Picnic in the Park will take place on Saturday, June 6, in Northumberland Square, North Shields.

It promises a full day of entertainment, activities, and live music while raising money for the charity’s work supporting young people and the wider community.

Helen Thompson, from the organiser YMCA North Tyneside, said: “Picnic in the Park is about so much more than one day of celebration.

“It is about bringing people together, showcasing the incredible talent we have here in the North East and reminding everyone what community really looks like.

“Every ticket booked, raffle sold and pound raised helps us continue delivering vital services to those who need them most.”

Now in its fourth year, the free event runs from 10am until 4pm and attracted more than 2,000 visitors in 2025, raising over £3,500.

Funds raised last year went towards supported housing, youth programmes, community meals, and wellbeing services.

The morning will feature children’s rides, entertainers, face painting, family activities, and a tombola and raffle.

From midday, the main stage will host live music, food, and drink from popular local traders, including a mobile bar.

Organisers are inviting aspiring performers to submit audition videos for a chance to appear in the final line-up by visiting ymcanorthtyneside.org/events/picnic-in-the-park-2026.

Tickets can be booked on Eventbrite. While entry is free, attendees can opt for a donation ticket if they wish to contribute.

All donations will support YMCA North Tyneside.

Three Tennessee teenagers are suing Elon Musk‘s AI chatbot Grok for allegedly generating sexually explicit deepfake photos of them without their knowledge or consent.

In a complaint filed in federal court in northern California Monday, lawyers for the three teens — named only as Jane Doe 1, 2, and 3 — accuse Grok’s parent company xAI of “shattering” the girls’ lives by doing almost nothing to prevent the chatbot from generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

“Nearly all the companies creating, marketing, and selling AI recognized the dangers of such a tool and chose to enact industry-standard guardrails that would prevent the use of their products child sex predators. xAI did not,” the complaint reads.

“Instead, xAI — and its founder Elon Musk — saw a business opportunity: an opportunity to profit off the sexual predation of real people, including children.”

It is the first lawsuit filed by minors over Grok’s ongoing deepfake porn scandal, which caused governments around the world to launch investigations into the company and forced xAI to restrict Grok’s output.

Starting last May, Musk and his executives gave users the ability to ask Grok to “undress” photos of real people down to their underwear. By January 2026 usage had exploded, leading to thousands, perhaps millions of nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes — including some that appeared to depict children.

Monday’s lawsuit, which accuses xAI of breaking child pornography laws by knowingly creating, possessing, and distributing such material on its servers and systems, is seeking class action status — meaning it could potentially grow to encompass thousands of people.

According to the complaint, the plaintiffs’ nightmare began when Jane Doe 1 received an anonymous tip-off on Instagram that nude photos and videos of her and other minors were circulating on the social media service Discord.

Using AI, someone had taken real photos of her at her school’s homecoming dance or in the yearbook and edited them into sexually explicit or suggestive material, often rendering her fully nude.

Police ultimately traced the alleged perpetrator and arrested them in December 2025. But when they searched the person’s device, they found similar photos of Jane Doe 2, Jane Doe 3, and 15 other girls, many of whom attended the same school.

The perpetrator allegedly distributed these images on Telegram and other services, “trading” them around the internet in exchange for sexually explicit material of other teenagers.

The lawsuit alleges that these images were created using a third-party app that pays xAI money to license Grok’s image-generation capabilities under a different brand.

“Plaintiffs will have to spend the rest of their lives knowing that their CSAM images and videos may continue to be trafficked and traded online by child sex predators,” the complaint read.

“And Plaintiffs will live every day with the constant anxiety of not knowing whether someone they encounter has seen this invasive and sexually explicit content created with images of them as children.”

All three plaintiffs suffered severe emotional distress, the lawsuit said, with two of them struggling to sleep and eat.

The lawsuit accuses xAI of failing to implement industry-standard safeguards such as rejecting user requests for sexual material, blocking any such material that the AI accidentally generates, checking images against databases of existing CSAM, and providing a rapid takedown service for victims of non-consensual sexual images.

On the contrary, the lawsuit argues, xAI proudly advertised Grok’s “Spicy Mode” and its ability to generate sexual images, leaving only minimal guardrails against users asking it to create CSAM.

