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Girl ‘so ill’ and hospitalised for days after swallowing sea water

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Wales Online

The eight-year-old’s temperature kept rising and she displayed other symptoms her mum recognised from a worrying documentary

An eight-year-old girl had to be rushed to hospital after a family trip to the beach saw her infected with a dangerous bacteria when she swallowed sea water. Keeva Hollow was swimming with her twin sister at Dorset’s Avon Beach when she was hit by a wave and swallowed water.

The next day she was lethargic, with a high temperature and no appetite, and her mum realised something was wrong. Aisling Mccarthy said: “It has been a terrible time; Keeva was so ill. She used to swim all the time, a real water baby. But now I can’t see her ever going in the sea again; she is so scared of becoming sick again. To be honest, I don’t want her going back into it anyway until I know it is totally safe.”

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Aisling had taken Keeva and her twin sister Cornelia to Avon Beach on August 3. “I was watching the girls swim when I saw a wave hit Keeva and she started spluttering,” she said. “She came out and said she had swallowed a lot of water. Cornelia had not at all, and I didn’t worry too much at the time.

“But the next morning Keeva would not eat her breakfast. We were going to London, and she slept the whole journey. Her temperature was going up, and she just was not herself. We were supposed to be going to Ireland to see my mother who was ill. But the next morning Keeva would not get out of bed, and her temperature was really high. She had declined really fast. I found an out-of-hours doctor and took her to him. He asked for a urine sample; by then Keeva had really bad diarrhoea and I noticed there was blood in it.”

“I had seen a documentary about sewage pollution in water, and I realised that Keeva’s symptoms were similar to those of a girl who died from polluted seawater. I told the doctor I was taking her to A&E and rushed there. Keeva was put on a drip while tests were carried out. She was so ill by then, she had deteriorated so quickly it was frightening.”

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Keeva spent two days in hospital where she was diagnosed with a campylobacter infection. Aisling said: “The hospital said it can be food poisoning as well but Keeva does not eat meat which is one of the main sources of that bacteria.

“Her illness happened straight after the sea-swallowing incident at Avon Beach, and Cornelia has not been ill at all. I have a very clear memory of that moment when the wave hit Keeva, seeing her spluttering from swallowing the water. I am convinced that was what caused her to become so ill.”

Aisling says Keeva is still not back to full health. “She was always a very sporty girl but she now gets out of breath quickly. She used to keep up with me on a 5km run, but now she struggles to do 1km. She has lost a ton of weight, and her clothes are hanging off her. But the saddest thing is her fear of going into the sea.”

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Aisling contacted Wessex Water, which manages wastewater and environmental protection for the River Stour, notifying them about Keeva and asking for any information on recent sewage leakages. But she has not received a reply yet. BCP Council sent a letter to Aisling, having been notified by the hospital of Keeva’s infection.

“But the letter was all about food poisoning and was asking where Keeva had eaten,” she said. “I replied saying I believed it was seawater, not food, but they claimed they had had no other reports of people becoming ill from swimming in the sea. I was shocked by their attitude because surely, as a huge tourism area due to its beautiful beaches, BCP should be concerned about what has happened to Keeva. But they don’t appear to be.”

“I want Wessex Water and BCP Council to be completely upfront with people and tell us if the water is safe. I am very angry, it was awful to see my child suffering and I don’t want anyone else to become ill. I have lost my trust in the people responsible for our sea and waterways.”

Recent tests of the River Stour, which flows into the sea at Christchurch, showed “extremely unsafe” levels of E. coli. Martin Stewart, managing director of Stewarts Garden Centres and chair of the Christchurch Harbour & Marine Society, said testing on August 19 showed E.coli levels of 300,000 – the safe bathing level is 1,000. He also found several other “concerning” levels of bacteria in his samples.

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Aisling says her family’s idyllic life of living by the ocean has now been shattered. “My husband is from this area and has always loved the sea,” she explained. “We moved here from London to be by the ocean a week after the twins were born. We bought a house within walking distance to the beach, and the sea has been our life – but now I’m too scared to let the girls in it.”

