The crash happened at around 6.05pm on Tuesday, September 15, and involved a black Volvo XC40 and a black and white Triumph Daytona motorcycle.

Both vehicles were travelling towards Scarborough when the collision occurred near Helwath Beck.

The motorcyclist, who was from the Whitby area, was pronounced dead at the scene.

North Yorkshire Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage.

An officer said: “We are appealing to witnesses who have not yet spoken to the police who saw either of the vehicles travelling along the A171 prior to the collision, or who witnessed the collision to come forward along with anyone who may have caught either vehicle on their dashcam before or during the collision.”

The driver of the Volvo, a woman in her 40s, sustained slight injuries but did not need hospital treatment.

She has been interviewed under caution in connection with the incident.

The road was closed to allow emergency services to respond and for collision investigators to examine the scene and recover the vehicles.

It reopened at 2am on Wednesday, September 16.

Officers have thanked members of the public who stopped to help at the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to email the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at SCIU@norhtyorkshire.police.uk.

Alternatively, information can be submitted via the North Yorkshire Police website by selecting ‘Tell us about’ and then ‘An existing case or report.’

The live chat service is also available on the website from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Those unable to use these options can call 101.

Please quote reference number 12260181610.

Brussels was hit with a furious backlash today after announcing unprecedented plans for Canada to become an ‘associate member’ of the bloc – without asking EU capitals to sign off on the proposal.

EU diplomats told the Mail they were kept in the dark and first learnt of the proposal when Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission boss, unveiled it during a keynote speech.

During the top Eurocrat’s annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament, she repeatedly love-bombed Canadian premier Mark Carney – who was in the chamber – saying Brussels wanted ‘to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible.’

But to the surprise of diplomats from the EU’s 27 member nations, who would have to sign off the move, she gushed: ‘Dear Mark, I said we must urgently reimagine our partnerships. So, I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU.

‘We share one ocean, one set of values, one way of seeing the world. And we will now build our shared future as well – thank you for being here.’

But the attempt to flatter the former Governor of the Bank of England backfired, with diplomats saying they were never briefed about the proposal and that, in effect, ‘associate membership’ doesn’t even exist.

EU diplomats accused Brussels of ‘over-reach’, an accusation often levelled against Eurocrats by UK Brexiteers before Britain left the bloc. 

One EU diplomat told the Mail: ‘This bombastic announcement is just not right.

Mark Carney looked on as Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission boss, love-bombed him and his nation 

Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission boss, said she wanted Canada to become an ‘associate member’ – but EU diplomats pointed out the category in effect doesn’t exist 

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‘There will be a summit at the end of October, so logically they will talk about deepening the relations.

‘But no one has ever seen an associate membership and no idea what it means in practice. Canada is a valuable partner for the EU, one of the few currently in the world where we share the values, so it is nothing against Canada.

‘But first and foremost the member states should be the ones to express what kind of relationship the EU wants to have with any third country.’

Another added: ‘She kept this bit of associate membership out of the text until the last moment. She also did not mention it up front to EU member states.

‘It seems like she is a bit too far out in floating this. Everyone is positive about Canada, and wants to strengthen the relationship.

‘But there is a lot of uncertainty about what von der Leyen envisages by coining this label.’

They added that, in reality, the most that can likely be hoped for is a deeper trading relationship rather than ‘associate membership’, which implies Canada taking part in EU programmes that it would be forced to pay into, becoming more politically integrated and potentially even having a say over the bloc’s rules.

But there would be huge barriers to overcome to establish closer ties, as swathes of Canada’s regulations are at present incompatible with EU single market rules, with high taxes on the bloc’s alcohol exports another thorny issue. 

Under EU law, any granting of membership would have to be approved by the 27 member states, which is another reason they were wrong-footed.

By contrast, Brussels has always rebuffed Britain for past attempts to ‘cherry pick’ the areas where it wants to align with the bloc while also diverging in other ways after Brexit.

