Officers from Durham’s Roads and Armed Policing unit began pursuing a Ford Fiesta through Great Burdon just before 3pm yesterday (April 1).

Police say the teenager reached speeds of 80mph in a 40mph zone while swerving into oncoming traffic and putting other road users at risk. A 14-year-old passenger was also in the vehicle at the time.

Police dash cam from the Great Burdon police chase (Image: DURHAM CONSTABULARY)

The pursuit came to an end after the driver “popped a tyre” due to his manner of driving.

Both boys then attempted to flee the scene on foot but were quickly chased down and arrested by officers.

The 17-year-old driver has since been charged with dangerous driving, having no licence and having no insurance.

The passenger was charged with aggravated vehicle taking and will appear before court in the coming days.

No more than a few hours later, officers were involved in a second pursuit after a black Toyota Hilux, believed to have been stolen from the Northumbria area, was spotted in Eldon.

The vehicle was pursued at speed through Kirk Merrington before officers used a stinger device in Chilton.

Police dash cam from the Chilton police chase (Image: DURHAM CONSTABULARY)

Police say the driver attempted to ram police cars before abandoning the vehicle and fleeing into a nearby field, where he was caught by police dog Dutch.

The 21-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, disqualified driving, having no insurance, theft of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest. He remains in custody.

His passenger was arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs and theft of a motor vehicle.

Police said the incidents highlight the type of risks officers deal with daily while working to keep the public safe.

A spokesperson said: “These incidents are just a few examples of what our officers deal with every day to keep the public safe.

“We won’t tolerate dangerous driving and will continue to take those who put others at risk, off our roads.”

Steven Gerrard shut down Gary Neville’s suggestion that Mohamed Salah could ‘rock up’ at Chelsea or Arsenal after leaving Liverpool.

Salah, one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players, announced last month that he would be leaving Anfield at the end of the season.

Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances, putting his third in the club’s list of all-time record goalscorers.

The Egyptian superstar, 33, has helped Liverpool win two Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues and three domestic cups.

Salah signed a new two-year contract with Liverpool last summer but will leave on a free transfer at the end of the season after ‘reaching an agreement’ with the club.

The Anfield legend has been heavily linked with moves to Saudi Arabia and the MLS since announcing his imminent departure.

But Neville has questioned if Salah will try to keep playing at the top level for another season or two before perhaps moving to Saudi or America at a future date.

If that proves to be the case, landing spots for Salah are not entirely clear, with Neville dismissing moves to the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG as unrealistic.

The former Manchester United and England defender raised a ‘ridiculous’ suggestion after questioning whether Salah could ‘rock up’ at one of Liverpool’s Premier League rivals, Chelsea or Arsenal.

But Liverpool hero Gerrard was quick to dismiss that theory and tipped Salah to move to the Saudi Pro League, where he himself managed between 2023 and 2025.

Speaking to Gerrard, fellow ex-Liverpool star Jamie Carragher said on The Overlap: ‘You went to LA Galaxy and with Mo Salah now, do you think he will do a MLS or a Saudi move or do you think he will still think he can play at the top level and move to another big club?’

Gerrard responded: ‘Knowing him, he’ll still have himself down as one of the best players in the world.

‘That’s why the fallout [at Liverpool] came apart, he was probably struggling with the transition of not starting every game. But I think that’s his mentality.’

Neville then said: ‘You’ve both said the same thing now about Salah, that he will still think he’s the best player in the world and you don’t think it’s right for him to go to the US or Saudi.

‘Has he got a shock in him though? I’m going to put something ridiculous out there… could he rock up at Chelsea or Arsenal?

‘He’s been to Italy before and he’s not going to Barcelona or Real Madrid. In a different time I could have seen him at PSG but that’s not going to happen now.

‘These players have egos that means they have to play at clubs that suit their brand and way of thinking.’

Responding to Neville’s theory, Gerrard said: ‘I’m not saying it’s not right for him to go to Saudi or MLS. I’m talking about what he might be thinking in his head and where does he see himself… 

‘I don’t think he will do that [join a Premier League rival]. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s another big club somewhere else, but I don’t think he would move to a rival.

‘I think it will be Saudi. I’ve lived over there and knowing how he’s thought of over there, I think it will be Saudi.

‘It wouldn’t shock me if he moved to Italy but if I had to put money on it I would go with Saudi.

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‘There’s some good players in the top-end out there and he would be playing with some good players, some very good players.’