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Min Aung Hlaing visiting Vietnam as he steps up ASEAN diplomacy

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Min Aung Hlaing visiting Vietnam as he steps up ASEAN diplomacy

BANGKOK (AP) — The leader of Myanmar’s military-backed government is visiting Vietnam for talks with its leaders in his latest effort to normalize relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and attract foreign investment.

Min Aung Hlaing has stepped up diplomatic engagements since he was sworn in as president in April following an election that critics say was designed to cement the military’s hold on power.

Since taking office, he has traveled to India, China, Laos, Thailand and most recently Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia, where he met with leaders and sought to draw foreign investment through business forums.

Vietnam has maintained longstanding military ties with Myanmar, including defense cooperation and the involvement of Viettel, Vietnam’s military-run telecommunications group, in Mytel, one of Myanmar’s major telecom operators, which has military-linked ownership.

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Economic ties, however, have weakened, with bilateral trade falling from $853 million in 2020 to $590 million in 2025 and $335 million in the first half of 2026, figures Min Aung Hlaing shared with Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung when they met in Myanmar in late August, according to Vietnam’s foreign ministry.

State-run MRTV television said Min Aung Hlaing departed on a flight from the capital, Naypyitaw, Friday morning.

In Hanoi, Min Aung Hlaing is expected to meet Vietnamese President To Lam and other senior officials and attend a business forum with members of his Cabinet.

The diplomatic outreach is the latest in a series of moves to reengage with countries in the region and the international community after relations became frayed or frosty following Min Aung Hlaing’s ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in February 2021 while serving as army chief.

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Friday’s visit marks Min Aung Hlaing’s third visit to an ASEAN member state as he seeks to restore his standing within the 11-member bloc, of which Myanmar and Vietnam are members.

He faced years of diplomatic isolation following his 2021 takeover and was barred from top-level ASEAN meetings for failing to comply with a peace plan agreed upon in April 2021.

Western governments have shunned and sanctioned Min Aung Hlaing and his associates for overthrowing Suu Kyi’s government. Subsequent serious rights violations followed a deadly military crackdown on protests, which subsequently triggered a nationwide armed resistance movement and a bloody civil war.

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Motorist injured after car crashes into bus stop on Chorley New Road,

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Motorist injured after car crashes into bus stop on Chorley New Road,

The crash happened at 10.37 am on Thursday on Chorley New Road and involved an MG HS Trophy after it veered off the road.

The car, which police say was travelling at relatively low speed, appeared to steer off the road before hitting the bus stop.

The driver, who was the only person in the car, sustained serious injuries.

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The road was cordoned off and motorists were diverted as emergency services were on the scene.

Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit is appealing for information.

A GMP spokesperson said: “As part of the investigation, our Serious Collision Investigation Unit are asking anyone with information to please come forward.

“This includes anyone who witnessed the incident, or has CCTV, dashcam, doorbell or mobile phone footage from the area.”

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Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 4741 or via the Live Chat service at https://orlo.uk/2D5Ba, quoting log 982 of 03/09/26.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Coca-Cola factory struck by Russian Shahed drones in ‘clear signal to America’ | News World

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Coca-Cola factory struck by Russian Shahed drones in 'clear signal to America' | News World

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Russia struck a Coca-Cola factory outside Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

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In his nightly address, the Ukrainian president said Shahed drones had targeted a plant operated by the soft drinks giant in Brovary, a city less than 30 kilometres east of the capital.

Mr Zelensky said the latest attack on a facility belonging to a major US firm was a ‘signal to America’.

He said: ‘Today, the Russians have hit a Coca-Cola plant with their drone. Coca-Cola is such an enemy that they set it on fire with their Shaheds.

‘It’s a clear Russian signal to America. The Russians cannot be unaware that this is an American facility.’

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Andy Hunder, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, confirmed that no staff at the plant were injured in the strike.

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‘The company is working with the relevant authorities to assess the situation’, he said.

