Teesside Park will host the event outside Primark and Sports Direct from 11am to 2pm on Sunday, July 5.

Teesside Park is hosting a free family summer fun day this Sunday, with children’s activities, live entertainment and 1,000 free bus fares up for grabs (Image: William Lailey / SWNS)

Activities will include face painting, magic tricks, music from a K-POP tribute act, sand art, balloon modelling, and 3D bus colouring.

Catherine Furlong, centre director at Teesside Park, said: “Bus services are central to how many of our visitors travel to us, with five routes running year-round from Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, and Stockton.

“Our close partnership with Arriva and Stagecoach is essential in ensuring Teesside Park is easy to reach for as many people as possible.

Teesside Park is hosting a free family summer fun day this Sunday, with children’s activities, live entertainment and 1,000 free bus fares up for grabs (Image: William Lailey / SWNS)

“Giving away 1,000 free fares is a great way to encourage more people to choose the bus this summer – and with face painting, games, entertainment, and activities for children on the day, there will be plenty for families to enjoy during their visit too.”

As part of the celebration, 1,000 free bus fares will be given away, including 500 Stagecoach DayRider voucher codes and 500 Arriva Day Passes.

Stagecoach will display one of its new electric vehicles for families to explore, while Arriva will run a children’s treasure hunt on one of its buses.

Representatives from both bus companies will be on-site to discuss travel options, routes, and offer information about free children’s travel this summer.

Adults can take up to three children aged 11 or under for free on both Arriva and Stagecoach services when accompanied by a fare-paying adult.

Steve Walker, managing director at Stagecoach North East, said: “The summer holidays are a busy time for families, and taking the bus can make getting to Teesside Park simple and affordable.

“With 500 free Stagecoach DayRider voucher codes available, visitors can try the journey for themselves, while children will also be able to climb aboard one of our electric buses and see what modern bus travel looks like.”

Richard McGowan, head of commercial at Arriva North East and Yorkshire, said: “Teesside Park is a popular place for shopping, food and family days out, and good bus services give people another easy way to get there.”

He said: “Our day passes are valid for use within a year, so visitors can pick one up at the event and use it when it suits them.

“We’ll also have a bus on site for the children’s treasure hunt, adding another free activity for families on the day.”

Buses from Hartlepool, Norton, Billingham, Middlesbrough, and Stockton all serve Teesside Park, with services running from 7am until 10.30pm.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after a woman was found injured at the junction of Price’s Lane and Bishopgate Street, just outside York city centre.

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“Shortly after midday today, we received a report from the ambulance service that a woman in her 30s had been found with a head injury at the junction of Price’s Lane and Bishopgate Street, next to the city walls.

“She has been taken to hospital for treatment. Enquiries are ongoing,” said a spokesperson for the force.

The road is currently open, but the pavement is closed to pedestrians and road traffic officers are directing at the scene.

They added that they are appealing for anyone with information – particularly any members of the public who assisted at the scene – to contact them on 101.

Please quote reference NYP-03072026-0216.

Strictly professional dancer Neil Jones and Chyna Mills are officially married.

The couple tied the knot in a low-key ceremony at London’s Marylebone Town Hall on Wednesday sharing pictures of their happy day on Instagram on Friday.

In the images, just Chyna and Neil could be seen, following claims the dancer had banned his family from attending after Chyna accused his mother of racism.  

Chyna, 27, looked incredible wearing a Bardot white satin gown, while Neil, 44, looked dapper in a fitted suit. 

The newlyweds, who are planning on a lavish wedding celebration in Italy later this month, were immediately inundated with congratulatory messages from stars.  

Yet, while the couple looked in great spirits on their big day, the wedding has been shrouded by controversy. 

Last year, Love Island star Chyna accused Neil’s mother of ‘bullying, racism, and disrespect’. 

She alleged at the time that the Strictly professional dancer’s family ‘ruined’ their daughter Havana’s baptism by choosing not to attend which was the ‘final straw’ in the bitter family feud that had been ‘brewing for years’.

Last month, reports then emerged Neil had banned his family from attending their big day in Italy, which will follow the legal London ceremony.

It is thought that Neil has not even told his mum, Helen, or sister, Terri, when or where the ceremony is taking place.

A source said: ‘The whole thing is a massive shame. His close and extended family were all there when he married his first wife Katya Jones and felt that was an incredibly special day.

