On the one hand, there are those who wish to portray Middlesbrough as being on the brink of “carnage”, a place where the permissive society and weak policing has allowed lawlessness to take over.
On the other hand, there are those who wish to blame this all on police cuts and austerity.
There will be time to have all of these relevant debates, but it is not now.
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Now is not the time to publicly castigate one group of people as that will only increase the dangerous social undercurrents of division.
Now is the time to give the police full support so they can prevent anymore “senseless” deaths.
Cleveland is a small force and its officers are working on perhaps the most major investigation of their lives while at the same time grieving two of their colleagues who were killed in the line duty.
And then they have to cope with the death of a seven-year-old girl somehow caught up in someone else’s battle.
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It does indeed make no sense.
Middlesbrough as a town is going to need enormous strength and support to pull through this.
Hunt, who won four gold medals at the European Championships earlier this month, clocked 11.04 seconds in a 100 metres won by Olympic champion Julien Alfred in 10.70sec.
Hunter Bell could not match Audrey Werro, who lowered her personal best to win the women’s 800m in one minute 53.70sec, just 0.42 seconds short of the world record.
Two other world records were broken on an eventful evening. Brazil’s Alison dos Santos set a new best of 45.80 in the men’s 400m hurdles and American Masai Russell lowered the women’s 100m hurdles to 12.09.
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Hunt faced a formidable test as she looked to take her continental dominance onto the world stage.
Alfred, unbeaten over the distance in almost two years, was highly impressive as she pushed world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden into second place. American Sha’Carri Richardson was third with Hunt finishing behind Jamaica’s Tina Clayton.
“I was coming in here and not thinking too much about the time,” Hunt told the BBC. “To come fifth in that line-up – I think I had the slowest season’s best coming in and obviously very, very tired legs – I’m really happy with that.”
Despite the absence of Keely Hodgkinson, the women’s 800m boasted a world-class field and home favourite Werro powered to victory ahead of Femke Broeders-Bol. Hunter Bell ran a season’s best of 1:55.03.
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Dos Santos smashed Karsten Warholm’s previous world record of 45.94 and beat the Norwegian in the process. Russell’s time eclipsed the 12.12 run by Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan in 2012.
Mondo Duplantis missed out on another world record in the men’s pole vault as both he and Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis went agonisingly close to clearing 6.32m.
That would have beaten Duplantis’ previous best by a single centimetre but the Swede still triumphed with a vault of 6.25m. Karalis settled for second and a personal best 6.20m.
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.
The move comes after trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed late last week, and the US imposed new 50% tariffs on $20bn (C$28bn) worth of Canadian goods. Canada will implement “dollar for dollar” counter tariffs next month.
Trump has repeatedly posted threats about renaming the lake, one of the five Great Lakes that straddle both countries, on social media amid the trade dispute.
He said on Thursday the move was “official, effective immediately” and that his administration has “filed all the necessary papers, documents” to make the change.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney noted the name Lake Ontario can be traced back more than 400 years, adding in a social media post on Thursday that preceded the formation of the Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence.
“We know that the United States is changing. Their trade relations, their foreign policy, their national monuments, their hydronyms,” he wrote. “Canadian women and men also know that things must be called by their name, and this lake is called Lake Ontario – today and forever.”
When Trump took the White House in 2025, he signed a similar order that changed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Mexico has rejected the name change, arguing a single country cannot rename a shared body of international water.
In that case, Google Maps users in the US see “Gulf of America”, while those in Mexico see the “Gulf of Mexico”. Those in other countries see the “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)”.
The White House at the time also blocked Associated Press reporters from presidential events over the news agency’s refusal to adopt the name “Gulf of America” in its coverage. The AP sued the Trump administration in response, and that legal battle is ongoing.
Operations at the busy airport were halted after air traffic control systems were hit by a lightning strike
21:47, 27 Aug 2026Updated 21:47, 27 Aug 2026
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A lightning strike prompted flight cancellations and diversions at Luton Airport this evening, as bad weather conditions and storms swept across south east England.
A spokesperson for the airport said operations were suspended between 5:40pm and 7:15pm, resulting in “a number of cancellations and diversions”.
