A newborn baby girl has died from stab wounds, a forensic post-mortem has confirmed, as a murder investigation continues in Sheffield

A newborn baby girl who was found dead at a property in Sheffield died from stab wounds, a post-mortem examination has confirmed.

Police were called to an address on Holywell Heights in the Wincobank area on Sunday morning (August 30) following concerns for the safety of a newborn baby.

The child was found during a search of the property and was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts by emergency services to save her. A forensic examination carried out on Monday concluded that the baby died as a result of stab wounds, reports Yorkshire Live.

Detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death. Seven individuals aged between 15 and 38 were detained on suspicion of murder. Two people, aged 26 and 37, have subsequently been released on bail.

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Detective Chief Inspector Tom Woodward remarked: “We recognise this is deeply distressing for those who would have loved to have a chance to love this baby girl, for the emergency services who responded and for the community who will inevitably be shocked by this incident.

“Everyone involved in responding to this tragedy – from the first officers and paramedics on the scene to the detectives now leading the investigation – has felt the profound impact of this investigation.

“Our commitment to this little girl is unwavering. We will confront every difficult and distressing challenge and pursue every line of enquiry with determination and care to secure justice for her. We know the local community will hold her in their thoughts and support us as we work through this complex investigation.”

Police remain present in the Holywell Heights vicinity carrying out investigations. Anyone holding information regarding this incident that may aid the enquiry is urged to get in touch with police via their website or by phoning 101, referencing incident number 993 of 30 August 2026.

Alternatively, details can be shared anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through their website.

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Leading Labels, founded in 1993, is a long-running clothing retailer that draws shoppers with major brands at outlet prices.

It stocks discounted fashion items from big-name brands, including Calvin Klein, Wrangler, and Joules.

At its peak, Leading Labels ran around 30 stores with more than 200 employees.

The Bolton store shut in the spring.

Leading Labels falls into liquidation

Leading Labels is now closing down after falling into liquidation earlier this year.

Jeremy Bleazard of XL Business Solutions Limited was appointed liquidator on May 26, according to The Gazette.

Companies House also said Leading Labels has accounts overdue dating back to 2024.

Full list of Leading Labels stores set to close

As a result of the company’s collapse, all 15 of Leading Labels’ remaining stores are set to close:

• Basildon
• Boston
• Bury
• Carlisle
• Cleethorpes
• Clowne
• Evesham
• Hornsea
• Ipswich
• Kidderminster
• Lincoln
• Norwich
• Stevenage
• Balloch (Scotland)
• Cumbernauld (Scotland)

The company’s website has also stopped working.

Closing-down sales now underway at all Leading Labels stores

Closing-down sales are currently running at Leading Labels’ remaining stores to help clear stock.

Leadinglabels.co.uk, an informational website which is not affiliated with the actual company, said: “Discounts typically deepen as a liquidation progresses and stock thins out, so ranges, sizes and the best-known brands sell through quickly.

“Once a store’s stock is gone, that branch closes for good.

“If you are looking for the same brands Leading Labels carried — in full size runs and with stock guaranteed — the most reliable option now is to shop branded outlet fashion online.”

XL Business Solutions Limited has been contacted for comment.

Other UK companies that have closed or entered administration/liquidation in 2026

It has been a tough year for the UK high street, with several other retailers entering administration or liquidation and others announcing widespread store closures.

Major high street brands LK Bennett, Claire’s, and Quiz have been forced to close all their remaining stores after falling into administration.

Whitbread confirmed it will be closing all its UK restaurants in September:

TG Jones and the British Heart Foundation will also be closing around 150 stores each across the UK.

Other retailers have been forced to close stores this year, including:

The company responsible for iconic British bikemaker Raleigh, Accell Group, has also collapsed into administration, putting the 139-year-old British bikemaker at risk of closing.

