City of York Council have announced Museum Street will be closed to vehicles overnight for three days in March so that essential resurfacing work can take place.

The closure, which will take place on Monday, March 23, Tuesday, March 24, and Wednesday, March 25, will require the road to be closed from St Leonard’s Place to Station Road.

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This will be effective from 8pm to 5am on three consecutive nights and will also mean Lendal Bridge is closed to all road traffic, including buses.

Pedestrians and those using mobility aids will be able to use the pavements whilst the works are going on.

During the day (from 5am to 8pm) the buses will operate as normal and the roads will reopen by 5am daily if deemed safe.

Alternate routes will be marked during the repairs, guiding traffic via Station Road, Queen Street, Blossom Street, the A59 Holgate Road, Poppleton Road, the Water End bridge, the A19 Clifton, and Bootham to the Gillygate junction.

Bus services will operate as usual outside of the closure hours and on-street parking will be temporarily suspended near the working areas.

Information on the planned works and advice for people choosing to travel in the area during the road closures is available here: https://www.york.gov.uk/MuseumStRoadworks 

People on six different benefits may qualify for the payments

Benefit recipients have been alerted to a looming deadline concerning a DWP payment scheme. You may be eligible for these payments if you receive one of various benefits, including Universal Credit and Pension Credit.

The Cold Weather Payment scheme is still running, providing £25 payments when temperatures in your area are, or are predicted to be, below zero degrees Celsius for seven consecutive days. You could receive multiple £25 payments through the scheme should the payments be activated in your locality more than once during a five-month window.

People claiming these six benefits may be entitled to the payment into their bank account:

• Pension Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit
• Support for Mortgage Interest.

The scheme concludes very soon, as it operates from November 1 to March 31. Matthew Sheeran, external relations manager at financial support organisation Money Wellness, discussed whether the payments might be activated during the remainder of the month.

He said: “We might see a bit of a cold snap this week with frost and some wintry showers, especially up north and in rural areas, but the forecasters aren’t pointing to temperatures staying below freezing for seven days straight – and that’s what you need to actually trigger a Cold Weather Payment before the end of March.

“So while it’ll feel cold, it’s not likely we’ll see a big wave of new £25 payments being triggered right now.” You can check if a Cold Weather Payment has been activated in your region on the Government website.

When do Cold Weather Payments land in bank accounts?

As for when payments land in accounts, Government advice clarifies: “After each period of very cold weather in your area, you should get a payment within 14 working days. It’s paid into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments.”

However, the regulations differ if you reside in Scotland. Here, the scheme has been superseded by the Winter Heating Payment, with largely the same eligibility criteria regarding which benefits you need to claim.

This is a one-time payment that is issued regardless of the weather and is valued at £59.75. These payments go out between December and the end of February.

If you were entitled to receive a payment, Social Security Scotland would have sent you a letter or email notifying you of the impending amount.

Adam Lennon, 19, Harry Cairney, 20, and a 16-year-old boy were convicted of violent attacks on vulnerable young victims linked to organised drug crime in North Lincolnshire

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A group of thugs operating within a drugs supply network tied to organised crime in North Lincolnshire subjected their victims to horrific exploitation and brutal violence. One individual endured a hammer attack and was forced to consume urine.

After a seven-day trial, jurors delivered guilty verdicts concerning two separate incidents occurring in August and October 2025. Humberside Police praised the courage shown by the victims in reporting what happened.

Adam Lennon, 19, from Hereward Place in Scunthorpe, was convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, maliciously administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, assault by beating, robbery and false imprisonment. He had already admitted being concerned in the supply of class A cocaine and class B cannabis.

Whilst charged with sexual assault, he was cleared of that offence.

A 16 year old youth, whose identity is protected by law, was convicted of false imprisonment. He had previously admitted robbery, common assault, and being concerned in the supply of class A cocaine, class B cannabis, and class C pregabalin, reports Grimsby Live.

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Though charged with threatening a person with a bladed article, he was acquitted.