‘It makes it even more painful that they have now been cut out completely. Most of them have been blocked by Chyna and Neil, so really have no idea what is going on in their lives at all, let alone about their wedding.’

The source added to The Sun: ‘Everyone feels like Chyna could have shared her concerns in a different way, but instead it’s turned into a public matter and the whole family have been tarred with the same brush.’

The insider added to the publication that the family ‘don’t want it to seem like there is bad blood’ as it is ‘their big day’ and ‘hope it goes really well’.

Sharing black-and-white photographs on Instagram last December, which showed the couple smiling and hugging their two-year-old daughter during her baptism, Chyna spoke out about the family feud she claims has been ongoing behind the scenes.

In a strongly worded post, she wrote: ‘I’ve faced bullying, racism, and constant disrespect from a so-called MIL since the moment I met her. This year, I decided enough was enough and gave her the chance to discuss whatever one-sided issue she had of course, I was ignored.’

She added: ‘Havana’s baptism was a special day, and his family chose not to attend out of loyalty to her and refused to acknowledge what’s unfolded over the past few years. That’s on them. But I won’t accept negative comments or false narratives about my baby girl’s special moments.’

Soon after Neil’s sister Terri spoke out in defence of their mother – accusing Chyna of lying about the situation.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘I don’t want to comment at this time. If she wants to spin lies, then look, the truth will come out eventually.’

A source previously said of the brewing family tension: ‘This goes back much further than the baptism. Despite Neil’s efforts over time to understand and address any issues, he and Chyna still don’t know why some family members seem to have taken a dislike to Chyna.

‘This has resulted in them being absent from Havana’s life. Chyna felt pushed into a corner to defend herself after some of Neil’s family friends and relatives left unpleasant comments.

‘She and Neil were deeply upset to see private matters being played out so publicly. They never wanted a public back-and-forth, but they also feel it’s difficult to stay silent when Chyna is criticised so openly for everyone to see.’

The Sun reported that Chyna spoke out after seeing comments about his family’s absence on Instagram.

They claimed Chyna replied to a comment from a family friend: ‘To be clear, myself and Neil chose not to invite Helen because of how she’s treated me and lack of acknowledgement for our daughter.

‘We weren’t willing to have that energy around Havana on her special day.

‘At the start of the year, I reached out and asked to clear the air so we could move forward for Havana’s sake, and that request was ignored.

‘To be honest, the lack of effort with Havana has been there from the beginning’.

Strictly dancer Neil, who is 16 years Chyna’s senior, went public with their relationship in 2022, before the couple announced their engagement and welcomed their daughter, Havana, the following year.

Neil, a four-time World Latin Champion, regularly performs on Strictly as a backing dancer. It is often joked on set that he is rarely given a celebrity partner to compete with.

In 2024, he was paired with Toyah Willcox, and in previous series, he has performed alongside Lioness Alex Scott and EastEnders actress Nina Wadia.

He was previously married to fellow Strictly dancer Katya Jones. The pair had been together for over a decade and married for six years before their relationship ended.

Their marriage broke down a year after Katya was caught kissing her celebrity dance partner, comedian Seann Walsh, with many attributing their split to the show’s infamous ‘Strictly curse.’

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are worth billions, but one side of the aisle far outweighs the other

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are expected to tie the knot on July 3 at Madison Square Garden in an undoubtedly lavish affair. Although few details have been confirmed, luxury wedding planners have speculated the event could be costing the couple between $10million (£7.49million) and $20million (£14.97million)

However, for the A-list lovebirds, these high-flying figures don’t have much weight against their own lofty net worths. Their net worths are estimated to be over $2billion (£1.5billion) combined, with one side of the aisle making up the vast majority of this figure. As the big day nears, we’re delving into how the lovebirds that captured the world’s hearts actually made their millions.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift entered Forbes billionaires list the same year she met her future husband, but the singer has since doubled her net worth in just three years and is now valued at $2.1billion (£1.57billion).

Unsurprisingly, most of Taylor Swift’s wealth comes from her highly valuable music catalogue, which she started nearly exactly 20 years ago with her first album release in October 2006. She now fully owns her catalogue after a public battle over ownership of her master records and ultimately buying back her masters with the earnings from her Eras Tour.

The Eras Tour itself is a hefty portion of her net worth as well. The tour, which spanned across multiple countries and continents from March 2023 until December 2024.

