South Cambridgeshire District Council has approved funding to help a church with repairs to improve public safety

A council has agreed to help fund “urgent repairs” to a village church amid safety concerns. St Andrew’s Church in Wimpole had already spent £14,000 of their own money repairing the aging building from damage caused by water ingress and deteriorating masonry.

The Grade II listed building is owned by the Diocese of Ely and, as well as providing church services, also hosts concerts, community events and art exhibitions. But the church’s future has been put at risk with water damage causing staining, plaster deterioration and even falling debris.

The church applied for £2,000 of funding from South Cambridgeshire District Council’s community chest to continue repairs. This will also go towards restoring two historic monuments – reattaching the lion to the effigy of Thomas Chicheley and cleaning and refixing the brass plaque to Reginald York.

This will cost £3,719 while the roof and masonry work will cost £11,234. The church said they will meet their remaining costs through fundraising activities, existing reserves, private donations and applications to external funders.

They have submitted applications to the Cambridge Historic Churches Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund – and secured a £1,000 private donation, with indications of future private support.

Council officers recommended approving the funding as it would support “the continued use of a well-used community facility and heritage site, ensuring it remains accessible to residents, visitors and researchers for years to come”.

They said the repairs were necessary to stop the building deteriorating further and to improve public safety. The council approved the funding.

Passengers on the easyJet flight from Manchester to Antalya say they were told to leave the runway just ten minutes before departure, before their replacement flight was diverted to Milan over crew duty-time limits

Hundreds of holidaymakers have been left stranded 1,200 miles from where they should be after their flight from Manchester was abruptly cancelled, causing hours of chaos and disruption.

Travellers on this morning’s easyJet service to Antalya, on Friday (August 28), claim they were ordered off the runway just ‘ten minutes’ before departure. One passenger reported they were about to board when they were instructed to head back to the terminal.

The carrier blamed weather-related delays which meant the crew would exceed their ‘legally permitted hours’.

After waiting over four hours, passengers – initially scheduled to leave at 7.45am – finally got airborne around midday once replacement crew members had been secured, the Manchester Evening News understands.

Yet once in the sky, travellers say they were informed the flight had to be diverted to Milan, as staff could no longer legally continue working due to reaching their duty-time restrictions.

Passengers from the aircraft, which they described as being mainly filled with families travelling with young children, found themselves at Milan Airport – more than 1,200 miles short of where they were meant to be. They’ve been handed a €25 food voucher while awaiting their fresh crew, who are reportedly flying out from Manchester Airport and expected to arrive at approximately 7.30 local time (6.30pm GMT).

EasyJet confirmed the original flight was delayed due to air traffic control restrictions caused by adverse weather across Europe, with the knock-on effect pushing the crew beyond their legally permitted working hours, prompting an unscheduled stop in Milan to bring in a fresh crew.

However, passenger James Lanson, who has been travelling with his wife and two-year-old daughter since this morning, spoke to the Manchester Evening News while awaiting yet another replacement flight, describing the ordeal as deeply challenging. “It’s been unbelievably difficult with our toddler,” he said.

“She hasn’t eaten, she can’t understand what’s going on. There’s no facilities in this airport for her or any of the other kids. I used to work as a prison officer and the prison that I used to work in kept the prisoners in better condition.

“We got on the coach, drove to the airplane and pulled up next to it and the doors didn’t open. The bus driver said the pilot had called in sick and that he was gonna have to take us back to the airport.

“So me, being a scouser, I thought it was a little bit of humour and he was gonna say he was joking and tell us to have a good holiday. But no, he drove us back to the terminal and they said they were trying to source us a new pilot.

“We were due to get there at 12pm. We thought we’d get there nice and early and have a full day there today. So it’s a great start to the holiday, which was meant to be seven days and is now going to be six days.”

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News from Milan Airport, he revealed that easyJet staff informed passengers the hold-up was down to weather conditions and air traffic control restrictions.

He said: “I’ve been looking at Flight Radar and planes have been landing in Antalya all day, so I don’t know where this thing with this problem with the weather has come from.

“But a Jet2 flight took off just before ours was due to leave and that’s landed in Antalya a couple of hours ago. And we’ve just seen our old crew leave five minutes ago and get on a flight home. Which is great, while we’re stuck here.

“They’ve given us a €25 voucher but the only place you can use it in this really small, tiny airport is a Pret. I think I’ve gone back about five or six times since we landed, so in three hours, and the queue’s enormous and it’s not moving.

