Red Lobster’s oldest restaurant, located in Tallahassee, Florida, is set to permanently close its doors after 56 years of business.

On Tuesday, a representative for the seafood chain confirmed toThe Independent that the branch’s final day of operation Sunday, May 24. The restaurant, located on North Monroe Street, initially opened in October 1970.

“This restaurant holds a special place in Red Lobster’s history and has been a meaningful part of the community for decades. We’re grateful to the guests and team members who have supported it over the years,” the company said.

“As part of the normal course of business, Red Lobster continuously evaluates restaurant performance and lease terms and may, from time to time, choose to close or relocate select restaurants. This decision reflects individual business circumstances specific to this location.”

The store closure could be part of Red Lobster’s revival plan, after it filed for bankruptcy in May 2024. In February, CEO Damola Adamolekun told The Wall Street Journal that management had been reviewing restaurant leases and closing underperforming sites to sharpen the company’s focus on stronger markets.

The chain shuttered more than 100 restaurants across dozens of states during its 2024 Chapter 11 process and laid off hundreds of workers.

The company then escaped bankruptcy in September 2024 after being acquired by RL Investor Holdings LLC and receiving approximately $70 million in fresh investment. At the time, Adamolekun became the CEO and brought new ideas to Red Lobster’s menu and marketing.

“There’s a lot of positive signs, but we inherited a very damaged brand, so there’s still work to do to repair all of that,” Adamolekun, the former CEO of P.F. Chang’s, told the WSJ.

Under Adamolekun’s leadership, Red Lobster has overhauled its menu, launched a happy hour to attract more customers and refreshed its marketing strategy. To improve the in-restaurant experience, the company introduced a “red carpet hospitality” program, directing hostesses to acknowledge guests from 10 feet away and engage with them when they are within four feet.

In April, the chain announced the return of its popular all-you-can-eat Endless Shrimp promotion for dine-in customers. Guests can choose between five shrimp dishes, including Shrimp Linguini Alfredo, Walt’s Favorite Shrimp, Garlic Shrimp Scampi, Parrot Isle Coconut Shrimp and a new “Marry Me Shrimp” inspired by the viral online recipe, with tiered pricing from $24.99 to $29.99. Customers start with three dishes and can order up to two more at a time.

“This is about putting our guests first and bringing back something they truly love,” Adamolekun said in a statement. “Endless Shrimp has been a part of Red Lobster’s legacy for 20 years and our guests have never stopped asking for it. We’re excited to bring it back, for a limited time, in a way that works for our business today and honors what made it special from the beginning. Because when our fans talk, we listen.”

The promotion was extremely popular in restaurants in 2023 and reportedly caused Red Lobster to lose about $11 million in just three months.

Headlam Hall Hotel & Rural Retreat, near Darlington, has extended its wellness facilities with a new outdoor area designed to “strengthen the spa’s connection to the landscape, bring in even more restorative benefits of water, and offer a flexible relaxation space for guests all year round”.

The terrace features an expanded hydrotherapy spa pool with upgraded massage jets, a shaded relaxation area with loungers, and a retractable canopy for use in all seasons.

Headlam Hall Hotel & Rural Retreat has opened a new extension to its spa facilities (Image: Dave Cooil)

Headlam Hall Hotel director Thomas Robinson said: “The vision behind the terrace spa renovation was to enhance the outdoor side of the spa and make even more of the wonderful views around us.

“We wanted to create a space that feels calm, comfortable, and closely connected to the surrounding countryside, while also giving guests greater flexibility to enjoy it throughout the year.

“It’s a simple but meaningful upgrade that gives guests a beautiful new space to relax as part of their spa visit.”

Headlam Hall Hotel & Rural Retreat has opened a new extension to its spa facilities, giving guests even more space to unwind and enjoy the surrounding scenic views. (Image: Dave Cooil)

The covered design means guests can stay sheltered during cooler or wet weather while still enjoying the rural surroundings.

Existing spa facilities at Headlam Hall include a swimming pool, steam and sauna rooms, treatment rooms, gym, exercise studio, brasserie café, and a garden exercise zone.

The new terrace is part of Headlam Hall’s ongoing investment in its spa experience, with plans for an additional spa garden set for 2027.

For more information about the hotel and its spa offerings, visit www.headlamhall.co.uk.

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A total of 13 extra places are set to be created at Haxby Road Primary Academy following a City York Council decision to award £7,800 in funding.

Council officials stated the grant would be funded from £333,000 the authority had received from the Government to help increase the amount of local ‘wrap-around’ places.

It comes after the council’s executive approved using a total of £922,800 in September 2024 to expand early years and childcare places.

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The Labour executive heard at the time an extra 390 places in breakfast and after school clubs could be needed so York families could get the care they are entitled to.

Officials forecast up to new 304 places would need to be created so parents and carers could claim their 30-hour-a-week allowance of free childcare by the September 2025 rollout date.