Several UK travel companies have ceased trading or entered administration in 2026:

Meanwhile, four UK airlines have fallen into administration or liquidation:

UK delivery company Yodel is set to be phased out after being acquired by InPost.

It’s also been reported that Morrisons is looking to sell some of its in-store pharmacies as it continues to cut costs.

It hasn’t all been bad news for the UK high street, with several major brands announcing new store openings for 2026, including Aldi, M&S, and Superdrug.

Meanwhile, brands including Evans and Bodycare have returned to the UK high street this year after previously closing all their stores.

Is there a Leading Labels store closing near you? Let us know in the comments below.

The embattled singer D4vd’s family has reportedly been shoring up funds in recent months, following a shocking court hearing in which his high-powered legal team quit his defense.

D4vd’s father, Dawud Burke, sold a house in Texas earlier this summer for more than $200,000, according to real estate records obtained by TMZ.

The publication also reported that the 21-year-old performer’s father took out a loan just months earlier.

The financial moves came shortly before D4vd (real name: David Anthony Burke) appeared to be having financial troubles, as a public defender has now taken on his defense in his trial over the sexual assault and murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas.

D4vd also pleaded not guilty to Rivas’s murder, as well as to charges of child sex abuse and mutilation in connection with her death.

The Daily Mail has reached out to D4vd’s representatives, the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s office, and an attorney for D4vd’s parents, Dawud and Colleen Burke, to request comment.  

D4vd, who pleaded not guilty on Monday to 14-year-old Celeste Rivas’s murder, as well as to charges of child sex abuse and mutilation in connection with her death, appears to have struggled with money as he tries to mount a defense

According to real estate records viewed by TMZ, in early July the singer’s father sold a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house with 1,819 square feet in Houston, Texas, for $229,000.

And in July, Dawud Burke had allegedly taken out a loan for $138,000 on a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home with 1,260 square feet, according to the publication.

According to TMZ, D4vd’s father currently resides in a 4,426-square-foot home located in Hempstead, Texas. It features four bedrooms and three bathrooms and reportedly has an estimated value of around $850,000.

The family money moves come after D4vd’s attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter told the judge overseeing his trial on Monday that they could no longer represent the singer.

‘This morning the court granted our request to withdraw as counsel and appointed the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, after it was determined David qualified for appointed counsel,’ the trio said in a statement to TMZ.

‘We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges,’ the lawyers continued. ‘We are grateful that the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office has taken over the representation and that David has a highly capable and committed team of attorneys and investigators behind him.’

At the same hearing, Burke pleaded not guilty to Rivas’s murder, as well as to charges of child sex abuse and mutilation in connection with her death.

The Daily Mail previously reached out to D4vd’s attorneys for comment but has not yet received a response.

D4vd’s father sold the Texas home in July and took out the loan in April of this year, according to real estate records obtained by TMZ. Dawud Burke reportedly resides in a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home with 4,426 square feet located in Hempstead, Texas; D4vd is pictured in April 2025 in Palm Springs, California

The update on his family’s money moves comes after attorneys for D4vd announced in court on Monday that they would no longer represent him – at his request – while a public defender will take over his case; pictured in March 2025 in Paris

In taking over D4vd’s case, the public defender reportedly said the singer was indigent, raising questions about his finances. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, Berk said in court that D4vd had asked the public defender’s office to replace his counsel.

Berk and the other attorneys didn’t share a reason for why their client was no longer requesting their services, and Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo quickly agreed to the change in representation.

A spokesperson for the LA County Public Defender’s Office told the Daily Mail that they were not able to share D4vd’s ‘financial information,’ but they confirmed that a look at his finances indicated that he was eligible to be represented by a public defender.

It’s unclear how the performer is now unable to pay for his high-powered defense team, as it was previously shown in court that he had already earned millions from a lucrative recording contract prior to going on trial.

In a statement to the LA Times, LA County Deputy Public Defender Walid Kandeel said: ‘We recognize the loss of life underlying the allegations and extend our sympathies to those who are grieving. At the same time, David Burke is entitled to a defense that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence. We are committed to providing him with that defense.’