The tour currently holds multiple Guinness World Records, including the title of highest attendance for a music tour by a female artist, highest-grossing music tour of all time and the first music tour in history to surpass $1billion (£750million) in revenue. In total, it’s estimated that the tour amassed $2,077,618,725 (£1,555,617,020) across 149 shows.

Outside of music, fans may be surprised to learn that the world-renowned songwriter also has an enchanted property portfolio with multiple properties in Tennessee, Rhode Island, California and New York. Altogether, her real estate purchases are estimated to be worth $125million (£93million) according to Forbes.

Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce was last estimated to be worth up to $90million (£67million) according to The Washington Post. This sum is mostly made up of earnings from his salary on the Kansas City Chiefs and his podcast.

According to Forbes, Travis has earned around $111million (£83million) during his 12 years of playing tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. As one of the most well-known athletes still actively playing in the NFL, Travis has amassed a fair few endorsements with brands like Nike and Pfizer.

Off the field, Travis reportedly has stakes in a number of different industries including the Alpine Formula One team and owning the signature steakhouse 1587 Prime with his teammate Patrick Mahomes, named after their jersey numbers; 15 and 87.

Travis is also estimated to have earned a total of $100million (£74million) from his widely popular sports-focused podcast New Heights, which he hosts with his brother Jason Kelce who has also spent time on NFL fields but for the Philadelphia Eagles.

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It was on this podcast that Travis revealed his seemingly fairy-tale romance with the songstress actually got off to a rocky start when he made a friendship bracelet with his number on it and meant to hand it to her during her Eras Tour stop in Kansas City, but he never got the opportunity.

This public confessional eventually made its way into Taylor’s circle, and after a lot of prompting from people telling her to give him a chance, she caved in during the summer of 2023.

By MELISSA KOENIG, US REPORTER and SHAWN COHEN, US SENIOR REPORTER

Published: 02:53 BST, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 13:33 BST, 3 July 2026

A Tibetan protester filmed himself as he fatally set himself on fire outside the United Nations building in New York City on Thursday. 

Palden Lobsang, 52, shared the video, capturing him dressed in full monastic garb as he walked to the corner of 42nd Street and First Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, carrying a Tibetan flag and casually self-immolating, sources told the Daily Mail.

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He then stood in the middle of the intersection, throwing flyers that read ‘China out of Tibet’ and ‘Free Tibet’ before cars passed him by.

After about a minute, Lobsang could be seen collapsing to the ground still on fire, and soon two security officers could be seen rushing to the intersection to extinguish the fire.

Meanwhile, a woman who stumbled onto the scene appeared to have called 911.

Officers from the 17th Precinct arrived about five minutes after the video began, with a fire truck arriving roughly two minutes later.

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The first responders found Lobsang badly burned and attempted life saving measures before rushing him to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7.04pm, sources said.

The video ended with officers taking the device he was filming on into custody.

But the Tibetan flag he had planted into the ground remained there for about an hour as officers investigated the scene, the New York Post reports. 

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Palden Lobsang, 52, filmed himself as he set himself on fire outside the United Nations building in New York City on Thursday

Lobsang, who has lived in the United States for about 20 years, had earlier shared pictures of himself sitting outside the Cipriani event venue carrying New York City tourism bags

Lobsang, an Uber driver has lived in the United States for about 20 years, had earlier shared pictures of himself sitting outside the Cipriani event venue carrying New York City tourism bags. 

He also shared online the flyers he would later throw into the busy intersection.

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A fellow Uber driver said he knew Lobsang from gatherings in New York City’s Tibetan community, and noted that his friend was enraged by the restrictions the Chinese government placed on his people.

‘They have to speak the Mandarin language; they must learn Chinese. They must read that literature; they cannot learn anything else,’ the friend told AMNY. ‘That’s the main thing he was worried about.

‘I am emotionally so sad,’ he added. ‘He should not have done that.’ 

The ‘Free Tibet’ movement challenges China’s sovereignty over the region.

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Tibet had functioned with de facto autonomy and maintained its own distinct administration prior to the Chinese Community Party’s rise to power.

But when the People’s Liberation Army moved into the region, China took control of the region under the Seventeen Point Agreement in May 1951 – an accord that sought to establish a peaceful transition.

