Australian sixth seed Alex de Minaur was involved in the protests at last month’s French Open but decided he did not want to take part at Wimbledon.

“I think the sense that we had at Roland Garros was everyone was on board, even though we didn’t, as a collective, achieve the numbers that we were looking for,” he said.

“I thought that Wimbledon made a big step in the right direction, and something that should be noted. So this is for me to acknowledge their big step.”

Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who claimed his first major win in Paris earlier this month, also decided to step back.

“I still want to be part of the players’ movement, but also I realised the media can’t really do anything about it, or can’t really change it,” said Zverev, who represented the players in talks with the Grand Slams at Wimbledon last year.

“It’s not good to take it [out] on someone that doesn’t have the power of control, so I’m doing half an hour [of media]. But I still hope for some change in tennis, for sure.”

This year’s Wimbledon singles champions will each take home £3.6m, up from £3m last year, while first-round losers will earn £80,000.

The incident took place when a woman was walking her dog on Sunday (June 28) and was approached and attacked by an unaccompanied Pitbull type dog.

The woman was bitten during the ordeal – and while her injuries are not believed to be serious, her dog was seriously injured and had to undergo emergency surgery.

Cleveland Police confirmed that, due to the risk posed to members of the public, it was forced to put the attacking dog down.

The force has now confirmed that two people, a man and a woman, both in their 30s, were arrested yesterday in connection.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Sutherland said: “Initial indications are that a member of the public was walking her dog when she was approached by an unaccompanied Pitbull type dog which then attacked her pet. 

“The lady sustained a dog bite during the incident and thankfully this is not believed to be of a serious nature, however sadly her own dog sustained very serious injuries and was taken to the vet by police officers, where it is currently receiving emergency treatment.

“Unfortunately, due to the serious nature of this incident and the potential risk to other people in the immediate area, our specially trained officers had to put the dog down near the scene. 

“We understand that anyone who witnessed the initial attack or the aftermath may have experienced shock or distress however the safety of the public is always paramount.

“Enquiries are ongoing, and we are appealing for anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Cleveland Police via the 101 number or via the force website. Please quote reference 125672.” 

Scalpers are selling GTA 6 on eBay at an inflated price, despite regular pre-orders being widely available everywhere. 

GTA 6 pre-orders opened last week and despite months of concern around how expensive it would be, the sequel’s price is surprisingly reasonable. 

The standard edition costs £69.99 and the Ultimate Edition is £89.99 in the UK, which is in line with other AAA games like Call Of Duty. The most controversial element is the lack of disc in physical copies, with boxed versions coming with a download code instead. 

Despite the all-digital nature of the game’s launch, scalpers are re-selling GTA 6 pre-orders on eBay at an inflated price, even though there’s absolutely no need to do so.

At time of writing, eBay listings show GTA 6 on PlayStation 5 being sold for £83.99, while an Xbox Series X/S listing is going for £95.99. Incredibly, there’s even one listing charging £156.70.

There are several pre-order listings on the US site as well. Currently, the highest is going for $168 (£127.17). 

People are actually buying these codes too, with one being sold for $120 (£90.85) last week, which is $40 higher than the standard US price. 

To hammer the point home, there’s zero reason to buy GTA 6 at these higher prices. You can pre-order the standard or Ultimate Edition digitally through the PlayStation or Microsoft stores, and even if you want a boxed copy, Amazon, Currys, and Argos have plenty of stock. 

It all begs the question of why anyone is turning to eBay to sell or buy copies of GTA 6. The practice of re-selling games before release is commonplace, but it’s usually for special editions which are more difficult to come by. As a digital game though, there’s no fear of GTA 6 selling out. 

GTA 6 is set to launch worldwide across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19, 2026. 

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MORE: Games Inbox: Is GTA 6 being hyped too much?

MORE: PS6 will cost Sony £750 just for the raw materials says insider

MORE: Why I’m glad GTA 6 is killing physical media for gaming – Reader’s Feature

More than 500 people have been killed in Venezuela following powerful back-to-back earthquakes, with many more injured. Rescue teams have also been trying to locate people trapped in collapsed buildings.

Here, Raffaele De Risi, associate professor in civil engineering at the University of Bristol, answered our questions about the role building design may have played in the disaster.