Education Secretary Bridgett Phillipson said in March free childcare hours meant families were now better off after research showed they had saved families an average of £8,000-a-year for every child.

An annual Coram Family and Childcare survey found the cost of a full-time 50-hour-a-week place for a child of two had fallen from around £305-a-week in 2024 to £149.

Education Secretary Bridgett Phillipson said extra free childcare hours were saving families money (Image: PA)

The secretary of state said: “Childcare costs have weighed on working families for too long – pushing parents out of work and stretching household budgets to breaking point.

“We are giving working families the real, practical cost of living support they need to get on.”

In January, the council approved grants worth a total of £51,000 to create extra breakfast and after school club places in three other York schools.

Clifton Green Primary School received £30,000 for 35 breakfast and after school club places, while Dringhouses Primary School received £15,000 for 25.

Wheldrake with Thornganby Primary School got £6,000 to create eight new places for its pupils following the decision.

It comes just a day after the railway bridge was hit by a tractor

Another vehicle has crashed into the railway bridge on Stuntney Road in Ely. Network Rail was called at around 3.40pm on Tuesday (May 19) with reports that a van had hit the bridge

The crash caused minor delays on some services with trains going through Ely running at a reduced speed. People travelling in the area were told to leave up to 20 minutes of extra time for their journeys.

An inspection of the area was carried out by engineers to check if any damage had been done to the bridge. Network Rail confirmed services ran as normal from 4.45pm.

The railway bridge was also hit by a tractor on Monday evening (May 18). This incident also caused disruption to train services.

The railway bridge is regularly named one of the most bashed bridges in the UK. In October 2025, the bridge was hit three times in just one week.

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The trio will take over from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who announced they would be leaving Strictly at the end of 2025. 

Reports previously suggested they had been offered deals after the BBC held rounds of auditions. 

Now, the BBC has confirmed that they will step into the ballroom as new Strictly hosts this autumn. 

BBC: Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdecombe are the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing.

— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) May 19, 2026

Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe confirmed as new Strictly hosts 

Announcing the news, Kate Phillip, BBC’s Chief Content Officer said: “Emma, Johannes and Josh’s chemistry is undeniable.

“There’s been so much speculation and hype, so I’m relieved we can share the news with the public at last!

“I’d like to thank all the brilliant people we saw before making this tough decision.

“But the most beloved ballroom in the UK always leads the way, and in a Strictly first we have chosen three outstanding hosts to take up the mantel.

“Along with our amazing Strictly team, who are busy planning fabulous and unforgettable treats for this new series, I know this terrific trio can’t wait to join our judges and pros to bring us must-see TV on the BBC this autumn.”

In the comments section of Strictly’s official Instagram post, fans of the show have shared their thoughts on the new host line-up, including big names like Alison Hammond who said: “This is wonderful, three truly beautiful people . You will all smash it”.

Former Strictly host Tess Daly commented: “Can’t wait to tune in, the ultimate trio”.

Professional Strictly dancer Dianne Buswell said: “This is so exciting. Particularly excited for our fellow pro @johannesradebe babe you are a true star and this role is made for you. We love you”.

What are Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe known for? 

Presenters Willis and Widdicombe have both hosted TV and radio shows. 

Willis is best known for her work on Channel 5’s Big Brother, The Voice UK, Love is Blind: UK, Cooking with the Stars and The Circle. 

She’s also been featured in documentaries, Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones and Change Your Mind Change Your Life. 

She is married to musician Matt Willis, who, as well as presenting and acting roles, is notably the co-founder, bassist and co-vocalist of the pop-punk band Busted. 

Widdicombe is a popular comedian, presenter and actor, having appeared on shows such as The Last Leg, Fighting Talk and Mock the Week. 

He also has a podcast with fellow comedian Rob Beckett, Parenting Hell, about bringing up children, experiences, tips and face-palm moments. 

The comedian has featured on Strictly before, as part of the 2024 Christmas special. 

He scored 36 after dancing a Charleston with pro partner Karen Hauer, but lost out to drag artist Tayce, who scored 40. 

Meanwhile, Johannes Radebe is a professional dancer who has worked on Strictly for several years.

Are you happy with the choice of the new Strictly Come Dancing hosts? Let us know in the comments. 

The world’s major oil and gas companies claim they are leading the energy transition. They spend billions on PR to brand themselves as part of the solution. The data we’ve reviewed tells a different story.

Where a rapid transition to renewables is taking place, incumbent fossil fuel firms have almost nothing to do with it. Analysis by one of us shows that the largest 250 oil and gas companies only own 1.42% of global renewable energy, and just 0.01% of the energy they extract comes from renewable sources.

For decades, many Indigenous peoples and environmental activists have accused the fossil fuel industry of offering “false solutions”. These are projects that amplify the industry’s green credentials while leaving its core business model untouched. Our research supports their case.

We argue that fossil fuel companies’ deployment of renewable energy, biofuels, carbon capture and storage (CCS), green hydrogen and carbon offsetting isn’t designed to oppose decarbonisation, but to manage the conversation around renewables. False solutions signal compliance while helping to mute calls for a systemic transformation.

