Need to know

Road users are advised to allow extra time for their journey, particularly if travelling to ports or airports.

Need to know: M3 Lagan Bridge maintenance to disrupt traffic

• Major maintenance work on the M3 Lagan Bridge will cause significant traffic disruption over three weekends this month.
• The project involves replacing six bridge bearings as part of the third phase of ongoing maintenance work. Previous phases in 2024 and 2025 have already seen 18 bearings replaced on the key Belfast structure.
• The closures will affect various slip roads over three specific weekends: 14-17 August, 21-24 August, and 28-31 August 2026. Both westbound and eastbound carriageways will be impacted at different times.
• Drivers will face extensive diversions through Belfast city centre via routes including Ann Street, Victoria Street, and Great Patrick Street. Those travelling from the Sydenham bypass towards West or North Belfast will be unable to exit until the M2 Junction 1 Fortwilliam Roundabout.
• Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said: “The M3 bridge is a key structure which carries over 90,000 vehicles and these specialist works are essential to ensure that the structure remains in a sound condition for future use.”
• The works have been scheduled for summer weekends when traffic volumes are typically lower than average. All work remains subject to favourable weather conditions.
• Detailed diversion routes and traffic information are available online at infrastructure-ni.gov.uk and trafficwatchni.com.

READ THE FULL STORY: M3 Lagan Bridge set to close for three weekends to undergo major maintenance works

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By RICHARD MARSDEN, GENERAL REPORTER and SAMUEL HUDSON and ISAAC CROWSON and SEB TOPAN

Published: 22:07 BST, 9 August 2026 | Updated: 00:06 BST, 10 August 2026

A convicted Islamic terrorist sentenced to death for plotting to kill an Egyptian Prime Minister is running a honey and food supply business in north London.

Yasser Al-Sirri, 63, a one-time member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, first came to Britain and claimed asylum in the 1990s following a failed assassination plot.

He was turned down but fought the decision repeatedly through the courts and appears to have won a three-decade battle to stay in Britain.

In 2021, the Appeal Court ruled in the his favour on condition he took refugee status

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The Daily Mail has now tracked Al-Sirri down to a £500,000 flat in upmarket Maida Vale, west London.

He was also present at a honey business in north west London, where he works and appears to be the boss.

It has a few employees and provides wholesale food and drink products.

Staff members initially said that Al-Sirri was not in his office when a reporter visited, despite his car being parked in the driveway.

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Convicted terrorist Yasser al-Sirri pictured outside his home in Maida Vale, North London

Block housing al-Sirri’s £500,000 flat where he now lives after long legal battle

One said: ‘For now he is not here. He has gone for some other business with someone else. Once he comes, I’ll tell you. He will call you no problem.’

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Al-Sirri was later in his office, where he claimed to be on a phone call and refused to talk.

Businesses in the area said he supplied many of the local businesses with wholesale drinks and said he was known as “Hajj” to locals.

One said: ‘We see him everyday walking down the road at around 5pm, towards the mosque. He’s got a red beard, so we always recognise him.’

Al-Sirri was a member of Egypt’s Islamic Jihad when, in 1993, the group attempted to assassinate the then Egyptian prime minister Atef Sedki using a car bomb outside a girls’ school.

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A 12-year-old girl was killed in the blast and he was sentenced to death in his absence by an Eygptian Court despite his arguments he played no part.

He also defended Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.

Following the death of 9/11 mastermind bin Laden, Al-Sirri was quoted as saying: ‘The al Qaeda leader met his God willingly but in an unplanned manner and he died an honourable death’.

Industrial building in London housing al-Sirri’s honey and wholesale food business

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In 2003 he defended Taliban propaganda videos of an American vehicle exploding. The same year, he was indicted in his absence by a Grand Jury in New York accused of conspiring to provide material support to Islamist group Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya. The US did not pursue proceedings to have him extradited from Britain.

Al-Sirri also openly supported Egyptian-born fanatic Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, believed to be the mastermind of the earlier World Trade Centre bombing in 1993. Rahman received a life sentence in the United States for plotting a ‘war of urban terrorism’.

Former Tory MP Patrick Mercer has described him as ‘a dangerous individual.’

Al-Sirri first claimed asylum in 1994 after fleeing his home country but was turned down and has taken the issue to court more than eight times at great cost to British taxpayers.

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After a tribunal decided he was entitled to remain in the UK as a refugee in 2001, then Home Secretary Priti Patel contested the finding.

At the Appeal Court, judges ruled in the convicted terrorist’s favour despite Article 1F of the Refugee Convention excluding individuals who have committed ‘terrorist acts or other serious criminal offences’.

Al-Sirri was sentenced to death after convicted in his absence of conspiring to kill Egypt’s prime minister in 1994.