Prosecutors previously revealed that Rivas was not pregnant at the time of her death in April 2025. 

Sources close to the Los Angeles County District Attorney told the Daily Mail in late July that prosecutors ‘don’t believe she was pregnant at the time she was killed,’ adding that ‘her body’ had been in ‘a state of decomposition.’ 

The public defender taking over D4vd’s case said in court that he was eligible for their defense, and the LA County Public Defender’s Office said a revue of his finances indicated that D4vd was eligible; pictured in court in April in LA

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Prosecutors previously revealed that Rivas was not pregnant at the time of her death in April 2025. Prosecutors said in a news release in late July that the singer had murdered Rivas on April 23, 2025, ‘because he feared their illicit sexual relationship would ruin his aspiring career’

The reveal came after an April 2026 addendum in the death certificate stated it had been ‘unknown’ whether Rivas had been expecting a child in the year before she was killed, People reported. The area of the death certificate had previously said ‘no’ prior to the adjustment.

Prosecutors alleged in a news release that the musical artist had murdered Rivas on April 23, 2025 ‘because he feared their illicit sexual relationship would ruin his aspiring career.’

D4vd is accused of fatally stabbing Rivas, then using a chainsaw to dismember her remains in an inflatable pool he had in a garage of a home in the Hollywood Hills he had been living at, according to prosecutors. 

The remains of Rivas had been found in a Tesla that had been registered to Burke on September 8, 2025, prosecutors said, adding that ‘small, blue plastic fragments’ from the inflatable pool had been found embedded in the victim’s remains.

The latest in the case comes after D4vd had been ordered to stand trial in Rivas’ murder following a preliminary hearing in which prosecutors presented text messages that alluded to Rivas being pregnant and getting an abortion a year prior to her killing.

Los Angeles Police Department Detective Corey Farell said that records from D4vd’s phone alluded to a 2023 pregnancy and January 2024 abortion, with Rivas telling him, ‘Of course it’s yours David.’

Farell told the court that D4vd subsequently inquired with Rivas about her medical appointment and commented that he felt as if he’d been ‘waiting for test results.’

The detective said that the phone also contained images of child sexual abuse material involving Rivas that prosecutors did not present in the hearing, due to their graphic nature.

D4vd is accused of fatally stabbing Rivas, then using a chainsaw to dismember her remains in an inflatable pool he had in a garage of a home in the Hollywood Hills he had been living at, according to prosecutors; he’s seen in his mugshot from the LA County District Attorney’s Office 

The remains of Rivas had been found in a Tesla that had been registered to Burke on September 8, 2025, prosecutors said, adding that ‘small, blue plastic fragments’ from the inflatable pool had been found embedded in the victim’s remains; he’s pictured in Japan in May 2025 

Amid testimony from Farell, Rivas’ mother Mercedes Martinez wept as she walked out of the courtroom with the slain teen’s father Jesus Rivas.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said: ‘This is too much, I know how hard this is.’ 

Testimony presented from Farell in the preliminary hearing Monday indicated that Rivas’ parents had signed a form on September 23, 2024 granting consent for Rivas to go to London with D4vd from September 24 to October 5, 2024, People reported.

D4vd had bought plane tickets via United Airlines for a trip to London, followed by a trip to Texas, where members of his family reside, Farell said.

Farell said that Rivas’ family knew about her link to the musician, and that in 2024, they had traveled to Las Vegas as well as Houston.

Patrick Steinfeld, an attorney for Rivas Hernandez’s family, said after the hearing that they were ‘horrified that the defense attorneys brought up evidence to put the blame on a 14-year-old girl,’ according to the AP. 

Los Angeles Judge Charlaine Olmedo subsequently said that enough evidence had been presented to proceed to trial. The judge ordered that D4vd remain in custody with no bail, with an arraignment slated for August 31.

