The 23-year-old had been leaning against the balcony of the apartment he shared with his father to look out for a pizza delivery when the railings reportedly broke

A heartbroken mum has paid an emotional tribute to a young man from Co Derry who died after falling five floors from his apartment in central London.

Joshua Robbins, 23, who was originally from Claudy but had moved to London with his father in recent years, tragically plunged to his death at around 8.20pm on January 29.

It has been alleged that the 23-year-old fell from the fifth floor of the apartment block at Holland and Thurston Dwellings on Newton Street, in Holborn, after a “railing gave way” as he looked over a ledge to see if a pizza delivery had arrived.

Joshua’s heartbroken parents, Fiona Garrett and Will Robbins, issued a statement in the wake of the young man’s death saying that they are devastated by his loss and that they will be seeking “truth and accountability” into the alleged safety failings at the apartments.

They said: “Josh lived at Thurston Dwellings on Newton Street in London WC2. Originally from Claudy, Co Derry. Josh moved to London as a young man to seek opportunity, sharing a flat with his dad and building a future for himself.

“On the evening of Thursday, 29 January 2026, at approximately 20:37 hours, when the flat buzzer sounded, Josh assumed it was his pizza delivery. He went out of his front door onto the communal landing by the lift area to see if it was the delivery arriving.

“As he looked over the railing, it gave way. Josh fell from a height of five floors and died on impact.

“Josh’s father Will witnessed the immediate aftermath of his son’s fall, something no parent should ever have to see. He is deeply traumatised by what he witnessed.

“This is not an allegation or speculation. The railing gave way. Our son did not climb it or behave recklessly. A safety barrier that was meant to prevent a fall gave way, with catastrophic consequences.

“Josh was a happy, go-lucky young man who loved life. He loved playing games online with friends and staying connected to people, wherever he was. Growing up in Claudy, Josh loved the craic at the GAA pitch. He didn’t play for a team, but that never stopped him being the best supporter.

“He had a smile that lit up every room and was widely described as kind, funny, and full of charisma, with impeccable manners and an ease with people that made him instantly likeable.

“Josh’s favourite quote was: ‘Every day is precious, just like you.’

“Our family is absolutely devastated. We have lost our son. We should not be planning a cremation. We should not be waiting for pathology reports. We should not be writing statements like this or trying to navigate trauma and bureaucracy at the same time.

“Yet here we are. We are seeking answers not only for Josh, but so that no other family ever has to endure this pain. Not one more.”

Fiona shared a fresh tribute to her son on Friday as she and Joshua’s dad prepared to ‘lay our beautiful boy to rest’.

“My son. My heart. My forever child. Twenty-three years was never enough. Not for his kindness, his gentle soul, his quiet goodness. I don’t know how a world keeps turning when yours stops. I carry you with me always, Josh,” Fiona wrote Fiona in a message shared on Twitter / X ahead of her son’s cremation.

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Fiona has launched a GoFundMe in a bid to raise money to help secure legal representation for the family as they seek answers into Joshua’s death.

“Josh was deeply loved. He was gentle, kind, and quietly thoughtful – the sort of young man who made people feel valued in his company. He had plans and hopes for the future. Our lives have been irrevocably changed by his death,” Fiona said in a message shared on the fundraising page.

“Securing appropriate legal representation and independent expert input is essential to ensure that Josh’s death is fully and properly examined, and that our family’s interests are represented.

“These steps carry costs that are frequently beyond the reach of bereaved families. This fundraiser has been created to help us meet those necessary costs and to manage the financial impact Josh’s death has had on us as his parents.”

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Today, we look at the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by US-Israeli attacks on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump released a statement late in the evening saying he was targeted via intelligence and tracking systems.

International editor Jeremy Bowen joins Laura and Paddy to discuss how it happened, what it means for the future of Iran and the region, and how the rest of the world is reacting.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you’re in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC.