Harry Cairney, 20, from Buckingham Street North in Scunthorpe, faced charges of false imprisonment and assisting an offender relating to the October 2025 incident. He had, however, entered guilty pleas to all charges at an earlier court appearance.

Lee John McKenna, 20, from Laneham Street in Scunthorpe, faced charges including attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, maliciously administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, sexual assault on a male aged over 13, and attempting to cause a male aged over 13 to engage in sexual activity. He was acquitted of all charges, though he has subsequently been returned to custody relating to unconnected matters.

The initial incident emerged when officers became aware of video material spreading online from a premises associated with drug-related activity in Scunthorpe during August 2025. Evidence revealed that Adam Lennon had inflicted a brutal attack on a 19-year-old male at the location, where the victim endured assault with a hammer, was compelled to consume urine whilst being recorded, and was denied the ability to leave.

Humberside Police confirmed: “Our Criminal Investigation Department began conducting enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident and the individuals involved. Soon after, Lennon was arrested in connection with the violent assault and later bailed whilst further investigations were required.”

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Tom Kelly stated: “Following further information reported at a later date, the incident was re-examined by investigators. As part of those enquiries, detectives were able to recover additional digital evidence from mobile phones, including video footage, alongside new witness accounts.

“Whilst these enquiries were continuing, two months later in October 2025, we received a report that a 17-year-old boy had been exploited by the network to sell drugs. My team swiftly launched an investigation where it was established that Harry Cairney had instructed the teenage boy to come to his home address in a ploy to trap him.

“Once he arrived, Cairney prevented him from leaving whilst he was subjected to repeated violence and intimidation at the hands of Lennon and the 16-year-old boy. Thankfully, the 17-year-old later managed to escape and later reported what had happened.”

Following this disclosure, officers from the Kinetic Organised Crime Group Team initiated a thorough and delicate probe into the criminal network, collaborating closely with North Lincolnshire Council. The inquiry drew upon additional expertise from child criminal exploitation specialists, digital forensics units, and major crime squads to establish the complete extent of the gang’s activities.

Evidence collated from mobile devices, witness statements, crime scene examinations, call data scrutiny and expert drug testimony allowed investigators to construct a robust prosecution case for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who subsequently authorised numerous charges against the perpetrators.

Lennon and Cairney are being held on remand pending sentencing, whilst the 16-year-old boy has been granted bail. All three are scheduled to appear for sentencing at Hull Crown Court on Friday, April 24 2026.

Detective Inspector Tom Kelly added: “These young men were subjected to appalling levels of violence, coercion and exploitation at the hands of an organised crime group. Their actions were calculated and predatory, fuelled by a false sense of bravado, that showed a complete disregard for the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable people.

“Child criminal exploitation has a profound and lasting impact on young people. It is often hidden, happening behind closed doors, or disguised as friendships, relationships or everyday interactions. This abuse doesn’t always involve adults targeting children; it can also occur between young people themselves, where individuals of a similar age abuse influence and control to cause harm.

“In this case, we saw offenders ranging from teenagers to young adults involved in serious offending against other young people.”

So who does all of this suit? In short, it boosts the bookmakers.

Bookmaker Jerry White, speaking to ITV Racing, said: “The punters were on the ropes literally from the get-go, most of the short ones expected to win have been beaten.

“To be totally honest, if we were to put heaps of money all around the course and set them on fire, it would take forever.”

However, trainer Dan Skelton said “everyone has really embraced” having fewer short-priced winners and it shows the depth of talent in the sport.

“It has it all, this sport,” Skelton told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I felt coming into it that the depth has been better than it’s ever been.

“We’ve got used to having short-priced winners. There’s been less and less of that this year and everyone has really embraced it. The crowd has been phenomenal.”

Festival organisers are also smiling, with attendances up year on year, up to 226,223 from 218,093 in 2025.

City of York Council’s Executive approved a city-wide Smoke Control Area (SCA) requiring households to either have Government-compliant stoves or to burn authorised smokeless fuel.