Roads to and from the airport were flooded during the storm. A number of flights were diverted including Wizz Air flight W95378 from Turin to Luton which diverted to Gatwick airport and the Wizz Air flight W92601 from Prague which diverted to Stansted airport.
“Flights to and from London Luton Airport have now resumed following an earlier suspension of operations caused by a lightning strike affecting Air Traffic Control equipment,” the spokesperson told BBC South East.
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“The disruption coincided with a period of severe weather across the area, resulting in flash flooding on local roads, and the airport approach.
“As operations return to normal, some flights may continue to experience delays or cancellations as airlines work to recover their schedules.”
A deep partial lunar eclipse will take place during the night, with the Moon expected to pass through Earth’s shadow and turn shades of red as the event reaches its most dramatic stage
Emma O’Neill Content Editor
17:25, 27 Aug 2026
Stargazers across the UK are being offered the chance to witness a spectacular Blood Moon in the early hours of Friday, although cloudy weather could spoil the view for many.
A deep partial lunar eclipse will take place during the night, with the Moon expected to pass through Earth’s shadow and turn shades of red as the event reaches its most dramatic stage.
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At its peak, around 93% of the Moon will be covered by the darkest part of Earth’s shadow.
The rare-looking sight will occur as the Sun, Earth and Moon align, allowing the Earth to block much of the sunlight normally reflected by the lunar surface.
But anyone hoping to see it will need more than an alarm clock and a good view, with cloud forecast across several parts of the UK.
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When will the eclipse reach its peak?
The lunar eclipse begins at 2.23am on Friday when the Moon enters the penumbra, the lighter outer section of Earth’s shadow.
The partial eclipse will begin at 3.33am as the Moon starts moving into the darker central shadow, known as the umbra.
The event is expected to reach its peak at 5.12am.
At that point, around 93% of the Moon will be covered by the umbra, potentially creating the dramatic reddish appearance associated with a Blood Moon.
The partial eclipse will continue until around 6.51am.
However, not everyone will be able to watch until the end of the event because the Moon will set before the eclipse is over in some locations.
London is expected to lose sight of the Moon at around 6.15am.
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Where will skies be clearest?
The Met Office has warned that viewing conditions will be difficult in many areas.
Cloud is forecast across Cornwall and Devon, Wales, the Midlands, parts of north-west England, most of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
There could also be patchy cloud across north-east England.
Southern and eastern England are expected to have the best chance of seeing at least part of the eclipse, especially before cloud becomes more extensive later in the night.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “The greatest chance of seeing something is likely to be across southern and eastern England during its earlier stages, before cloud becomes more extensive.
“Elsewhere, any temporary breaks in the cloud could still provide brief views.”
Anyone hoping to maximise their chances should find a high vantage point with a clear and unobstructed view towards the south-western horizon.
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Why can everyone see a lunar eclipse at once?
A lunar eclipse differs from a solar eclipse because it is not limited to a narrow path across the Earth’s surface.
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon blocks the Sun from the perspective of people in particular locations.
A lunar eclipse, on the other hand, occurs when the Moon enters Earth’s shadow.
That means everyone located on the night side of the planet can potentially see the event at the same time, provided the Moon is above the horizon and the skies are clear.
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The eclipse will therefore take place simultaneously across the UK, even though the Moon’s exact position in the sky will vary from place to place.
What causes the Blood Moon effect?
The Moon does not completely disappear when it passes into Earth’s shadow.
Instead, some sunlight travels through the Earth’s atmosphere before being bent towards the lunar surface.
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The atmosphere filters the light, scattering much of the shorter blue light while allowing redder wavelengths to reach the Moon.
This can give the Moon its famous reddish, orange or copper appearance.
The eclipse is safe to watch without any specialist equipment or protective glasses, unlike a solar eclipse.
All people need is a clear view of the sky and, ideally, an unobstructed view towards the south-west.
The Carabao Cup second round concludes tonight as Chelsea host Luton at Stamford Bridge, with the winners set to face Leeds. The Blues meet League One opposition as they look to build some quick momentum under Xabi Alonso, whose reign began with a 3-2 west London derby win over Fulham on Monday. The attacking trio of Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro were electric in that opener, though Chelsea were haunted by familiar problems in defence and in goal as they kicked off another new era.