Smoke rises from a Coca-Cola plant in Brovary, a city just outside Kyiv, following a Russian drone attack (Picture: Reuters)

‘Ensuring the safety and well-being of people remains top priority.’

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The Ukrainian president also confirmed that a US negotiating team is expected to visit both Kyiv and Moscow in the coming days in a bid to bring an end to the four-and-half-year-old war.

‘There are preliminary dates. We expect to see representatives of the U.S. president here in Kyiv’, Mr Zelensky said in his address last night.

Donald Trump told GB News in an interview broadcast yesterday he wanted ‘to see that end’ to the war, adding ‘I think we’ll get it’.

The US president also reiterated a claim that European nations should reimburse his country for military aid provided to Ukraine.

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He wrote on X: ‘Hundreds of Billions of Dollars was given to Ukraine and NATO, free of charge, that Europe would have paid for — If they were only asked, but we will be asking for that money, though somewhat belatedly’.

Firefighters work at a site of an apartment building hit during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 3, 2026. REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov
Firefighters respond to a drone strike on a building following a huge Russian barrage on Kyiv (Picture: Reuters)

The US army is thought to have used up much of its stockpile of long-range missiles on the war in Iran, raising questions about its readiness to fight conflicts on other fronts.

Russian forces also claimed to have hit two cargo vessels in the Black Sea which were transporting weapons, ammunition and military equipment to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s navy said it had struck a ship in the Black Sea port city of Sochi, which hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.

It said the vessel, named Nefrit, was supporting oil and gas operations, servicing offshore facilities, transporting cargo and personnel, and carrying out underwater engineering work.

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Key Nigel Farage aides step down amid probe into ‘illegal’ donation sting – as Reform leader tries to revive party’s fortunes with Channel boats vow

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Senior Reform figures including leader Nigel Farage are said to have discussed a £500,000 donation from a US businessman through his son, who lives in the UK

Two key Nigel Farage aides have stepped down pending a probe into an ‘illegal’ donation sting.

James Orr and Dan Jukes are standing aside from their jobs as head of policy and assistant to the leader while allegations are looked into.

The furore is threatening to overshadow Reform’s annual conference taking place in Birmingham, where Mr Farage is hoping to revive the party’s fortunes amid flagging polls. 

A report broadcast by Channel 4 News claimed Reform took funding from a US firm for three polls it commissioned earlier this year costing £32,500.

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Senior Reform figures including leader Nigel Farage are said to have discussed a £500,000 donation from a US businessman through his son, who lives in the UK 

The purported donors were in fact undercover reporters from investigative group Verbatim posing as an American financier and his UK-based son.

Senior officials including Mr Farage are also said to have discussed a £500,000 donation from the fake businessman through his son. 

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A Reform spokesman said: ‘Reform UK has launched an investigation following the broadcast of a Channel 4 News programme.

‘Both individuals involved have stepped down from their respective positions pending the outcome of the investigation.

‘The party believes it is important that the investigation is allowed to proceed independently and without prejudice. No further comment will be made while the investigation is ongoing.’

Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson told Sky News there was ‘no chance’ of them returning to the party. 

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However, deputy leader Richard Tice refused to rule out a comeback, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘Let’s wait and see what the investigation says.’

Farage and his senior aide Dan Jukes were filmed meeting a US businessman and his son, who lives in the UK, and discussing donations. The men were both undercover members of Verbatim, a group of investigative journalists

Farage and his senior aide Dan Jukes were filmed meeting a US businessman and his son, who lives in the UK, and discussing donations. The men were both undercover members of Verbatim, a group of investigative journalists

Foreign political donations are banned in the UK. The donation was never made.

The Lib Dems have written to the Metropolitan Police and Electoral Commission about the issue. 

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Labour has also reported the allegations to the police, and the Greens have called for a probe.

In a letter to the Met Police, Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesman Lisa Smart wrote: ‘The breach raises alarming questions about whether there has been a wider complacency toward foreign interference by the individuals involved.’

