At least 15 babies have died after a fire broke out in the maternity ward of a major hospital in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.

The fire began after an air conditioning unit exploded on Wednesday morning in the gynaecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), one of the country’s leading hospitals.

The nursery housed 16 newborns at the time of the incident, of whom only one was rescued, said hospital officials. The fire has now been extinguished and teams are carrying out cooling operations at the site, rescue officials told local broadcaster GeoTV.

Emergency response teams rushed to the hospital earlier to bring the fire under control, evacuate patients and secure the affected area.

The death toll was reported by GeoTV and other local media citing sources within the rescue team. There has been no formal statement from the hospital or other authorities on the number of casualties.

Pims hospital in Islamabad recently received global media attention after former prime minister Imran Khan was brought there from jail for a court-mandated medical assessment.

Pakistan has a poor fire safety record, compounded by a lack of regulatory enforcement. Wednesday’s incident comes three months after at least 43 people were injured by a massive fire at a Pakistan Customs warehouse in southwestern Balochistan province.

In January, a huge fire swept through shops and warehouses at the Gul Plaza in Karachi in which at least 72 people were killed. The fire broke out at a shopping plaza which houses 1,200 shops in a multi-storey complex on MA Jinnah Road in Karachi’s commercial Saddar area on 17 January, gutted the building and took nearly a week for the firefighters to bring it under control.

In November last year, at least 18 workers were killed, and 21 were injured after an explosion at a glue-making factory in Faisalabad city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Police said they had arrested the factory’s manager and were searching for the owner, who fled shortly after the explosion.

In a statement to media outlets, her publicist Marcel Pariseau said: “After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.”

The singer, 80, was best known for her genre-defining hits including 9 To 5, I Will Always Love You and Jolene.

The statement continued: “Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand.

“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.”

The type of cancer was not disclosed.

Parton’s death was announced late on Tuesday via an Instagram video by her nephew Bryan Seaver, who also served as the singer’s head of security.

He said it was “an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness”, to share the news of her death, adding: “But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.

“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”

Parton’s husband Carl Dean died last year, aged 82.

Flags will be lowered throughout America in Parton’s honour, US President Donald Trump announced, posting on Truth Social “there has never been anyone like her”.

Tributes came from all over the entertainment industry following the news of her death, led by actress Jane Fonda.

Fonda, who starred in the film 9 To 5 with Parton and was a lifelong friend, wrote on Instagram: “I am devastated. I just learned that Dolly has moved on.

“I know that millions are mourning and I want to say this – more than anyone I have ever known, Dolly will always be with us because she was so present, so powerful, so generous and playful that she is woven into all our lives and hearts forever.

“We have our memories of her, her songs, Dollywood, ‘9to5’, the millions of books she got into the hands of children, all the iconic images that bring her to us.

“And they are all blessings. Let’s be grateful for all that she has left us to ease our sadness now.”

Singer Beyonce, who worked with Parton on her 2024 album Cowboy Carter, said she was the “north star” for the industry.

A statement on Beyonce’s website said: “Dolly, you were the barometer. The north star. Bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious. You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself.

“I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humor, your entrepreneurship.

“I’m honored that I had the privilege to work with you. I will treasure that forever. Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel who has made this world a happier place because of your joyful art. You are truly one of one. Rest peacefully.”

At 9.25pm on Tuesday local time, the Empire State building lit up to honour the singer, a statement on social media saying the move paid tribute to a “global cultural icon whose seven-decade career reached generations of fans”.

In May, the country star pulled out of a highly anticipated Las Vegas residency, which was due to begin in September.

She had already postponed her six-date run at The Colosseum Theatre at Caesars Palace from December 2025 to deal with “health challenges”.

At Parton’s request, a small, private funeral service will be held for immediate family, a statement from her family on social media said.

In lieu of flowers, her family asked for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at imaginationlibrary.com.