British court papers have revealed he saw ‘violent jihad’ as an ‘obligation for Muslims’.

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The Home Office declined to comment on individual cases.

The 48-year-old is accused of a raft of serious criminal offences

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Daniel Kinahan is now in custody in Ireland, after appearing before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin charged with directing an organised crime group, on his return from Dubai.

It comes after the 49-year-old boxing promoter’s arrest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April. Kinahan is alleged to be a leader of the Kinahan organised crime group.

Mr Kinahan was flown on a £39 million government jet belonging to the Irish Air Corps from Dubai to Ireland today where he was arrested after touching down at Baldonnel Airport at around 7.20pm, reports the Mirror.

Kinahan was whisked under armed guard from both law enforcement and the Irish Defence Forces to a special Sunday hearing at the Special Criminal Court to face charges of directing an organised crime group.

He was charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation between October 18 2015 and April 6 2017.

He appeared in the dock wearing a black hoodie and put on a pair of dark-rimmed glasses after taking his seat.

Detective Sergeant Colin Davidson told the court that he had arrested Mr Kinahan at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel at 6.49pm that day.

Mr Kinahan was remanded to next appear on October 5.

Earlier the ministers of justice for Ireland and the United Arab Emirates confirmed the extradition, after a formal request submitted by Irish authorities, and the final decision was issued after a judgment by the Dubai Court of Cassation, in accordance with the extradition treaty between the two countries.

Jim O’Callaghan and Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi said that the final extradition decision “reflects the steadfast commitment of both countries to the rule of law and reinforces international judicial co-operation”.

The plane landed at Casement aerodrome in Baldonnel on the outskirts of Dublin just after 6.30pm.

READ MORE: Man found dead in burning car in Portadown

READ MORE: Three men to face court after Apprentice Boys parade in Derry

Shortly after the plane landed, a convoy of vehicles with blacked-out windows left the aerodrome at high speed.

Two separate convoys then arrived at Dublin’s Special Criminal Court, where Mr Kinahan was due to appear, as crowds watched.

Several BMWs drove through an open gate and into the underground car park at the court, with the gate swiftly closing behind them.

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Thousands of Britons will become victims of crime as a result of Andy Burnham‘s early prison release scheme.

Sex offenders, robbers, arsonists and violent criminals will commit nearly 90,000 extra offences after being freed early, according to analysis.

Despite mounting public fury, the Prime Minister has decided to pursue the controversial Labour plans which let thousands out of jail before the end of their sentences to ease overcrowding in prisons.

But the Conservatives have found that, thanks to Mr Burnham green-lighting the scheme, there will be around 500 added sex offences, nearly 1,800 violent crimes and just under 36,000 thefts before the end of this Parliament in 2029.

The grim forecast also estimates that 1,500 crimes for possessing a weapon, more than 7,000 drug-related offences and up to 3,000 public order offences will be recorded.

This will lead to an extra 89,225 crimes in total being committed by mid-2029, the Tories found.

Tory justice spokesman Nick Timothy said: ‘Labour’s early release scheme is still set to let thousands of dangerous criminals out early, and this will mean communities seeing dangerous offenders let back on to their streets.

‘Nearly 90,000 more offences will be committed over this Parliament because of Andy Burnham’s early release scheme – it is a disaster. Conservatives are calling on Labour to finally listen to victims… and bring emergency legislation to end this mess.’

The Prime Minister paused the scheme last month after a public outcry over the possible early release of two of the killers of PC Andrew Harper, who was dragged by a car for a mile after responding to a burglary report in 2019.

And Mr Burnham is now facing mounting pressure to block more of Britain’s worst criminals from being released – after only disqualifying rapists and the most serious sex offenders from the scheme.

The Ministry of Justice admitted last month that early release ‘may have impacts’ on a recent rise in re-offending rates.

Early release was introduced by Labour as an emergency measure in September 2024, and has seen 20,000 criminals let out of jail.

The new scheme, set to take effect in October, forms part of the Sentencing Act 2026, which aims to ease overcrowding in prisons.

In the latest data published by the Government, the proven re-offending rate was 29.9 per cent, up 1.9 per cent on the year before.

A Government document admitted ‘various policy changes’ including its early release scheme ‘may have impacts upon… re-offending rates’.

But it said: ‘It is not possible to isolate the impact of individual policies on re-offending rates’.

Nick Timothy, the Tory Shadow Justice Secretary, said the prison release scheme would see ‘dangerous offenders’ allowed back on the streets

Mr Burnham – who jetted off on holiday within weeks of taking the keys to No 10 – has been forced to review whether to block all criminals charged with the death of emergency workers from early release to ensure PC Andrew Harper’s killers remain behind bars.

