Motorists wishing to use the A11 this Tuesday morning, be warned: You will face local diversions in the wake of today’s pre-dawn crash.

A National Highways spokesperson said in an online statement: “Traffic is being diverted via local routes.

They added: “If this closure impacts on your planned route, please allow extra journey time. Plan ahead, you may wish to re-route or even delay your journey.”

Dan Jarvis, the new defence secretary, has spent his two weeks in the job “refocusing” the Dip, Downing Street said, so that it will get the “latest kit” into the hands of the armed forces.

The Defence Secretary said: “Our armed forces are serving at an increasingly dangerous and unpredictable time. We are determined to give them what they need as they serve with courage and exceptional skill to keep us safe.

“The character of warfare is rapidly changing. In Ukraine and the Middle East, uncrewed systems are defining conflicts.

“This largest ever UK investment into these evolving technologies will help our armed forces stay ahead of our adversaries, backed by the best of our defence industry.

We are giving our extraordinary people the equipment they need to fight and win.”

Britain has been closely watching the use of drones in the theatre of war in Ukraine, where some 200,000 are now used each month to defend against Russian forces, and in Iran, where around 700 drones were launched each day at the height of its war with the US and Israel.

Frances Barber has agreed to join the ITV soap and will be playing a relative of Bernie Winter.

The 68-year-old actress will be joining the show as a guest star.

Played by Jane Hazlegrove, Bernie has already been at the centre of a few iconic storylines and Frances’ character is likely to add to her story.

What has Frances Barber been in?

This will not be the first time Frances has been on a soap, as she starred in the hospital drama Casualty in 2019.

A show insider has confirmed the role is currently only a guest but said the future of her character is still uncertain, according to The Sun.

They said: “With her pedigree, bagging Frances is a huge coup for Corrie bosses.

“She’s an iconic actress who steals every scene she’s in. It’s only a guest role for now but who knows what could happen in the future.”

The actress has also appeared in a huge number of iconic shows including Father Brown, Doctor Who, Benidorm, and The IT Crowd.

Between 2012 and 2014, she spent time on the legal crime drama Silk where she played Caroline Warwick QC.

She has also had roles in many films dating back to 1982 when she appeared in The Missionary.

She can be seen in Film Stars Don’t Due in Liverpool, Mr Holmes, and the recently released Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day.

She is best known for her various roles in theatre including playing Billie Trix in Musik and Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Frances also appeared alongside Sir Ian McKellen and Roger Allam in the Old Vic’s pantomime production of Aladdin.

A date for when Frances’ character will be introduced to the show has not been confirmed.

Are you excited for Frances Barber to join the cast of Coronation Street? Let us know in the comments below.

The summer window has taken another twist as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham work hard on securing new signings. The Gunners are working on bringing two of the Premier League’s best midfielders to the Emirates, with Morgan Rogers their transfer priority and Bruno Guimaraes potentially available for cheaper than expected. Aston Villa are demanding £130million for Rogers, after Manchester City paid £116m for Elliot Anderson. The Gunners have explored a move for Alex Scott as an alternative.

Katie Price has branded her daughter Princess ‘a real life Barbie doll‘ while the teen celebrated her 19th birthday with champagne and a glam night out. 

Taking to Instagram, Princess shared a series of stunning snaps to mark her birthday as she posed in a chic strapless LBD while styling her curls into a sleek, straight ‘do.

The stunner rang in her birthday on Monday and was praised by her mum in the comments, with Katie writing: ‘My real life Barbie doll daughter’. 

Katie is currently visiting her husband Lee Andrews in Dubai, so shared her birthday tribute to Princess on Sunday due to the time difference. 

Katie shares Princess and her brother Junior, 21, with ex Peter Andre and Jett, 12, and Bunny, 11, with ex Kieran Hayler. Her eldest child Harvey’s father is Dwight Yorke, yet the former footballer has no contact with the 24-year-old. 

The stunner rang in her birthday on Monday and was praised by her mum in the comments, with Katie writing: ‘My real life Barbie doll daughter’

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Katie shares Princess and her brother Junior, 21, with ex Peter Andre

The glamour model was married to Peter from 2005 to 2009, Alex Reid from 2010 to 2012 and Kieran from 2013 to 2018. She tied the knot with Lee in January just weeks after meeting, before holding a second, legal ceremony in February.

Princess’ champagne-fuelled celebrations come after she joined her brother Junior in enjoying a tequila-fuelled day out with their non-drinker dad Peter as he poked fun at his tipsy kids in a hilarious Instagram video. 

The Australian singer, 53, spent quality time with his children to celebrate son Junior’s 21st birthday in London earlier this month. 

Junior looked worse for wear as he hugged Peter while ITV star Princess, 18, broke out into her famous dad’s hit song Mysterious Girl. 