Carragher, meanwhile, tipped Salah for a move back to Serie A and suggested he would regret joining a Saudi Pro League side this summer.

‘I could see Italy, I could see Milan or Inter,’ Carragher added. ‘I think he thinks he’s still one of the best players in the world.

‘And that’s almost retiring going over there in my eyes. I think he could do another two or three years somewhere and then go there.’

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While Liverpool failed to retain their Premier League trophy this season, Salah will hope to help the Reds salvage a poor campaign by qualifying for the Champions League.

Arne Slot’s side also have aspirations of winning the Champions League and FA Cup ahead of quarter-final ties against PSG and Manchester City.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Newly discovered fossils have given scientists their first real glimpse of when Earth made a crucial transition from plants and unrecognizably simple animals to the complex creatures that took over the world and would eventually lead to us.

And it happened millions of years earlier than researchers thought.

More than 700 fossils found in southwestern China’s Yunnan province offer a window into life from 539 million years ago, during the waning end of the Ediacaran period, a time of simple but strange animals that lived two-dimensionally in the oceans, never going up or down, researchers said.

But a study in Thursday’s journal Science said many of the fossils in this trove are remnants of more complex animals that lived three-dimensional lives, traveling up through the water and eating. Those are traits that had been thought to only spring to life at least 4 million years later in the Cambrian period, during what was called the Cambrian explosion of complex and recognizable animal life.

“This really is the first window we have into how basically the modern animal-dominated biosphere was formed and developed and came through this weird Ediacaran transitional interlude,” said co-author and paleontologist Frankie Dunn of the Museum of Natural History at Oxford University. “We go from a two-dimensional world, and within the geological blink of an eye, animals have diversified. They’re everywhere. They’re doing everything, and they’re changing biogeochemical cycles. They’ve changed the world.”

The new finds were a short distance from a United Nations Chengjiang world natural heritage site for other fossils in an exposure along a roadside that’s not glamorous, but has different layers “where you can literally walk through time, geological time, in a landscape,” Dunn said. And one of those areas provides a “snapshot” where evolution brings forces together.

Complex animals with symmetry developed

In that spot, Dunn said, the group of fossils includes both bizarre examples of life that existed in earlier periods and disappeared, along with early examples of organisms that would evolve into modern animals. What’s important in those more modern animals are that their bodies are mostly the same on the left and right.

Nearly all of the animal life on Earth now have similar features on left and right sides, as well as a head and an anus. Before the fossils discovered in China, scientists saw traces of this symmetric body type in fossil tracks, but not the critters themselves.

“Now we know what’s making them because we have those fossils for the first time,” said study co-author Ross Anderson, also of Oxford’s Museum of Natural History.

Help in settling ‘rocks versus clocks’ debate

Until now, there was a conflict in the field of paleontology. Genetic analysis of how fast traits mutated and evolved suggested that humans and starfish had their earliest common ancestor in the Ediacaran period, but the fossils or rocks weren’t there to show it happening, Dunn said. It was called a debate of “rocks versus clocks,” she said.

“What our new fossil site tells us is that actually perhaps the rocks and the clocks are in closer agreement than we thought,” Dunn said.

Emily Mitchell, a paleontologist at the University of Cambridge who wasn’t part of the research, said the new study “makes a huge amount of sense because the Ediacaran contains animals, we know there must have been a transitional stage between them and the Cambrian fauna. But until now we didn’t really have any evidence of this.”

Some outside scientists, such as Jonathan Antcliffe at the University of Lausanne, questioned whether there’s enough evidence to call these fossils of complex animals, but most experts contacted by The Associated Press felt they were.

Trying to figure out how and why

Now that scientists know when this life explosion happened, they’ve got more questions and some theories.

“I’m really interested in understanding, not just when it happened, which is interesting, but how it happened and why it happened the way that it happened,” Dunn said. “So whether there are feedbacks that we can disentangle between Earth and life or between life and life. Once you have Ediacaran on the sea floor, is it inevitable that you’ll end up with something approaching a Cambrian explosion? They’re the kinds of questions that I find really interesting.”

Life on Earth started 3 billion years ago, but it took another 2.4 billion years before complex animals developed. Then they multiplied, diversified and took over rapidly, Dunn said.

That’s probably because Earth had to build up oxygen levels high enough and evolution had to kick in with genetic changes, said University of California at Berkeley paleontologist Charles Marshall, who wasn’t part of the research.