“It’s a sh**show. We’ve been told the crew that are coming to fly our plane to take us to Antalya are coming from Manchester. No one’s given us any information. All they’ve done is given us a voucher.”

He further revealed that his two-year-old child had not eaten since 8am, with the Pret outlet struggling to keep up with food supplies.

EasyJet confirmed the flight was delayed owing to air traffic control restrictions caused by adverse weather across Europe, adding that the delay would have caused the crew to breach their legally permitted working hours, prompting an unscheduled stop in Milan to swap out the crew. According to the Manchester Evening News, the aircraft is set to be refuelled before continuing its journey on to Antalya.

An easyJet spokesperson commented: “We are sorry for any inconvenience this will have caused and did all we could to minimise the impact of the disruption. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.”

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British right-wing political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has apparently been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the agency’s records.

Yiannopoulos, 41, a former editor of Breitbart News and a onetime employee of rapper Kanye West, appears to be held in Louisiana, according to a search of ICE’s inmate registry.

The self-styled provocateur has called himself the “most fabulous supervillain on the internet”. His critics call him a purveyor of hate speech.

Neither ICE nor Yiannopoulos has responded to the BBC’s request for comment, but his name and British origins appear in a search of detainees nationwide.

The circumstances around his apparent detention were unclear. Yiannopoulos, who grew up in Kent in the south of England, has been residing in the US.

He was an early supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 election, headlining an event that year called Gays for Trump during the Republican National Convention.

But he fell out with Trump’s movement. Yiannopoulos still voices support for the Republican president’s agenda. “Total legal immunity for ICE agents when they’re on duty,” he posted on X last year.

But he posted in March this year on X that Trump “has lost his way, bought off by foreign interests”.

Yiannopoulos has courted controversy with his comments on transgender people, Muslims, Black Lives Matter, feminists and gay people, even though he himself identified as gay. He now calls himself an “ex-gay”.

He has written columns titled “Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy” and “Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?”

In 2017, Yiannopoulos was uninvited from speaking at CPAC, a US conservative conference that also hosted Trump, after footage emerged of him appearing to condone paedophilia. He also later apologised and resigned from Breitbart.

He denied the allegations, and said he had been speaking about his own experiences as a child.

Yiannopoulos was once regularly linked with the alt-right, a disparate group that is outspoken against political correctness and feminism and which includes neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

He has said he does not consider himself part of the alt-right, although he has called it “energising and exciting”.

President Donald Trump’s son, Barron, is reportedly keeping a low profile these days due to threats from Iran and the multiple attempts on his father’s life.

A source familiar with the situation reportedly told The New York Post that Barron, 20, “doesn’t go out” and has spent much of the summer with First Lady Melania Trump at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey.

Another source reportedly told the paper that the young man is “pretty reclusive.”

The president has had a string of attempts on his life, including the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting that left his ear bleeding and an attempt on his life during the White House Correspondents Dinner.

But Barron has also reportedly been identified as a target. A video that has been attributed to an individual in Iran was released with the title “Where to kill Barron Trump.” It announced a $10 million bounty on the young man’s head. The same group reportedly named the first lady as a target as well.

According to Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s book Regime Change, Barron was also reportedly shaken by the shooting death of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, whom he considered a friend.

“This is what happens when you go out there,” Barron reportedly told his father.

When asked for comment, the Office of the First Lady reportedly told the New York Post that “in light of recent threats” it would withhold publishing “any details concerning his private life.”

During President Joe Biden’s administration, Barron was scheduled to lose his Secret Service protection, but the first lady petitioned the then-president to extend his protection. Biden agreed. Trump rewarded that act by cancelling the Secret Service detail for Biden’s adult children, Hunter and Ashley, upon his return to office.

Dr Azita Sayan, a therapist who has treated adolescent trauma but has not treated Barron, said the young man is likely hyper-aware of the potential danger someone in his position might face.

“Barron is probably a lot more aware and a lot more astute, and a lot more conscientious in terms of the real dangers,” she told the paper.

She noted that just because he is reclusive doesn’t mean he’s traumatized, however.

“He’s protecting himself and making his friendships and his decisions privately rather than to have them be on display, which I think is developmentally healthy,” she said.

Julian Alvarez is keen to leave Atletico Madrid this summer and Manchester City are reportedly looking to re-sign the striker

Manchester City have reportedly entered the running to sign Julian Alvarez, according to reports from Spain. Marca claims that Enzo Maresca’s side are keen to re-sign the Argentine striker, who has returned to training with Atletico Madrid following a bout of illness.