Prosecutors argued that the evidence to proceed to a trial was overwhelming.

‘Based on the mountains of evidence presented,’ Silverman said, ‘all of the allegations have been proved way beyond the standard required.’

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said outside court that prosecutors presented only a ‘small fraction’ of the evidence they have. 

They are still weighing whether to seek the death penalty. D4vd is eligible for it after Judge Olmedo also found probable cause for lying in wait, killing for financial gain and killing a potential witness. These are special circumstances in a crime that would allow prosecutors to pursue the death sentence, if D4vd is found guilty.

Only last Thursday had owners Audrey and Greg Turley confirmed his retirement, after an injury prevented his attempt at securing a third consecutive Gold Cup title in March

Dual Gold Cup champion Galopin Des Champs has died tragically just days following the announcement of his retirement from the sport.

The Cheltenham hero of 2023 and 2024, who claimed 12 Grade One victories throughout his career, succumbed to injuries suffered in a field accident on Wednesday morning at Ruby Walsh’s County Kildare farm.

Only last Thursday had owners Audrey and Greg Turley confirmed his retirement, after an injury prevented his attempt at securing a third consecutive Gold Cup title in March.

Ruby Walsh released a statement to Racing TV saying: “Sadly Galopin Des Champs suffered an injury in his field this morning and could not be saved.”

The champion had been sent to Walsh’s care with hopes of beginning a new chapter in equestrian sport alongside his eldest daughter Isabelle, reports the Irish Mirror.

Walsh continued: “He was checked a few times throughout the morning but late in the morning when I went to get him for exercise I found him with a severe injury, high up on his near front leg.

“He was attended to by our vets immediately but x-rays revealed extensive unrepairable damage.

“He was a fabulous racehorse whose short time with us has left lots of broken hearts but none more so than those of Greg, Audrey and Sarah Turley and Adam Connolly who looked after him for so long.

“He will be sadly missed.”

Under Willie Mullins’ training, Galopin Des Champs achieved three Cheltenham Festival victories, including the 2021 Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle before his subsequent Gold Cup triumphs. Having triumphed in 15 of his 26 career races, the horse etched his name into the record books with a remarkable hat-trick of Irish Gold Cup victories at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival, celebrated in truly memorable fashion.

Widely regarded as one of the finest chasers of the 21st century, his retirement last week prompted his owner Audrey Turley to reflect fondly: “We’ve had the best time of our lives, we really have.

“We never thought this would happen to us. We’ve had the most wonderful time.”

When pressed on whether a single occasion stood out, she remarked: “Three Irish Gold Cups and the two at Cheltenham, it’s hard to pick out one. Every time it was just a wonderful surprise, it was just magnificent.

“I don’t know if I could say one day, maybe the first Cheltenham Gold Cup as that was just extraordinary – like something out of a dream, the joy it brought.

“The other day was in Leopardstown when he won the third (Irish) Gold Cup. Everybody was singing, `ole, ole, ole’ and that just made the hair stand up on the back of our necks.

“People love him and we still have people coming up on Instagram and TikTok saying, `we miss him, we miss him’. He was so well loved and deserved to be loved, he was just wonderful.

“Everybody did take to him and he was an unassuming character really when you think of it, but he just loved it – I think he enjoyed every bit of it himself.”

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Andy Burnham vowed a nationalisation drive, blaming Thatcher and Brexit for the country’s woes, as he finally faced a grilling from MPs today.

The premier is making a statement in the Commons as it returns from recess, laying out the ‘direction’ of his Government. 

Flanked by Chancellor John Healey and his effective deputy Louise Haigh, Mr Burnham insisted the country had taken ‘wrong turns’ over the past 40 years, with privatisation compounded by leaving the EU. 

He said he had listened to voters and would act by returning ‘ownership’, deploying a slew of jargon about his ‘triple helix theory of economic development’. 