Marshall said, “The Cambrian explosion was sudden because of the already rich developmental system that was in place.”

“What fundamentally changed across this period is the way the animals on the planet interacted with each other,” said Duncan Murdock, curator of Oxford’s museum, where many of the authors work. “Once animals turned up and started eating each other and churning up the sediment, they changed the planet forever. And the planet that we live on is very much built on the foundations from the Ediacaran and Cambrian.”

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Associated Press journalist Siobhan Starrs contributed from London.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

“It is unacceptable and it will not be tolerated”

There is “clear evidence of sexism and misogyny within the PSNI”, an independent review has found.

Rachel Langdale KC carried out the review at the request of PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher to “take a holistic and honest look at PSNI culture” to “identify opportunities for meaningful and sustainable improvement”.

Violence against women and girls has been brought to the fore in Northern Ireland as the number of women killed in the region since 2020 reached 30, with the death of Amy Doherty in Derry.

READ MORE: Investigators face triple workload amid violence against women, says PSNI chiefREAD MORE: Lack of capacity to tackle violence against women ‘cannot be ignored’ – DUP leader

Sexism within the region’s police service has also prompted fresh examination as a report last month found predatory behaviour features in 30% of the most serious cases investigated by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

Last year a former PSNI officer was arrested by police ombudsman investigators on suspicion of committing more than 10 non-recent offences, including rape and other sexual offences between 2000 and 2009 while he was a serving officer.

A summary of the Langdale Review states: “The review has identified clear evidence of sexism and misogyny within the PSNI. It is not possible for us to say how widespread this is within the organisation.

“What can be stated is that wherever it is identified, there must be absolute clarity about the manner in which it is tackled. The misconduct process is flawed and we have highlighted issues of particular concern.

“Some of the problems arise as a result of the legislative framework and cannot be remedied by the PSNI.”

Responding to the report at the policing board on Thursday, Mr Boutcher accepted the findings and recommendations of the Langdale Review in full and pledged that “clear and measurable action” will be taken.

“I commissioned this report to ensure we strengthen how we deal with domestic violence, violence against women and girls and misogyny,” he said.

“I wanted an independent look at our culture, our systems and processes, and for the report to identify meaningful and sustainable mechanisms for improvement.

“Rachel makes clear that she encountered evidence of misogyny in this police service. Let me repeat here the message I have repeatedly shared and again shared with the entire organisation in a video last week – there is no place in this organisation for any misogyny, sexism or hateful behaviour in any form towards any colleagues from anyone.

“It is unacceptable and it will not be tolerated.”

The review does credit the PSNI for its proactivity in developing and implementing a violence against women and girls strategy in 2022, when the Stormont Executive had not yet done so.

It outlines a wide range of recommendations both relating to how the PSNI deals with women who are victims of crime or gender-based violence, as well as dealing with misogyny internally.

These include calling on senior leaders across all areas of the PSNI to “foster a culture of psychological safety, enabling the prompt reporting of sexism and misogyny” and establishing “a targeted survey to identify the extent of sexism and misogyny within the PSNI, any identifiable trends over time and barriers to reporting it”.

The review also says that delays in disciplinary proceedings should be addressed “as a matter of urgency” and be pursued “irrespective of criminal proceedings”.

The PSNI is also urged to “seek powers to discipline officers post-employment” and to fast-track cases involving criminality or gross misconduct.

It is further advised to work with the Police Ombudsman to standardise abuse of position for sexual purposes and automatically refer such abuse of position cases to the ombudsman.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Mr Boylan led GMCA and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) from 2017, and TfGM from 2019, through the defining years of English devolution.

Under his leadership both GMCA and TfGM became trailblazers for devolution, unlocking new powers and responsibilities for Greater Manchester, and taking buses back under public control for the first time in 40 years.

He also steered the city region through the horror of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 and the response to the coronavirus pandemic, and oversaw the appointment of a new Chief Constable for Greater Manchester Police in 2021.

In 2023 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to local government.

He retired from GMCA in 2024, going on to serve as Interim Chief Executive of Manchester City Council and of Homes England.

Mr Boylan has been described as a dedicated public servant for more than 40 years, working across the country and taking on leading roles at local and national level.

Sue Johnson, Chief Executive of Bolton Council, said: “Eamonn Boylan was a tireless public servant who dedicated more than 40 years to improving communities and lives across Greater Manchester.