A petition to keep them in jail to serve their full sentences had 861,000 signatures on Sunday night.

Brian Booth, the deputy national chairman of the Police Federation, said Mr Burnham was ‘being watched’ by the wider public on ‘how he deals with this incident’.

While the PM may block the release of PC Harper’s killers, a source from the probation officers’ union Napo told The Sun that ‘more people, largely women, will be killed or harmed’ thanks to the scheme.

It comes as the Daily Mail revealed last week that 9,300 domestic abusers as well as 363 offenders convicted of manslaughter are set to be released early from prison before the end of this Parliament.

Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf will announce plans on Monday to halt early release for those jailed for murder and serious violent crimes and will vow to deport foreign criminals.

He said: ‘Andy Burnham is about to release killers from jail early, including the men who killed PC Harper. The Tories released thousands of prisoners early, including murderers and rapists.

‘It was the Tories that created the prison capacity crisis, importing 6million net new people through immigration and building just 455 net new prison places to cope.

‘Reform will deport all 10,000 foreign nationals from our prisons, sending them to serve their sentences in countries like El Salvador. We will use the space created to ensure serious criminals stay where they belong: behind bars.’

Under Labour’s new plans, criminals who faced serving two-thirds of their sentence before being considered for release can now be let out after only half their term.

Reform UK’s justice spokesman Zia Yusuf will announce plans on Monday to stop early release for those convicted of murder and serious violent crimes

Less serious offenders will be released after serving just a third of their sentence instead of half.

The figures revealing nearly 90,000 extra offences will be committed were gathered using Ministry of Justice data detailing how many criminals committing specific crimes are now up for early release under the scheme.

The crimes include sexual, public order, motoring and drug-related offences, theft, robbery, fraud, violence, criminal damage and arson, possession of weapons, fraud and other crimes against society.

It was then calculated how much time each criminal will now spend in communities and not in jail, combined with their likelihood of re-offending.

This gives an estimate of the number of additional re-offences that will be committed during this Parliament thanks to the Government continuing the early release scheme.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘This is highly speculative and an inaccurate method of calculating the impact of sentencing reforms. Without them, we risk prisons reaching capacity and collapsing.

‘If that happened, police could not make arrests, courts could not remand offenders and there would be unchecked criminality on our streets.

‘The Sentencing Act is restoring order to a prison system left on the brink of collapse, while our record £700million investment in probation and community punishment ensures staff have the resources… needed to manage offenders safely in the community.’

Drivers on the dual carriageway were told to flee their vehicles ‘if you want to stay alive’. Traffic came to a halt juts before 5.30pm when the van went up in flames, with drivers ordered to get out of their cars by police.

A policewoman told drivers to get out of their cars and move to the central reservation ‘if you want to stay alive’. People have left their vehicles on the road with no time frame of when they can be collected.

A crash has closed a main road near York.

Police and an air ambulance have been called to the scene on the A19 south of York near Deighton on Sunday afternoon (August 9).

The AA said the road is closed in both directions from Naburn Lane to Howden Lane after the collision first reported at 3.15pm.

Traffic is queuing due to the crash, it said.

An eye witness said drivers are being turned around towards Crockey Hill.

By ALEX DOYLE, SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 22:56 BST, 9 August 2026 | Updated: 23:09 BST, 9 August 2026

They were friends for decades, sharing a love of music – and a lorra lorra laughs.

And no doubt Cilla Black would have enjoyed the touching tribute from Cliff Richard, 85, in his annual calendar.

The singer has released images from his 2027 edition, including a shot of him wearing a tie-dye jacket and shorts, and standing at the back of a boat named ‘Cilla’.

Sir Cliff and Ms Black, who died in 2015 at the age of 72, had enjoyed a close friendship for more than 50 years and they both had holiday homes in Barbados where they spent time together.

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His latest calendar cover shows the singer, whose many hits include The Young Ones and We Don’t Talk Anymore, depicted on a postage stamp, standing in front of a cruise ship. 

In one month Sir Cliff is shown lying on a cream sofa, and holding a hardback copy of his first autobiography, It’s Great To Be Young, which he released in 1960 at the ripe old age of 19.

Sir Cliff Richard has released images that are included in his 2027 calendar

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These images included a shot of him wearing a tie-dye jacket and shorts, and standing at the back of a boat named ‘Cilla’

Sir Cliff and Ms Black, who died in 2015 at the age of 72, had enjoyed a close friendship for more than 50 years and they both had holiday homes in Barbados where they spent time together

The pop veteran started releasing a calendar in 1979 and they are thought to have earned him more than £2million.

According to Calendar Club, which tracks sales, his 2022 release was the bestselling of any music star’s calendars, beating Harry Styles.