The lawsuit notes that Grok’s ‘system prompt’ — a set of instructions governing every interaction an AI chatbot has with its users — explicitly tells it to avoid “creating or distributing child sexual abuse material”. But that rule is easily circumvented, the lawsuit argues, and insufficient to prevent abuse.

xAI did not immediately respond to questions from The Independent, and the company has not yet answered its claims in court.

In January, Musk claimed: “I not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero…

“There may be times when adversarial hacking of Grok prompts does something unexpected. If that happens, we fix the bug immediately.”

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan accused Pakistan of killing at least 400 people in an airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital late Monday. It marked a dramatic escalation of a conflict that began late last month and has seen repeated cross-border clashes as well as airstrikes inside Afghanistan. International calls for a ceasefire have gone unheeded.

Pakistan dismissed the accusation that it had hit a hospital, saying its strikes, which were also conducted in eastern Afghanistan, did not hit any civilian sites.

Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat, in a post on X, said the airstrike had hit the hospital in Kabul at about 9 p.m. local time, destroying large sections of the 2,000-bed facility. He said the death toll had “so far” reached 400 people, while about 250 people had been reported injured.

Local television stations posted footage on X showing security forces using flashlights as they carried out casualties while firefighters struggled to extinguish flames among the ruins of a building. Fitrat said rescue teams were working to control the fire and recover the bodies.

The strike came hours after Afghan officials said the two sides exchanged fire along their common border, killing four people in Afghanistan, as the deadliest fighting between the neighbors in years entered a third week.

Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strike on X, accusing Pakistan of “targeting hospitals and civilian sites to perpetrate horrors.” In a post before the death toll rose into the hundreds, he said those killed and injured were patients at the hospital.

“We strongly condemn this crime and consider such an act to be against all accepted principles and a crime against humanity,” he posted.

Pakistan dismisses the allegations

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesperson, Mosharraf Zaidi, dismissed the allegations as baseless, saying no hospital was targeted in Kabul.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar posted on X in the early hours Tuesday that the Pakistani military had “carried out precision airstrikes” targeting military installations in Kabul and the eastern province of Nangarhar. He said “technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities” at two locations in Kabul were destroyed.

“All targeting has been done with precision only at those infrastructures which are being used by Afghan Taliban regime to support its multiple terror proxies,” he wrote.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said earlier that Mujahid’s claim was “false and misleading” and aimed at stirring sentiment and cover what it described as ”illegitimate support for cross-border terrorism.” It said Pakistan’s targeting was “precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted.”

UN calls on Afghanistan to combat militants

The strike came hours after the U.N. Security Council called on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to immediately step up efforts to combat terrorism. Pakistan accuses Kabul of harboring militant groups, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, which it says carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

The Security Council resolution, adopted unanimously, didn’t refer specifically to attacks carried out in Pakistan but condemns “in the strongest terms all terrorist activity including terrorist attacks.” The resolution also extends the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, for three months.

Pakistan’s government accuses Afghanistan of providing safe haven to the Pakistani Taliban, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, as well as to outlawed Baloch separatist groups and other militants who frequently target Pakistani security forces and civilians across the country. Kabul denies the charge.

The latest conflict

The fighting — the most severe between the two neighbors — began in late February after Afghanistan launched cross-border attacks in response to Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan that Kabul said killed civilians. The clashes disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October after earlier fighting killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants.

Pakistan has declared it is in “open war” with Afghanistan. The conflict has alarmed the international community, particularly as the area is one where other militant organizations, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, still have a presence and have been trying to resurface.

On Sunday, Tarar said the military has killed 684 Afghan Taliban forces, a claim rejected by Afghanistan, which says casualties are far lower. Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry and other officials have said Afghanistan has killed more than 100 Pakistani soldiers.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said Afghanistan’s Taliban administration crossed a “red line” by deploying drones that injured several civilians in Pakistan last week.

Responding to those attacks, Pakistan’s air force over the weekend struck equipment storage sites and “technical support infrastructure” in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar Province, saying it was being used for attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul said Pakistan hit two locations, including an empty security site and a drug rehabilitation center that sustained minor damage.

