faith,” Pesner said.

Hegseth, who has infused Christian language and worship with his role leading the Pentagon, asked the gathering in a video to pray to “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Referencing George Washington’s faith, he said, “Let us pray without ceasing. Let us pray for our nation on bended knee.”

Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Meir Soloveichik was the only non-Christian religious leader listed on the program. He serves on the Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission along with White-Cain, Graham and Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron, Catholic clerics also featured on the program.

The event was organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership backed by the White House. Congressional Democrats have questioned the nonprofit’s structure and finances, which they see as a Trump-controlled end run around a separate commission charted by Congress a decade ago to prepare semiquincentennial events.

Progressive groups planned counterprogramming. Among them were the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which advocates a strict separation of church and state, and the Christian group Faithful America.

On Thursday evening, the Interfaith Alliance projected protest slogans onto an exterior wall of the National Gallery of Art. “Democracy not theocracy,” said one. Another said: “The separation of church and state is good for both.”

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Associated Press writer Peter Smith in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.