The 26-year-old’s future remains uncertain after he expressed a wish to leave the club earlier this summer. Alvarez had made no secret of his desire to join Barcelona, but Atletico released a strongly-worded statement making it abundantly clear they had no intention of selling to their La Liga rivals.

Marca reports that City have held preliminary discussions regarding a potential move for Alvarez, though they have encountered a similar obstacle to Arsenal, with the Argentine reportedly reluctant to return to England.

Atletico are demanding a guaranteed £128.4m to part with Alvarez this summer, just two years after signing the forward from Manchester City in 2024 for £81.8million.

The striker penned a six-year contract at the Metropolitano and has impressed since his arrival, netting 49 goals in 107 appearances.

With City having offloaded Omar Marmoush and Savinho, Maresca’s squad is reportedly light on attacking options, potentially pushing the club to make a move for Alvarez.

The report indicates that no formal negotiations have taken place between the two clubs, despite initial enquiries being made.

Arsenal had previously appeared to be the most likely destination for Alvarez should he depart Atletico Madrid, with a switch to Barcelona now completely off the table.

This is footage of the harrowing moment a gang of thieves chased down a victim on e-bikes before hacking him with a machete.

Shocking CCTV shows three balaclava-clad thugs patrolling around Leigh, Greater Manchester, before they spot their target.

The robbers pursued the innocent rider, who was wearing an orange coat, in an attempt to steal the Surron electric bike he was riding.

Taking place on April 17, 2025, the incident saw the victim make a bid to escape, riding to his home on Melrose Avenue.

But he was unable to stop and slammed into a wall outside, after which one of the thugs was heard shouting, ‘Grab him now.’

The victim was punched to the ground, with one gang member pulling out a blade and repeatedly striking him while he screamed ‘no’ and tried to hold onto his bike.

The victim suffered serious injuries during the attack, including a severe laceration to his thumb and cuts to his face, before the offenders stole the bike and fled.

Greater Manchester Police launched an investigation, and one of the thieves was later identified as 20-year-old Kade Cox.

Officers were able to trace Cox through extensive CCTV and telephone enquiries, including social media scanning and mobile phone evidence.

Cox, of Walker Road, Salford, was arrested and charged with robbery, burglary with intent to steal and two counts of burglary where bikes were stolen during both incidents.

He was sentenced to 10 years at Bolton Crown Court on Monday, August 17, after pleading guilty.

Due to the severity of the machete attack, he must serve at least seven-and-a-half years in custody before he will be eligible for release.

It was later revealed that he was part of a string of three other incidents between April and July 2025, all involving the theft or attempted theft of motorbikes and electric bikes.

They included a shed in Leigh being targeted by three offenders on June 4, 2025, resulting in two motorbikes worth thousands being stolen.

And on July 19, offenders broke into a Tyldesley garage and stole three bikes, including a Honda motorbike and an electric bike.

A week later, three offenders forced their way into another Leigh garage but were forced to leave empty-handed, as there weren’t any bikes inside.

Senior investigating officer PC Richard Kelsall of Wigan’s neighbourhood team called the knife attack ‘horrific’, adding that Cox and two others ‘looked to incite fear and violence through any means possible’, purely to steal a bike.

‘This was a sustained and targeted series of thefts and burglaries, one of which left a victim with significant injuries.’

He went on to praise the ‘courage’ of the victim for ‘bravely supporting the investigation’ and sentencing.

‘Through extensive CCTV enquiries, officers were able to link four separate offences and identified Cox as being involved throughout.

‘We hope this sentence demonstrates our determination to pursue offenders who target our communities and commit violent offences for their own personal gain.’

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Marcus Rashford looks to have already decided against a move to Fenerbahce with Manchester United still open to him departing this summer

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is set to turn down a transfer to Turkish club Fenerbahce, according to reports. The 28-year-old has been reintegrated into the United squad by Michael Carrick despite looking destined to leave his boyhood club permanently this summer.

Following a falling out with former head coach Ruben Amorim, Rashford enjoyed loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona. The latter turned down the chance to sign him permanently after the 2025/26 campaign concluded which saw him return to Old Trafford following the World Cup.

He joined up with the squad for their final part of pre-season and was brought on at half-time in their Premier League opener against Hull City with United losing 2-0. He was unable to make an impact but has impressed Carrick in the short time he has been back.