“Eamonn played a vital role in securing the devolution deals, economic growth and public transport improvements that so many in Bolton are benefiting from today.

“He was always a great champion of Bolton and will be much missed by his many friends in the town hall and across the borough.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “This is a devastating loss, and my thoughts today are with Eamonn’s family, friends, and all those who knew him.

“Eamonn was the public servant’s public servant, and a giant of English devolution. He led from the front but was rarely in the spotlight, taking every opportunity to lift up and empower those around him.

“At the most crucial moment in Greater Manchester’s devolution journey, he took the foundations laid by past leaders and built it into an effective, efficient machine that continues to deliver. The fact that we are the UK’s fastest-growing city region is a testament to his leadership.

“For the seven years we worked together he was a source of great support, guidance, good humour, and friendship. I will always count myself fortunate to have worked alongside him.”

GMCA Group Chief Executive Caroline Simpson said: “I am so deeply sorry for Eamonn’s family and loved ones, and for all of us that had the privilege of working closely with him through our careers.

“He was such an influential leader, in Greater Manchester and English devolution, and his impact cannot be overstated. But he was also an inspiration to so many people personally; a friend and a mentor whose massive intellect, humility, humour and kindness shone through every day.

“His dedication and his determination to get things done will leave a lasting legacy here. He will remain an indelible part of the fabric of our city region’s growth and success.”

There is a Book of Condolence in Manchester Central Library.

The incident happened on Saturday, March 28, on Faulkner Road. Officers confirmed they stopped a vehicle in connection with the incident and, following the stop and further enquiries, two people were arrested and later charged.

A 56-year-old woman has been charged with three counts of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and possession of a corrosive substance in a public place. She has been bailed to appear in court.

A 26-year-old man has been charged with three counts of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, possession of a corrosive substance in a public place and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place. He has been remanded in custody.

Police said the investigation remains ongoing and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

An officer said: “The affray incident on Saturday March 28 on Faulkner Road, Newton Aycliffe we can confirm that the team have stopped a vehicle in relation to the incident.

“From the stop of the vehicle and other enquiries conducted we can confirm the following outcome:

“A 56 year old female has been charged with Possession of an offensive weapon x 3 in a public place and Possession of a corrosive substance in a public place. The female has been charged and bailed to court.

“A 26 year old male has been charged with Possession of an offensive weapon x 3 in a public place, possession of a corrosive substance in a public place and threaten a person with an offensive weapon in a public place. The male has been charged and remanded for the offence.

“This is very much an ongoing investigation also so we would ask the public if there is any further information in relation to this to please come forward and report to 101 quoting incident reference DHM-28032026-0282.

“We continue to take these offences very seriously and will deal robustly with any offenders who act with any form of violence or carry weapons in a public place.”

Tiger Woods expressed astonishment as he was handcuffed after crashing his SUV last week in Florida, according to body camera footage released Thursday that also shows deputies removing two pills from the golfer’s pocket.

“I do believe your normal faculties are impaired, and you’re under an unknown substance, so at this time you’re under arrest for DUI,” Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy Tatiana Levenar told Woods after conducting a sobriety test on him.

Woods said he was looking at his phone and changing the radio station when his speeding Land Rover clipped the back of a truck and rolled onto its side on a residential road on Jupiter Island. No one was injured in the March 27 crash.

“I’m being arrested?” Woods responded as he stood alongside the road.

“Yes sir,” Levenar said.

After handcuffing Woods, authorities searched his pockets and found two white pills.

“That’s a Norco,” Woods said after an officer pulled out the pills, referring to a painkiller that contains acetaminophen and the opioid hydrocodone. Authorities would later confirm that Woods was in possession of hydrocodone.

In the bodycam footage, Woods told Levenar that he had not drunk any alcohol and that he had taken “a few” medications earlier in the day, though Woods’ words are muted in the released video as he describes some of the drugs.

“I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden — boom,” Woods told deputies as he knelt on a lawn, prior to his arrest.

Woods, 50, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to suspicion of driving under the influence. He posted a statement Tuesday night saying that he was stepping away indefinitely “to seek treatment and focus on my health.”

During a field sobriety test, deputies noticed Woods limping and that he had a compression sock over his right knee. Woods explained he had undergone seven back surgeries and over 20 surgeries on his right leg, and that his ankle seizes up while walking.