Cllr Jenny Kent, the council’s Labour environment spokesperson, said the measures aimed to curb pollution following reports of children developing coughs and struggling to breathe.

Strensall Liberal Democrat ward councillor Tony Fisher said older and poorer residents who rely on old stoves they cannot afford to replace for heating would be hit by the measures.

Solid fuel burning is a major contributor to PM2.5 fine particulate matter, a pollutant responsible for one in every 23 deaths in York in 2023 according to public health estimates.

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Readers had their say in comments on The Press website and on Facebook.

Drago said: “A load of rubbish, maybe the real issue is that kids don’t get out anymore and stay cooped up in the house?

“There’s another thing, what about all the cleaning sprays and chemicals used in the house that I know affect my chest so much I go outside while my wife uses them?”

York Commentator said: “Any council would have no choice but to protect public health with all this new evidence on particulate pollution.

“This evidence is another uncomfortable truth and we have to face up to it, however cosy and comforting wood-burning stoves are.

“The public health should always take priority, meanwhile if you can smell smoke, you are breathing it and it is likely to be harmful to your health if done so repeatedly.”

The new rules aim to curb health problems caused by smoke-related pollution (Image: Clean Air GM)

John Dobson said: “I had bronchial problems and asthma when I was young, we replaced the open fire with gas, it made no difference.

“It turned out to be cigarette smoke and an allergy to bird feathers that triggered my illness, not burning wood.

“I have a wood burner in my house today my asthma condition is almost non existent, summer or winter.”

David Briggs said: “Air pollution is a silent killer, this pollution is particularly dangerous for the young, elderly or those with existing health conditions.

“People choose to install a log burner in their home, those outside have no choice but to breathe in the pollution they cause.

“We have strict controls over what goes into our food, we have regulations over drinking water quality.

“However, for some reason we allow log burners to pollute the air we have to breathe, nonetheless, people bought these in good faith.

“As such there needs to be a ban on any new log burner sales, followed by a fair decommissioning, scrapage and compensation scheme.”

Dctyke said: “It’s gonna get a whole lot worse with folks who only have oil and cannot cannot afford the prices as their energy is not capped like other energy users.

“I for one will be using the wood burner to heat my house!”

Darren Thirkell said: “And yet it’s okay to keep chucking folk through the crematorium.

“Ban that first, who wants to keep smelling dead folk?”

Anne Marie Pike-Kilbride said: “As an asthma and COPD sufferer, I can honestly tell you I hate the bloody things.

“I can tell when someone close to where I live has theirs lit, my chest goes that tight I have to use my inhalers more.”

Lightwater Valley, based just north of Ripon, announced a new logo on Wednesday.

The move comes as the theme park with more than 35 rides and attractions prepares to re-open for the 2026 season on Saturday March 28.

Announcing the new logo, the Mellors Group, who took over the 175-acre attraction in January, said: “It marks the beginning of a fresh vision for the park, with new attractions, improvements and experiences already underway.”

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The new logo was similar to the old one but also featured a carousel and two people on a rollercoaster above Lightwater Valley’s name.

However, a post of Facebook showing this attracted more than 400 comments, with many claiming the use of AI.

One commenter said how the rides appeared confirmed AI, another noted the lack of faces on the two people.

The old Lightwater Valley logo (Image: Pic supplied)

One said the new logo ‘cheapens’ the look, with others saying they hoped the company had not paid for the logo.

But another called it “genius marketing- just look at all the comments and engagement!”

Lightwater Valley has since responded: “We’d like to clarify that the new logo wasn’t created using AI. It was developed with a design agency as part of a wider brand refresh for Lightwater Valley.

“The goal was to create something bright, fun, and full of energy that reflects the spirit of a family adventure park.

“There are a few versions of the logo in circulation, so it’s great to have an understanding of which ones you prefer. You can also check out our website for another take.

“This is just the first step as the park moves into its next chapter. You’ll start to see updates across the park this season, including new signage, colours, and guest areas, and we’re excited to share these changes with you as they happen!”