The PM also paid tribute to predecessor Keir Starmer, who has announced he is standing down as an MP. He said Sir Keir had created a ‘platform to change this country for the better’.

But in their first direct clashes, Kemi Badenoch ridiculed Mr Burnham for blaming Thatcher four decades after she was in power. She jibed that the PM was ‘living in the past’ and wanted to take Britain ‘back to the 1970s’. 

‘He is going to have to start taking this job seriously,’ she said.

The premier dodged demands to confirm there will be no tax rises at the Budget next month, refusing to commit to cutting benefits instead. 

Mr Burnham is facing mounting anger over the prisoner early release scheme and the prospect of tax hikes to fund more spending.

Ministers have warned of ‘difficult’ decisions looming in the Budget, as Government borrowing costs spiked again this morning.

Interest rates on 30-year gilts – one of the main ways the Treasury finances debt – hit 5.89 per cent, the highest level since 1998.  

Global markets have been spooked by inflation pressures from the Middle East crisis and fears about an AI crash.

In other developments today:

• Keir Starmer has announced he is quitting as an MP, despite insisting he would stay on until the next election; 
• Mr Burnham swiped at his predecessor this morning by telling Cabinet voters had noticed a ‘change of pace’ since he took over; 
• The PM has declared that he will be going to the COP31 climate summit in Turkey in November; 
• Ex-Treasury minister Darren Jones has warned that Britain cannot become wealthier through raising taxes for more Government spending;
• Donald Trump has said he is ‘reviewing’ the US position on the Falklands Islands, amid tensions over the Government’s stance towards Israel;
• Mrs Badenoch has finished reshuffling her shadow cabinet, axeing big beasts as she puts the Tories on a war footing for an election.  

In their first direct clashes, Kemi Badenoch ridiculed Mr Burnham for blaming Thatcher four decades after she was in power

Andy Burnham has made his debut in the Commons as it returns from the summer recess

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Mr Burnham has vowed to take ‘stronger public control’ over ‘essentials’ such as water.

‘From the 1980s, this country took a series of wrong turns – political power was centralised, economic power privatised, the country deindustrialised,’ he told the Commons.

‘Britain’s water industry stands as a leaking monument to that approach – a country run in the private rather than public interest – and that is now abundantly clear to voters of all parties, including the party opposite.

‘The Government I lead will be relentless in giving people and places what they were promised 10 years ago, ownership and control, and from that control over their destiny comes change and growth.’

He said: ‘Later in the year, our 10-year plan for Britain will set out plans for stronger public control over these essentials, making them work for people and places again.’

Mr Burnham took over from Keir Starmer just as Parliament went into its break, meaning he has benefited from a ‘soft launch’ with the public’s focus largely on the sunshine instead of politics.

The new leader has gifted Labour a bounce in the polls. However that looks to be fading and the former Greater Manchester mayor has already been forced into a bewildering variety of policy shifts.

Earlier, Mr Burnham worked up a sweat on his jog around Westminster before gathering Cabinet in No10, congratulating them on the Government’s ‘sense of momentum’. 

According to a Downing Street readout, Mr Burnham ‘said the country has noticed a change of pace with the Government setting the agenda and starting the process of giving local areas the levers they need to create good growth’.

‘He said that during his summer tour, it was clear that life was hard for many people, that they wanted to have hope and hear a positive outlook for the country.’

The PM’s statement was his first appearance at the despatch box since he was a minister 16 years ago. 

Mr Burnham’s push to nationalise water has already run into trouble because it could cost billions of pounds.

In an interview today Chancellor John Healey admitted there are already ‘difficult’ decisions looming in the Budget. 

A No10 source said: ‘Andy is optimistic about our country’s future. He has a clear plan for how we turn things round. He is determined we make this the moment we bring back hope.’

The session will see Mr Burnham clash directly with Kemi Badenoch for the first time, who used the Bank Holiday to reshuffle her shadow cabinet ready for an early election – axeing Tory big beasts including Sir Mel Stride and Dame Priti Patel.