Lobsang threw flyers reading ‘Free Tibet’ while he was on fire

The ‘Free Tibet’ movement challenges China’s sovereignty over the region

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The ‘Free Tibet’ movement’s goal is now to recapture sovereignty for the Tibet Autonomous Region, marked by the restoration of power to the Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism. 

‘Many of the protesters have shouted slogans while on fire, including calling for the Dalai Lama’s long life and his return to Tibet, for the Panchen Lama to be freed and for human rights and freedom in Tibet,’ the movement’s official website notes.

‘Severe punishments are handed out to those accused of assisting or encouraging the protesters or sharing information abroad.’

Yet the movement gained international visibility in the 1990s through the Tibetan Freedom Concerts in the US, which featured prominent bands like U2, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine.

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The owners of the converted outbuilding near RAF Valley on Anglesey now face a planning dispute after being reported to the council

Holiday let proprietors near RAF Valley have become embroiled in a planning dispute concerning the volume of tourist accommodation on Anglesey. Richard and Gillian Jones have been renting out a converted outbuilding for 14 years, but encountered difficulties after being reported by a passer-by.

The outbuilding, located at Ty Llwyd, Llanfaelog, was initially constructed in 2012 as a studio for Mrs Jones, a professional photographer. They subsequently began letting the studio, first to family and friends, before operating on a more commercial footing.

In July 2023, they entrusted the operation to a professional holiday letting agency. Following the business being brought to the attention of Anglesey Council, the local authority launched an investigation and, in August 2025, it was ruled unlawful. Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter.

The couple are now applying for retrospective permission for their letting enterprise. Consultants representing them stated: “Had there not been a complaint from a passing individual then no doubt this harmless business would have carried on without concern.”

The one-bedroom property was refurbished in 2022. While Anglesey Council approves of its position and high-quality design, the local authority believes its continued operation as a holiday let “would lead to a significant over provision of holiday accommodation” in the locality, reports North Wales Live.

The application was recommended for rejection at yesterday’s Planning and Orders Committee (Wednesday, July 1). However, councillors requested to visit Ty Llwyd first to make a well-informed decision.

The council’s primary concern centres on the substantial proportion of second homes and holiday lets in the Llanfaelog area. As of January 2026, this figure stood at 37.49% – more than twice the 15% threshold recommended by the council’s Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG).

It was contended that high concentrations of second homes and holiday lets can undermine communities by inflating house prices and diminishing community facilities. Excessive holiday lets would also hamper the ability of businesses to thrive, the local authority stated.

Planning consultant Berwyn Owen of Berllan Properties said Ty Llwyd’s modest holiday let contributes £83,220 to the local economy annually. Situated a 15-minute walk from Rhosneigr, it supports local shops, restaurants and visitor attractions – and actually assists local people in remaining in their community, he maintained.

Mr Owen said that, as the business has been operating since 2012, it was evident the holiday let would not falter despite the number of comparable ventures in the area. Challenging the “arbitrary” 15% threshold, he asserted the council had failed to provide “robust evidence” demonstrating how the proposal would adversely affect the local community.

“Any perceived harm needs to be substantiated with data not merely anecdotal statements about number of empty properties,” he stated in a report.

“To date, there is not one scintilla of hard and fast evidence that this small scale proposal would harm the sociocultural impact in such a way as described in the SPG.

“This development will have no impact on local house prices, due to the very fact that this is a conversion as described. No existing housing stock will be taken from market and it will not be the use of housing, for example by Airbnb.”

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Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour has opened up about a recent sizzling holiday romance with a woman during a work trip to Mykonos.

The actress, 28, who played Clara Livingston in the hit Netflix drama, said the experience has ‘changed my understanding of sex’. 

Genevieve admitted: ‘It wasn’t planned, but it was something I’d thought about for most of my life. I’d kissed girls before. This time was different.’

Describing her experience in a post online, the former Team GB artistic swimmer added: ‘What happened changed my understanding of sex. It was sex with kindness.

‘For the first time, I understood why there can be such joy in bringing another person pleasure. To make a woman feel that way made me feel unexpectedly powerful.’

Despite her experience on the Greek island, Genevieve added that she feels ‘no need to define my sexuality’. 

It comes a year after Genevieve tussled with a mobile phone thief at a west London cafe.

She bravely fought off prolific Algerian thief Zacariah Boulares, 18, at a Joe & The Juice sandwich bar on Kensington High Street, during which a second man threatened to stab her.