Police in Minneapolis reportedly raided the apartment of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar‘s son and seized firearms before arresting his roommate.
Law enforcement sources told Alpha News that a search warrant was carried out at the home of Omar’s son Adnan on Tuesday night.
According to the outlet, they recovered guns and ammunition from the home and arrested his roommate Abdulrahman Abdi, 22.
Earlier that day, the city’s police department said in a statement to the Daily Mail that they conducted a traffic stop and cited Abdi for no proof of insurance and no license.
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The department said that Abdi was released at the scene and the vehicle was in the process of being impounded when a firearm was found inside.
Officers later tracked Abdi to an address on Marquette Ave where they said they arrested him ‘without incident.’
Abdi was later booked into Hennepin County Jail on a weapons charge before being released on Wednesday night, records show.
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Abdulrahman Abdi, 22, was arrested ‘without incident’, police said in a statement to the Daily Mail
Ilhan Omar, left, is seen here with her son Adnan. His apartment was raided by police officers on Tuesday night, sources told Alpha News
According to court records seen by the Daily Mail, Abdi has been convicted ten times in the past, most of the incidents have been misdemeanors.
Last year he was found to have been speeding and driving despite having his license revoked for a previous offense.
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In 2024 he was convicted of a felony after officers reported him traveling at 108 miles per hour in St. Paul.
A statement of probable cause said he was behind the wheel of a Jeep Grand Cherokee and was speeding alongside a Dodge Durango.
He pleaded guilty to fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and was sentenced to one day inside Dakota County Jail.
According to a sentencing order, he was also placed on supervised probation for two years.
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Other convictions date back to 2022 and involve incidents of him using a cell phone while driving, excessive speeding and failing to show proof of insurance.
Omar speaks during a campaign event for Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, in Minneapolis earlier this month
Ahmed Hirsi, left, the ex-husband of Ilhan Omar is pictured with his son Adnan in 2023
Omar said that her son was pulled over after stopping at a Target store, he was only released after he showed them his US passport.
She told WCCO: ‘Yesterday, after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by [ICE] agents, and once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go.’
She also claimed ICE agents previously entered a mosque where her son and others were praying before leaving without making arrests.
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Police raid home of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s son as guns and ammunition are seized
As rescue teams searched Thursday for missing people following catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-China border, Earth scientists reviewed satellite imagery for clues to the cause and assessed the devastation.
The flooding killed hundreds of people in Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Many more are still missing, including scores of foreigners and pilgrims.
Geomorphologists Kristen Cook and Dan Shugar said initial images from Nepal on Wednesday were obscured by clouds and dust from the debris, so they could only see that part of a glacier had broken off from the Langtang Lirung peak, near the border with Tibet. In clearer images from Thursday, they said they could see that the bedrock underneath the glacier had collapsed, taking the massive chunk of ice down with it and sending boulders and ice into the valley.
“It shows the whole area without anything hidden, and we could see that, yes, it looked like there was not only this glacier that had failed, but a much larger chunk of the bedrock of the mountainside itself that had given way,” said Shugar, associate professor at the University of Calgary. “You have this big bedrock failure that took part of the glacier with it.”
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Shugar said it’s heart-wrenching to look downstream from there on the images, to where people were living, and see how the debris has buried villages.
After slamming to the valley floor, the debris maintained its momentum through the steep, narrow valley as ice melted, said Cook, at the Université Grenoble Alpes in France. Water and mud several stories high swept through communities.
The Trishuli River surged during the flooding. Before and after satellite images of the Kolpurtar, Betrawati and Syapru Besi areas of Nepal show that the river is now much wider, and brown and black, because it overtopped its banks in some areas and filled with debris in others. The change in the color of the water shows how much sediment the flow was carrying, turning from greenish to very brown because it’s full of mud, Cook said.
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Towns and villages that were devastated along the river banks are submerged in debris and mud. They appear as areas of brown. Some houses are still poking through in an image of the Betrawati area.
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The flooding toppled and swept away buildings in Syapru Besi, a popular tourist spot where a famous trek to Langtang begins. In before and after images, a side river is now wider too, because the flow was so powerful it pushed upstream.
