Firefighters were called to the River Ure at Aldborough, near Ripon, at around 9am on Sunday (May 24), following reports of two dogs who had got into difficulty.

Fire crews from Knaresborough, Ripon and Richmond attended the scene and found the dogs in a drainage ditch.

Using ladders, firefighters were able to rescue both dogs and reunite them with their owners.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “Crews from Knaresborough, alongside Ripon and Richmond swift water rescue, responded to reports of two dogs stuck in the river, on arrival the dogs were found in the drainage ditch.

“Crews used a triple extension ladder and crew power to safely rescue the dogs and reunite them with their owners, safe and well.

This is the perfect walk to embark on in the sunny weather

The sunny weather makes it the perfect time to go on a walk. Across Cambridgeshire, there are many picturesque spots that are best viewed while on a walk. In Cambridge, there is one circular walk that is described as the city’s “best kept secret”. The Coton Corridor features a part of the Great Walk series.

The walk takes visitors through Coton Countryside Reserve, which covers over 300 acres. When planning permission was granted in the late 1990s to create the reserve, it established diverse wildlife habitats, including woodland, bird boxes, ponds, hay meadows, and even an orchard.

The reserve, which forms part of the Cambridge Green Belt, offers people the chance to enjoy great views of the surrounding area of Cambridge.

The route starts at the park in the Cambridge PPF Martin Car Park on Grantchester Road, Coton. To enjoy the walk in full, here is the route you need to take:

• Start at the barn adjacent to the car park, turn left along a concrete track for a few metres and then turn right along a muddy track up to a farm bridge over the M11 motorway. Continue straight across two fields to a lane leading to Barton Road.
• Turn left and walk along Barton Road. Remain on the left-hand side of the road for approximately half a mile to a point where you see a footpath adjacent to Bin Brook immediately after the second house (number 116).
• Follow the footpath to the end, which brings you onto Gough Way. Turn right for 50 yards and cross the road, and turn left into the footpath after number 50, along Bin Brook, turning right, left and right to reach the end of Cranmer Road. Walk down Cranmer Road to the corner of Grange Road next to Selwyn College.
• Turn left and follow Grange Road, past the University Rugby Ground, as far as Adams Road.
• Turn left and follow Adams Road to the corner of Wilberforce Road and the entrance to the university athletics ground, where you will see the start of the footpath in front of you. Follow the footpath, with the West Fields on your left and the University of Cambridge West campus on your right.
• Cross over the M11 footbridge. Shortly after the bridge, either go through a gate on the left through the coppice parallel to the footpath, or stay on the footpath to reach The Plough pub.
• From The Plough, cross the recreation ground in a south-easterly direction, heading for the corner of the bowls club hedge. Walk along with the hedge on your right to the edge of the Rec, turn half right past a yellow house and walk through the plantation to a kissing gate and a footpath alongside Bin Brook. Turn left, and cross the meadows with the brook on your right for about 700 metres, passing through 2 more gates, to return to the CambridgePPF car park.

In the video, which was leaked from a meeting of the party’s ruling body in 2021, the former First Minister warned her officials to be “very careful” about suggesting there were “any problems” with the accounts.

Leaked footage showed Nicola Sturgeon insisting SNP finances had “never been stronger” as she warned staff against reporting issues.

In the video, first published in 2023 by our sister title Sunday Mail, was taken from a meeting of the party’s ruling body in 2021, in which the former First Minister warned her officials to be “very careful” about suggesting there were “any problems” with the accounts.

Her husband Peter Murrell was convicted earlier today of embezzling £400,000 from the party between August 2010 and January 2023.

Murrell, the SNP’s former CEO, admitted using the party’s money to buy items including a motorhome and luxury goods, and towards the purchase of two cars. He was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at Edinburgh High Court next month.

In the video, Sturgeon lashed out after three members of her finance and audit committee resigned in protest because they were refused access to the books.

She said: “The party has never been in a stronger financial position than it is right now and that’s a reflection of our strength and our membership. I’m not going to get into the details…but, you know, just be very careful about suggestions that there are problems with the party’s finances, because we depend on donors to donate.

