Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said officers on patrol spotted the man trying to sell items they believed may have been stolen.

According to police, the suspect fled when he noticed officers approaching and ran onto the Ironman 70.3 route in an attempt to evade arrest.

However, officers quickly caught up with him, with PC Wilkinson detaining the man a short distance away.

A GMP spokesperson said online: “Upon spotting police, the male ran onto the Ironman 70.3 course but wasn’t quick enough to escape PC Wilkinson.

“It was a case of déjà vu from Ironman 2025 when the same male made off from officers onto the track and was detained by the same officer.”

Off-duty police officers who had travelled from Essex to take part in the Ironman event also assisted in stopping the suspect.

The man was arrested on suspicion of theft and handling stolen goods and remains in custody for questioning.

Police enquiries remain ongoing.

Elliott Wills, 13, from Cornwall is calling for more O negative and B negative blood donors after his life was saved by transfusions in October last year. The teenager has has rare blood disorder and requires regular transfusions, but lost seven litres of blood after a main artery burst following surgery in Bristol. His father Phil Wills, 53 was told to prepare for the worst, while his mother Gill could not travel due to health problems. Elliott spent three weeks in hospital but has since returned to school and playing football (Wills family/PA)

It also gives people a chance to see some of the most iconic Cambridge colleges

Cambridge is a beautiful city filled with historic buildings to admire, renowned for its university which makes it a popular tourist spot. Many tourists like to see the city from the comfort of a punt drifting along the river, but there’s a street where you can get some of the same views without splashing the cash.

This is Silver Street, which runs along the River Cam, named as such as it was occupied by silversmiths as early as 1798. It is also surrounded by iconic university buildings, including Queens College and St Catharine’s College.

While the famous Mathematical Bridge is part of Queens College, a walk along Silver Street will give visitors a prime view of this bridge. Silver Street also gives people access to punting businesses, one of the most popular and famous activities to do while in Cambridge.

The street also borders ‘The Backs’, where people can experience natural beauty within the built-up city. If people walk along Silver Street and across Silver Street Bridge, they will come to the Backs – which also give stunning views of King’s College. In 2013, the National Trust also recognised The Backs as one of the top 10 views in Britain.

It is known as the backs because it backs onto many of the major university colleges. If you want to experience the historic parts of Cambridge from a slightly different perspective, a walk down Silver Street may be worth it.

The pub’s bar can be found on a boat that used to carry cargo around Europe.

The city of Peterborough has a huge range of pubs to explore but if you are looking for somewhere a little different to visit this summer, you might enjoying having a beer on a boat. The Charters is found right on the River Nene and has its own boat with a bar and Pan Asian restaurant.

The Charters is described as being a “friendly-family” pub with the “largest beer garden in Peterborough“. For the summer, the beer garden has plenty of seating where you can soak up the sun next to the river with fairy lights as it gets dark.

As well as the beer garden, you can take a walk over to the bar that can be found on a boat. The converted floating Dutch barge was originally built in 1907 and was used on the rivers and canals in Holland, Belgium, and Germany to carry cargo.

The boat was brought over to Peterborough via the North Sea to be turned into a bar and restaurant before it was opened in 1991. The Charters is now a popular place for real ale lovers to visit with eight cask ales on tap and around 500 guest ales.

Advertisement

After renovations, the pub now has a range of outdoor bars, a stage for live music, and a decking area that can be hired out for events. The pub holds a range of events including jazz nights, live bands, and pub quizzes meaning you should be able to find something that suits you.

There are also plenty of festivals throughout the year including the Charters Easter Beer Festival. For food lovers, there is also the International Food Festival and even a Portuguese Festival with live music, traditional street food, and drinks.

If you need something to soak up the alcohol, the Charters has plenty of food options. You can enjoy a burger and a beer for just £12.50 or you can choose from one of the many pizzas on menu.

Advertisement

For people who want something a bit different, you can visit the Pan Asian restaurant named East that serves a range of rice and noodle dishes, as well as starters and wraps at lunchtime. Throughout the start of the week, you can grab a few small plates to have alongside a drink.

The Charters can be found at Town Bridge in Peterborough. The pub is open from 12pm to 11pm on Sundays to Thursdays and from 12pm to 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Graham Platner is set to take questions from voters Sunday at a town hall-style event in Maine as the Democrat moves to stabilize his Senate campaign after new reports about his past treatment of women.

The evening event in Portland is taking place two days before a Democratic primary that is still seen as Platner’s to win, but which could provide clues as to whether enthusiasm for his iconoclastic candidacy has softened.

The New York Times on Thursday reported an ex-girlfriend’s allegations that Platner repeatedly grabbed her by the shoulders during arguments and once twisted her arm behind her back and locked her in a room. Platner has repeatedly called those allegations of violence untrue.