In her speech, Ms von der Leyen added: ‘Mark, your presence here is a symbol of the enduring friendship between our people.

‘Our cultural, historical and personal links run deep within the fabric of our societies.

‘And thanks to CETA (a trade pact), our trade in goods has grown by 75 per cent in less than a decade…But above all, dear Mark, Europe and Canada believe in democracy.’

She said the areas in which both sides could work together more closely included ‘a tech alliance’, adding: ‘We will integrate defence industrial bases.

‘We will make the Arctic a flagship joint project. We will work on energy, critical minerals and batteries. On AI, quantum, cyber and economic security.

‘This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength.’

But the move threatens to further sour relations between Brussels and Washington, with US President Donald Trump’s administration locked in an escalating trade war with Canada.

The speech may even ruffle feathers in Downing Street, as the UK by contrast has faced resistance to greater co-operation in areas such as defence procurement despite repeated attempts by former premier Sir Keir Starmer to cosy up to Brussels.

An EU Commission spokesman said: ‘Working in close coordination with our member states and the European Parliament, we will aim to create a new form of partnership that has not existed until now – building the closest imaginable form of association with a partner outside Europe.’

They added that this would ‘span a wide range of areas’, but did not list any beyond what was in Ms von der Leyen’s speech.

Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud has been at the helm of the Channel 4 show since it began 27 years ago in 1999 and admits watching back early episodes is ‘painful to watch’

Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud has admitted there are segments from the Channel 4 programme that make him want to fast-forward.

The 67-year-old designer and broadcaster returns to screens on Wednesday (September 16) fronting a fresh series of the popular renovation show.

He has presented Grand Designs since its debut 27 years ago in 1999 and appeared on BBC’s The One Show this evening to speak with Alex Jones and JB Gill about the upcoming episodes, which will see him return to a project from the inaugural series.

Discussing watching back old clips, Kevin joked: “Yeah that’s painful to watch for me! I have to skip through the fast forward button a lot through these early episodes but the house has not changed, everything is as it was, and when you make the stuff and you record a moment in time, you don’t know whether that idea, that style and approach, whether it will last and have value, and remarkably that house has remained the same and is almost a fantastic example of a mid-1990s building so sometimes it comes back to surprise you.”

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Channel 4 revealed earlier this month that Grand Designs and Grand Designs: House of the Year will return this autumn. The celebrated house construction and design programme comes back with four remarkable new projects and two long-awaited follow-ups, spanning locations across the United Kingdom, reports the Mirror.

Programme bosses say the new series champions innovative thinking and creativity, highlighting groundbreaking building techniques and visionary design while maintaining focus on the individuals at their heart.

Kevin previously commented: “It is always a joy to get a series of Grand Designs complete and ready for broadcast – especially when it can run alongside its sister series, House of the Year.

“Together they celebrate the very best in British architecture and remind me of the extraordinary imaginative and resilient potential of human beings. This year is no exception: there are some astonishing stories and homes to discover.”

When questioned about Grand Designs’ enduring appeal, Kevin said: “I think it is the unpredictability of it all. If we were restoring people’s homes for them, then we might have slipped into a predictable format but we haven’t.

“Some of the projects on this series are fascinatingly unpredictable. For example, we see Seb in North-West London, building a house which was completed in 13 months and I was so shocked because O am used to things taking forever.

“We also have a project in Edinburgh, which has been going for over 10 years, and when you look at the date stamps as we go through the programme, you sort of appreciate how some people dedicate a lot of their lives to a building.”

He added: “I thought in series one we might run out of projects. We thought that we had done an eco-project, a modern white block, a glass house, we did the eccentric thing. We thought, will people still tune in if we do another glass box? But the answer is yes, because from the beginning we set ourselves the challenge that in every episode there has to be something new – there has to be some story, some angles, something, a hook.

“Luckily, since architecture is so much about place and response to a place and so much about people and response to people and because places are so infinitely diverse, people are infinitely diverse, this is what makes every project and what keeps me on my toes every time.