The flooding “left a wasteland in its wake” that will take many years to recover from, said Alton Byers, a mountain geographer at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Byers lived in Nepal and now travels there yearly to study glacial hazards and work with communities to prepare. This is the largest glacier flood he has seen, by far.
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Byers, faculty research scientist at the university’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, said he thinks Wednesday’s flooding is related to climate change. The Earth’s warming is melting glaciers and permafrost, causing instability and the breakage of massive amounts of snow and ice at high altitudes. That can be a catalyst for a series of cascading events, he said.
“All the indicators, to me, point to the impacts of warming trends,” he said. “In this case, the permafrost that for millennia has helped to hold together high-altitude rock and ice and soil and glaciers is now weakening and becoming unstable.”
Cook and Shugar said that at this point, they can’t say for sure there’s a direct link to climate change. Slopes fail and landslides happen, Cook said, though permafrost is melting and that is destabilizing mountainsides.
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“While we cannot at this point directly link this collapse to climate change, it is not unexpected to see more events of this type with a warming climate,” Cook said. “Not this big, hopefully not this big.”
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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
David Mitchell once revealed the Cambridge pub he always returned to for a drink before the Footlights pantomime, despite admitting it had one rather unglamorous feature
Daniel Windham Assistant Editor, Trendswatch
19:00, 27 Aug 2026
Ludwig star David Mitchell has revealed the Cambridge pub that holds a special place in his heart, despite admitting it may not boast the smartest surroundings.
The comedian and actor looked back on his university days in Cambridge in a 2005 piece for The Guardian, recalling the drinking, comedy and acting that eventually helped shape his career.
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The 52-year-old described his time at university as a happy one, although returning to the city brought mixed emotions as he was reminded of his younger self.
He explained that he and several former Footlights performers would regularly head to the same pub before watching the Cambridge comedy club’s annual pantomime at the ADC Theatre.
“It always seems to happen when a group of us goes back,” Mitchell wrote. “Maybe we’re all trying to drown our nostalgia sadness, or maybe we’ve managed to convince ourselves that getting drunk was genuinely all we did when we were students, rather than just being all we talked about.”
And there was one particular watering hole that repeatedly drew the group back.
“The Maypole is the best pub in Cambridge,” Mitchell declared. He admitted it was “not the smartest” and that it did not serve the city’s finest food, although he praised its “good and very comforting” dishes.
The pub, on Portugal Place, has long been a family-run establishment. It was taken over by Vincent Castiglione’s father in 1982 and is now run by Vincent and his son Mario.
Vincent said his family had been in Cambridge for more than three decades and described the pub as having a strong community atmosphere.
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“My family’s been in Cambridge for 32 years; my dad’s Sicilian, my mum’s English and I’m Cambridge born and bred,” he said. “I love running the pub, it’s a lovely place and our customers are fantastic. It’s a safe, friendly pub; it’s got that ‘local’ feel, despite being right in the centre.”
The Maypole has also built a reputation for its drinks selection, with 16 real ales, including beers from local and micro breweries, alongside Belgian bottled beers and cocktails.
Food is another major draw, with Vincent describing it as “good, home-made pub food”. The menu includes Italian and English dishes, as well as pizzas made at the pub.
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Its proximity to the ADC Theatre has also helped make it a popular haunt for performers and comedy fans over the years.
Vincent revealed: “David Mitchell used to drink here, and we got a mention in his autobiography. When he played a gig at the Corn Exchange not long ago, he popped back for a drink here afterwards.”
He added that Mitchell was far from the only famous face to have frequented the pub, naming Richard Ayoade and Rachel Weisz among other actors and comedians who had been regulars during their student days.
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For Mitchell, however, the appeal appeared to be less about celebrity connections and more about the familiarity of returning to a place where he felt remembered.
“It’s comfortable, friendly, lively and, crucially, they remember me there,” he wrote.
A father and son have died after falling into an industrial silage tank at a farm in Aston by Budworth, near Northwich in Cheshire yesterday lunchtime.
Alan Ford, 72, and son Rick, 42, passed away following the incident on Wednesday, the Cheshire Agricultural Society confirmed.
