Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and North West Ambulance Service have reportedly been in attendance since around 11pm last night, with specialist negotiators understood to be involved.

The incident is centred around the multi-storey car park at the junction of Rochdale Road and Derby Way.

A spokesperson for GMFRS said: “At around 10.55pm last night ( 26 May), fire crews were called to the rescue of a person at The Rock in Bury.

“Two fire engines from Bury and Whitefield stations alongside the aerial ladder platform from Bolton Central, the hydraulic platform from Manchester Central and the Technical Response Unit from Leigh quickly attended the scene.

“Working alongside Greater Manchester Police and North West Ambulance Service, firefighters implemented appropriate safety measures and remained on standby while the incident was managed by partner agencies. Crews remain in attendance.”

The incident comes just days after emergency services were called to a separate welfare concern at the same car park earlier this month on May 23 and May 19.

Emergency services at the scene earlier this month (Image: Dan Dougherty)

As of around 9:45pm on Wednesday evening, emergency services were still at the scene with a small cordon in place around part of the car park area.

Witnesses reported seeing multiple police vehicles, fire engines and ambulances parked along Rochdale Road throughout the day.

One eyewitness said: “Fire appliances are still here and the rest of the emergency services. They have cordoned off the rear of the car park.”

Incident commanders were involved (Image: Phil Taylor)

Another witness confirmed an individual remained on the top floor of the car park during the incident.

A GMP spokesperson earlier confirmed officers were “dealing with a welfare incident there today”, although police have not yet confirmed whether the situation has been resolved.

Despite the large emergency service presence, no roads were closed and traffic in the area remained only moderately affected throughout the day.

Taking place at Bents Park on Sunday, August 2, the concert will be headlined by DJ Judge Jules, who will deliver a high-energy set of dance classics supported by a live band and singers.

The line-up also includes electronic music duo Phats and Small, known for their infectious dance anthems, and UK garage act Sweet Female Attitude.

Councillor Stan Wildhirt, Mayor of South Tyneside, said: “The addition of two fantastic acts means this is shaping up to be a truly standout finale to the Sunday Concerts.

“Phats and Small are a huge crowd favourite and bring a brilliant party atmosphere, while we’re delighted to welcome Sweet Female Attitude to the festival for the first time.

(Image: South Tyneside Council)

“With Judge Jules headlining, it promises to be an amazing afternoon, packed with feel-good favourites that audiences of all ages can enjoy.”

Ultrabeat and yet-to-be-announced local performers will also take to the stage, rounding off the festival’s signature concert series.

The Sunday Concert series begins on July 19 with a hometown performance by Joe McElderry, supported by singer Sonia and local artists Shelley Stevens and Channy.

The following week, on July 26, 1980s icons ABC will perform some of their biggest hits, including The Look of Love, Poison Arrow, and When Smokey Sings.

Chesney Hawkes, best known for his 90s hit The One and Only, will also perform, alongside Nuromantica, who will bring a selection of synth-pop favourites from the era.

Chesney Hawkes (Image: South Tyneside Council)

This year’s concerts are fully ticketed, with pricing aimed at keeping the events accessible to all.

General admission tickets purchased in person cost £5 for those aged 17 to 65, while tickets are £2 for those aged 11 to 16 or 66 and over.

Entry is free for children aged ten and under.

Tickets can be purchased from visitsouthtyneside.co.uk and will be emailed for scanning on entry.

“For generations this iconic family business has been part of the fabric of our town”

A Ballymena institution is preparing to serve up its final scoops this weekend.

McGroggan’s on William Street is one of the Co Antrim town’s most popular family-run businesses – with their vanilla ice-cream with special raspberry sauce having been a family favourite in many a local home.

Last weekend, the 103-year-old ice cream shop announced that it would be shutting its doors on Saturday, May 30 and thanked the town for its custom for over a century.

Founded by Hugh and Annie McGroggan in 1922, their traditional homemade ice cream has won countless awards in its long history in Ballymena town centre.

Taking to social media, the McGroggan family said: “After a remarkable 103-year journey, it is with a heavy heart that we announce McGroggan’s will be closing its doors on May 30th, 2026.

“Our family is immensely grateful for the incredible community that has supported us.

“Thank you to all of our wonderful customers for your loyalty, memories, and support throughout the years”.

After news broke of the closure, many locals have made they journey to William Street to have a final cone that McGroggans ran out of ice cream.

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Announcing a preorder system, they said: “Folks it has been so busy since we announced our closure we are running out of Ice cream,

“We’re making more as fast as we can, but we can’t quite keep up with your amazing demand. Thanks for keeping us so busy!”

North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows said he was “saddened” to hear the news of McGroggan’s closure.

He said: “For generations this iconic family business has been part of the fabric of our town creating memories for local families, visitors and children enjoying what many would call ‘the best ice cream in the country.’ “Its closure is not just the loss of a shop. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and our communities, yet too many are under relentless pressure from rising costs, online competition, rates burdens and declining footfall.”

“Our high streets matter. They are about more than commerce -they are about community, identity and pride of place,” he continued. “Thank you to everyone at McGroggan’s for the memories, the service and the contribution you made to Ballymena over so many years.”

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Two days before registered Republicans voted in the party’s primary election in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District on May 20, Donald Trump called the incumbent representative, Thomas Massie, “the worst Republican congressman in history”.