“If you look at this coming series, every single project has something unique about it and i find that so fascinating, all of the individual narratives are so different. The houses are all so unique architecturally and in the way they are built.”

The One Show airs weekdays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7pm and Grand Designs returns to Channel 4 at 9pm on Wednesday, September 16

Looking pale, with dark sunglasses covering his eyes, Huw Edwards cut a grim and solitary figure as he arrived at court to plead guilty to child pornography charges.

It was 2024 and the nation was still reeling from the allegations that the BBC’s lead newsreader and trusted figurehead had paid for horrific child abuse images.

Handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, the broadcaster swiftly disappeared from public view to live an isolated existence with his elderly mother in Wales.

But things took a turn in June this year, when he sensationally re-emerged on the blogging platform Substack. Defiant and self-pitying, Edwards believed his voice must be heard.

In the three months since starting his blog, the 65-year-old has amassed 1,000 subscribers and published 32 posts – some reflecting on his own life, others exploring Welsh topics.

He’s even dabbled in poetry, writing in Welsh in a poem called ‘Knowing’, a tribute to his late father: ‘Defenceless son, in the throes of pain, staring in darkness for signs of truth.’

Now, with his two-year suspended prison sentence being spent today, Edwards has published his most controversial post yet.

Hoping for a swell of sympathy, perhaps, and keen to lay the groundwork for a larger-scale comeback, Edwards argued that public responses to his crimes had not been ‘proportionate’.

The BBC’s former lead newsreader was given a six-month suspended sentence, suspended for two years

Accompanied by a picture of himself outside court in September 2024, Edwards wrote: ‘Two years have gone by since my sentencing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court… The period of rehabilitation – involving regular meetings with police and probation officers, with therapists and psychiatrists – is officially over.’

‘On paper, then, my sentence is now spent. But thanks to my public profile — and the virulent media coverage, much of it false or misleading — it is a sentence for life. Is that proportionate? I will let you decide.’

Edwards’s tone-deaf post comes after sources close to him told me he’s developed a startling ‘arrogance’ and ‘lack of self-awareness’ since finding his new audience online.

Not only that, but he truly believes he’ll be able to ‘rebuild his career’.

‘Huw is a loose cannon,’ said my insider. ‘He has been drip-feeding information through his Substack, and things will only get worse now that his sentence is spent.

‘Reaching 1,000 subscribers has fed his ego. He has no self-awareness.

‘He has told those closest to him he is writing a book “telling his story”. He is enjoying putting his thoughts down on paper and would have full control if he self-published.

‘It doesn’t help that his close friends want to see him back out in public and are supporting his decision to rebuild his career.

‘Like him, they probably think all is forgiven now his sentence is spent.’

Although Edwards and his supporters are apparently ready for his attempt to return to the public stage, child-abuse campaigners have called it ‘sickening’, while several of his old BBC colleagues have severed ties with him.

Readers will remember how the scandal unfolded in July 2023, when a red-top newspaper published a story in which a mother claimed an unnamed BBC presenter had paid their child for explicit photos.

Days later, Edwards’s TV-producer wife of 30 years, Vicky Flind, mother to his five children, issued a statement identifying her husband as the presenter, claiming he was suffering ‘serious mental health issues’.

He was arrested in November that year, although the public weren’t informed, and he stayed at the BBC until April 2024 when he claimed he resigned over his ‘mental health’.

Edwards’s fate was sealed in July 2024 when he appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to receiving 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine, from paedophile Alex Williams.

Edwards refused to hand back the £200,000 salary he was paid by the BBC between his arrest in November 2023 and his resignation in April 2024.

His career and marriage – his wife filed for divorce in October 2024 – were destroyed by the fallout from the scandal. Today, the Daily Mail can reveal that Edwards has been unable to sell his former family home despite it being listed for two years.

The six-bed property in Dulwich, south-east London, which was being marketed by estate agents Pedder (which didn’t respond to requests for comment), has barely had any interest since going on the market two years ago. Now Edwards has withdrawn it from sale.