The brother and sister took turns singing lines of the reggae 1995 hit while Peter recorded the hilarious moment, ‘I cannot cope guys. Honestly. Help!’ Peter begged.

He added: ‘When dad doesn’t drink but the others make up for it’. 

‘One too many tequilas’, Princess admitted in the comments. 

Taking to Instagram, Princess shared a series of stunning snaps to mark her birthday as she posed in a chic strapless LBD while styling her curls into a sleek, straight ‘do

She looked stunning in the snaps 

Princess clutched the bottle of champagne ahead of the celebrations 

Princess showed off her incredible figure in a white crop top and low rise oversized jeans while Junior rocked a grey jumper and matching trousers.  

Meanwhile, Junior shared a short video drinking tequila shots during the lavish meal. 

Hours later, he shared a second snap looking worse for wear after the boozy day, he penned: ‘Tequila finished me off. Guys I’m done my head’s spinning’. 

Princess had fans talking last week, when she shared snaps of herself with natural curly hair, in the same style that Katie wore her own at the beginning of her career.

The stunner looked just like a younger version of her mother Katie.

Princess’ champagne-fuelled celebrations come after she joined her brother Junior in enjoying a tequila-fuelled day out with their non-drinker dad Peter as he poked fun at his tipsy kids in a hilarious Instagram video 

Junior looked worse for wear as he hugged Peter while ITV star Princess broke out into her famous dad’s hit song Mysterious Girl

Princess had fans talking last week, when she shared snaps of herself with natural curly hair, in the same style that Katie wore her own at the beginning of her career 

The influencer wore her hair in the same style that Katie wore her own at the beginning of her career (pictured in 1996 age 18)

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Princess’ fans admitted they couldn’t get over the uncanny resemblance between the mother and daughter, sharing their thoughts in the comments section.

They said: ‘Look like a young Kate on here, stunning’; ‘Came to say the same thing’; ‘Omg a mini Katie’; ‘Wow! A young Katie’; ‘Absolutely stunning girl’; 

‘Wow this is literally Katie when she first started modelling’; ‘Beautiful, look like a young Katie Price’; 

‘Absolutely your mums double when she was younger’; ‘Absolutely your mom’s double when she was younger’; ‘Omg like a young Katie Price’.

The judge described how the 18-year-old ‘worshipped’ serial killers and ‘wanted to be like them’

An 18-year-old has been jailed for three years and nine months after threatening to blow up a college.

Jagger Strang, of Stafford, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court following his earlier guilty pleas to seven separate offences. The charges included two counts of possession of an explosive substance, two counts of possession of information likely to be useful for terrorist purposes, making a threat to kill, threatening to destroy or damage property, and possession of a prohibited weapon in a private place.

The teenager entered his guilty pleas at Leicester Crown Court on May 6, the day his trial was scheduled to begin.

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The prosecution outlined a terrifying sequence of events that began in September 2025. Strang, who was 17 at the time and enrolled as a student at Stafford College, openly boasted to his peers that he had gathered numerous weapons and intended to detonate explosives on the college site.

Vigilant staff members and students immediately alerted a college safeguarding officer. Recognising the severity of the threat, the college contacted Staffordshire Police, who dispatched officers to Strang’s home address and arrested him that same afternoon.

During a forensic search of Strang’s property, investigators discovered a hazardous collection of chemical components alongside homemade explosive mixtures, including black powder and thermite – both fabricated directly by the teenager.

A blow pipe and other tactical paraphernalia were also uncovered at the address.

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Specialist officers also seized and analysed Strang’s mobile phone. Digital forensic teams uncovered highly concerning materials, including a handwritten personal manifesto, detailed step-by-step instructions on manufacturing functioning bombs and remote detonators, and a recent internet search history dedicated entirely to notorious mass killers.

“This was an extremely concerning case involving a teenager with a clear and troubling fixation on violence,” Detective Inspector Dave Rowlands of Staffordshire Police said following the sentencing.

“The threats he made caused genuine fear among students and staff.”

Strang was remanded in custody immediately following his arrest in 2025 and remained detained until his sentencing hearing.

Law enforcement officials heavily praised the swift containment of the threat, highlighting that the decisive reporting by the college community likely averted a disaster.

“Thanks to the vigilance of the college community and the swift response from Staffordshire Police, we were able to intervene quickly and prevent any potential harm,” Detective Inspector Rowlands added. “We take all reports of this nature incredibly seriously.”

A few years ago, 10-year-old Guy was driving along the Australian coast when he saw whales, spouting water up into the air. He was amazed. “Then my brother farted, and then I wondered if whales fart,” says Guy.