Mr Anderson told Sky News of Mr Jukes and Mr Orr: ‘They’ve stepped down. They was told, you know, they had to step down, they have stepped down, and that’s got to be the right thing to do on the day, the first day of our conference.

‘Let’s remember, we’ve got 5,000 members coming through the door today to listen to what we’ve got to say about our first 100 days in government and how we’re going to change the course of this country.

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‘So it’s right to get rid of this distraction straight away. The pair concerned have gone, and the investigation starts today. It’s as simple as that.’

He added: ‘There’s no chance of them coming back. They’ve stepped aside.

‘You know, we’re a serious party, you know, and sometimes in politics, you have to make tough decisions, harsh decisions.’

Mr Farage is expected to give the first of his two conference speeches on Friday afternoon, in which he will promise to declare a ‘national emergency’ on his first day in government, introducing a flood of legislation and doing ‘anything and everything’ to deliver his party’s policies.

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He will say: ‘Within days of winning the general election, we will introduce dozens of Bills and force Parliament to sit all through summer for seven days a week to pass them.

‘Britain is in serious trouble. We don’t have time to wait around to fix it.’

The two-day conference in Birmingham is expected to hear from other senior Reform figures setting out their own pledges for their first 100 days in office, as well as an address from Jordan Bardella, leader of the French National Rally.

Mr Farage is expected to announce that any frontbenchers who fail to deliver on their pledges ‘will be sacked’.

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He is also due to make his own promise to focus on reducing the cost of living and lead on efforts to end small boat crossings in the Channel.

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I put hash browns to the test – one reminded me of childhood

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I put hash browns to the test - one reminded me of childhood

Originating across the Atlanic, this popular breakfast side dish is made from finely shredded, grated or diced potatoes, fried in a pan or on a griddle until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside.

The term ‘hashed brown potatoes’ first appeared in American cookbooks in the 1880s to describe chopped and fried boiled potatoes, later evolving into the grated patty popular in diners. They were introduced here much later via fast-food chains

Now they are popular in the UK, I thought I’d give them a go.

Cooking could either be oven bake – which I did – or air fryer. Some can be deep-fried.

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*Iceland Hash Browns, 800g, £2.00

This was an appetising golden colour, which was a good start. A bit greasy on the outside, inside it was fairly solid in consistency – I could see a few small chunks of potato and onion. Strangely, it had a slightly cheesy taste – cheese is not among the ingredients. I tried another to make sure and again it tasted cheesy. I didn’t like them at all and they left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.

Pros: appearance.

Cons: taste, price.

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Mark: 1/5

*M&S Food Hash Browns, 750g, £3.50

Neatly shaped, this one was a darker brown in colour and thicker than the others. With a lovely crisp exterior, it was finely mashed and had a soft consistency. I liked the mild potato/onion flavour. I enjoyed it. The bag was, however, a lot more expensive than the others.

Pros: consistency, taste.

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Cons: price.

Mark: 4/5

*Morrisons Hash Browns, 750g, £1.75

An appetising brown colour, this one were a little thinner than the others and didn’t crisp up too well on top. Inside it were finely mashed, with a nice soft consistency. The taste, though, wasn’t great – it was very potatoey and reminded me of oven chips. They are a reasonable price, but that’s where it ends.

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Pros: consistency, price.

Cons: taste.

Mark: 2/5

Hash brownsHash browns are a breakfast staple in the USA

Morrisons Hash Browns

Hash Browns from M&S Food (Image: Newsquest)

Hash Browns from Iceland

Tesco Hash Browns

*Tesco Hash Browns, 750g, £1.75

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A good colour and neat shape, with visible pieces of potato and onion in the mix. The outer coating crisped up nicely, and the inside was suitably soft and well-mashed. I loved the taste – they were nicely seasoned and reminded me of the potato and onion rissoles my mum used to make. They are a budget-friendly price too – I’d definitely buy these again.

Pros: appearance, consistency, taste, price.

Cons: none.