Woods, who was hiccuping during questioning, continuously moved his head during one of the sobriety tests and deputies had to tell him several times to keep his head straight, an arrest report said.

“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that Woods normal faculties were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle,” Levenar wrote.

Woods is the most influential figure in golf and has become as recognizable as any athlete in the world. The first person of Black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he has captivated golf fans with records likely never to be broken.

But his injuries have kept him from accomplishing more, including those suffered in a 2021 Los Angeles car crash that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation. He has not played an official event since the 2024 British Open. He was recovering from a seventh back surgery in October and was trying to return at the Masters, where he is a five-time champion.

Following last week’s crash, Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test, authorities said. He was arrested and released on bail eight hours later.

Under a change to Florida law last year, refusing an officer’s request to take a breath, blood or urine test became a misdemeanor, even for a first offense.

Emergency services were called to Aldam Street just after 4.45pm today (Thursday, April 2).

Air ambulance, police and ambulance attended the scene and one patient was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough by road.

Air tracking data shows that the Great North Air Ambulance also made its way to the same hospital.

A spokesperson for North East Ambulance Service said: “We were called to a road traffic incident on Aldam Street, Darlington, at 4.47pm on 2 April.

“We dispatched two double crewed ambulances, a clinical team leader and were supported by Great North Air Ambulance Service.

“One patient was taken to James Cook Hospital by road with a doctor on board.”

A spokesperson for the Great North Air Ambulance Service said: “We were activated at 16:50 on Thursday, April 2nd, to reports of a road traffic collision in Darlington.

“We had a doctor and three paramedics on board our aircraft, who, when they arrived on scene, assessed and treated the patient before the patient was transported to hospital by road.”

The Bentley was parked outside of the David Lloyd centre on Castles Farm Road in Gosforth, Newcastle when it was reportedly set alight around 8.30am on Tuesday, March 31.

Northumbria Police believe the fire was started intentionally by masked individuals.

A force spokesperson said: “It was reported that unknown masked suspects have poured accelerant on a vehicle which was parked in the car park – then set it alight.

“Emergency services attended the scene, and the fire was extinguished.

“Thankfully, nobody was injured.

“Enquiries are ongoing however the fire is being treated as suspected arson.”

A spokesperson for David Lloyd Clubs said: “We’re aware of the incident that occurred at our Newcastle club.

“We are assisting police with their investigations and are unable to comment further.”

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that two fire engines were sent to the scene.

A fire service spokesperson said: “Crews used breathing apparatus and hose reels to extinguish the blaze before leaving the scene shortly after 9am.”

Read more:

Police have appealed for information and urged the public to get in touch if they saw anything suspicious.

The spokesperson added: “Anyone with information should send us a DM on social media or use the live chat or report forms on our Force website.

“For those unable to contact us through the above ways, call 101.”

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will face disciplinary proceedings over accusations of sexual misconduct, it has been reported.

Karim Khan KC, who investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, has taken a leave of absence pending an inquiry into the allegations.

Mr Khan, accused of a non-consensual sexual interaction with a lawyer in his office, has denied any wrongdoing.

In a vote on Wednesday by a core group of member states, 15 voted in favour, two abstained and four voted against moving forward with the disciplinary process, two sources told Reuters.

The ICC, the world’s criminal court of last resort, has been rocked by the investigation into Mr Khan, its most prominent official, as well as US sanctions over the arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the former defence minister, over alleged war crimes.

A report by United Nations (UN) ‌investigators found a “factual basis” for the allegations of sexual misconduct, and that witness accounts “lend support to her claims”, the sources said.

However, a second report by three judges who analysed the UN report found the evidence insufficient to establish the truth of the allegations “beyond a reasonable doubt”, they said.

Lawyers for Mr Khan claimed in late March that the judges unanimously concluded that the “factual findings do not establish misconduct or breach of duty”.

Read more from Sky News:
Eight ‌countries ‘strongly condemn’ Israel’s new death penalty law
Alleged Bondi gunman loses bid to suppress family’s identities

A group of African states said disciplinary proceedings should end, arguing that the judges had exonerated Mr Khan.

However, other nations, including the ICC’s biggest backers, voted to continue proceedings.

Officials from the prosecutor’s office also opposed Mr Khan’s continued service as chief prosecutor in a letter read out at Wednesday’s meeting.

The prosecutor’s office has declined to comment on the development as it was an ongoing process.