The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell-Davies. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The weekend series producer is Chris Flynn. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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MP for Scarborough and Whitby, Alison Hume, is urging those who have family or loved ones currently abroad in the Middle East to contact her team for support.

It comes after British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Emirates cancelled flights to the region, with all flights in and out of Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airport in Dubai now suspended.

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It follows news that Iran, which was struck by the United States and Israel yesterday (Saturday, February 28), launched retaliatory attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The government said it is reaching out to UK nationals in the region to help support them.

The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said in a statement: “I know the British people and communities across our country will be deeply concerned about what this means for security and stability and for the fate of innocent people across the region – which for so many of us includes friends and family members.

“Our forces are active and British planes are in the sky today as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests, and our allies – as Britain has done before, in line with international law.”

He added that the government had increased protections for British bases in the Middle East to the “highest level”.

Ms Hume offered advice to those wanting to get back home, adding: “Eighteen-thousand flights worldwide are currently affected.

“If you have British family or loved ones currently abroad in the Middle East and are concerned about them, please get in touch with me by emailing alison.hume.mp@parliament.uk or telephoning 01723 679333 and my team will provide support.

“For the most up-to-date information, residents should consult Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice for the following countries:

 • Bahrain: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bahrain

 • Kuwait: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kuwait

 • Qatar: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/qatar

 • United Arab Emirates: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/united-arab-emirates

“Please share this information with anyone who may find it helpful.”

Sweat rarely smells on its own. Body odour develops when bacteria on the skin break down compounds in sweat and release volatile chemicals that evaporate into the air.

This interaction between sweat and microbes explains why some areas of the body smell more strongly than others, why odour varies between people and how deodorants and antiperspirants reduce it.

Sweat is a clear, salty liquid produced by glands across almost the entire surface of the skin. Its production is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which regulates automatic bodily functions such as temperature and heart rate. The main function of sweat is cooling. When body temperature rises during exercise, stress or hot weather, sweat evaporates from the skin and carries heat away.

There are three main types of sweat gland, each producing slightly different fluids. Eccrine glands sit across most of the body and release a thin, watery sweat made mostly of water and salt. Apocrine glands, found mainly in the armpits and groin, produce a thicker fluid that contains fats, proteins and sugars. Apoeccrine glands, also concentrated in the armpits, produce sweat that is more similar to the watery type but in larger amounts.

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Odour develops when bacteria on the skin break down the substances in sweat. The skin naturally hosts many kinds of bacteria. Groups with names such as Corynebacteriaceae, Staphylococcaceae and Propionibacteriaceae are commonly involved. As they feed on sweat, they break its ingredients into smaller chemicals that evaporate easily and reach the nose, creating smell.

Different bacteria produce different scents. Staphylococcus hominis, commonly found in the armpits, creates chemicals that smell similar to onions. Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus epidermidis break down a building block of proteins called leucine into isovaleric acid, a compound produced when bacteria break down sweat that has a strong, cheese-like smell.

Some Corynebacterium species produce compounds often described as goat-like. These smell-producing chemicals can stick to clothing, which absorbs both sweat and bacteria, allowing odours to linger. Research confirms that specific bacteria are linked to characteristic odours.

Armpits and feet tend to smell more strongly because they combine dense sweat glands with warmth and moisture, creating favourable conditions for bacterial growth.

Washing removes sweat and reduces bacterial numbers, helping to limit odour. Changing clothes after heavy sweating is also important, as fabrics can trap sweat and microbes. Regular bathing and clean clothing reduce the build-up of odour-causing compounds.

Some people sweat excessively without heat or exercise. This condition, known as hyperhidrosis, affects around 2% of the population and often requires medical treatment rather than improved hygiene alone. Treatment options include prescription-strength antiperspirants, medications that reduce nerve signals to sweat glands, botulinum toxin injections, and iontophoresis, a treatment that uses a mild electrical current passed through water to temporarily reduce activity in sweat glands. In severe cases, surgery may be considered.