The musician wrote I Will Always Love You – one of the defining love songs of the 20th century – as a goodbye to her former creative partner Porter Wagoner, who hired her to be his sidekick on The Porter Wagoner Show and helped her land a record deal.

The song became a blockbuster hit when Whitney Houston recorded a cover for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.

Parton was born in a single-room cabin in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, in 1946, as the fourth of 12 children.

She began her musical journey at the age of six, singing in the local church where her grandfather was the pastor.

By the age of 13, she had reached the pinnacle of country music success – an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

Over the course of her career, which spanned more than 60 years, Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and wrote more than 3,000 songs, including hits Coat Of Many Colours and Joshua.

She was a savvy businesswoman with an empire that included a theme park, aptly named Dollywood, and a pioneering philanthropist.

Her Imagination Library, a book-gifting programme devoted to inspiring a love of reading in children, has given more than 300 million books to children in need.

A statement from Imagination Library said: “Our team, our local program partners, and every operational partner who helps make this program possible each month are heartbroken at the loss of our founder, Dolly Parton.

“The world grieves with us today. And yet we find ourselves just as certain about what comes next. For decades,Dolly & the team at The Dollywood Foundation — home of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library — worked to build something that would last for generations. So it will.”

She was also a supporter of several charities for black and LGBTQ+ communities, as well as the Barbara Davis Centre for Childhood Diabetes, Save the Music Foundation and the Boot Campaign.

In 2020, she donated one million dollars (£733,000) to coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.

Dolly Parton gushed about her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, and struck an optimistic tone about her career in the devastating last interview just four days before her death.

On Tuesday, the singer’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, who also served as her head of security, announced that she had died at the age of 80. 

The undisputed Queen of Country told People last week that she still had ‘so many things’ she wanted to achieve. 

The Jolene singer had opened up about her health and the projects she was looking forward to, saying she had been dealing with some health issues that she had not paid attention to while caring for her late husband.

‘It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,’ she said in her final interview. 

‘But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago. I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I’m still healing, I’m still working,’ Parton continued. 

‘You know me – as I’ve often said – I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.’ 

Concerns loomed for months about Parton’s health, but the pop culture icon frequently dispelled her fans’ fears.  

Parton said in her last interview that she had been through hard times before with her health 

Parton’s famous hits include Jolene, 9 to 5, and I Will Always Love You  

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She pulled out of multiple public appearances, including a residency in Las Vegas and the opening of a new ride, NightFlight Expedition, at her theme park, Dollywood. 

Videos of the event captured Parton’s recorded message, in which she told attendees she was still in Nashville. 

‘So my Nashville doctor has kind of clipped my wings, saying, “You ain’t traveling this week.” So I guess if your doctor tells you, “You ain’t traveling this week,” you ain’t traveling this week,’ Parton said in the video message. 

Earlier this year, Parton told her fans that she was responding to medication, but the treatment made her feel ‘a little swimmy-headed,’ and she needed time to heal before getting back on stage. 

She reassured her fans that she was still hard at work on projects like her new museum, Life of Many Colors, in Nashville, her new hotel and Broadway show, Dolly: A True American Musical. 

Elsewhere in her final interview, Parton revealed that she was excited about her partnership with Community Coffee to launch her own line of drinks, Cup of Ambition Coffee. 

‘That’s a dream I’ve had for over 40 years, ever since I wrote the line about “cup of ambition” in my song 9 to 5,’ she said. 

‘But, you know, some dreams take longer to come to life than others.’ 

Parton gushed about her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, in her last interview, admitting that she had not paid attention to some of her health problems while caring for him 

Parton had pulled out of her Las Vegas residency, telling fans that she was taking medication and needed time to heal before getting back on stage 

Parton wrote and recorded 9 to 5 in 1980 for the comedy film of the same name, in which she starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

She wrote the track on set by clicking her nails together to form the beat, and it became one of her biggest hits of the decade.

It went on to win numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Country Song of the Year and Female Country Vocal of the Year at the Grammy Awards.