“There are no reasons for people to be concerned about the party’s finances, and all of us need to be careful about not suggesting that there is. We’ve got to be careful we don’t reap what we sow, if we have leaks from this body it limits the ability for open free and frank discussion.”

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Her statement came after Edinburgh’s former Lord Provost Frank Ross, Allison Graham, and Cynthia Guthrie all resigned from the finance and audit committee. Elected treasurer Douglas Chapman also quit in protest at not being given the financial information to do the job.

Graham had just read out a statement voicing a catalogue of concerns over transparency and governance.

It is anticipated that Murrell will receive a substantial prison sentence. Murrell, who arrived at the court at around 8am, was dressed in a dark blue suit and white shirt during the hearing.

His conviction comes after a long-running police investigation, Operation Branchform, into SNP finances.

Murrell, 61, was appointed chief executive of the SNP in 2001 during John Swinney’s first stint as party leader. He quit as CEO in 2023 after a row over membership numbers and when Operation Branchform was ongoing. He and Sturgeon married in 2010 but the former First Minister last year announced they were getting divorced.

In April 2023, Sturgeon and SNP treasurer Colin Beattie were both arrested as part of Operation Branchform and later released without charge. Sturgeon was arrested again in June 2023 but released without charge seven hours later.

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston had oversight of the probe, which had a policing cost of more than £2m.

He said: “This was a lengthy and extremely complex case due to the scale of criminality over a 12-year period and the lengths Peter Murrell went to try and cover his tracks. I commend the professionalism and absolute dedication of the Operation Branchform team who spent more than four years carrying out extensive enquiries across Europe to unpick Murrell’s offending.

“This is without doubt one of the most high-profile investigations in recent times and it is testimony to the work of Police Scotland officers and staff that has led to Peter Murrell’s admission of guilt early in the court process. I would also like to thank the many witnesses who came forward to provide us with statements as we built the case against Peter Murrell. Their engagement with us was vital.

“Peter Murrell has shown utter contempt for the high public trust placed in him as the Chief Executive of a political party and his position in the wider political establishment in Scotland for many years. He abused his privileged position with access to Scottish National Party funds to divert cash into his own accounts and bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford.

“From 2010 to 2022 he spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on luxury goods while carefully trying to hide his criminality with false receipts and accounting. He must now face the consequences of his actions.”

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One of Taylor Reid’s victims was left with scarring and the random attack has had a “detrimental physical and psychological impact” on both.

A thug who attacked two teachers after damaging their car’s wing mirror has been locked up for more than three years.

One of Taylor Reid’s victims was left with scarring and the random attack has had a “detrimental physical and psychological impact” on both.

Reid, 20, was given a 38-month sentence at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

He denied assaulting Dianne Wright and Heather Luxton in Hamilton Road, Bellshill, on July 9 last year, but a jury dismissed his self-defence claim and found him guilty.

Reid was also found guilty of threatening or abusive behaviour and breaching a bail curfew.

The court heard the serial offender was the subject of eight separate bail orders at the time.

He was crossing the road when he struck the car’s wing mirror, prompting the teachers to stop and confront him.

Reid, who had been drinking, then started punching both women.

Defence lawyer Diarmid Bruce said Reid had experienced “significant trauma” in his childhood.

READ MORE: Blantyre residents alarmed when stranger turned up on their doorsteps

He “makes the wrong choices when intoxicated”.

Mr Bruce said his client has been in custody since his arrest on these charges and has “struggled to cope”.

He suggested a community payback order could be imposed, adding: “Unpaid work would be a constructive option.

“It gives people something to do when they are at a loose end and are otherwise likely to turn to alcohol.

“Mr Reid is definitely too young to be written off.”

READ MORE: Worker had fingers severed in accident at waste processing plant in Uddingston

However, Sheriff Linda Nicolson said Reid had already amassed a criminal record that included convictions for disorder and offences involving weapons.

The sheriff stated: “These teachers were minding their own business as they drove along the road.

“You forcibly hit their car. They were, understandably, shocked and got out of the vehicle as a result of that.