In Kabul, Afghanistan’s administrative Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi said defending sovereignty is the duty of all citizens. Speaking during a meeting with political analysts and media figures, Hanafi expressed regret over civilian casualties in recent Pakistani attacks, saying the war was imposed on Afghanistan.

____

Ahmed reported from Islamabad and Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed.

The footage, which went viral after being uploaded to social media, captured hundreds of people fleeing from a beach after what was believed to be gun shots rang out

Footage uploaded to social media captured hundreds of people fleeing from a beach in the United States after what was believed to be gunshots rang out during spring break.

The noise that spooked beach goers enjoying spring break at Daytona Beach in Florida on Saturday, March 14 was actually harmless: people crushing water bottles.

“There were zero gunshots on the beach,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Monday, March 16 after the video went viral.

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Four shootings have been reported in Daytona Beach since Friday, but none of them were the cause of the panic captured on video, the New York Post reported. A total of 80 arrests were made at Daytona Beach over the weekend and six weapons were seized.

The footage from the incident is understood to have been captured from a hotel balcony and captured the moment screaming beachgoers scattered on the beach.

In a separate incident, one shot was fired after a fight erupted at a nearby bar on Friday. Authorities said no one was injured in the shooting.

An hour later, one person was shot outside a nearby Crunch Fitness, it has been reported.

Separately, two shootings were reported beachside on Saturday, police said.

Police are investigating if any of the shootings were directly tied to spring break.

It started in Weymouth on Friday, March 13, and will see the DJ travel all the way to Edinburgh in a 1,000km journey.

He will be passing through County Durham on Wednesday, March 18, if all goes to plan.

Greg’s tandem will travel north up the Durham coast from Hart towards Seaham, sticking close to the cliff edge and the old pit villages.

null (Image: COMIC RELIEF)

The route runs past Blackhall Rocks and Horden, where colliery land has been turned into open paths and viewpoints, then on through Easington and South Hetton.

It’s straightforward on paper but with unpredictable weather anything could happen.

From Seaham, Greg will cycle into Sunderland territory, through Ryhope and dropping into Hendon on the approach to the city.

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This route swaps cliff‑top views for housing estates, sea walls and retail sheds, before the tandem makes its way into the centre of Sunderland to finish.

This is Greg’s third challenge for Comic Relief, despite previously vowing not to take on another.

He completed five triathlons in five days in 2016, and in 2018, cycled between and climbed the UK’s three highest peaks: Scafell Pike, Snowdon, and Ben Nevis.

Bon Bon’s (Wholesale) Ltd supplies confectionery to more than 1,000 specialist retailers, garden high-end independent retailers and visitor attractions.

The expanding company, based at Moorside Business Park, Tockwith, reports turnover now exceeds £14million, an increase of £3million since it relocated to the 3.2ha site from Thorpe Arch in 2021.

Since the relocation, sales have increased year-on-year, with more stock stored on-site, especially at peak periods.

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Now, the business, founded in 2007, has submitted a full planning application to North Yorkshire Council for its site to create a 40,000 sq ft warehouse to the west of its existing 1.15ha site.

Planning documents submitted to the council say the company now employs 85 staff.

The site just outside Tockwith (Image: Darren Greenwood)

Its relocation from nearby Thorpe Arch followed a period of growth, fuelled by the company buying hf Chocolates.

The current premises total 55,000 sq ft, some 25,000 sq ft is storage space, and the remainder being offices and production facilities.

However, a planning statement prepared by ELG Planning of Darlington says storage space for the business must be secure and close to existing production areas.

The company does not store the perishable items for more than three months, so the extra space is need for the continued success of the business.

The application also said: “With space required for packing, production and storage, the existing premises is now fully utilised and additional and dedicated undercover/secure storage space is now sought.”

The company had looked at alternatives to the extension, noting that new units at H47 by the A1 (M) and at Thorpe Arch would not be ready in time. Furthermore, it was not practical or functional to relocate again, noting the relocation to Moorside cost the company £1million.

Some of the bon bons (Image: Darren Greenwood)

The application also noted a similar warehouse scheme on the same site was approved in 2017 but the previous occupier did not go ahead with the scheme.