Parton’s death came over a year after her husband’s, to whom she was married for nearly 60 years. 

In her tribute at the time, she reflected on the ‘many wonderful years’ they spent together, expressing their deep love and thanking fans for their prayers.

‘Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,’ she said. ‘Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.’

Parton and Dean first met at a laundromat in Nashville in 1964, when she was just 18. They married in 1966, and he remained a constant, supportive figure behind the scenes.

Parton’s nephew announced her death in a touching tribute, revealing in a video message that she had ‘asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.’

Parton pulled out of recent events at Dollywood due to her health. Above, at the theme park in 1988 

Parton’s nephew said she ‘lived in the light’ and was now ‘in the arms of Jesus’ with her husband and parents. Her team remembered her legacy as ‘one of love, compassion, and resilience’ 

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Seaver hailed his aunt for having ‘lived in the light’ and said she was now ‘in the arms of Jesus’ and the company of her husband, as well as her parents and ‘countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.’

Her team said in a statement that she had a ‘rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see. Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family.’

‘Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience,’ it continued.

‘With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.’

The Guardian features Parton in her own words, saying: “I always wanted to be a star. I just seemed natural to me.” Elsewhere, the paper’s other top story says Prime Minister Andy Burnham will face a test of his support for electoral reform in his first week in parliament with almost 100 Labour MPs supporting a bid for a new national commission.

The apology comes after the college set up a working group of experts, doctors and abuse survivors, including Caroline, to review NHS care.

The group was set up after mental health services have seen a rise in people coming forward seeking help in the last decade or so, following high-profile abuse scandals involving schools, children’s homes and religious institutions, as well as the Jimmy Savile crimes.

The college is calling for a number of changes. It is promising to develop specialist training materials for psychiatrists, but wants mandatory training for all mental health staff on the importance of trauma-informed care for survivors of child sex abuse.

And it has recommended national guidance be published on how to recognise and respond to disclosures of historic child sex abuse, as well as an overhaul of services so those needing help can get the long-term support they need.

Gabrielle Shaw, chief executive of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said this was a “significant and welcome” apology, but it must lead to “meaningful change”.

“For too many adult survivors, mental health services have not felt like a route to safety or recovery.

“They have been another place where the impact of trauma was missed or where the offered treatment was inappropriate.”

She said some are met with disbelief which can be particularly “damaging”, while even when the trauma is recognised others are told they are “too complex, unsuitable or outside the remit of available services.”

A spokesman for NHS England said victims could access support 24 hours a day, seven days a week through sexual assault referral centres and counselling services with information about them available on the NHS website, external.

“People who have suffered historic child sexual abuse may not have spoken about it for years, so it’s vital they know they can access specialist, trauma-informed support through the NHS,” he added.

He also said steps were being taken to better support children and young people with additional training being provided to mental health support teams in schools and colleges.

If you’ve been affected by the issues in this story, you can find information, advice and support from the BBC’s Action Line. Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org in the UK.

The summer window has officially entered its final stretch, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and all pushing to get deals done before next week’s deadline. Arsenal have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Julian Alvarez, with talks now set to begin after Atletico Madrid named their price. The Gunners could partially fund a deal through Gabriel Martinelli’s exit as they remain interested in the likes of Kenan Yildiz and Matias Fernandez-Pardo. Meanwhile, Igor Tyjon and Habeeb Ogunneye will be announced as Arsenal players after medicals, to be followed by James Scanlon.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms with thousands of Brits braced for heavy downpours and lightning over the next two days

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The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, with thousands of Britons preparing for heavy rainfall and lightning over the coming two days.

The forecaster has implemented the alert from 3am on Wednesday, covering vast areas of England and Wales, including much of the East of England.

Cambridgeshire is covered by the warning alongside nearby Peterborough and Suffolk.

Residents have been cautioned about disruption and possible power cuts on Wednesday and Thursday, as flooding is also anticipated.