“I have read the victim impact statements and it’s clear what happened has had a detrimental physical and psychological impact on them.

READ MORE: Drug dealer caught with heroin and cocaine worth £115,000 at Motherwell flat

“I have also heard evidence of the significant injury sustained by one of them.

“I see no alternative to custody in your case but the sentence is less than it would have been for an accused person over the age of 25.”

The 38-month stretch was backdated to August 28 to take account of time Reid has already spent in custody.

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READ MORE: Police found man “covered in blood” after attack outside shop in Hamilton

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has agreed to allow Iran to be based in the country during the World Cup, claiming the United States were unwilling to host them.

Sheinbaum said her government had been approached by Fifa after the US made it clear it did not want Iran’s squad to stay in the country during the tournament.

“We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said.

“The United States does not want the Iranian team to stay overnight, but they are going to play three matches there.

“So they asked us: ‘Can they stay overnight in Mexico?’ And we said: ‘Yes, no problem. We have no problem.”

Iran were originally given Tucson, Arizona as their World Cup base with all three of their matches scheduled to take place in the US.

However, the ongoing war in the Middle East and related security concerns has led to uncertainty around their participation.

The World Cup is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, with Iran scheduled to play New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June – both in Los Angeles – and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

Iran are currently preparing for the tournment in Antalya, southern Turkey.

The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.

Craig Keatley, from Stoneclough, is set to walk 14 miles in flippers to raise money for a cancer hospital after his friend was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.

The 56-year-old will walk from The Christie Hospital in Withington to his home district in Stoneclough on June 27 in aid of The Christie charity.

It started originally in the 90s. (Image: Craig Keatley)

The charity challenge comes after his friend, Lee Burns, from Stoneclough, began treatment at the hospital.

Mr Keatley said: “Things like what we’re doing, what my mate’s going through now, puts life in perspective.

“He’s nearly 48, and he’s got bloody cancer, and it’s not a good thing to have.

“I only hope he can prolong his life as much as we can, but, from my point of view, let’s raise a few quid, put a smile on people’s faces and raise awareness.”

Mr Keatley has become known locally for completing long-distance charity walks while wearing swimming flippers.

Craig after an impressive climb up a peak. (Image: Craig Keatley)

Over the years, he has climbed Mount Snowdon in flippers and walked from Liverpool to Manchester wearing them.

He said he first came up with the idea during a night out in the early 1990s before bringing it back for charity fundraising in 2017.

Mr Keatley said: “Every time you go out, you’re faced with the madness of people engaging and filming you because it is bonkers.

“I get a lot of enjoyment from seeing people and seeing their reactions because you get all sorts of reactions.

It’s not his first rodeo. (Image: Craig Keatley)

“Every time I go out, I’m getting beeps, waves and every sort of reaction, which again is good really.”

Mr Keatley said several people are expected to join him on the route, with the event planned around a football World Cup theme.

He said he has raised more than £28,000 for charities through his various challenges over the years, including almost £4,500 for Bolton Community Kitchen.

Mr Keatley added: “The money side is great, the awareness is great, the fun element is great, and the personal challenge is great.

“I don’t think I could have dreamed about doing anything like that because of the miles I’ve done.

He’s been seen in his flippers by many people before. (Image: Craig Keatley)

“You’ve got to train hard, and people stop you and tell me their story.”

One of Mr Keatley’s toughest challenges saw him walk 31 miles from Anfield to Old Trafford in flippers in 2019.

He said: “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

“I was physically sick at the end of it, and my mates got me over the finish line because if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have done it.”

Mr Keatley said the support he receives from the public is one of the main reasons he continues doing the challenges.

He added: “People see me on the street and say, ‘You’re the flipper guy’.

“It’s amusing, really, and it’s nice, that little cult status sort of thing.

“I enjoy doing it, and people get a lot of fun from it, seeing me.”

A suspect is in custody following reports a woman was attacked

A man has been arrested on suspicion of rape following reports that a woman was attacked. An area was taped off in the centre of Darwen, in Lancashire, after the alleged attack in the early hours of Monday (May 25).