Mapping the delay

Drawing on the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice, the world’s largest environmental conflict database based at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, we mapped and analysed 48 projects run by fossil fuel firms. These ranged from biofuels to CCS and forest restoration schemes, as well as some renewable energy projects that are owned and used by these firms.

Crucially, we found that these were rarely displacing fossil fuels. Instead, they justify further use of oil, gas or coal.

For instance, CCS facilities are often linked to “enhanced oil recovery”. That involves CO₂ captured from a power plant or factory being injected into wells to squeeze out more fossil fuels from underground reservoirs – an approach that actually extends the lifespan of oil fields. The industry’s own documents back this up: the Global CCS Institute’s 2025 status report lists 77 commercially facilities in operation around the world. Of these, it notes 33 were developed to enhance oil recovery.

Likewise, “clean hydrogen” is often used to greenwash projects that are actually built on continued gas production. Even renewables can become false solutions. We found solar and wind farms built specifically to power refineries and oil and gas drilling. These projects don’t decarbonise the grid, they simply make it easier and cheaper to extract fossil fuels.

New tech, old injustices

False solutions do more than lock in fossil fuel dependence. Across the 48 cases there were examples of land conflicts. Carbon offset schemes often involve high emitters paying to protect or restore a forest or other ecosystem, to “make up” for their emissions. But in practice, they can lead to the enclosure of previously common land and the loss of communal or Indigenous rights. Biofuel plantations can displace smallholders, replacing local food systems with industrial-scale farms.

Indigenous and traditional communities are disproportionately affected by false solutions. Many projects are sited on ancestral or sacred land without meaningful consultation or consent.

Resistance to these projects is often framed by the fossil fuel industry and its supporters as hostility to climate action or a form of nimbyism. But our data suggests that, in many cases, these communities are opposed to projects that perpetuate the fossil fuel economy.

We also found evidence of governments channelling public subsidies to fund many of these projects. Such cases amount to a direct cash transfer from taxpayers to private companies for promises that deliver minimal emissions reductions.

They are, therefore, in effect helping to delay the end of the fossil fuel era.
Yet these projects have enabled politicians to claim they are climate leaders without having to confront a powerful industry.

After examining these 48 conflicts, one lesson becomes unmistakable: false solutions are not experimental missteps. They are in effect helping to delay the end of the fossil fuel era.

The buzzard was found with shotgun pellets in its wing in the Bransdale area on May 4.

The bird was also found to have a broken leg, and was taken to a vet, were sadly, it had to be euthanised due to its injuries.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “The bird was x-rayed, and pellets from a shotgun were found in its wing.

“It is believed the broken leg occurred up to 48 hours before it was found, and may have been caused by a hard landing – so the buzzard could have been shot within that same 48-hour period.

“Buzzards and other birds of prey are legally protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. To intentionally kill or injure one is a criminal offence.

“Anyone with any information about how the bird came to be injured is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference 12260080894.”

Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of Wimbledon due to injury, following his withdrawal from the French Open.

Alcaraz announced the news on social media on Tuesday. He will also miss Queen’s, the London grass-court tournament that many players use as a warm-up for Wimbledon.

The update follows news in April that the Spaniard would not compete at the French Open in Paris, which began this week, due to a wrist problem.

“My recovery is going well and I feel much better, but unfortunately I’m still not ready to be able to play,” Alcaraz wrote on Tuesday.

“And that’s why I have to withdraw from the grass-court swing at Queen’s and Wimbledon. They are two really special tournaments for me and I’ll miss them a lot.

“We keep working to return as soon as possible!”

Alcaraz is a two-time champion at Wimbledon, having beaten Novak Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 finals. The 23-year-old finished runner-up to Jannik Sinner last year.

Alcaraz, a former world No 1 who is currently ranked No 2, is also a two-time champion at Queen’s. He lifted the trophy there in 2023 and 2025.

Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Wimbledon leaves Sinner the heavy favourite to win the grass-court major, just as the Italian is on the clay of the French Open.

Sinner, 24, said he was “sad” to learn of Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Roland Garros in April, but that news – and Tuesday’s – gives the world No 1 a great chance of taking his grand slam haul from four to six in the coming months.

Before beating Alcaraz at SW19 last summer, Sinner narrowly lost to the Spaniard in an all-time classic French Open final. The rivals met again in the final of the US Open, where Alcaraz triumphed.

Alcaraz also won the Australian Open in January, beating Djokovic in the final after the Serb overcame Sinner in a scintillating semi-final. The Spaniard’s victory in Melbourne made him a seven-time major champion, but he will have to wait until the US Open in September at the earliest to add to that tally.

Alcaraz’s last competitive outing on court was in Barcelona in April, where he was beaten by Tomas Machac in the round of 16. Before that, “Carlitos” was defeated by Sinner in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters. Both tournaments are played on clay.