Venezuela is in an active seismic zone. Why do you think there have been so many devastating building collapses?

Indeed, Venezuela is a seismically active country. Hazard levels can easily be checked on several websites, such as the Global Seismic Hazard Map from the Global Earthquake Model Foundation.

The number of building collapses is unfortunately linked to several factors rather than a single one: these range from the age and construction type of the buildings to their level of maintenance, to local soil amplification (when seismic waves pass from hard bedrock into softer surface soils), and proximity to the source.

In addition, both events were shallow (the mainshock particularly so), which further contributes to such extensive devastation. More broadly, it is not possible to identify a single cause; it is generally a combination of factors.

How would you recommend that countries construct their buildings in a country like Venezuela with the earthquake risks that it has?

Modern seismic building codes are very effective at preventing this kind of catastrophic collapse, so for new construction, they are central to the answer. The crucial point is enforcement: a code only protects people if it is properly applied, and construction quality is controlled.

It’s also worth remembering that much of the world’s building stock predates current codes, which have evolved as scientific understanding has advanced, often incorporating lessons directly from events like this one.

For that existing building stock, seismic retrofitting and strengthening are essential, since we cannot simply rebuild everything. And for strategic buildings such as hospitals and power plants, modern solutions like base isolation can keep them not just standing but operational, and have performed extremely well in recent earthquakes.

How can buildings be retrofitted to enhance their protection against earthquakes?

Nowadays, there are many retrofitting techniques, and the right one depends on the building type, for example, reinforced concrete, steel or masonry.

Broadly, a retrofit either increases the building’s strength and stiffness or reduces the forces it has to withstand, for instance, through base isolation (an engineering technique which decouples a building from its foundations) or energy dissipation devices. What matters most is this: before any retrofitting, a bespoke assessment is essential.

The goal is to reduce the unknowns about the structure through detailed surveys and material testing, and to build models capable of diagnosing it, so that the intervention can target the building’s specific weaknesses rather than applying a generic fix.

There have been numerous ‘pancake’ building collapses as a result of the earthquakes here, how do these happen and how can they be prevented?

A “pancake” collapse occurs when the vertical elements that support a building’s weight (primarily its columns) fail. The floors then lose their support and fall one on top of another. This is one of the deadliest forms of structural failure. In older buildings, pancake collapses are often caused by brittle failure.

Columns that were not properly designed and detailed to deform and absorb energy simply break. The problem may be made worse by an open or weak ground floor, which concentrates the damage at a single level.

The engineering approach used to prevent this is known as capacity design. The principle is to determine in advance where the structure should sustain damage and to ensure that this damage occurs in a controlled, ductile manner, typically in the beams.

The columns, joints, and foundations are deliberately designed to be stronger so that they remain intact while the beams safely absorb and dissipate the earthquake’s energy. This principle is often summarised as “strong column, weak beam.” A building designed in this way can sway and dissipate energy rather than losing an entire storey and collapsing.

Combined with proper structural detailing and strong connections that prevent a local failure from spreading through the building, capacity design is a central feature of modern building codes. It is also a major reason why well designed modern buildings are far less likely to suffer pancake collapse.

It looks like there are many buildings that have been damaged but have not collapsed. Does this typically result in many other buildings having to be demolished in the aftermath of earthquakes, and how is this decided?

Yes, and this is actually a sign that the buildings performed as intended. For ordinary structures, the goal of seismic design is not to survive undamaged, but to protect life: the building is allowed to be damaged, absorbing the earthquake’s energy, provided it does not collapse, and people can evacuate safely.

A building that is badly damaged but lets everyone out has done its job, even if it must later be demolished. Afterwards, each of these buildings has to be assessed, usually in two stages.

First, rapid inspections tag buildings for immediate use (broadly, safe, restricted, or unsafe to enter) to keep people out of danger while aftershocks continue; an “unsafe” tag does not mean the building is condemned, only that it cannot be occupied until checked properly.

Then a detailed engineering assessment determines how much of the original capacity remains and whether repair is feasible. Whether a building is repaired or demolished depends on several factors: whether repair is technically possible, how much strength is left, whether the building is permanently leaning (which often makes repair uneconomic), and ultimately, the cost of repair against the cost of rebuilding.