Police were called to the bottom of Belgrave Road, where it meets the A666, at around 12.55am to reports that a woman in her 20s had been raped.

The small wooded area behind the pair of Grade II-listed tram shelters was cordoned off with police tape after the incident. Two police vehicles remained at the scene throughout Monday amid investigations.

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A suspect, aged 21, has been arrested on suspicion of rape and is in custody to be questioned. Anyone with information about the alleged attack is being urged to contact Lancashire Police.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Constabulary told LancsLive: “Shortly before 12:55am today (25th May) we received a report of a rape in Belgrave Square, Darwen.

“An investigation is under way, and a woman in her 20s is being supported by specially trained officers. A 21-year-old man from Darwen has been arrested on suspicion of rape and remains in custody.

“We know that this is concerning to hear about, but we want to reassure you that we have a dedicated team of officers investigating and have increased patrols by our Neighbourhood officers as a reassurance. We want you to know that if you have any concerns that you can approach them as they conduct their duties.

“If you have information or CCTV or dashcam footage that could assist our enquiries, please call 101 quoting log 0059 of 25th May.”

Darwen town centre had been packed over the weekend as tens of thousands of music-lovers headed to the annual Music Live festival. Sunday’s headliners were The Ordinary Boys with the warm weather drawing crowds into the town.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV called Monday for robust regulation of artificial intelligence and for its developers to work for the common good rather than profit, issuing a sweeping manifesto on safeguarding humankind as the technology impacts everything from work to war.

“Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), Leo’s first encyclical, has been eagerly awaited ever since history’s first U.S.-born pope announced days after his election that he considered AI to be the biggest challenge facing humanity today.

In the text, Leo denounced the “culture of power” driving the AI race, especially in developing ever more sophisticated methods of remote warfare. He declared that it was “not permissible” to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems, setting up another flash point between the American pope and the Trump administration, which has worked aggressively to deregulate AI development.

“Artificial Intelligence now demands to be disarmed, freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion and death,″ the pope told a special Vatican presentation of the encyclical, one of the most authoritative types of teaching documents a pope can issue.

Experts in the tech industry, academia and Catholic morality said the document will likely become a benchmark in the debate over AI, a point of reference for policymakers, researchers and ordinary folk alike. It comes as the near-daily developments in the technology trigger concerns over AI replacing human jobs and even human intelligence.

Taylor Black, a Microsoft AI executive and director of Catholic University of America’s AI institute, said the document would prompt people “at the forefront of these tools” to ask questions such as “What does it mean to be human?”

The Vatican launch also included remarks by the co-founder of Anthropic, which is currently locked in a legal battle with the Trump administration over access to its AI technology. The Vatican decided to involve Anthropic as part of its decade-long effort to engage Silicon Valley in dialogue over the human cost of AI.

And yet in his text, Leo repeatedly blasted the concentration of power and data in the hands of so few people in the private sector as a danger, especially to children and the most vulnerable, and called for external regulation of their work.

“It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,” he wrote. “A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few.”

Leo appealed to AI developers and political leaders responsible for regulating them to slow down and reflect on what they are doing. He urged them to use ethical and spiritual guidelines to make the choice to work not for their own profit or power, but the betterment of humanity.

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It became the foundation of modern Catholic social thought, and the current pope cited it at the start of his pontificate in relation to the AI revolution, which he believes poses the same existential questions that the Industrial Revolution posed over a century ago. “Magnifica Humanitas” thus becomes the latest chapter in a century-long history of popes adapting “Rerum Novarum” to the social questions of their times, often dwelling on the dignity of work for human flourishing.

AI is evoking both existential fears and utopian vision amid an intensifying debate on whether it will become a catalyst that enriches humanity or a technological toxin that dulls human intelligence while wiping out millions of high-paying jobs.

“The pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs, because the human person is an end, not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good,” Leo wrote.

Leo extended his concern for upholding human dignity in labor to issue the first-ever papal apology for the Holy See’s own role in legitimizing slavery by giving European sovereigns explicit authority to subjugate and enslave “infidels.”