It also concluded the scheme would have minor visual impact and would enhance the “quantum and mix” of commercial sites in the district, meeting the council’s underlying economic objectives.

The hit series by Jed Mercurioreturns to the BBC for a seventh series with Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar reprising their roles.

In the new series of series seven AC-12 has been disbanded and rebranded the Inspectorate of Police Standards.

Anticorruption work has never been more difficult and in this challenging climate Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) are assigned their most sensitive case so far.

Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, a charismatic officer winning plaudits for a string of takedowns of organised crime, is accused of abusing his position of trust to act as a sexual predator. But is Gough’s case a deliberate distraction from a bigger threat still operating in the shadows?

(Image: Austin G. Shirley)

Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar are joined by Robert Carlyle, who is the guest lead for series 7.

He plays Detective Constable Shaun Massie, a Specialist Rifle Officer (SRO) and veteran marksman, operating with Tactical Operations Unit 7 (TO-7) to take down Organised Crime Groups. A gruff loner, Massie keeps himself to himself, but when his boss, TO-7’s commanding officer DI Dominic Gough, is accused of being a sexual predator, Massie’s otherwise detached demeanour changes drastically.

The cast have gathered for a readthrough.

Catch up with previous series on BBC iPlayer.

One of those who died was a Year 13 student called Juliette, who was described by her headteacher at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham in Kent as “incredibly kind, thoughtful and intelligent”.

The other person who died attended the University of Kent.

The Press Association understands that some of those in hospital have been put into induced comas.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday evening it was continuing to investigate the outbreak of meningitis, with 13 cases confirmed in Kent since March 13.

It urged anyone who visited the nightclub Club Chemistry on March 5, 6 or 7 to come forward for antibiotics as a “precautionary measure”.

Advice has also been issued to 16,000 staff and students at the University of Kent, where antibiotics are also being offered to those who need them.

Trish Mannes, UKHSA regional deputy director for the South East, said: “Our thoughts remain with the friends and family involved and we understand that many people in the university and wider community will be affected by this sad news.

“Our investigations have identified that some cases visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury and it is important that anyone who visited the club between 5th and 7th March now comes forward for preventative antibiotic treatment as a precaution, as well as those offered antibiotics at the university – these students are being contacted directly through the university.”

The UKHSA said it acted as soon as it was notified of a cluster of cases.

A UKHSA spokesperson said: “UKHSA was notified of a cluster of cases late on Saturday. We acted immediately and communication to those at risk took place on Saturday evening and Sunday.”

Amelia McIlroy, the headteacher of Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham, confirmed one of its year 13 pupils had died.

She said: “It is with great sadness that we are confirming the loss of Juliette, a much loved and treasured member of our school community.

“Juliette was a student at our school for seven years. She was incredibly kind, thoughtful and intelligent and she loved our school and was very happy here.

“Juliette embraced everything that school had to offer with great enthusiasm and joy and her humour and positivity were captivating.

“She was a genuinely caring and attentive listener, a true friend – who listened with warmth, respect and sincere interest to her peers and to our staff.

“In short, she was a lovely girl – her beautiful smile, her loving nature and her sense of fun will be hugely missed. We are all devastated.

“Our love and thoughts are with her family and friends at this terribly sad time.”

At the university campus on Monday, students described their worries as they queued for antibiotics.

The specific strain of meningitis has not yet been identified.

Several students were wearing face masks and staff handed out more to those waiting.

Two teenage brothers said they had been left terrified after going to a party which was hosted by a friend who is now in hospital with meningitis.

Matthew McDonagh, 16, and his brother Luca, 17, were at a party in Whitstable, Kent, on Saturday with one person who has now been diagnosed with the infection.

Another person from their friendship circle was already in an induced coma after recently contracting meningitis.

Luca, who is in year 13, said no one in his year group at Simon Langton Grammar School is allowed to go in for lessons.

He and his brother, also at same school, were told to come to the University of Kent to receive a precautionary antibiotic.

Matthew told the Press Association: “It’s quite scary. Like, just like, I can’t believe it. It’s just insane…

“It’s completely unbelievable. I never thought this would happen again (after Covid).

“We’ve been told that we don’t even know if the pill that they give you is actually going to help us.”

Luca said: “It’s pretty terrifying.”