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Deodorants and antiperspirants tackle odour in different ways. Deodorants mainly target bacteria, using antimicrobial ingredients to slow their growth and fragrances to mask residual smells. Some plant-based products contain substances such as tea tree oil, potassium alum or pentagalloyl glucose, which also have antimicrobial effects.

Antiperspirants reduce the amount of sweat reaching the skin. Aluminium salts, such as aluminium chlorohydrate, form temporary plugs in eccrine sweat gland openings, limiting moisture and reducing the resources bacteria need to produce odour. Many products combine both approaches.

Body odour varies between people and can be influenced by genetics, age, diet, stress and health conditions. Food and drink can also play a role. Compounds from garlic, onions and some spices can circulate in the bloodstream and be released through sweat, altering its smell. Alcohol is partly excreted through breath and skin and can increase sweating, giving bacteria more material to break down.

Medications can affect body odour in similar ways. Some increase sweating, while others alter metabolism or change the balance of bacteria on the skin. Antibiotics, for example, can shift microbial communities, and certain antidepressants and diabetes medications may increase perspiration. These changes are usually temporary.

Men generally have larger sweat glands and tend to produce more sweat, which can support larger bacterial populations and higher levels of volatile fatty acids such as isovaleric acid, a compound produced when bacteria break down sweat that has a strong, cheese-like smell.

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Occasionally, changes in body odour signal an underlying condition. Trimethylaminuria is a rare inherited disorder in which the body cannot properly break down trimethylamine, resulting in a strong fish-like smell. There is no cure, but symptoms can often be managed through diet, specialised soaps, antibiotics that reduce certain gut bacteria and supplements that can help limit production of the chemical.

Other medical conditions can also alter body odour. Uncontrolled diabetes can produce a sweet or fruity smell on the breath, liver disease can cause a musty odour, and advanced kidney disease may lead to a urine-like smell. Certain infections and metabolic disorders can also change how the body smells.

For example, researchers have investigated whether analysing volatile chemicals released from the body could help detect infections such as malaria. One study examined whether odour profiles might assist diagnosis through chemical signatures in breath and skin emissions.

Sweat remains essential for regulating body temperature. It does not meaningfully remove toxins, despite common claims. Detoxification is carried out primarily by the liver and kidneys. This means you cannot “sweat off” a hangover or “sweat out” a cold. Alcohol is broken down by the liver, and viral infections are cleared by the immune system, not through sweat.

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However, prolonged sweating during intense exercise or hot weather can lead to fluid and electrolyte loss. To prevent dehydration, it is important to drink enough fluids, and during sustained exertion drinks containing electrolytes may help replace what has been lost.

Body odour is not simply a matter of cleanliness. It reflects the complex interaction between sweat glands, skin bacteria, clothing, diet, medication and individual biology. For most people it is manageable and normal. In some cases, persistent or unusual changes in smell may warrant medical advice.

Strange Health is hosted by Katie Edwards and Dan Baumgardt. The executive producer is Gemma Ware, with video and sound editing for this episode by Anouk Millet. Artwork by Alice Mason.

In this episode, Dan and Katie talk about a social media clip via YouTube from Alexandrasgirly.

Listen to Strange Health via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript is available via the Apple Podcasts or Spotify apps.

SOLDEU, Andorra (AP) — Sofia Goggia won her second super-G of the season Sunday and regained a commanding lead in the race to the World Cup discipline title.

The Olympic downhill bronze medallist extended her advantage in the super-G standings to 84 points over Alice Robinson of New Zealand and 116 over Emma Aicher of Germany in third, with two events left.

A race win is worth 100 points.

“I’m still not thinking about it,” said Goggia, who bounced back in impressive style, a day after the Italian had her lead reduced to just 20 points following a sixth-place finish in another super-G.

“I’m really thinking day by day, race by race. It was a solid run today, I got back the points I lost yesterday,” she added.

With a trademark gutsy run, Goggia beat Saturday’s winner Aicher by 0.24 seconds and third-placed Kajsa Vickhoff Lie of Norway by 0.31.