This is why major earthquakes are frequently followed by extensive demolition (as across central Christchurch, New Zealand, after 2011), even where buildings did not collapse. Far from being a failure, it reflects the design philosophy at work: the buildings spent themselves to save the people inside.

The officer was making his way to a shop to pick up some food in Stanley, County Durham, on a rest day, when he noticed the elderly woman in distress.

On stopping to check on her, she told him she had run out of petrol and was looking for somewhere to get fuel.

Realising it would be a bit of a trek for her on foot, Sergeant Hanson took her in his car to the nearest petrol station to fill up a jerry can with fuel.

Once there, he noticed one of the staff members confronting a man inside the station store, so he went to investigate.

The man was a suspected shoplifter who was trying to leave the store with several unpaid for items.

Assisted by a member of the public, the sergeant quickly grabbed hold of the man and detained him, while shop staff called for police back-up.

The shoplifter was arrested on suspicion of theft and making threats to cause criminal damage, as, during the confrontation, he was said to have made threats to blow up the sergeant’s house.

It resulted in the 39-year-old suspect being taken into custody to spend the evening in a police cell.

Read next … more crime stories from The Northern Echo, by clicking here

Amid the incident, the elderly lady managed to fill up her jerry can.

The sergeant then took her back to her car and filled it with the fuel she had bought.

Durham Police said the events of last Monday (June 22) proved, whether on or off duty, the force’s officers are, “always there to help”.

Police put up a cordon at the scene and ambulance were also at the scene over the weekend.

Police were called to St James’ Street New Bury, just before midnight on Saturday after reports of an assault, and it is believed they “blocked off” the road to one witness.

Afterwards, a 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm (GBH) on the scene shortly after when it passed midnight on Sunday.

A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesperson said: “Officers were called to St James St, Farnworth at 11.39pm on 27/06/26 to reports of an assault.

“One man was taken to hospital with head injuries and a man aged 33 was arrested at 00.05am 28/06/26 on suspicion of GBH.”

We will bring you more information on this when we get it.

This Morning presenters Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond have addressed the long-rumbling speculation that there is a rift between them. 

The pair have been the Friday morning hosts since 2021 and stepped in as a temporary hosting duo when Phillip Schofield was ousted, and Holly Willoughby stepped down in 2023.

The TV presenters have now admitted that the ITV show’s rocky patch some years ago was a ‘hard’ period.

This was exacerbated by the fact that the daytime show includes a daily deep dive into the headlines, which at the time routinely included the show itself.

‘We were doing a show that, through no fault of our own, was on the cover of newspapers for 50 days on the trot,’ said O’Leary.

Speaking to the Radio Times, he went on to say that in terms of the day-to-day headlines that emerge, honing in on specific moments during the live broadcast, he doesn’t look at them.

‘We’ll finish an item, I’ll look one way and Alison will look the other, and the papers will be like, “Bust-up on This Morning!” It’s all bulls**t,’ said the 53-year-old.

Meanwhile, Hammon added to the publication: ‘You’ve got to be free to say what you want, and give your opinions. If you start editing yourself, you’ll lose the live element that people love.’

However, the pair did admit that they have hosted the show when they have been ‘unhappy’ with one another, but only a handful of times.

Hammond has said she would be able to fake their chemistry on the show, even if they were not speaking, but O’Leary disagreed that they would be able to.

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From hitting the headlines over queue-gate to his bombshell confession: A timeline of events that led to Phillip Schofield’s ITV departure

September 2022WILLOUGHBY and schofield hit headlines over queue-gate

The duo found themselves in hot water when they were accused of skipping the queue to visit the late Queen Elizabeth III lying in state.

ITV issued a statement in their defence and the presenters insisted they didn’t break any rules or take anyone’s place, but the backlash and criticism continued.

15 may 2023the this morning hosts put on a united front

Ignoring the rumours, Willoughby and Schofield appeared on This Morning beaming and seemingly putting on a united front.

The duo continued downplaying the rumours during their four episodes of This Morning that week, signing off the week saying, ‘See you on Monday, bye!’

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20 may 2023schofield steps down from this morning after more than 20 years

Schofield confirmed his departure from This Morning, saying: ‘I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently, This Morning itself has become the story.

‘Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind.

‘I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love.

‘So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future.’