Mark: 5/5

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*Four Seasons Hash Browns, Aldi, 750g, £1.75

This one had a neat triangular shape and cooked to a crisp golden brown on top. It contained a few chunks of potato within the mix, giving me something to get my teeth into, and I could pick out the taste of onion. I liked it, and the affordable price.

Pros: appearance, taste, price.

Cons: none.

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Mark: 4/5

*Harvest Basket Hash Browns, Lidl, 750g, £1.75

A decent size and triangular shape, this was an unappetising yellow in colour and didn’t brown on cooking. Sadly, there was barely any flavour other than potato, and salt – it was far too salty for me. Three of these make up 20 per cent of your recommended daily salt intake, which was far higher than any of the others.

Pros: none.

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Cons: taste.

Marks: 1/5

Four Seasons by Aldi

Harvest Basket from Lidl

Asda Hash Browns

Sainsbury’s Hash Browns (Image: Newsquest)

*Crispy Hash Browns by Asda, 800g, £2.25

A bit like Harvest Basket, this were a pale yellow colour. It crisped up on the outside, but didn’t go brown. Things didn’t improve as I bit into it – it was soft verging on soggy in the middle, like mashed potato. I did not pick up any onion taste at all. A bit more expensive, but it’s a bigger bag.

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Pros: none.

Cons: appearance, consistency, taste.

Mark: 1/5

*Sainsbury’s Hash Browns, 1.2kg £3.10

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A neat shape, this one baked to a light brown colour. It crisped up nicely on the outside, while the inside was soft, with shredded potato and onion combining for a lovely flavour. I enjoyed it. This was more expensive, but it was a bigger bag.

Pros: appearance, consistency, taste.

Cons: none.

Mark: 4/5

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A decapitated body, cracked skulls and charred limbs strewn everywhere: WHO were the 37 young men dumped in a pit beneath a prestigious Oxford college? New podcast from The Crime Desk lays bare the sinister secrets of the St Brice’s Day massacre

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In January 2008, a routine dig at St John's College, Oxford, carried out so new student accommodation could be built, uncovered a horrifying scene

A new podcast from The Crime Desk forensically unpacks historic crimes, working to solve the unanswered questions that still linger over them centuries later.

Hosted by historian Rebecca Rideal and Time Team archaeologist Professor Raksha Dave, Buried Evidence will take you inside the lives of victims of the most barbaric crimes whose names have been mostly forgotten by time.

In the first episode, available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts, Rideal and Dave dissect the St Brice’s Day massacre and its connections to a sinister archaeological discovery.

In January 2008, a routine dig at St John’s College, Oxford, carried out so new student accommodation could be built, uncovered a horrifying scene.

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The bodies of 37 men and boys, aged between 12 and 45, dumped in a ditch over a thousand years ago. As Professor Dave explained, it quickly became obvious to archaeologists at the scene that this was no ordinary burial site.

‘Normally, when we look at burials, they are kind of uniform,’ she said.

In January 2008, a routine dig at St John’s College, Oxford, carried out so new student accommodation could be built, uncovered a horrifying scene

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The bodies of 37 men and boys, dumped in a ditch over a thousand years ago. As Professor Dave explained (L), it quickly became obvious that this was no ordinary burial site

The bodies of 37 men and boys, dumped in a ditch over a thousand years ago. As Professor Dave explained (L), it quickly became obvious that this was no ordinary burial site

‘People are laid to rest really nicely. They’re either put in certain positions or prone, straight on their backs. But this was a higgledy piggledy mess.

‘We had a decapitation, skulls and arms everywhere. I mean, you name it, it was a mess… it’s what we would call a deviant burial. Things were not quite right, and it looked as though these men were literally just tipped in there like rubbish.’

Archaeologists were struck by another detail. Many of the men’s wounds were to the back, suggesting they were running from something when they were killed.

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Some of the bones had also been burned. It was the fire, more than anything else, that would eventually point investigators towards a single night in Oxford’s history.

Documented in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, on 13 November 1002, King Ethelred the Unready ordered the deaths of all Danish people in his realm, having been warned they were plotting to kill him and seize his throne.