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Transfer links have remained, however, with the latest of those coming out of Turkiye and claiming that he is Fenerbahce’s top transfer target after they qualified for the Champions League.

However, Rashford is set to snub an approach from Fenerbahce as they look to make a statement signing, as per the Sun. Their report claims that Rashford has never had any interest in moving to Turkiye.

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Given his hefty wages, United may still be keen to move him on. Arsenal have been touted as a potential destination for Rashford if he is still looking for a move away as the Premier League champions look set to sell Gabriel Martinelli without a direct replacement lined up.

Instead, their focus is on Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid with his dream move to Barcelona unlikely to be sanctioned. Hansi Flick’s side are yet to replace Robert Lewandowski but have splashed out on Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyeim as opposed to signing Rashford.

Amad’s injury is likely to result in more minutes for Rashford, who is also capable of playing through the middle. Benjamin Sesko is expected to start against Ipswich Town this weekend after returning from injury with a cameo last weekend.

Joshua Zirkzee is the other player that can be deployed as the striker but he looks set to leave in the final days of the window with Fiorentina in talks to bring him back to Italy on a season-long loan.

United have mostly been busy in the midfield market this summer with Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba joining and they are not done there with Toby Collyer set to join West Brom.

A teenage girl required urgent medical attention, while the other three children thankfully emerged largely unscathed

Emergency services rushed to a Welsh beach after four children got into difficulty in the water. A teenage girl required urgent medical attention, while the other three children thankfully emerged largely unscathed.

The shocking incident has led to emergency services issuing a warning to the public to be careful entering open water during changing weather conditions.

Moelfre RNLI was called to Benllech Beach on Anglesey alongside paramedics from Wales Ambulance Service on Tuesday to reports that four children had found themselves in difficulty in the water. They were told the children were struggling in challenging weather conditions at the popular beach.

The incident prompted multiple lifeboat rescue teams to be dispatched to the area and by the time they had reached the beach worried members of the public had already entered the water in an attempt to help the children and pull them ashore. However a teenage girl needed urgent medical attention.

A spokesperson for the RNLI said: “The lifeboat with her crew of three launched in challenging easterly conditions and were under way within 10 minutes of the call. Whilst on route it was discovered that the children had been assisted ashore by members of the public who had entered the water to help, however one teenager needed urgent medical assistance.

“The crew landed the inshore lifeboat (ILB) ashore and, along with our colleagues Moelfre Coastguard Rescue Team, immediately began first aid treatment. The Welsh Ambulance Service was also requested and once their paramedics arrived the care of the teenage girl was handed over to them.

“She was conscious and alert but needed further medical assessment in Ysbyty Gwynedd. The other children and Good Samaritan involved were also checked out and treated for minor cuts and grazes.”

Moelfre RNLI helm Mike Hughes–Roberts said: “This was an excellent effort by all involved and the children were very lucky to get out of the challenging conditions relatively unscathed.

“There was 1.5-2m breaking surf on the beach which had overwhelmed the children. Fortunately bystanders had seen it all unfolding and called for help straight away.

“If you’re planning on venturing out on or into the water, please consider the weather conditions, have means of calling for help and ensure you let someone know your plans.”

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A theme park has been forced to close a state-of-the-art rollercoaster after it was linked to deaths and serious injuries.  

The X2 ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, was promoted as a ‘[rite] of passage for the ultimate daredevil’, but a new report shows that its twists and turns may be more extreme than the human body can handle.

It was shut down on July 12, a day after the second of two catastrophic brain-injury incidents that occurred less than a week apart.

However, a report by the news broadcaster CNN has found that these were only the latest in a decades-long string of incidents allegedly leading to life-altering disabilities, comas, and deaths.

According to CNN’s investigation, Pamela Guillen, 40, of Hawaii lost consciousness shortly after riding X2 during a family holiday.

After being rushed to hospital, doctors found brain injuries normally associated with high-speed collisions that left her in a coma for two weeks.

Just days later, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, 25, from Los Angeles, was taken to hospital after riding the same rollercoaster and remains, as of CNN’s report, in a coma.

A park spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘The ride remains closed at this time.’

What injuries has the ride caused?

According to medical records, depositions, and legal filings, X2 has been linked to more than a dozen serious injuries and hospitalisations since it opened in 2002.

For example, in 2014, 17-year-old Selena O’Neil rode X2 with her friends.