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20 may 2023WILLOUGHBY releases statement and takes early break from this morning

Addressing Schofield’s departure, Willoughby said: ‘It’s been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Schofield and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour.

‘The sofa won’t feel the same without him.’

ITV confirmed she would go on to host This Morning with other members of the team, but took an early half-term break, and would not be returning to the sofa until June 5.

26 may 2023schofield admits affair with much younger this morning colleague and confesses he lied about it

In a bombshell confession, and after years of speculation, Schofield admitted to having a relationship with a much younger man who worked as a runner on This Morning.

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He insisted it was ‘unwise but not illegal’.

He said the relationship occurred while he was still married to his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe, the mother of his two daughters – Ruby and Molly – and before he came out as gay.

26 may 2023Schofield resigns from ITV with ‘immediate effect’

‘I am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me,’ Schofield said, after admitting he lied to the broadcaster and his colleagues.

26 may 2023itv release statement accepting schofield’s resignation

After an admission that he lied to colleagues and to ITV, the broadcaster confirmed that they accepted his resignation.

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The broadcaster also admitted to feeling ‘badly let down’ and ‘deeply disappointed’ after Schofield confessed to lying to bosses about his relationship.

27 may 2023Willoughby releases statement

Willoughby accused Schofield of lying to her about the affair, saying his admission is ‘very hurtful’.

27 may 2023itv issue new statement claiming ‘no evidence found’ from a 2020 investigation

ITV released a new statement confirming that an investigation into Schofield and an employee was conducted in 2020.

They said no evidence of a relationship was found ‘beyond hearsay and rumour’.

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june 2Schofield breaks silence

The Sun published an interview with Schofield in which he said he was sorry to Willoughby but owed his ‘greatest apology’ to his former lover. He reiterated that he did not ‘groom’ the man, and that although his wife was ‘very, very angry’ about the affair, his daughters had been ‘guarding’ him during the fallout.

Speaking to the BBC’s Amol Rajan, Schofield also said he had ‘lost everything’ and the affair had a ‘catastrophic effect’ on his mind. Speaking about the criticism he faced, he said he could see ‘nothing ahead’ except ‘blackness and sadness’ and spoke about his television career ‘in the past tense’.

june 5Willoughby returns to this morning

Willoughby made an emotional return to This Morning, saying she felt ‘shaken, troubled, let down and worried’ following the revelations about Schofield.

She began with: ‘Firstly, are you ok?’ adding: ‘It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil.’

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octoberitv confirms workplace changes

The company’s policy on work relationships was updated. Staff were reportedly required to disclose any kind of relationship, including a friendship, sexual or romantic connection, to ‘the company at the earliest opportunity’.

december 7ITV ‘unable to uncover’ Schofield affair evidence

ITV’s review into Schofield’s behaviour on This Morning was published.

It said it made ‘considerable efforts’ to find out the truth about the alleged affair but was ‘unable to uncover the relevant evidence’ until the presenter’s own admission in late May 2023.

The former presenter ‘reluctantly declined’ to take part because of ‘the risk to his health’.

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September 25Schofield’s TV return confirmed after months of rumours

Schofield announced Cast Away, saying: ‘I can say whatever I want about whatever I want. It’s my chance to tell my side of my story.’

He explained: ‘When she is unhappy with me – and it’s probably only happened maybe two or three times…’ to which Hammond joked it was ‘more like 700 times.’

O’Leary continued: ‘I don’t like the idea of making Ali unhappy. One, because she’s such a good friend and two, because she’s basically a Jamaican mother, and you don’t want to get on the wrong side of her.

‘But we have a great relationship. I think I’ve taught Alison to take life a bit more seriously, and she’s taught me to take it a bit less seriously.’

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This Morning airs weekdays on ITV at 10am.

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WARNING: DISTRESSING DETAILS – A newborn baby has tragically been found dead in toilets at the Electric Forest festival in Rothbury, Michigan, police have said

The body of a newborn baby has been tragically found dumped in a portable toilet at a US music festival.

Police have launched an investigation into the grim discovery, which was made at the Electric Forest festival in Rothbury, Michigan, on Sunday morning.

The body was found in a portable toilet at the camping area of the annual music event, the state agency said. “The body was discovered by an employee of the restroom vending company during routine maintenance,” officials said.

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