Townspeople turned on the Danes living among them, hunting them through the streets and killing them where they stood. The event became known as the St Brice’s Day massacre, because the king’s order fell on the saint’s feast day.

In Oxford, a group of Danes broke into St Frideswide’s church and barricaded themselves inside, believing sanctuary would save them. It did not. Unable to force them out, the mob set fire to the roof and burned the building down with them inside.

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Many of the men's wounds were to the back, suggesting they were running from something when they were killed

Many of the men’s wounds were to the back, suggesting they were running from something when they were killed

Although matching the bodies to the massacre seems plausible, some details don't quite fit the historical record

Although matching the bodies to the massacre seems plausible, some details don’t quite fit the historical record

Although matching the bodies to the massacre seems plausible, some details don’t quite fit the historical record, as Dave explained.

‘Oxford was very much a wild west town in the early medieval period,’ she said.

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‘There were groups of mercenaries living there… if we actually look at who’s buried there, there are no women or children, not a single one.

‘It could have just been an act of mob violence. All the injuries are to the back, so they’re obviously being chased.’

The bones themselves also hint that these men were soldiers, not Danish townsfolk rounded up on the orders of a fearful king.

Dave added: ‘When they actually did more analysis on the bones in a lab later, they discovered older wounds.

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‘If you break something, you actually see where the bone mended itself. It’s almost like an extra bone growth on top of it… they found a lot of these trauma wounds where the bone had been reworked.

‘So from that evidence, it’s highly likely that these were trained, professional soldiers… the bones were also very robust, compared to the Anglo Saxon population. So, they appear to have been big beefcake fighters with huge muscles.’

Whatever happened at Oxford, the pattern did not end there. In Dorset, a second mass grave was discovered a year later. Radiocarbon dating placed it in the same period as the St John’s College massacre, and these men, too, were likely Scandinavian soldiers or mercenaries.

Two mass graves, hundreds of miles apart, both filled with slaughtered Nordic men from the same narrow window of history.

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Listen to Buried Evidence in full to hear Rideal and Dave’s verdict on what really happened. Subscribe to The Crime Desk to access new episodes one week early.

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Cambridge market refurb plans could include security gates up to 9 feet tall branded as ‘tragic’

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Cambridgeshire Live

Cambridge City Council approved the Market Square plans but details of the gates must still be provided before they are installed

Plans to reimagine Cambridge’s Market Square could include nine-foot tall security gates branded “fundamentally tragic” by traders. Cambridge City Council approved the refurbishment at a planning meeting on Wednesday (September 2), but further details of the gates must be submitted before they are approved.

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A design and access statement by Cartwright Pickard said the gates were part of plans to tackle antisocial behaviour alongside better lighting, CCTV, and an extension of market opening hours. Plans submitted in November 2025 show the proposed four gates, which would be locked every evening, with a height of 2.751m or around nine feet.

Council planning officers told the meeting they weren’t convinced the gates would be in the right place, as they block the north-south main route. They proposed the condition that no gates will be installed until further details are submitted and approved.

Zoe Harding, a market trader, called the gating of civic spaces “fundamentally tragic” and expressed concerns the current design could “destroy” the market. She sent councillors an alternative plan which would create and maintain “desire lines” and remove “the need for the gates”.

Councillor Tim Bick said he supported the wider scheme as a compromise, but would prefer all the stalls be removable to create open space in the market at night.

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The Lib Dem councillor said: “Partly because of the effect of empty stalls in the evenings when the market is closed, the square is then prone to much antisocial behaviour by the provision of multiple concealed areas.

“I have instead assurances on antisocial behaviour that additional deterrence will come from better lighting, more natural surveillance through the design through better CCTV, from the gating of new fixed stalls and regular security visits.

“We can’t simply address those uncertainties and concerns by never adapting the market square or refurbishing it while the infrastructure falls further behind modern standards and the growth in the footfall that we see. Especially when we have the chance of significant investment that many city centres would look on with envy.”