Immediately after exiting the ride, her head began to ache, her vision blurred, and Selena struggled to walk straight.

Her right leg started to shake whenever she put weight on it and it stuck out at an unusual angle.

After doctors examined the otherwise healthy teenager, they discovered a subdural hematoma, an injury that occurs when blood collects on the surface of the brain.

In 2019, hospital doctors detailed her case in a medical journal without naming X2, directly blaming her injuries on acceleration caused by a rollercoaster.

The doctors warned: ‘Advances of rollercoaster technology and industry competition for thrill–seeking patrons may ultimately improve acceleration and performance beyond the passenger’s physical ability to tolerate them.’

Medical experts have found that the extreme forces created by the ride are capable of causing brain injuries (pictured) usually associated with high–speed collisions 

However, court filings made by Selena’s family and seen by CNN revealed that prior to her injuries, at least five riders had visited the hospital after riding X2.

Those included a 62-year-old man who had sued the park in 2009 after suffering a traumatic brain injury he alleged was caused by the ride.

Has anyone died after riding X2?

In 2022, college graduate Christopher Hawley, 22, rode X2 with his cousin and brother.

According to court records filed afterwards, the three relatives were flipped like ‘rag dolls’, and Christopher hit his head on his seat several times.

Shortly before exiting the ride, Christopher complained of being light-headed, and he was taken to nearby Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.

Doctors discovered that his brain was bleeding so badly that it was crushing his brain into one side of his skull, causing it to bulge out when surgeons opened his skull to release the pressure.

Despite being in excellent health when boarding the ride, Christopher was dead less than ten hours later.

Christopher Hawley (centre) died in June 2022, the day after visiting the park and riding the X2 rollercoaster

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The LA County Medical Examiner later ruled that Christopher died as a result of blunt head trauma less than ten hours after riding X2

Previously, in 2010, a 28-year-old single mother named Hilda Farias also died after riding X2.

Experts suspected that her death was caused by a brain abnormality that ruptured due to the intense forces of the ride.

Why is X2 so dangerous?

Typically, the forces that people experience on a rollercoaster are well within safe bounds.

However, X2’s ‘four–dimensional’ design makes it significantly tougher on riders’ bodies.

In addition to reaching a top speed of 76mph (120km/h) and featuring a 215ft (65m) drop, the seats also rotate independently.

During two so-called ‘raven turns’, the carriages spin upside down while looping, sending the riders backwards into sheer drops.

There are only two other rollercoasters in the world with a similar design, one in China and one in Japan.

Scientists have found that the forces created by most rollercoasters are lower than those exerted by football headers, but X2’s unique design created a much greater impact

Those additional twists and turns add extra forces to each turn that can cause extremely rapid acceleration in the brain.

As the brain accelerates within the skull, this creates ‘very rapid deformations in the brain, which can lead to diffuse axonal injury, tissue tears, and vascular disruptions’.

Are rollercoasters safe to ride?

Despite around 300million people riding rollercoasters each year, the number of people injured is relatively low.

However, injuries and even deaths are not unheard of.

A 2005 study found that there were 39 deaths associated with rollercoasters in the US between 1994 and 2004, 15 of which were caused by bleeding of the brain or cardiac problems.

Similarly, a 2013 study found that 4,423 children in the US went to the emergency room each year between 1990 and 2010 for treatment of injuries ‘resulting from amusement park rides’.

Common injuries were to the head and neck, usually caused when the child fell off, on to or against a ride.

Studies show that the peak velocity exerted on the brain by a rollercoaster is comparable to sprinting and less than a header, but exceptionally dangerous rides like X2 require further investigation 

But these injuries tend to be minor, and deaths usually occur as isolated cases, rather than the repeated incidents associated with X2.

Overall, hospitalisation rates for rollercoasters are low, sitting at just 1.5 per cent annually, with an average of 4.5 deaths per year.

Likewise, studies suggest that the forces exerted by a typical rollercoaster are generally not sufficient to cause brain trauma.

According to one 2017 study, rollercoasters lead to brain strains smaller than mild football headers and comparable to the forces exerted while running.

Co-author of the report, Professor Lyndia Wu, of the University of British Columbia, told CNN: ‘I personally don’t think head injury should be an expected risk from going on a rollercoaster ride, and there is no reason a ride can’t be properly designed to prevent injuries like this.’

However, the researchers note that some higher-risk rides, such as X2, need to be investigated further.