The decision to include Anthropic at the Vatican launch was criticized by some who considered it a papal stamp of approval of the AI firm, which is currently suing the Trump administration after it ordered all U.S. agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology for its refusal to allow the U.S. military unrestricted use of it.

Brian Boyd, U.S. faith liaison for the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, read the inclusion of Anthropic’s co-founder Olah as a recognition of its prominence in the field and as similar to a papal audience with a head of state: not an endorsement.

Anthropic is an “enormous corporation that is taking onto itself an enormous risk and responsibility,” Boyd said, adding that the company has “demonstrated genuine goodwill and integrity and interest in dialogue.”

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Winfield reported from Middletown, Connecticut, and Huamani reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Kelvin Chan in London and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Patrick Kielty’s future as host remains unclear

Irish television and radio presenter Miriam O’Callaghan is now favourite to become the next host of RTE flagship programme, The Late Late Show.

Odds for O’Callaghan, 66, taking over from current host Patrick Kielty have been slashed over the last few days to 2/1.

This could be the perfect timing for the Prime Time and Sunday With Miriam host to add a Friday night entertainment show to her books, according to the Irish Mirror.

READ MORE: Surprising bookies’ favourites emerge for RTE Late Late Show hot seat with Patrick Kielty in contract limboREAD MORE: Former Late Late host Pat Kenny gives verdict on Patrick Kielty staying on

The shift in odds comes after Jennifer Zamparelli ruled herself out of contention. Zamparelli effectively ended speculation that she could step into the coveted presenting role.

It’s also worth noting that Miriam has presented The Late Late Show a few times in the past.

Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: “Miriam O’Callaghan is the clear favourite with punters, and it looks like we’ve reached a point where it really is time to have the first female host of the Late Late Show!”

There is the possibility that Patrick Kielty may make a return to the show, but it is still unclear. RTÉ and Mr Kielty entered into a three year contract in 2023 worth €250,000 per season.

However, in recent weeks it was revealed Kielty was in fact paid €266,323 in 2025 and €257,657 in 2024.

The national broadcaster noted that this was because it “required” Patrick Kielty to present more programmes “beyond his standard contract.”

RTÉ’s Director General, Kevin Bakhurst has said he would “love” to keep Patrick Kielty as the host of The Late Late Show and has defended extra payments to the star.

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This wartime sitcom was very popular in the 1960s and 1970s

Many places across the UK have been used for backdrops to some of people’s favourite TV shows. Any fan of a show loves to go visit the locations where they were filmed, and act just as if they are in the fictional universe they watch.

Not far from Cambridge and only a 51-minute drive is Thetford in Norfolk, and this was the set of a popular British sitcom from the 1960s and 1970s. During its nine-year run, Thetford became the fictional town of Walmington-on-Sea, the home of Dad’s Army.

Many of the town’s outside locations were used in the BBC sitcom. For example, Thetford Guildhall acted as Walmington-on-Sea’s town hall.

Nether Row, which is a row of cottages, featured in several episodes of the programme, as well as Mill Lane which was a backdrop for many of the show’s comedic scenes. There was also the Palace Cinema that doubled as a cinema in the show, and it was also the real-life spot where the cast and crew used to watch weekly films.

Today, there is a museum dedicated to Dad’s Army in Thetford. It was opened in 2007 by the show’s creator David Croft.

Inside, there is a reconstruction of Captain Mainwaring’s church hall office, several display areas, a shop and the Marigold Tea Room. There is also a host of historic photographs on show, alongside other memorabilia.

As well as being the centre of all things Dad’s Army, Thetford has much more on offer. The town is dubbed a “historic gem” by Thetford Town Council, and was also previously the ancient capital of East Anglia.

It’s considered the perfect place for not only history buffs, but nature lovers as well. It’s surrounded by stunning landscapes waiting to be explored.

There is Thetford Forest, which is the UK’s biggest manmade lowland forest. It’s made up of pines, heathland and broadleaves, providing the “ideal setting for a great day out”, according to Forestry England.