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The plans include a number of removable stalls at the Guildhall side to allow for events to be held but there will be a number of fixed stalls, including where the gates are proposed.

Cllr Dave Baigent raised concerns the plans could harm the heritage of the city’s market. The Your Party councillor said: “It will no longer be a street market, there will be sheds all over – that is a real matter of heritage. People will look back I’m sure in 20 years time and go, ‘where’s the market gone?’ because this is the beginning of an erosion of our city’s heritage.”

Cllr Robert Dryden said: “Our policy is it should be public open space and not obstructed by anything – if it’s got locked gates it’s not open public space any more.” The Labour councillor said he would not be voting to approve the plans because of the reasons for refusal given by officers.

The council approved the refurbishment plans but under the condition that no security gates are to be installed until details about their location, design, and colour have been submitted and approved.

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Daughter’s 28-stone ostrich kills her father and she refuses to get rid of it

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Daily Record

The 81-year-old pensioner was killed in a deadly attack by an ostrich on his daughter’s exotic-animal farm — after making one crucial mistake he had been warned against.

In a truly devastating and bizarre animal death, an 81-year-old man was killed by a 28stone (400lbs) ostrich on his daughter’s exotic animal farm.

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Fred W Parker from Winlock, Washington, USA, was killed by the aggressive bird and found dead inside the ostrich’s cage on the farm in Park Road. His daughter, Linda Carter, said she could not comprehend why her father went into the bird’s pen in the first place, as they usually fed the ostrich by throwing food over the fence.

The Chronicle reported Linda as saying: “We knew that he (the ostrich) was aggressive, but we never dreamed that he would take anyone’s life.”

The incident occurred on June 27, 1999, and Linda had shared at the time that she had ‘no intention’ of culling the ostrich because of her father’s death.

Fred’s daughter said: “I have no intention right now of destroying my ostrich because of my father’s death. The ostrich was protecting his domain. It’s just like any wild animal. You don’t go in a bear’s pen, you don’t go in an ostrich’s pen.”

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The pensioner’s family shared that he had heart trouble, and in a cruel irony, Fred was afraid of ostriches.

The octogenarian was found dead by his daughter on a Sunday night inside a male ostrich called King Tut’s pen on Linda’s exotic-animal farm. Linda had reportedly been at a loss to explain why her father had decided to make the fatal decision.

Fred lived on his daughter’s farm in a recreational vehicle, and had been alone when he was feeding the deadly flightless bird. He had been left in charge of feeding the ostriches, emus, potbellied pigs and llamas that weekend, however, according to his daughter Linda, the task didn’t involve entering King Tut’s pen.

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According to The Seattle Times, Linda explained: “He knew to throw the food over the fence.” Chief Criminal Deputy Joe Doench shared that the case has been referred to the Lewis County prosecutor.

Coroner Terry Wilson shed some light on the circumstances surrounding Fred’s death, sharing that the pensioner’s neck had been broken, and as per him, the 81-year-old’s bad heart probably contributed to his demise.

Coroner Terry suspected it wasn’t a peck that killed Fred, sharing: “It wasn’t a peck. This was footwork.” While Fred’s daughter Linda decisively said that she had no plans to kill the bird, Chief Criminal Deputy Joe explained that it was ostrich mating season, a period known for male ostriches becoming aggressive.

This wasn’t the first time King Tut had shown signs of aggression, as the previous year in 1998, the deadly bird had kicked Linda 10.5 feet.

Fred’s daughter shared she had been raising ostriches for over two years when the fatal incident occurred, and the world’s largest and heaviest bird had been extremely profitable for her, with ostrich meat selling for $9 a pound.

In July that same year, Lewis County Prosecutor Jeremy Randolph ruled that King Tut the ostrich would not face the death penalty and no action would be taken against the bird, or Fred’s daughter Linda.

This owed to the fact that Linda had already instructed her father that he could throw the ostrich’s food over the fence, which clearly meant that Fred hadn’t needed to enter the pen to feed King Tut and the two female ostriches.