Firefighters, paramedics, including an air ambulance, and police all rushed to the scene at a farm in Aston by Budworth, near Northwich after being alerted to reports of an ‘industrial accident’ at around 12.20pm.
Both men were working at the site when they fell into an ‘industrial size’ silage container.
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Mr Ford and his son were rescued from the tank on Wednesday but were declared dead at the scene.
Their next of kin have been informed and an investigation is underway, police said.
Nearby Cann Lane was closed to assist with the emergency response.
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Alan Ford (pictured), 72, and son Rick, 42, passed away following the incident on Wednesday, the Cheshire Agricultural Society confirmed
Emergency services were called to the scene of an incident at a farm in Aston by Budworth, near Northwich in Cheshire, yesterday lunchtime
Two men were rescued from the silage tank but could not be saved by emergency services
The death Alan Ford, who retired after seven years as chairman of the CAS earlier this year, was confirmed in a statement released this afternoon.
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‘As Chairman of the Cheshire Agricultural Society it is with profound sadness that I have to announce the untimely death of our past Chairman Alan Ford and his son Rick following a tragic farming accident yesterday,’ the statement read.
‘Alan retired as Chairman and Director of the Society in April this year and Rick has been a Director of the Society for several years.
‘The Ford family have worked tirelessly for the Society for many years and both Alan and Rick will be very sadly missed by everyone who knew them.
‘We wish to extend our thoughts, sympathy and prayers to the families at this very difficult time.’
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The men’s relatives have requested privacy following the tragedy.
A Cheshire Police spokesman said on Wednesday: ‘Police were called to reports of an industrial incident at around 12.20pm today.
‘The caller had reported two men had fallen into an industrial size tank.
‘Police, fire and paramedics are in attendance at the scene and rescue work is ongoing.’
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In an update published today, a statement confirmed both men had died.
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Father and son, 72 and 42, die after falling into industrial silage tank on farm
Few things are more important than the chance of work and opportunity for the country’s young people. Yet too many have missed out on that chance for too long.
Between the end of the pandemic in 2021 until the general election of 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) rose by quarter of a million.
But now, after years of neglect, there is the prospect of hope.
The Labour government is investing £2.5 billion over the next few years in youth employment support, including our Youth Guarantee, aimed at bringing more hope to young people and reducing the enormous waste of talent and energy that comes with having so many young people out of work.
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Part of the Youth Guarantee is a Jobs Guarantee for long-term unemployed young people.
If someone has been claiming Universal Credit for 18 months or more, the government will step in, partner with an employer and offer six months paid work.
It is a targeted scheme aiming at those who have been out of work for the longest time. And that makes sense because the longer someone is out of work, the harder it is for them to get back in. Confidence drops. Self belief disappears. Mental health suffers.
But the good news is that once people are in work, this picture can change very quickly.
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This is not just about earning a wage, important as that is. It’s also about the sense of pride and purpose that comes with having a job.
This week at Boots HQ in Nottingham, I met some of the first beneficiaries of the Jobs Guarantee. Young people who’d been on the dole for years but were now fired up with belief and ambition. They didn’t just have jobs. They had hope. And that is what we want for more for the country’s young people.
The Jobs Guarantee is aimed at helping 90,000 young people into work over the next few years. In addition, we will provide 300,000 more work experience and training opportunities, helping young people get out of the bind of no experience and no job.
We have also put in place hiring incentives of £3000 for employers to take on young people who have been out of work for six months or more. It’s all part of the same message of hope and opportunity for young people.
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I don’t believe the welfare state should limit its ambition to simply guaranteeing people a minimum income. I think it should offer them a future too and that is what the Youth Guarantee is all about.
This morning’s NEET numbers showed a fall of 30,000 over the last three months, reducing the total to just under a million. That is still too high and this drop is only one quarter’s figures, but if it is sustained it will be welcome news.
With the Youth Guarantee coming into force, I want more young people to have the chance for the future that is being enjoyed by the young people I met at Boots.
And when the government receives the final report from the Milburn Review this autumn, that’s exactly what we will be trying to ensure.
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Pat McFadden is the work and pensions secretary.
Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
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