Lightwater Valley was founded by Robert Staveley in 1969 as a self-pick fruit farm and evolved into a major theme park, famously introducing the long-running Ultimate rollercoaster in 1991.

In 2021, it was acquired by the Brighton Pier Group, who removed the Ultimate, the world’s longest rollercoaster, as they shifted the attraction towards rides for younger children.

When they took over in January, the Nottingham-based Mellor’s Group pledged new investment and ambitions to appeal to a wider range of ages.

Among the new attractions is Spinning Racer.

The Lightwater Valley website said: “A brand-new era of excitement roars into the park with the arrival of the Spinning Racer – a high-energy family coaster like no other.

“Bursting with colour, excitement and fast-paced fun, this dynamic new ride sends you twisting, turning and spinning through sweeping bends and surprise drops.”

The inquest into the death of the schoolboy at Belfast Coroner’s Court, which is being heard with a jury, has just finished its seventh week.

Seven key points after week seven of inquest into death of Noah Donohoe

1. Police “gripped” the seriousness of the investigation into the disappearance of Noah Donohoe at an early stage, the inquest heard this past week. Chief Inspector Robinson told Belfast Coroner’s Court on Monday that he had carried out a compliance review into how police carried out their search for the teenager in 2020.
2. The witness told the jury he had identified five areas of non-compliance with PSNI procedures, including around the recording of risk assessments. He also referred to a more detailed review of the case that had been carried out by another inspector in August 2020. He said the “overall case” in this review was that there had been a “very good response to the investigation”. He said: “To be clear, I agree with the general thrust of the report that it was a good response.” The witness said the seriousness of the investigation had been “gripped at an early stage” by police. He said: “A large amount of police resources were engaged at a very early stage.”
3. There was no evidence of “direct violence” from a third party in analysis of Noah’s body, a group of pathologists told the inquest on Tuesday. Three experts, including the pathologist who conducted Noah’s postmortem examination, agreed that his cause of death was likely drowning and evidence suggests he was alive when he encountered water in a storm drain. Jurors were shown a picture of Noah’s body that was not presented in court, as the pathologists discussed a “broad area of bruising” across his forehead.
4. They agreed there was no positive evidence of a toxicological cause of death but that that could not be ruled out because of limits on toxicological analysis days after death. They agreed there was no evidence of any cause of death related to direct violence or injuries that would suggest involvement of a third party but that this cannot be ruled out on pathological evidence. The three pathologists agreed that Noah likely died closer to the time of his disappearance than the discovery of his body given the extent of decomposition.
5. On Wednesday, questions were raised at the inquest as to why the PSNI did not provide a water sample from the storm drain where Noah’s body was found. The pathologist who conducted the 14-year-old’s postmortem examination said an additional test “would be supportive and helpful” but would not have changed her conclusion that Noah drowned.
6. There was discussion of diatoms, a form of microorganism, that were found in Noah’s lungs, when the pathologists explained to the jury that the presence of these would indicate a person had drowned in natural water, as diatoms wouldn’t be found in treated or tap water. A sample can be taken from the water a body is found in and tested for diatoms, to see if they match those found in the deceased person. Dr Marjorie Turner, who carried out Noah’s post-mortem examination, told the court that a diatom test from a water sample “may have come back negative but that would not change my opinion of cause of death” being drowning.
7. In questioning, Brenda Campbell KC, representing Fiona Donohoe, posited that in a post-mortem process there is an “opportunity in that autopsy to try and find answers” and that “opportunity might not come again”. She acknowledged that the absence of that test “doesn’t change anyone’s opinion on the agreed cause of death” but it does “potentially deprive” us of additional information. Former state pathologist for Northern Ireland Professor Jack Crane agreed, adding “if we had ability to compare diatoms in water and found in Noah’s body it would be supportive evidence” of the theory that he died in the storm drain.

To ensure you don’t miss out on all the latest from Belfast Live, be sure to make us your preferred source on Google.

Formula 1 is set to cancel its upcoming races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia over security concerns because of the war in the Middle East, Sky Sports News understands.