MPs are poised to probe the PM on the slew of policies he announced over the summer – which critics say were unfunded.

That includes the cut to VAT on energy bills which comes into force next month, and slashing business rates for pubs and clubs.

Mr Burnham must explain how he will fill a £4.7billion funding gap in the defence investment plan, left to him by predecessor Sir Keir.

This morning the yield on ten-year gilts – a benchmark for what the Treasury pays to borrow money – climbed to an 18-year high of 5.21 per cent after an international market sell-off. The rise was the steepest since May and increases the pressure on Mr Healey ahead of his first Budget.

Mr Healey conceded last week the Budget will not set a timetable for spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence, instead that schedule will be laid out at the spending review next year – even though Mr Healey quit Sir Keir’s government in protest at the lack of a firm commitment.  

Mr Healey told The Times he was still determined to scale up spending on defence. 

‘For the first time at the spending review, we will set out a clear path about how we meet that Nato commitment in 2035, of 2.5 per cent of GDP,’ he said. ‘And as part of setting out that clear path, we will set that target date for 3 per cent.’

Mr Burnham could also be quizzed on his commitment to bring Thames Water under public ownership, and whether drilling will be allowed at the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea.

Crunch decisions on a flagship Bill to tighten immigration law, and calls for MPs to change electoral law are also on the horizon.

Ed Miliband and Angela Rayner were at the Cabinet meeting in Downing Street this morning

Mr Burnham geared up for the Commons clashes with a run this morning

Underlining the issues confronting ministers, Government borrowing costs spiked again this morning. The chart shows the interest rates on 30-year gilts, which reached the highest level since 1998

In an interview today Chancellor John Healey (pictured with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the G20 summit yesterday) admitted there are already ‘difficult’ decisions looming in the Budget

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The session this afternoon will see Mr Burnham clash directly with Kemi Badenoch (pictured) for the first time

After Mr Burnham’s statement, Justice Secretary Alex Norris will give the Commons details of the plans for the early release scheme review to relieve prison overcrowding.

Over the weekend the PM said the killers of Thames Valley Police officer Andrew Harper will not be eligible for the scheme following a widespread backlash.

Mr Burnham initially resisted calls to limit the scheme further after it emerged that Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, who were convicted of PC Harper’s manslaughter in 2020, would be eligible from next year.

Ministers also plan to create capacity in prisons by building hundreds of new places with a £110million investment, by deporting foreign prisoners and releasing inmates who are serving indefinite sentences under imprisonment for public protection sentences (IPPs).

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Andy Burnham talks big about his theory of growth, but his plans are just the same old tax-and-spend policies that have punished taxpayers for generations.

‘The prime minister’s obsession with state ownership and five-year plans will ensure that ‘growth’ remains only a theory.

‘If this new government wishes to deliver growth and provide real economic change, they urgently need to get spending and borrowing under control.’

By Bobby Vincent

Chelsea and Manchester City have reached a £125million agreement for the transfer of Enzo Fernandez in the final hours of transfer deadline day.

A summer-long transfer saga is reaching its conclusion with Fernandez finally getting his wish to reunite with former Blues head coach Enzo Maresca at the Etihad Stadium. Sources have told football.london that Chelsea have agreed to sell the 25-year-old midfielder for £125m to their Premier League rivals.

That is a club-record sale from Chelsea, who managed to get more than the £120m they initially quoted Man City this summer. As soon as Fernandez made his desire to depart Stamford Bridge clear back in May, Chelsea informed potential suitors they would need to splash £120m to acquire the Argentina international.

Those terms were on the table until earlier this month. Chelsea increased their price tag after no club engaged with their unofficial transfer deadline for Fernandez, at 5pm on August 14. City opened talks with the Blues officially on Monday evening – and that was the first time there has been direct club-to-club contact all summer – and saw an early offer rebuffed for the Argentine.