Guy joined our host Eloise to put his question to Vanessa Pirotta, a wildlife scientist at Macquarie University in Australia on this week’s episode of The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast.

In each episode of The Conversation’s Curious Kids, a curious kid joins host Eloise to ask a top researcher their burning question. This episode is a follow-on from the episode “Do whales sneeze?” in our first season.

To listen to season two, follow us wherever you get your podcasts, or listen on the Yoto Player via the Discover section on the Yoto interactive audio platform for kids.

You can also listen back to season one and read lots of answers to questions sent in by children around the world in our Curious Kids series.

Got a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to curiouskids@theconversation.com.

This season of The Conversation’s Curious Kids is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Disclosure statement

Vanessa Pirotta does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Credits

This episode of The Conversation’s Curious Kids was hosted and mixed by Eloise Stevens. The producer was Katie Flood and the executive producer was Gemma Ware. Audio clips from Finding Nemo, and seal pup sounds from schaarsen and whale noise from kaekhor via Freesound.

Online videos show the toys being heated up so that they are soft and easeir to squeeze.

However, experts are now asking parents not to heat the toys, as it causes pressure to build inside the squishy, increasing the risk it may explode and release the hot gel inside that can stick to the skin and cause severe burns.

Six children have been treated at the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) in Glasgow with injuries linked to the trend over the past eight months, with some requiring surgery, including skin grafts.

Joseph must now avoid direct sunlight on the graft area for two years. (Image: PA)

Warning over exploding toys burning children

One of those hurt was eight-year-old Joseph Erskine from Clackmannanshire.

His mother, Stephanie Ewing, said: “My husband and I were home. We were sitting in the living room next door when Joseph came in holding a towel to his face.

“He had already wiped off the burning gel which had also taken off his skin.

“He was saying that his squishy burnt him and we initially thought he meant a chemical burn.

“Then he told us that he had put it in the microwave.

“We were shocked as it had never crossed our minds that he would do that with a toy.

“He has never used the microwave before.

“Joseph’s burn wouldn’t heal on its own and required a graft, where skin was taken from his thigh and applied to his chest.

“He is normally such an active and sporty child with six clubs per week, but all of that is on hold until he heals.”

The injury happened after Joseph saw the trend online, and now his mother is urging other parents to talk to their children about the dangers.

A similar case involved 11-year-old Scarlet Rowe from Irvine.

She suffered burns to her face and eyelid after heating a squishy toy in May.

Her mother, Gina, said: “We didn’t realise what had happened at first, it just looked like slime on her face.

“It was only after a few minutes we realised it had been heated and was burning her skin.

“The swelling was so bad that we weren’t sure what the outcome would be.

“Thankfully, no graft was required but it is so close to her eye that this could have been a lot worse.

“These toys are very popular and easy to buy, but we had no idea about the risks.

“We had only bought them that day.

Scarlet suffered burns to her face and eyelid after heating a squishy toy. (Image: PA)

“I’d strongly advise parents to be vigilant and check what children are watching and trying online.”

Medical experts warn that heating squishy toys in the microwave causes pressure to build up.

This can make the toys explode and release hot gel that sticks to the skin, causing severe burns.

Sharon Ramsay, a burns nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children, said: “Unfortunately, we are seeing a growing number of children with preventable injuries linked to this trend.

“When these toys are heated, the contents can explode and stick to the skin, causing deep burns.

“These injuries can be very serious and may require long-term treatment, including surgery and rehabilitation.

“In some cases, children are left with permanent scarring.

“We strongly urge parents and carers to speak to their children about the risks.”

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Videos on social media platforms have been promoting the idea that microwaving squishy toys makes them softer.

Burn specialists say injuries from the trend may be especially severe.

This is because the gel inside the toys can remain extremely hot and adhere to the skin, causing deeper and more prolonged burns.

Healing and recovery from burns can take weeks or months and children who suffer them often need ongoing care including dressings, physiotherapy and scar management.

The Scottish National Burns Centre is hosted within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Ukrainian-born businessman Vadim Ermolaev, who is reportedly among those fighting for his life after the suspected bomb explosion, is one of the wealthiest oligarch figures to emerge from the country’s industrial sector.

Ermolaev is described in public sources as a Cypriot-based businessman of Ukrainian origin. He is a real estate developer, best known for his role in developing projects in the city of Dnipro.

He is associated with the Alef Group, a commercial and industrial conglomerate founded in 1997, with interests spanning real estate, manufacturing, agribusiness, alcohol production and trade.

Public estimates of his wealth have varied widely over time, with figures ranging from around $173 million to more than $800 million.

According to publicly available reports, Ermolaev obtained Cypriot citizenship in 2019 and later renounced his Ukrainian citizenship.

He is under sanctions in Ukraine.