Wednesday’s warning remains in effect until 10pm and encompasses 59 local authorities. An additional yellow warning has been issued from 6am on Thursday.

The forecaster said there was “a small risk of flooding and disruption from thunderstorms on Wednesday,” encouraging Britons to prepare for potential floods and disruption caused by lightning strikes.

The Met Office warned: “Homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes or hail.

“Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services”.

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British households have been advised to take precautions ahead of the storms and prepare an emergency flood kit, including essentials needed should a power cut occur.

Ahead of potential lightning strikes the Met Office say: “If you find yourself outside and hear thunder, protect yourself by finding a safe enclosed shelter (such as a car).

“Do not shelter under or near trees, or other structures which may be struck by lightning. If you are on an elevated area, move to lower ground.”

Despite the wet conditions, warm temperatures are still forecast on Wednesday, following from recent heatwaves.

The forecast for Wednesday says: “Cloudy start to Wednesday with heavy or thundery showers. Cloud lifts into the afternoon, bringing some brighter or sunny spells, although scattered heavy or thundery showers still possible. Feeling warm. Maximum temperature 25C.”

The following days are also likely to see “spells of heavy rain, some thunderstorms and strong winds,” according to the Met Office.

General waste and recycling bins were left uncollected in The Groves from Tuesday, August 11 after gas works cut off access for City of York Council rubbish collection crews.

Stephanie Holdsworth, who lives in Diamond Street, said the rubbish had started to smell and accused the council of ignoring a growing health hazard.

Ian Hoult, the council’s environmental services lead, apologised to affected residents and said crews would collect the waste as soon as possible.

It comes as Mrs Holdsworth and other residents said the issue began with the council missing recycling collections on Tuesday, August 11 and the general waste round the following week (Tuesday, August 18).

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She added Diamond Street, Emerald Street and Earle Street were among those affected and the council had not attempted to collect the rubbish despite several calls from residents.

Waste remained uncollected as of Monday, August 23.

The Diamond Street resident said: “The council have not collected anything or even attempted it and now the big bags and bins are starting to smell as bags are scratched open by animals and they’re getting infested with flies, even though the residents have all tried their very best to keep things safe and tidy.

Uncollected bins and rubbish in The Groves, York. Picture is from Stephanie Holdsworth, available for all LDRS partners to use.

“The council simply doesn’t and are quite happy to ignore a health hazard in our streets as it’s not a very prestigious area of York.

“We all suspect that the council is simply leaving the collection until the next scheduled date, effectively leaving us with only one bins and recycling collection a month and the residents just have to lump it.”

Another Groves resident, who asked not to be named, said people who get assisted collections and only use bin bags were particularly affected by bad smells.

They said: “They are bring ripped apart by vermin and are littering the streets.

“The council do not seem to care even when it is reported to them.”

Uncollected bins and rubbish in The Groves, York. Picture is from Stephanie Holdsworth, available for all LDRS partners to use.

Mr Hoult said the gas works which had now been completed had made it difficult for crews to access the streets.

He said: “We apologise for any inconvenience that residents in the area have experienced.

“Our crews will be attending these properties as soon as possible to carry out the delayed collections.”

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jeshaun Jones was issued a three-game suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s substances of abuse policy.

The NFL’s announcement of the punishment on Tuesday did not disclose the nature of the violation. Jones spent each of the past two years on Minnesota’s practice squad, before being promoted to the active roster and appearing in the final game of the 2025 season. He went undrafted out of Maryland, where he had 2,040 receiving yards on 151 receptions with 14 touchdowns over a six-year career.

Jones remains eligible to participate in what remains of the preseason, including the final exhibition game at Denver on Friday. His suspension will begin on Sunday, and he will be eligible for reinstatement on Sept. 28.

The 26-year-old Jones was already going to have a tough time making the active roster for the regular season, with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings locked into the starting spots and Tai Felton and Myles Price in line for backup roles after strong performances during training camp.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here