Zacariah was locked up for 22 months in July for three counts of theft and common assault in a daylight attack on February 8 that left the actress concussed.

Scotland Yard officers also investigated a 19-year-old man but took no further action against him, the BBC reported.

Genevieve, an Olympic swimmer before embarking on an acting career, has since left London and moved back in with her mother as she no longer feels safe in the capital.

The actress said at the time that not knowing the identity of the second man involved continued to frighten her, adding: ‘I can’t understand why someone’s walking around who has threatened to stab me.’

She said the psychological aftermath had been profound, leaving her ‘severely agoraphobic’ and unable to rely on public transport.

She has moved out of London to live with her mother and often stays in hotels when she needs to return to the capital for work and events.

Last August, she revealed that the psychological trauma had been long-lasting, with her unable to leave the house.

‘And then if I did leave the house, I wanted to be with someone. But I felt like a burden. That’s a really dark downward spiral that you can find yourself in,’ she told the BBC.

In November, the actress took to Instagram to reveal she had been assaulted in the capital, where overall crime has soared by nearly a third over the past decade.

Genevieve said she was left ‘shaken’ after a man targeted her and hit her without warning near Oxford Circus – just minutes before she was due to walk into an audition.

The actress, 28, said: ‘It wasn’t planned. I’d kissed girls before. This time was different. What happened changed my understanding of sex. It was sex with kindness’

It was the second time in a year that she had been the victim of violence in London – and the latest story of celebrities being targeted on its streets.

Speaking through tears in the video filmed in a quiet room above the audition space, Genevieve said it had triggered fresh panic attacks and left her struggling to compose herself ahead of the casting.

She said: ‘Guys, literally five minutes before my audition, I was walking around the corner at Oxford Circus and this guy just looks at me, and targets me, and f***ing hits me.

‘I’m like, against the wall, and I was right about to arrive for my audition. So I had to come in, and I’m trying to gather myself, but I’m so shaken.’

She continued: ‘Obviously, I had that phone attack happen to me, and it’s so nerve-racking for me being out in central London now.

‘I’d just got my confidence up and was looking at moving back.’

The actress described her assailant as ‘about 50 years old, 6ft 3in, Black, wearing a dark-coloured hat and black clothes’.

She added: ‘I couldn’t walk anywhere – he was just looking at me, and he just f***ing hit me. It was a full-grown man. I’m so shaken. I’ve got to try and prepare for this audition.

‘They’ve really kindly given me this room above the audition room and said I can just take my time and gather myself.

‘So I’m just going to take, like, half an hour, I think. I keep on having panic attacks.’

Genevieve is a qualified Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) boxer and has an extensive sporting background.

She fought off the thief because of her boxing experience, but she advised the public not to do the same.

She told Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard on This Morning at the time: ‘I don’t know if I would advise anybody else to do it.

‘I think I have very quick reactions, thanks to having three brothers growing up and I’m an aviated carded boxer. I think it just was an instinct, I also do a lot of fight training for work and acting…

‘I thought that was a normal reaction and I read all the comments [online] and realised, actually, a lot of people would just let them take the phone.’

Donald Trump has said it would be ‘ridiculous’ for the United States to continue its current level of support for NATO.

In a post on Truth Social, the US president said his country’s place in the Western alliance was ‘one sided’ and ‘not reciprocal’.

He shared a graph of NATO defence spending alongside the caption: ‘Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!! President DJT.’

It comes as NATO leaders prepare to gather next week in Ankara, where Europeans aim to set aside strife with Trump over Iran and Greenland and show they are stepping up to defend the continent.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says the gathering next Tuesday and Wednesday will show Europeans are honouring pledges to hike defence spending to deter Russia from any attack, with arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars to be signed.

Leaders are also expected to vow to keep funding weapons for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend a dinner hosted by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who will also hold bilateral talks with Trump.

European officials say they hope Trump’s strong relationships with Erdogan and Rutte will ensure a smooth summit but cannot be sure, given lingering transatlantic bitterness over the Iran war and the US president’s frequent criticism of NATO.

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump complained the United States was spending money to protect NATO members ‘without getting any benefit from so doing’.

Smoke rises over the city center after a Russian attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, July 2

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Rutte and other NATO leaders have insisted the alliance contributes to the United States’ own security and that Europeans are heeding Trump’s longstanding calls to spend more on their own defence.