After an intense day of negotiations on Tuesday, deadline day, the two clubs have finally reached an agreement. Fernandez has been desperate to leave Stamford Bridge all summer-long and while Chelsea were happy to keep him as part of Xabi Alonso’s squad, they were never going to turn down a joint-British transfer record.

The sale of Fernandez means Chelsea will bank beyond £400m this summer, including add-ons. That is a record amount and surpasses the £340m that Paris Saint-Germain received this summer.

In the final hours of the window, Chelsea want to add at least one more player. Manu Kone remains an option but there is an acceptance that striking a deal with AS Roma will prove complicated with manager Gian Piero Gasperini desperate to keep hold of the France international beyond the 11pm deadline.

A deal for Lamine Camara looks more straightforward but nothing is agreed at the time of writing. Chelsea saw a £38.5m offer turned down by AS Monaco for the Senegal international earlier on in the day but remain locked in talks with the Ligue 1 club.

A young Bank of America executive died after being stabbed by a knife-wielding woman in the middle of Times Square, who was later gunned down by police. 

Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester in the Garden State, died after being slashed in the stomach by Pamela Cisneros Lopez, 49, officials said. 

According to her LinkedIn profile, Piacenti worked as Bank of America’s vice president of business selection and conflicts.  

Social media posts also indicate that she had recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary after marrying her husband Frank in August of 2024. 

Lopez was finally stopped by officers after the random stabbing spree, in which she also knifed a 68-year-old man in the stomach. He remains in hospital in a stable condition. 

Footage showed officers firing a taser at Lopez, from Queens, as she refused to back down and waved the two kitchen knives at them.

Police then shot the woman, and she immediately fell to the ground where she was handcuffed and given first aid. 

Prior to the video, Lopez had pulled two knives from a shopping bag and stabbed the man who was waiting to cross the street with his wife, police said. 

Lopez is then said to have stabbed Piacenti in the abdomen, who died from her injuries.

Pamela Cisneros Lopez, 49, was fatally gunned down after running at officers with the two kitchen knives

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At a press conference alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Lopez had told officers during a brief standoff: ‘I’m not dropping anything, I would rather kill both of you.’

Tisch told reporters: ‘This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world.

‘At any given moment, there are thousands of New Yorkers, commuters, tourists, families, workers moving through these streets.’ 

She added that Lopez has a ‘documented mental health history’ with the department which included two incidents in 2018 and 2019 but she was never arrested. 

Police have yet to confirm whether the victims were tourists visiting the city, or are residents. 

Both Tisch and Mayor Mamdani praised the officers, saying more people could have been hurt or killed if not for their actions. 

The incident had initially been reported as a knifepoint robbery, but officers believe the emotionally-disturbed woman had no clear motive for the attack, ABC 7 reports.

A witness recorded the moment with his smart glasses and described Lopez as being armed with two knives. They told PIX11: ‘She ran down, the cops went by, they surrounded her, talked to her for like five minutes.’ 

Erin is seen here alongside her husband Frank celebrating their wedding day in August of 2024

Piacenti was employed by the company in the city and worked as their Vice President of Business Selection and Conflicts

Footage showed officers hitting Lopez with a taser as she waved the blades at them, but it was not enough to stop her running at them

Police released an image of the two knives recovered at the scene following the double stabbing

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Officers are seen here investigating the scene on Monday night in the middle of Times Square

Witness Linda Ruiz also shared what she saw in the moments before police arrived on scene.

‘I saw a guy bleeding profusely from his right leg,’ she told the Daily News. ‘He was gushing blood, saying “I need help. Help me.”‘ 

‘I went to get a cop on the corner and there was another lady on the floor,’ Ruiz continued. ‘She was stabbed in the back or in the chest, I couldn’t tell.