Robinson finished 0.94 seconds behind in seventh.

“It was a really similar race to yesterday. But we decided to adopt a different strategy to get into the central pitch, and it paid off,” Goggia said.

Goggia and Robinson set up their duel for the super-G title early in the season when they won the first two races, but neither added another win until the Italian’s victory Sunday.

Goggia now has nine career wins in super-G but is chasing her first season title in the discipline, having won the crystal globe in downhill four times, most recently in 2023.

“I still haven’t won in downhill yet (this season), and this is maybe a bit strange for everyone, because I have been doing so many podiums in downhill in my career,” said Goggia, who was the 2018 Olympic downhill champion.

“I have a really solid feeling with the super-G, so I’m happy with it. Now it’s important to stay really focused for the next ones in which we play for everything.”

Olympic super-G champion Federica Brignone came nearly a second behind her Italian teammate in eighth, improving from her 15th-place finish in Saturday’s race when she was more than two seconds off the pace.

Brignone returned from a broken left leg just before the Milan Cortina Games and then won gold in super-G and giant slalom.

Mary Bocock earned her career-best result leading the U.S. ski team in 11th, one position ahead of her teammate Keely Cashman.

Olympic downhill champion Breezy Johnson was nearly three seconds off the pace in 30th.

Aicher’s seventh podium result of the season saw the German close in on second-ranked Camille Rast in the overall standings. The Swiss skier has 963 points while Aicher is on 914.

Mikaela Shiffrin leads with 1,133 points as the American aims for her sixth overall title. She hasn’t competed in speed races this season except for one super-G start last December.

Shiffrin is expected back in action for a GS and slalom in Sweden on March 14-15.

The World Cup continues with two downhills and a super-G in Italy next weekend.

___

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

The library, one of many Carnegie Libraries built around the country with funding from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in the early 20th century, officially opened on March 24, 1906.

The anniversary celebrations will take place across two days, Saturday, March 21 and Tuesday, March 24

On the Saturday the library will host a special day of crafts, story time, music, and trails to commemorate 120 years of memories.

To help mark the occasion, Westhoughton Local History Group (WLHG) is supporting Bolton Library and Museum Services with an exhibition and talks focused on the library’s history, local dialects, and community stories.

The history group has also rediscovered a long-lost ceremonial golden key that was given to George Grundy – chairman of the Westhoughton Urban District Council (UDC) – when he opened the Westhoughton Carnegie Library on 24 March 1906.

WLHG has returned the key to the library, where it will go on permanent display in the museum space on the upper floor of the building to help mark the 120-year commemorations.

The group will present a talk on the history of the library on Saturday 21 March and on Tuesday 24 March.

Ahead of this, they are also inviting members of the public who hold historical items connected to the library to come forward to contribute to the celebratory exhibition.

After completing the busiest year in its history, the group marked its own 20th anniversary throughout 2025 and has already begun work on several exciting projects for the year ahead, including Westhoughton Library’s 120th anniversary.

WLHG Chairman, David Kaye, said: “We were delighted when, in late 2025, following informal discussions with Bolton Library and Museum Services about this significant milestone, we were invited to join a working party of colleagues based both at Central Library in Le Mans Crescent and here in Westhoughton.

“WLHG will be supporting the team in staging an exhibition charting the compelling story of Westhoughton Library, which began development in the same month as Rolls-Royce.

“Not only is this a privilege, but also a welcome opportunity to demonstrate our thanks to the local Library Service, which has provided WLHG — and two predecessor heritage groups dating back to the 1980s — with a warm and supportive home.”

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Culture, Cllr Nadeem Ayub, said: “Westhoughton Library has been at the heart of the community for more than a century, and this anniversary is a chance to celebrate everything it continues to offer local residents.

“It is wonderful to see Westhoughton Local History Group working alongside our library and museum teams to bring the story of this much loved building to life.

“I would encourage anyone with memories or materials relating to the library to get involved and help preserve its history for future generations.”