A grand prix was scheduled in each country next month, with Bahrain’s race on 12 April and Saudi Arabia’s on 19 April.

The decision is expected to be officially confirmed within the next two days. As of writing, both events still appear on the Formula 1 schedule.

Iran war latest: Trump admits Putin ‘might be helping’ Tehran

Sky Sports News understands the set-to-be-cancelled Middle East races will likely not be replaced on F1’s March-December calendar, meaning the season would run to 22 Grands Prix weekends.

The outlet reported that the decision comes as the situation in the Middle East has not improved in recent days. Both organisations declined to comment.

Formula 1 races are also set to be held in the Middle East this winter, with Grands Prix in Qatar on 29 November and Abu Dhabi on 6 December.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, head of the FIA, said on Monday that “safety and wellbeing” will be the main concern when deciding on whether the ⁠races will go ahead.

It comes as several major banks closed their branches in Gulf states and evacuated staff from their building in the wake of Iranian strikes.

Standard Chartered began evacuating staff from offices in Dubai and told them to work from home, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing two sources.

Citigroup, an American bank, also told its staff to evacuate offices in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Dubai’s Oud Metha neighbourhood.

Read more from Sky News:
UK faces cold showers and Arctic air
Sky News joins police on county lines crackdown
How Iran can block the Strait of Hormuz

JP Morgan said its employees in the Middle East would also be working from home “for the time being” but said its businesses and client servicing “remain uninterrupted”.

And HSBC has closed all branches in Qatar until further notice, according to a customer ​notice, saying the measure is to ensure the safety of staff and customers.

“The safety of our colleagues and customers remains our top priority,” a HSBC spokesperson said.

The Trump administration denounced CNN on Thursday for airing a portion of the new Iranian supreme leader’s public statement, the second time in three days that he’s targeted the network for reporting on how the regime is responding to the American attacks.

The attack illustrated the care news outlets must take in reporting during wartime, and the responsibilities of American journalists to report the perspective of countries its government views as enemies. It also exposed inconsistencies. The message of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during his first public statement since he succeeded his father, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, was widely available elsewhere.

The White House said on social media that “fake news CNN just aired four straight minutes of uninterrupted Iranian state TV, run by the same psychotic and murderous regime that prided itself on brutally slaughtering Americans for 47 years.”

Earlier CNN interview criticized by Trump’s communications leader

Two days earlier, White House communications director Steven Cheung took issue with CNN anchor Erin Burnett’s interview with Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian nuclear negotiator. Burnett asked Mousavian what he had been hearing about the Iranian government’s interest in having talks with the United States. There wasn’t much, he said.

“Ever notice how CNN just regurgitates quotes and unverified information from Iranian terrorists?” Cheung wrote on X. “Total disgrace. They have become the murderous Iranian Regime’s version of Pravda,” he said, referring to the official newspaper of the former Soviet Union.

CNN did not address Cheung’s statement but did respond to the White House attack on Thursday. It noted that CNN, Sky News and Al Jazeera also showed portions of the ayatollah’s statement live.

“The world is watching with anticipation which direction this war will take,” CNN said. “Purported remarks from Iran’s new supreme leader are a critical component in helping audiences understand where this conflict is heading and were aired for their obvious news value.”

Other news outlets, including The Associated Press, sent out alerts on what Khamenei said. His vow to keep up attacks on other Arab countries in the region and plans to choke off the world’s oil supply were headlines. The New York Times led its website with a story on the speech in its immediate aftermath, later writing that the speech “was an early indication of how the new supreme leader would approach the war, as well as how he would lead the country.”

CNN has long been a favored target of President Donald Trump, dating back to his first term. It’s a particularly vulnerable time for the network with Paramount Global’s agreement to purchase CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, raising questions about its future editorial independence.

CNN showed a news anchor reading a portion of Khameini’s remarks in Farsi, with an English translation. It did not air them in full. After the speech, correspondent Nick Paton Walsh gave a debrief to anchor Kate Bolduan, noting how the non-appearance of the leader — reportedly injured in an air attack — was as important as what he said.