The headmaster of the Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys also said in a letter to parents that one of its year 13 students has been admitted to hospital with meningitis.

An update sent to parents at the Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford, Kent, confirmed a diagnosis for a year 13 student admitted to hospital.

The letter said: “We are writing to update you following our earlier communication regarding the student in year 13 who had been admitted to hospital with a suspected case of meningitis.

“We have now been informed that the diagnosis has been confirmed and the student is receiving appropriate hospital treatment.”

It added: “We understand that this news may heighten concern within our community. We want to reassure you that we remain in close contact with the UKHSA and their advice to the school has not changed.”

Rosie Duffield, Independent MP for Canterbury, said she has received a briefing from the UKHSA, who were stressing that meningitis needs “fairly intimate contact” to spread between people.

She said people could contact her office if they were worried.

She told PA: “We’ve all got to be really sensible but we should not panic too much.”

She added: “If anyone is worried they can call my office or their GP. We can also put them in touch with the right people at the university.”

Anyone can get meningitis but it is most common in babies, children, teenagers and young adults and it can spread very quickly in places such as universities and colleges.

Louise Jones-Roberts, owner of Club Chemistry in Canterbury, told PA the venue had been contacted by the UKHSA in the hope of tracing anyone affected, but explained there may be challenges.

“They have asked us if we have any methods for tracing who has been in to us,” she said earlier on Monday.

“We have an ID scanner but that is more of a security measure… It takes pictures of driving licences, ID cards and on so on.

“We’ve got tickets for events so we could trace ticket holders, but most people pay on the door.

“I’m devastated,” she said. “I can’t imagine what the families are going through…

“We will stay closed until we get further advice from the UKHSA.”

A University of Kent spokesperson said on Monday it was taking advice from UKHSA and communicating with students and staff.

“They have also been contacting known contacts of any cases in our community with advice on what to do and any next steps,” it said.

“A reminder that there will be no in-person assessments or exams this week, and schools will be in direct contact with students to provide details on alternative arrangements.

“We recognise that this is a very sad and worrying time for many members of our community.”

Those people who attended Club Chemistry can collect antibiotics from Gate Clinic at Kent and Canterbury Hospital; Westgate Hall on Westgate Hall Road, Canterbury; the Carey Building, Thanet Hub, Margate Northwood Rd and the Senate building at the University of Kent.

Andrew Currie, from Glasgow, had travelled from Scotland to attend Wrexham’s Championship clash against Millwall

A man has been banned from attending football matches for five years following a “disturbance” before a Championship game between Wrexham AFC and Millwall. Andrew Currie, from Glasgow, was arrested after a 52-year-old man was assaulted.

The Scot had travelled from Scotland for the match and was chased on foot by officers following the assault near the Ironworks pub. He later pleaded guilty to assault at Wrexham Magistrates’ Court, reports NorthWalesLive.

A North Wales Police statement said: “A 29-year-old man has been issued with a five-year football banning order for disorder-related offences prior to a recent Wrexham AFC match.

“Andrew Currie, of Brownsdale Road, Rutherglen, Glasgow, was arrested following a disturbance near the Ironworks pub in Wrexham during which a 52-year-old man was assaulted.

“The incident took place ahead of the Championship fixture between Wrexham and Millwall on Saturday, February 7.

“Currie was identified as a suspect for the assault after which he fled the scene with a group of other men. Following a brief foot chase by attending officers he was subsequently arrested and charged with assault.

“Currie, who had travelled from Scotland to attend the match, appeared at Wrexham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 12, and pleaded guilty to the offence.

“The football banning order imposed by the court means that Currie will now be prohibited from attending matches for five years.”

Millwall went on to beat the Welsh side 2-0 after an own goal from defender Max Cleworth boosted Millwall’s play-off hopes before Josh Coburn went on to add a second. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Six weeks on from the encounter Wrexham now sit two places behind the London-based club in sixth place meaning the teams could still meet again this season in the play-offs.

Superintendent Mark Williams added: “As a force North Wales Police remains clear in its stance on fan behaviour at football matches.

“While the vast majority of supporters conduct themselves responsibly and are a credit to the clubs they follow incidents of matchday disorder will not be tolerated.”

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