Further details of the exhibition and the programme of commemorative events will be announced soon.

In the meantime, WLHG is appealing to readers for the donation or loan of any relevant material — including photographs, press cuttings, artefacts, personal memories or anecdotes — for potential inclusion in the exhibition.

Westhoughton Library is one of more than 3,000 public libraries built across the English speaking world thanks, wholly or partly, to the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie.

: Westhoughton Library Ceremonial Golden Key ©? Bolton Council

Often compared to today’s leading innovators, Carnegie was a Scottish born immigrant who became one of America’s wealthiest industrialists through his steel, coal and rail enterprises.

Bolton Library and Museum Services currently operate nine district branch libraries, with Westhoughton being one of the busiest.

Westhoughton Library © Lancashire Online Parish Clerks

The branch hosts a wide range of community groups and activities and serves as the base for the town’s heritage activities and historic collections.

Anyone able to support the WLHG appeal to contribute to the exhibition is invited to get in touch by emailing howfenhistory@gmail.com or calling 07970 131460.

Westhoughton Local History Group is a volunteer-led organisation dedicated to researching, preserving and sharing the rich heritage of Westhoughton and its surrounding districts. The group works closely with Bolton Council’s Library and Museum Services and the wider community to deliver talks, exhibitions, publications and archival projects that celebrate the town’s unique past.

The Burleigh Arms certainly lived up to its many accolades.

Escaping from your daily life and finding some peace and quiet can be quite hard if you live in a city. Cambridge might look quaint and historic to outsiders but those living in the city know how busy it can get with streets clogged with tourists and roads often gridlocked.

One of the last places you would probably go to to enjoy some relaxation is Newmarket Road. But the Burleigh Arms, an award-winning pub, is the perfect pub for indulging in great food and taking a moment for yourself.

Last year, the Burleigh Arms was awarded with two AA Rosettes. It was also recently named in the Estrella Damm’s top 100 list of the best gastropubs in the UK. I headed down to the pub to test out some of its dishes and see if it is worth its many titles.

You shouldn’t be put off by the roadworks currently in the area, since as soon as I walked into the Burleigh Arms, I completely forgot about the noise from outside. The pub has a very relaxed atmosphere with an old fashioned bar and wooden tables and chairs.

As it was a very sunny day for February, I decided to sit in the garden, which had a few benches placed under a marquee. The garden was so quiet that you couldn’t even hear the traffic on the road outside, which allowed me to fully switch off from daily life.

The lunch menu at the Burleigh Arms has a couple of choices for each course. For my starter, I chose the sweet potato tempura, which cost £9.50.

The dishes was perfectly presented and came topped with a cashew butter and chipotle ketchup. The sweet potato was soft and creamy on the inside and was covered by a crispy and lightly salted batter.

The sweet potato was complemented well by the two condiments beautifully piped on top. The dish also had a sprinkling of chopped cashews that helped give the meal a nice crunchy finish to contrast the softness of the potato.

I picked the Burleigh burger as my main, which cost £18. The burger came out smothered in cheese that had been melted over the patty.

The patty had also been topped with lettuce, a bacon jam, and the house pickles, all of which were sandwiched between a light brioche bun. The burger was incredibly juicy and well seasoned with all of the flavours and toppings working well together.

The bacon jam had tiny chunks of crumbly bacon that perfectly matched saltiness of the beef patty. The thinly sliced pickles had a sharp sour taste that cut through the juiciness of the burger without overpowering the other flavours.

The cup of fries on the side were boiling hot and thick cut. They were incredibly crispy but light and fluffy on the inside and would definitely help to soak up any drinks you might have with your meal.

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When paired with the relaxing sunny pub garden or even instead next to the bar, the meal was definitely a treat that helped take me away from the stresses of life. If you are looking to spend a little extra on a meal in Cambridge and want somewhere peaceful to enjoy it, you should try the Burleigh Arms.

The Burleigh Arms can be found at 9 Newmarket Road. The gastropub is open from 12pm to 11pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays and from 12pm to 7pm on Sundays.