‘The summit next week will focus on turning extra spending into combat-ready capabilities, and significantly scaling up our defence industries,’ Rutte said in Berlin on Wednesday.

‘NATO is, and will always be, a transatlantic alliance but we need to rebalance it for the better,’ he added. 

‘Working closely with the United States, European allies and Canada are taking greater responsibility for conventional defence in Europe.’

Rutte said last month that NATO’s European members and Canada spent $90 billion more on defence in 2025 than in the previous year, to reach a total of more than $570 billion.

In The Hague last year, NATO leaders agreed to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on core defence items such as weapons and troops by 2035 – up from a previous goal of 2 per cent.

They also agreed to invest a further 1.5 per cent of GDP on broader defence-related investments such as boosting cybersecurity.

European officials are hoping for a repeat of that summit, where Trump reaffirmed the US commitment to the 32-member alliance and its Article 5 mutual defence pact, as well as praising his fellow leaders.

But the past 12 months have severely strained the alliance, with Trump threatening to take Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark and then waging a war against Iran that roiled the global economy without consulting European allies.

The US has also announced troop withdrawals from Europe, cut the forces it assigns to NATO’s defence plans – including an aircraft carrier, refueling aircraft, fighter jets and drones – and launched a six-month review of its military presence on the continent.

‘The alliance is alive and kicking but a bit bruised,’ said a European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

European officials worry that the Iran war could overshadow the summit – if there is a flare-up in the conflict, currently the subject of a fragile ceasefire, or if Trump vents his anger at Europeans for not doing more to assist US military operations.

Trump suggested this meant the US did not need to honour its commitment to aid a fellow NATO member under attack.

NATO officials also say the vast majority of allies honoured commitments to allow the US to use their airspace and bases on their territory, even though the war was deeply unpopular in Europe and many European leaders did not support it.

The war also ruptured personal ties between Trump and European leaders such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, raising the possibility that those strains could resurface at the summit.

‘I’m optimistic (that won’t happen) because I think the leaders know what is at stake,’ a senior NATO diplomat said. 

‘And if something like that does occur, then we always have the ultimate marriage counsellor, Mark Rutte, to smooth things over.’

‘These new patient standards are the bare minimum’

The NHS is set to undergo a major communication overhaul designed to treat patients with “five-star customer service”, introducing Amazon-style tracking for hospital referrals and a mandatory three-week notice period for appointments.

The sweeping reforms, announced by NHS England on Friday, 3 July, aim to eliminate the administrative confusion that has long plagued the health service.

Under the new guidelines, patients must receive at least three weeks’ notice for scheduled medical appointments. Patients will also be able track their GP-to-hospital referral via the NHS App, receiving confirmation the moment they are added to a waiting list.

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The NHS will also provide status updates at least every 12 weeks, allowing patients to update doctors on their condition. If a last-minute cancellation occurs, hospitals must issue a new appointment within 28 days.

NHS England Chief Executive Sir Jim Mackey criticised the current state of patient communication, admitting that navigating the system often feels “like walking through treacle”.

“Almost everyone has a story in their family about how navigating the NHS has been like walking through treacle, including cases where patients aren’t even sure if they’ve been referred, which is clearly unacceptable,” Mackey said. “If we want to keep improving patients’ experiences and satisfaction with the NHS, we have to fix the basics – and that starts with how we treat people even before they arrive for their treatment.

“Our communication with patients needs to be clear and easy to understand. We have to get away from making patients ask us multiple times to get the information they need, and start delivering five-star customer service.”

He added: “These standards are by no means revolutionary – they are simple and clear standards that should be the bare minimum the public can expect from our services, and together we have to make sure that patient experience is always at the very centre of our decision-making and service planning.”

Health Secretary James Murray backed the measures, calling them the “floor, not the ceiling” of a broader government effort to modernise patient care. Plans are also underway to introduce a Single Patient Record to prevent patients from having to repeatedly explain their medical histories to different departments.

“For too long, patients have been left chasing the NHS for basic information on their treatment,” Murray said. “That’s not good enough.”

Patient advocacy groups have cautiously welcomed the news.

William Pett, interim director of policy at Healthwatch England, noted that patients have long complained about missing letters and feeling “forgotten about altogether”. However, Pett warned that implementation remains the critical hurdle.

“The real challenge will be to ensure these standards are delivered,” Pett said, urging trusts to properly upskill administrative teams to reduce the burden on patients.