Leading estate agent David Votta – an ex-president of the industry’s top watchdog Propertymark – warned that the house has a ‘stigma’ and is a ‘seriously hard sell’ because of Edwards’s conviction.

‘You’d have an easier time selling a haunted house right now than one owned by someone like Edwards,’ he said.

As for his comeback, Edwards wrote on Substack on September 11: ‘This project [blogging] has given me hope when I believed there was none to be had. I am grateful for the encouragement to write and express opinions on a broad range of issues, as I am for the kindness and support which have formed a true lifeline.’

‘When I clicked “publish” on that very first post, I was scared. I spent weeks fighting the inner voice telling me that no one would be interested; even worse, that no one would think I had the right to speak.

‘What has struck me these past weeks is how different it feels to build something from nothing, alone, and to watch thoughtful people choose it deliberately. You have done so despite the horrible circumstances in which my broadcasting career ended, and despite the hostile response in some quarters to the very existence of my voice.’

Surprisingly, the vast majority of comments on Edwards’s Substack are positive.

One particularly gushing fan called Cath commented: ‘It was so difficult watching TV news footage of you during those days at court. The Press hounding you. I hope you now find a peace and that at least some of the awful pressure you have been under for so long is lifting. God bless.’

Now those loyal subscribers will be eagerly anticipating how Edwards will return to the public eye.

Vicky Flind, Huw’s wife of 30 years, said in July 2023 that her husband was dealing with ‘serious mental health issues’

Huw pleaded guilty to receiving 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine, from paedophile Alex Williams (pictured)

Huw was working with publicist Barry Tomes (right), who stopped working with him as he claimed the presenter would not listen to him and was ‘getting it all wrong’

In March, Edwards hired publicist Barry Tomes, who has decades of experience in the industry representing the likes of The Beach Boys, to help him navigate the public backlash following a Channel 5 drama starring Martin Clunes about the disgraced presenter.

Although Tomes and Edwards parted ways – after Tomes claimed the presenter would not listen to him and was ‘getting it all wrong’ – this week Tomes told me about the range of opportunities he believes will resurface for Edwards in the coming weeks.

‘I am confident that he will be given the opportunity to speak out on national television,’ Tomes said.

‘All of the major TV channels, including Good Morning Britain and BBC production companies offered interviews following the Channel 5 series.

‘They will no doubt come knocking again when his sentence is spent. The channels would make money from such a big interview, so they will all want it.

‘One company ridiculously offered him a TV series with him visiting areas in Wales, either camping or staying in different bed and breakfasts. I thought that was ridiculous.’

Tomes did not approve of Edwards launching his Substack. 

Edwards previously told the Daily Mail that he plans to tell his side of the story when the time is right, including his mental health struggles.

He has since explained on Substack: ‘The criminal justice system — whatever police or prosecutors say — tends not to make meaningful allowances for people whose crimes were committed when they were mentally impaired.

‘I will explain in a future post — after my conviction becomes spent on 16 September — my reasons for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity, and the searing experience of dealing with the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

‘I had never given too much thought to the concept of hatred until my life fell apart with catastrophic results.’

Edwards is clearly yearning to tell his side of the story. Only time will tell if anyone actually wants to hear it.

The summer window has been and gone, but Premier League clubs remain active in the transfer market with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham still exploring potential deals ahead of January. Arsenal have announced an agreement to sign Andria Bartishvili – who has been dubbed as the next Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – and remain interested in Kenan Yildiz and Eli Junior Kroupi, amid links with Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha.

Three rescue helicopters were dispatched to the scene, where three passengers were confirmed dead

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Three people have died after a plane crashed close to a renowned Swiss spa and skiing destination.

Shortly after 4pm on Tuesday (September 15) a Cirrus SR22T aircraft plummeted in the Fluhalp region of Leukerbad, Valais, after leaving Lugano via Sion, according to Valais Cantonal Police.