“We were waiting to see the face of the man to have proof of his health and survival,” Walsh said, “and they’ve not met that moment. Instead, a handwritten message, it seems, that mostly reiterates things we kind of already knew.”

A social media message board for Iran’s point of view

The Tech Transparency Project has reported that several Iranian leaders and institutions maintain verified accounts on X, formerly Twitter, owned by Trump ally Elon Musk. CNBC said Thursday that Khamenei has one of them, and an X account with his portrait posted the text of his remarks, available in Farsi and in an English translation.

Even though Khamenei’s father is dead, an account with his portrait was active on Thursday, mainly reposting messages from his son. “The revenge we have in mind is not just because of the martyrdom of the illustrious Leader of the Revolution,” read one message posted Thursday. “Every member of the nation martyred by the enemy is a separate case that demands we seek revenge.”

X is officially blocked in Iran, though many use a virtual private network to bypass restrictions. A message sent to the platform on Thursday was not immediately returned.

There’s a long history of journalists seeking interviews with world leaders, even when they are regarded as enemies of the United States. Most notable was “60 Minutes” correspondent Mike Wallace’s interview with Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, when that country was holding Americans hostage.

Thursday’s remarks by Iran’s new supreme leader were absolutely newsworthy and legitimate for CNN to air them, said Jane Ferguson, a veteran international correspondent and founder of the journalism platform Noosphere. It’s not the job of government leaders to pick apart what CNN is reporting, she said.

“We’ve always faced this,” she said, about when reporters interview leaders or other figures hostile to American interests. “This has been a bit of low-hanging fruit for awhile.”

Historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University said that it’s unfair for CNN to be singled out in this instance. He, too, believes it is newsworthy to learn what leaders of an adversary are thinking, but it’s important to make sure that journalists are careful.

“You have to be leery of being used as a propaganda tool by the Iranian regime,” he said. “On the other hand, knowing what the enemy is saying and looking for a sign of a peace offering or a nuance is important … It’s a difficult balance.”

___

AP correspondent Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

NBC has pulled the plug on its longtime entertainment news program Access Hollywood after 30 years.

The show’s cancellation comes as a direct result of the network cutting its original production of first-run syndication programming. Other shows that are coming to an end include daytime talk shows Access Hollywood Live, Karamo and The Steve Wilkos Show.

“NBCUniversal is making changes to our first-run syndication division to better align with the programming preferences of local stations,” said Frances Berwick, Chairman of Bravo & Peacock unscripted for NBCUniversal, in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter.

“The company will remain active in the distribution of our existing program library and other off-network titles, while winding down production of our first-run shows. These shows have provided audiences with great talk and entertainment content for many years and we’re very proud of the teams behind them.”

Access Hollywood, launched in 1996 to rival CBS’s Entertainment Tonight, will produce original episodes through September.

open image in gallery

open image in gallery

Throughout its three decades on television, the newsmagazine has featured a rotating cast of hosts and correspondents. It debuted with original hosts, Giselle Fernandez and Larry Mendte, with the latter departing after just one season in 1997. Fernandez was joined by Pat O’Brien and remained with the show until 1999. Recent Entertainment Tonight host Nancy O’Dell was also one of Access Hollywood’s original co-anchors.

In 2001, the series welcomed Billy Bush as a correspondent. He then served as co-anchor from 2004 until his exit in 2016. Afterward, he joined NBC’s Today show but was fired months later when a 2005 tape of him from his days at Access Hollywood was leaked.

The infamous tape captured audio of Donald Trump boasting about his ability to sexually harass and assault women, with Bush appearing to laugh along. Reflecting on his career fallout after the video’s release, Bush admitted that he had considered suicide.

Access Hollywood is currently hosted by Mario Lopez, Kit Hoover, Zuri Hall and Scott Evans.

The cancellations come amid a rapidly changing landscape for television. Daytime and late-night talk shows are a shrinking genre, as they are increasingly being replaced by video podcasts.

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