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According to The Spokesman-Review, Lewis County Prosecutor Jeremy said: “As far as we could see, what more could a person do?”

The prosecutor also said that the male bird had been aggressive due to it being ostrich mating season, and shared that King Tut was considered livestock and was thus protected as the bird was in its pen. The prosecutor added: “It was just doing what ostriches do at this time of year when there’s a man in their pen.”

Fred’s daughter Linda on the other hand, said she would be building a new and more secure pen for her ostriches, with railroad ties secured by a padlock. Linda aimed to have King Tut in the new pen by September that same year.

After it was decided that no action would be taken against the deadly bird, Linda said: “I’m very, very pleased. I’m glad I defended my bird. Losing my father is a very big loss, and I didn’t want to lose my bird, too.”

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Car smashes into wall on Peterborough road

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Cambridgeshire Live

The driver was uninjured after the crash

A car crashed into a wall along a Cambridgeshire city road. Cambridgeshire Police were called to a crash along Star Road in Peterborough in the early hours of Monday (August 31).

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A driver crashed a car into a wall. A police spokesperson said: “We were called at about 1.10am on Monday with reports a car had crashed into a wall in Star Road, Peterborough.

“The driver of the car, a silver Mercedes, was uninjured and no arrests were made.”

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The Apple student checklist with MacBooks, iPads and AirPods for uni

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The Apple student checklist with MacBooks, iPads and AirPods for uni
Ssve yourself hundreds with refurbished Apple products from Very this term. (Picture: Metro/Very)

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If you’re heading to university for the first time, or back for another term, make sure you’ve ticked off your checklist ahead of your first seminar. 

Fortunately, Very has got you covered when it comes to tech, especially if you’re an Apple fan, with plenty of MacBooks, iPads, iPhones and AirPods to shop, to fit every course and budget. 

Some courses will require a laptop, while for others having a slimline iPad can be a great way to tackle creative projects and take notes without taking up much room, and a decent pair of headphones can also help when you’re trying to get through those late-night library sessions. 

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You’re going to loose these at least once this term, so why not buy them refurbished! (Picture: Metro/Very)

If it’s your first time owning a MacBook and you’re not quite sure where to start, this Buying Guide has all the info you need on processing speeds, storage capabilities and battery life.

For example, if you’re looking to spend less than £700, the MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 2026) 13-inch might be your best bet. It has a sleek design, comes in four colours, and is just 1.27cm thin.

It’s considerably cheaper than a standard MacBook Air, which can cost well over £1,000, so it’s more accessible, but can easily handle everyday student tasks like web browsing, writing essays, and streaming lectures.

SHowever, if you need an iPad or don’t have the budget to splurge on a MacBook, the iPad (A16, 2025), 11-inch is a great alternative. 

Apple iPad
Should we admit to how many times we’ve had the screen replaced on our iPad? (Picture: Metro/Very)

You can find it in two options: one with 128GB and the other with 256GB of storage, so there’s plenty of space for taking lecture notes, working on group projects, or putting presentations together. 

It has 10 hours of battery life, which will see you through lectures and library revision sessions, and better still, it can handle multitasking thanks to its Split View Feature. 

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If your phone is in dire need of an upgrade, Very’s selection of iPhones is pretty impressive, and you can currently save up to £100 on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. It’s a welcome saving for what can be a very expensive time of year. 

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Bag yourself a refurbished iPhone Pro Max for less than you think. (Picture: Metro/Very)

Last but not least, if you’re living with noisy flatmates or simply need a bit of peace and quiet to get work done, consider adding Apple’s AirPods 4 to your back-to-uni basket. 

Perfect for drowning out the noise, calling home to catch up with mum and dad, or listening to a podcast on your commute to lectures, they pair easily with other Apple products, and you don’t need to worry about tangled cables. 

All in all, Very’s one-stop shop for all things Apple has everything you need to ensure you’re ready to lock in to a new term at uni, and take the hassle out of it. 

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