The single-engine aircraft was en route to Buochs, a picturesque Swiss village, when it struck a north-facing mountainside in the Fluhalp vicinity at approximately 4pm. Onlookers reported witnessing substantial smoke clouds rising from the area.

Emergency responders rushed to the location and verified that all three passengers had perished, reports the Express.

Three rescue helicopters were dispatched to the crash scene, while police and fire brigades from Leukerbad and Sion Airport also responded.

Efforts continue to officially identify the casualties. The Swiss Safety Investigation Authority (SUST) has initiated an inquiry to establish what caused the incident.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) is pursuing a criminal probe alongside Valais cantonal police.

This Alpine disaster follows just days after a Dutch tour coach capsized in eastern Switzerland, claiming multiple lives.

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The coach that overturned between Susch and Zernez in Graubünden was transporting approximately 48 Dutch travellers, including the driver, confirmed a spokesperson for the General Dutch Association of Travel Companies, representing tour operator OAD. Pictures from the location reveal the bus overturned on its side in an expansive grassy field, with ambulances encircling the adjacent road.

Helicopters were also spotted touching down close to the scene.

Oad, the travel firm organising the journey, declared in a Dutch statement that it was “deeply shocked and devastated by the tragic bus accident”, adding that its thoughts were with those affected and their families.

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Manchester United take on Brighton in the Carabao Cup third round tonight.

Here are the starting teams for tonight’s game:

United: Darlow, Dalot, Yoro, Heaven, Mazraoui, Santos, Tielemans, Mount, Lacey, Sesko, Rashford.

Brighton: Steele, Hadjam, Vuskovic, Struijk, Gross, Chema, Kostoulas, Costinha, Boscagli, O’Riley, Yalcouye

Follow the blog below for live updates from Old Trafford.

Kory McCrimmon was killed in a stabbing two years ago in Glasgow’s east end.

The mother of Kory McCrimmon who was stabbed to death has spoken says her son might still be alive if bleed kits were available.

The 16-year-old was stabbed through the heart in Glasgow’s east end on May 31, 2024, following a row with another teen over a £50 debt. His killer, who was 13 at the time, later admitted the fatal attack and was jailed for five years at the High Court in Glasgow in May last year.

Kory’s mum, Elizabeth, has now spoken out about the need for bleed kits to be rolled out across the country. Bleed kits contain heavy-duty trauma supplies which are designed to control life-threatening blood loss before professional medical help arrives.

Elizabeth is fundraising for the medical packs with the ‘Parents Against Knives’ initiative. Campaigners have already secured eight in Glasgow with one installed at the Barrowfield community centre near Kory’s home.

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She told STV News: “There’s been more and more out there about children getting caught with knives in school, from 12 years of age.

“I want to make sure there’s a bleed kit in every high school in Glasgow and to raise money for bleed boxes in parks and community centres because there’s practically none in Glasgow.

“I’ll always think what if one of those kits were nearby when that happened to Kory? Maybe my boy would still be sitting here today.

“That is what is pushing me. I don’t want any mother to be sitting the way I have for the last two and a bit years because you’re never the same.”

Kory is one of four young males who lost their lives due to senseless knife violence on Scotland’s streets in the last two years.

Amen Teklay, 15, died from a stab wound after he was found injured in Glasgow’s Maryhill in March, 2025. Two teenage boys, aged 16 and 17, were cleared of his murder following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Weeks later, 16-year-old Kayden Moy was stabbed to death at Irvine Beach in Ayrshire in May. His three teen killers were jailed for life.

John McNab, 22, was chased down and stabbed with a ‘Rambo knife’ by a teenager in Leith on September 2, 2025. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was on bail for a separate knife attack on Portobello Beach months earlier.

Lisa Petrie, John McNab’s mum has campaigned tirelessly for the roll out of life-saving bleed kits across Scotland and tighter security around the sale of knives in shops since her son’s death.

She met with John Swinney and Justice Secretary Neil Gray earlier this month over her campaign to tackle rising deadly youth knife crime in memory of her son.