All of our food reviews are paid for by the writer. The establishments do not know we will be reviewing their food, allowing us to make fair judgements on each place.

Speaking on Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme, Mr Healey said Iranian missiles and drones had landed within “a few hundred yards” of some 300 British troops at a base in Bahrain, while two missiles had been fired in the direction of Cyprus, where thousands of UK personnel are based.

Some buildings leave such an impression when you visit them that they can be forever summoned to the mind’s eye. For us, these include the soaring dome of St Paul’s cathedral in London, the Georgian grandeur of Royal Crescent in Bath, and the ascending towers and pinnacles of King’s College Chapel in Cambridge.

As psychologists with a particular focus on wellbeing, we are fascinated by the feelings these buildings instil in us – a sense of being grounded, of momentary stillness, even of awe.

But while the effects of experiencing beautiful surroundings on people’s wellbeing has been extensively researched, these studies have mainly focused on natural landscapes and settings.

We wanted to understand how people value different urban settings – and which types of building they view most positively. In England, 83 out of every 100 people now live in towns and cities, so variations in these urban landscapes can hold important consequences for wellbeing.

Our study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, found a particularly powerful effect when people viewed older buildings, particularly those classified as being of special historic or architectural interest. Indeed, we found these listed buildings are comparable with forests and lakes in terms of how people rated their scenic quality.

How we tested urban scenicness

Our study combined two large datasets – the first from Scenic-Or-Not, a website where people rate the scenicness of photographs taken throughout Britain on a scale from 1 (“not scenic”) to 10 (“very scenic”). For our analysis, we used only photographs taken within English urban areas, giving us 28,547 ratings of 3,843 images.

We combined this with Historic England’s dataset of more than 370,000 listed buildings throughout England and Wales, plus their grade – I (of exceptional interest), II* (particularly important) or II (special interest) – and the century in which the building was constructed.

This enabled us to compare the ratings of views with and without listed buildings, and to explore other questions such as how the grade or century of construction influences the scenicness rating. Sometimes these buildings featured prominently in the photographs, other times only marginally – we counted them all the same.

We also used Google’s Vision AI tool to detect other features in photographs that might influence scenicness. This allowed us to rule out the possibility that photographs containing historic buildings were judged more scenic because they also tended to contain trees, for example.

In our study, the average scenicness of English urban areas was 2.43 out of 10 – significantly lower than how people rate the scenicness of natural environments. In another study that used the same platform to rate British rural scenes, these averaged 4.16.

But we also found that when a listed building was present in the photograph, this score was on average 0.61 points higher – a 25% increase. As shown in this table, this “historic building effect” was comparable to that of forests and lakes.

Impact of different features on scenicness rating:

Photographs in which the most prominent listed building was either grade I or grade II* listed were perceived more scenic than those featuring slightly less historically or architecturally significant (grade II) buildings. Images featuring buildings constructed in earlier centuries were also judged more scenic.

What makes historic buildings so valued?

The scenic quality of urban areas has previously been linked with variations in happiness and health. Our study shows old buildings in particular make important contributions to urban scenicness. This suggests that historic buildings may be worth preserving not only for their architectural significance but for their effect on people’s wellbeing.

But it also raises the question of whether the sheer age of these buildings makes them so impactful – or is it also the nature of their design?

Experts in architecture have speculated on the reasons old buildings continue to be valued so highly. For example, the apparent timeless popularity of certain historic styles, such as the symmetry of Georgian architecture in Bath’s Royal Crescent, has been contrasted with modern architecture that disregards or rejects traditional proportional guidelines.

But there are also psychological reasons why many people value historic buildings so much. These might include their reassuring sense of permanence; their weathered and imperfect nature; the stories of past lives they hold; or their ability to conjure feelings of nostalgia within us.

We hope to learn more about why people feel so strongly about historic buildings, and the effects such buildings can have on their wellbeing, in our future research. In the meantime, please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.