‘There was a lot of blood,’ Ruiz noted. ‘She wasn’t conscious. The police were trying to resuscitate her, but she wasn’t moving. It was horrible.’ 

Hassan Abdallah, who works at a fruit cart stand on 41st Street and Seventh Avenue, two blocks away, said he watched as a woman tended to the male stabbing victim, who appeared to be her husband. 

‘I heard a lady screaming and then people were running like crazy,’ he recounted. ‘I went outside [the cart]. I saw an old guy, like 60, Asian. He was standing, holding his back. He got stabbed.

‘His wife was trying to stop the bleeding. She was using a book or some paper, then someone gave her a scarf. I gave him a paper towel. His wife told him to lay on the floor.’

Police are investigating. Tisch said there was no evidence suggesting it was a terrorist attack.

The village church, between Northallerton and Stokesley, was founded around 1150.

Much of the building was rebuilt in 1860, but important medieval features survived – including the chancel arch, part of the south doorway and a rare 12th-century font carved with a bearded face and a centaur drawing a bow.

Its significance is reflected in its Grade II* listing, a status given to particularly important buildings of more than special interest.

A Norman church in North Yorkshire

St Oswald’s stands on the edge of West Rounton, a small village beneath the Cleveland Hills.

Although its present appearance is largely Victorian, the church’s Norman origins are still visible.

The most striking survival is the south doorway.

It has columns with carved capitals, a zigzag-patterned arch and distinctive Norman decoration, offering a direct link to the church built in the 12th century.

Inside, the Norman font is another highlight.

The stone bowl features carved figures, including a bearded face and a centaur aiming an arrow – an unusual survival from the medieval church.

The chancel arch, also dating from the original building, divides the nave from the chancel and is one of the clearest traces of St Oswald’s earliest history.

Victorian rebuilding

By the middle of the 19th century, the medieval church had been substantially altered and was rebuilt in 1860 by architect James Pigott Pritchett.

Pritchett, a Yorkshire architect known for church restoration and Gothic Revival work, redesigned most of the building while preserving the key Norman fragments.

The resulting church is built of stone with a Welsh slate roof.

It has a simple nave and chancel, a south porch and north vestry, with a gabled bellcote at the west end containing two arched openings for bells.

The combination of Victorian rebuilding and Norman fabric means the church tells two stories at once: the long religious history of the village and the 19th-century drive to restore and preserve parish churches.

A living village church

St Oswald’s remains an active parish church rather than simply a historic building.

Its church listing says the building is open 24 hours a day, offering a place for visitors, personal reflection and worship.

Regular Sunday services are held at 10am, varying between Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion, Common Worship Morning Prayer, a locally led Celtic service and Common Worship Holy Communion.

The church’s welcome to visitors includes a small trail to spot carved mice – an extra detail which makes it particularly appealing for families exploring the area.

Visiting St Oswald’s

St Oswald’s Church is in West Rounton, North Yorkshire, close to the A19 and within easy reach of Northallerton, Stokesley and Osmotherley.

Its preserved Norman doorway and font make it worth a stop for anyone interested in North Yorkshire’s medieval churches, while its open-door policy offers a quiet place to pause in one of the county’s smallest villages.

As opening arrangements and services can change, visitors should check the church’s online listing before making a special journey.

The supermarket giant has teamed up with charging network Be.EV to offer one point for every £1 spent at Be.EV charging stations, with more than 2,500 bays across 680 UK locations.

Shama Wilson, Tesco Group’s membership and loyalty director, said: “We are always looking for new ways for Clubcard members to collect Clubcard points and so we are delighted to announce our new partnership with Be.EV.

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To earn points, users must link their Clubcard to the Be.EV app.

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Be.EV, founded in Greater Manchester in 2019, is now among the UK’s top 10 largest charging networks.

Some of its bays are already installed at Tesco Express stores.

Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV, said: “This is about making the switch to electric genuinely worth it.

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Tesco’s Clubcard programme currently has around 24 million members in the UK.