The 45-year-old spoke to the Record about how the Scottish Government were “dragging its heels” on plans to tackle a “knife crime emergency”.

It came after Swinney had backed the rollout of bleed kits in community settings across Scotland during his Programme for Government announcement, which promised to continue working with organisations tackling youth violence.

Lisa, who visited the 27-foot-tall ‘Knife Angel’ sculpture in Leith made from 100,000 surrendered and seized blades, told the Record: “Victims of violent crime are being failed.

“There was no real commitment or timeframe for the roll out of bleed kits or tighter security measures around the sale of knives.

“The Scottish Government is dragging its heels. More young people will die while we wait for decisions on potentially life-saving measures to be implemented.

“We are frustrated and we need action. I am determined John’s not going to be a statistic.”

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When asked about the greatest innovation of humans, people will often say language or fire. A new paper suggests that these innovations may be more interlinked than we previously assumed.

Understanding how human language evolved is one of the hardest problems in science to unpick, since writing is a relatively recent innovation. Also, the vocal tracts and brains of our ancestors did not fossilise as they were made of soft tissue. We are left, then, with indirect evidence about how humans and other apes communicate today.

One of the most prominent theories about the origins of human language is that our ancestors started to communicate using gestural language. This theory is based on our understanding of the abilities of apes, as evidence suggest both chimpanzees and gorillas have gestural communication systems.

We also know that one of the best strategies for communicating when you don’t have a shared language is gesture. We often do this when communicating on holiday with someone who doesn’t speak our language; we point, mime and emote to get our message across.

Some of my previous research has shown that we do this because gestures or sign languages are often more iconic than words in spoken languages. This means their meaning is easier to guess for someone without any previous knowledge of the gesture or language being spoken; perfect for creating a new language from scratch.

Did fireside storytelling aid the evolution of human language?

If human language started with gestures, then why are the vast majority of languages today spoken? One reason for this shift might lie in the limits of gestural language. You need a light source to see a gesture, and communication would have been necessary for our ancestors after dark.

An article by researchers at the University of St Andrews argues that by the dim light of a campfire, we might find an explanation for why we moved from gesture to spoken language. While a light source, firelight is potentially too dim for us to rely on it for the meaningful bits of early gestural language. For fully expressive stories in the dark, we would need spoken language but still keep gestural elements to emphasise and emote our speech.

The study highlights how storytelling links to some of the features of human language that make it unique. Stories have complex structures and are often displaced in time and space, meaning they talk about things not immediately present, in the past, or sometimes not even real.

The article suggests that social storytelling is what enabled us to surpass the communicative abilities of other living apes, into the rich, expressive tapestry of human language. Storytelling aids our social bonds and helps us understand the world and how to behave. It can help us develop our imagination, identities and cultural belief systems.

The idea that language emerged for social bonding is not new; however, the authors of the new article highlight that fireside context might have been crucial. They argue that the colour spectrum of fire is well suited for human vision without suppressing the melatonin that helps us sleep, like modern screen light can.

The study also highlights that human neurons synchronise to the frequency of flickering firelight, which the authors argue can improve shared social experience and bonding through connected rhythmic activities that can promote empathy.

How about storytelling today?

Other research, reviewed in my own work, has shown that stories from our early oral traditions share similar traits to one another. This is thought to happen because the social transmission of stories acts like evolution. Instead of survival of the fittest, we get survival of the most memorable aspects of stories as they are shared. Stories survive when they have more social, human-oriented content, counterintuitive elements, create negative emotions and have elements of survival.

Researchers think this happens because swapping stories about social bonds, unexpected dangers and survival are advantageous for our evolution.

Storytelling is still one of the primary ways we understand the world even now, through the news and social media. This content is full of human interest, negative emotions and surprise.

Storytelling in the modern world is now often about getting the most clicks and attention. It is often about keeping people up past their bedtime looking at the melatonin suppressing blue light of our screens.

I’m left wondering, after reading about the potential fireside origins of our language, that we might feel more connection and trust by going back to sharing stories around a fire.