Other Platner ex-girlfriends interviewed by the Times described positive experiences, while some said he was volatile and insulting. That story came days after news reports revealing that Platner had exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married.

Despite the allegations, no major Democrats who had previously endorsed Platner have rescinded their support. Platner is running to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

Platner held a rally with California Rep. Ro Khanna in Bar Harbor on Friday, where he received a standing ovation and declared that Mainers “have my back.”

A combat veteran, Platner has repeatedly said that he struggled with alcohol and post traumatic stress disorder after his military service, but says he is a changed man.

The latest news has deepened some Democrats’ nervousness about Platner, who already faced scrutiny over online posts that were dismissive of sexual assault and a skull tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol. Platner has apologized for the posts and covered up the tattoo., saying he didn’t realize its significance when he got it.

Rahm Emanuel, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate who spent the weekend in neighboring New Hampshire, said the “jury is still out” on whether Platner can beat Collins.

“Everybody is holding their breath whether this is the start of something or the end of something,” he said. “If it’s the end, that’s one thing. If it’s the beginning of something and we’re not done, that’s another thing.”

Kurt Fedora, 62, a mental health worker from Buxton, said he attended Sunday’s event to hear Platner talk about working-class issues and fighting corruption. He said he’s unmoved by recent revelations about Platner’s history, and considers them a smear campaign by conservative opponents.

“Maybe there will be something to it, but they’re really reaching far to try to pin something on him. And it’s politics as usual,” Fedora said.

Others worried that Platner at times reminded them of President Donald Trump.

Debbi Conley, a 69-year-old retiree from Gorham, said she wanted to learn more about Platner even as she’s almost certain he’ll win on Tuesday, but she’s skeptical of him at the moment.

“I think people have been frustrated with Susan Collins, so they’re looking for alternatives,” Conley said. “My concerns with Graham Platner are that he’s talking about change, but sometimes it reminds me of the same talk that Trump had like ‘drain the swamp’.”

___

Associated Press writer Steven Sloan contributed to this report from Warren, New Hampshire. Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

Maintenance loans were paid out to 34,200 students in the last completed academic year

Student maintenance loans and grants in Northern Ireland are set to rise due to the rising cost of living. Higher Education maintenance grants and loans will increase by 2.7% for the 2026/27 academic year.

The Economy Minister announced a package of measures to support students with cost of living pressures. This includes the maximum support available through the Disabled Students’ Allowance rising by 10%.

Earlier this year, a 54% increase to the maximum Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan for the 2026/27 academic year was announced. In the last completed academic year (2024/25), maintenance loans were paid out to 34,200 students, amounting to £153.6 million.

For full time undergraduate Northern Ireland-domiciled students who live at home, the maximum maintenance loan support will rise from £6,300 to £6,471. For those living away from home, the maximum amount will rise from £8,132 to £8,352.

For students from Northern Ireland living in London, the maximum loan support available will rise from £11,391 to £11,699. Some students will also be eligible for maintenance grants on top of this maintenance loan support. The maximum will increase from £3,475 to £3,569.

Announcing the new uplift in loans and grants, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: “I fully recognise the financial pressures many students are facing and the importance of responding to these challenges, so I am taking further steps to support students with day-to-day living costs.

“For academic year 2026/27, maximum maintenance grants and loans are getting an inflationary uplift, increasing by 2.7%. This follows the significant 20% uplift to maximum maintenance loans introduced for 2025/26 which together are about helping students to stay in education and realise their potential.

“The maximum support available through the Disabled Students’ Allowance will also rise by 10%, from £25,000 to £27,500, providing additional help for those who need it to access and succeed in Higher Education.”

Advertisement

The Minister continued: “I know many students work to support their studies. My Good Jobs Bill includes a range of measures which will be particularly beneficial to students in work. It will ensure tips, gratuities and service charges are passed on in full, and it will tackle the exploitative use of zero-hours contracts by offering those who regularly work set patterns the right to move to banded hours contracts.

“I am determined to make education more affordable and accessible. By increasing maintenance support, expanding postgraduate loan provision and strengthening protections for students in work through my Good Jobs Bill, I am taking practical action to help students with the cost of living, remain in education and progress into good jobs.”

The additional support for students has been welcomed by NUS-USI, which represents over 130,000 students and apprentices in Northern Ireland across higher and further education. However, they said there is more work to be done to support students.

NUS-USI President, Ben Friel said: “We welcome the Minister’s continued focus on student cost of living pressures, and any increase in maintenance support is a step in the right direction. Students have been clear that financial pressure is one of the biggest barriers to accessing and staying in education, so additional support does matter.

“However, this must be seen as one step rather than the final answer. Many students are still being forced to work long hours, rely on hardship funds or go without essentials, and the upcoming Higher Education Funding Review must look seriously at how maintenance support can better reflect the real cost of studying and living.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Scientists say a new study into weight loss drugs like Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempiccan suggest the impact of GLP-1 medicines “may reach further and transform how we think about cancer prevention”

Weight loss jabs should be probed as potential “cancer prevention agents”, experts say.