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In 2023, Sir Cliff stopped posing shirtless for the calendar, saying: ‘It’s time to gracefully exit the Chippendales market.’

‘Not going to make it, I’m sorry,’ I typed. ‘I know in my heart it won’t impact how amazing your day is, and I already wasn’t up for participating, so in a way it’s for the best.’

Before I sent this text telling my best friend, Cinthya*, that I wasn’t coming to her destination wedding the evening before my flight, I knew it was a foul move.

I was part of her bridal party, after all.

It actually occurred to me this was the ultimate friendship betrayal. But as I thought about the selfish way Cinthya had behaved that year, I decided I didn’t have much of a friend left to lose.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the 17 years of friendship that accounted for more than half our lives, ever since we’d sat next to each other in sixth-grade science, age 13.

And then I clicked send, exhaling hundreds of memories away.

It’s hard to pinpoint when Cinthya’s bridal era became my villain origin story.

When she announced that her boyfriend had proposed in February 2023, I flew from my home in Minneapolis to hers in Miami for her engagement party. Although I was going through a hard time personally, I knew the moment called for me to suck it up and celebrate my best friend, and I did. It was a no brainer – I loved her partner and couldn’t be happier for them to take this next step.

But by the time I’d landed in Puerto Rico a few months later for her bachelorette trip, my personal life had snowballed into a blizzard.

My grandmother, who helped raise me, had stage four cancer. I had just left my partner of four years; and I had moved to a new city, away from my friends, where I was working a stressful job that made me feel like the walls were caving in every week.

I wish I’d had the wisdom to tell Cinthya I wasn’t in the position to be the fabulous bridal gay she wanted me to be, and that I couldn’t fathom being on her bachelorette trip, because I was also trying to get sober.

But I didn’t.

I felt so alone, without a moment to breathe. Not to mention, I was becoming fed up listening to all the petty drama that accompanied Cinthya planning her big day – most annoying was listening to cattiness about some of the bridesmaids she’d chosen – and resentment began to build as I realised she hadn’t asked me about my life since she’d got engaged.

In the end, that particular weekend went fine. But there were still moments that irked me – like when she asked me to fetch coffee for the group, or offer everyone water. She and I stayed a couple of extra days, just the two of us, and she refused to get lunch with my friend on the island; even though I had spent the previous three days with a dozen of hers.

Fast forward to her bridal shower when, after four months, I flew to Miami once again. At this point, I was thinking twice about what I meant to Cinthya, but our friendship didn’t hit rock bottom until I saw her seating arrangements.

I had already realised how little significance I carried when she decided to not let me wear my chosen tux matching the bridesmaids, instead asking me to match the groomsmen and stand on their side. It felt like a dagger to our friendship and that’s not what I had agreed to when accepting to be part of her bridal party.

I poured myself several glasses of wine and thought about what a bitch Cinthya had become

Then, at the bridal shower, I immediately noticed there was no room for me on Cinthya’s table at the meal. A random person I’d never heard of was in what I had assumed would be my seat – Cinthya explained that she didn’t want this person to sit alone, since they didn’t know anyone.

I was already angry at things in my own life that I couldn’t control – and it was easier to be furious at Cinthya over superficial things like this than it was to open a Pandora’s box of emotions about what was going on at home by thinking about how everything about my life had changed.

So I poured myself several glasses of wine and thought about what a bitch Cinthya had become.

As Cinthya’s wedding approached, in November 2024, I couldn’t believe it when I found out I was the only person in the bridal party not given a plus one.

‘Only people with partners,’ Cinthya explained to me – which hurt, considering I had best friends, like her, who meant so much more to me than a partner.

It was obvious she didn’t feel the same.

It hit me that I’d be spending the entire weekend alone – and suddenly, I realised I didn’t have to.

That’s when I sent her that message.

My emotional bandwidth had run dry. I was determined to abstain from drinking, and she had taken away the possibility of having someone who loved me there to keep me company the whole weekend.

After I’d messaged her, I knew Cinthya was upset, but she didn’t show it. I just felt her energy in the absence of a reply.

I felt relieved skipping the wedding. I visited my grandmother instead, and it was a very special weekend.

Both Cinthya and I gave each other space, despite never getting in an actual fight about the situation – and a few months later, I reached out only to tell her I decided we weren’t best friends anymore. At the time, I said this was because I wanted to live authentically; but looking back, I realise I just wanted her attention.

She assured me we were still best friends, thinking I thought she was mad at me. I explained, again, that I didn’t want to be friends with her at all.

By ALEX BURGHART, SHADOW CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Published: 22:48 BST, 9 August 2026 | Updated: 23:03 BST, 9 August 2026