A study has shown weight loss injections used to tackle obesity and type 2 diabetes – including Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempiccan – may have wider health benefits. Experts from the US examined data on more than 161,000 patients who were obese, did not have diabetes and had not been diagnosed with an obesity-related cancer. Of these, half used weight-loss injections while the other half were given consultation on diet and exercise.

The average age of people in the study was 47 and they were followed up for two years. The analysis, published in the Annals of Oncology, revealed that those who took GLP-1s were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with an obesity-related cancer during the follow-up period, with a reduced risk of 41%.

The data revealed the size of the reduction was not found among black people. Senior author of the study, Dr Aparna Kamat, director of the Division of Gynaecologic Oncology at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, said: “Our study found that over an average follow-up of two years, GLP-1 RA use was associated with a significantly lower incidence of cancers directly fuelled by excess body weight.

“Overall cancer risk was reduced by 41% and we saw even larger reductions in certain subgroups, including men, where the risk dropped by nearly 70%. Among gynaecologic cancers, there was a 58% reduction in the incidence of endometrial cancer, one of the malignancies most closely linked to obesity.

“The reduction in obesity-related cancer risk among white patients was about 50% but this risk reduction was not observed among black patients. This may reflect additional causes such as access to care, differing risk profiles and other biological differences. We also studied the different GLP-1 RA formulations and found that while all of them reduced the incidence of obesity-related cancers, the greatest reduction was seen among tirzepatide users.”

Being overweight or obese has been linked to an increased risk of 13 types of cancer including of the breast, bowel, pancreas, kidney, liver and stomach. Dr Kamat said the results suggest the impact of GLP-1 medicines “may reach further and transform how we think about cancer prevention”.

She added: “Our findings do not prove causation, and cancer risk reduction should not yet be a standalone reason to prescribe GLP-1 RAs. However, for obese, non-diabetic patients who are already candidates for these medications, our data provide an additional and potentially important reason to have that conversation.

“For policymakers and other researchers, our study is a clear signal that GLP-1 RAs deserve serious investigation as cancer prevention agents, particularly as obesity-related cancers increasingly affect adults in their 40s and 50s.”

Second author of the study, Professor Pedro Ramirez, who is chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Houston Methodist Hospital, said: “Our study suggests GLP-1 RAs may have benefits that extend beyond weight management.

“It should be noted that while the findings do not prove that GLP-1 drugs directly prevent cancer, they provide early evidence that deserves further study in long-term clinical trials. This study highlights the potential for a major shift in how we think about obesity treatment and cancer prevention. As the use of GLP-1 RA medications continues to grow worldwide, understanding their broader health impact is critically important.”

Thousands of runners have taken to the streets of Swansea for the half marathon, which is welcoming more than 8,000 competitors to the city for the 12th year.

The popular event, one of the largest road races in Wales, offers spectacular views across Swansea Bay from start to finish.

The restaurant has been described by guests as a ‘hidden gem’

If you are looking for somewhere new and different to go for dinner, you may want to try this “hidden gem” in the centre of Cambridge. The Orator, which can be found on Round Church Street, offers a charming brasserie with a busy cocktail bar.

But what makes this quirky restaurant extra special is that all of The Orator’s profits go to The Cambridge Union Society, a registered educational charity. According to the charity, over the years, the Union has hosted some of the greatest figures in the world, such as Robert DeNiro, Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill.

Hidden behind a bright yellow door, The Orator’s restaurant offers a range of dishes from a classic cheeseburger to a braised duck leg. Prices range depending on the items – a cheeseburger costs £16 meanwhile, the braised duck leg is priced at £26.

The Orator also has other menus available including a light lunch menu, a Sunday roast menu and a pre-theatre menu. Offering a “gorgeous outdoor seating area”, this restaurant makes for a lovely place to wine and dine whilst catching some beautiful rays.

The pretty brasserie has built a strong reputation from previous customers online. Amongst more than 800 reviews on Google, The Orator hass an average of 4.2 stars out of five.

One happy diner wrote: “A hidden gem in the heart of Cambridge! The Orator is one of those places you walk into and immediately feel at ease. The interior is stunning—elegant but relaxed, with just the right touch of Cambridge charm. The staff were warm and welcoming, and the service was smooth without being overbearing.”

A customer described The Orator as a “historic heaven” on Tripadvisor, adding: “What a beautiful space! Elegant and historic. The food was superb and the staff so courteous and friendly. A wonderful way to spend a couple of hours with good friends.”

Another customer praised: “One of the best places to eat in Cambridge. Beautiful location with gorgeous outdoor seating area. Great menu with the 3 course tasting menu being very reasonably priced.”