Massie subsequently lost the primary to a political newcomer with no prior office-holding experience. Ed Gallrein’s not-so-secret weapon was that he had the backing of the US president.

Just over a week later, Texas voters were asked to decide whether 22-year Senate veteran John Cornyn should be ousted in favour of the state’s attorney-general, Ken Paxton – who was also endorsed by Trump. Despite all the baggage Paxton carried into the race: an indictment for fraud (charges were later dropped) and an impeachment for bribery, which he denied before being acquitted in the state senate. He has also gone through an acrimonious divorce accompanied by accusations of adultery (which he has also denied), Paxton won the May 26 primary handsomely with more than 60% of the vote.

Trump has long threatened to “primary” – back a rival candidate in the upcoming primary election – Republicans who displease him in some way. But with the midterm elections looming in November, we’re seeing this put into practice. And it’s making the conservative “old Republican” wing of his party very nervous.

America’s high-profile November elections involve straightforward contests between the nominees of the main parties. But before a candidate can represent their party, they must first win an internal election. These primaries are open to registered party voters (and, in some states, independents)

American political parties have no centralised power to simply appoint or protect their candidates. The process is genuinely competitive and, as the current cycle is demonstrating, potentially dangerous for incumbents.

For the president to mount a primary challenge is to use a particularly powerful weapon in American political life – it can end a career without the opposing party winning a single vote. On one level, the 2026 GOP primaries are rolling out in the usual manner. However, who is orchestrating them, and why, is worthy of note.

According to the Brookings Institute, Thomas Massie drew Trump’s ire not for any ideological deviation from the GOP line, but for opposing a short-term funding bill and for joining a Democrat in calling for the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files.

The Texas case has a similar logic. Prior to his decades in the Senate, John Cornyn served as Texas attorney general and sat on the Texas Supreme Court. He is a stalwart conservative by any conventional measure. However, he was associated with a bipartisan gun safety bill in 2022, and he has at times been willing to work across the aisle. His challenger, Ken Paxton, is a Maga true believer who survived a bipartisan impeachment attempt in the Texas senate, largely on the strength of Trump’s support.

The pattern extends well beyond these two cases. In one state alone, Trump endorsed challengers to eight GOP state senators who had voted against a redistricting bill, with his allies spending millions in an effort to remove them. The message is clear: vote against the president’s wishes, and he will come for your seat.

Electoral gamble

This strategy is inevitably unnerving for the more traditional wing of the Republican Party. Democrats are confident, and Republicans concerned, that a Paxton nomination in Texas will make it harder for Republicans to hold the seat in November. The Democratic nominee, state representative James Talarico, raised a staggering US$27 million (£21 million) in the first three months of the year alone.

There is some Trumpian precedent for all of this. In 2017, the 45th president endorsed Luther Strange in an Alabama senate primary. Strange lost to Roy Moore, who then lost the general election to Democrat candidate Doug Jones. The lesson that a rock-solid Republican seat can be lost was clear, although apparently unlearned.

Republicans are defending slim majorities in both the House and Senate in 2026. They can afford few losses. Replacing electable incumbents with ideologically pure but extreme and therefore electorally risky challengers, is a strategy that appears to prioritise control over the party above control of Congress.

The effect on Capitol Hill

Even where Trump’s candidates win, the consequences may be destabilising. Some Republicans have acknowledged that Trump’s aggressive involvement in primaries could create complications, not least for members who are no longer worried about reelection. Senators in their final term, for example, might be emboldened to act independently knowing there is no electoral sword hanging over them.

But the more immediate effect is silence. Had Massie or Cornyn survived their primary challenge, more members of Congress might have been willing to vote against Trump’s interests. Their defeat sends the reverse signal. When a solid incumbent with a strong conservative record can be unseated for insufficient loyalty, other Republicans in Congress will be watching and calculating.

This is how party discipline can slide into something more troubling. It is one thing for a party leader to want to manage unwieldy factions but enforcing one’s authority via electoral intimidation is another matter.

What is being challenged in these primaries are the remnants of what the Republican Party once was. This included a coalition of business conservatives, foreign policy hawks, libertarian-leaning figures and traditional social conservatives. Massie represented one strand of that tradition. Cornyn represented another. They have now been treated as enemies of the Maga agenda.

Historically, US election scholarship has suggested there may be a tendency in primaries to swing towards the party’s base, and then back in the direction of the median voter for the general election. In this new incarnation of the GOP, the pendulum appears stuck to the right.

During primary season, this may be an attractive Maga trait. But come November, not every GOP voter may cast their ballot for a cult of loyalty.

Police Scotland have now confirmed they will support the event.

The annual Edinburgh Taxi Outing for sick children looks set to go ahead after police agreed support for the event.

On Monday, it was announced that the outing had been “reluctantly” cancelled after organisers said a policy change left police officers unable to escort the cabs.

The annual event, organised and funded by taxi drivers, gives children with special needs, life-limiting conditions and terminal illnesses a day out where they are driven around the city in colourfully decorated taxis.

It was due to be held for the 78th time on June 9, but outing committee secretary Keith Bell had said that organisers had “no option” but to cancel.

However, a statement by Police Scotland on Wednesday appears to confirm that the outing can go ahead as planned.

Superintendent Neil Wilson said: “Our focus throughout has been to support the Edinburgh Taxi Outing as we have done for many years.

“We have held constructive discussions today with the event organiser and have agreed an outline plan which allows the event to run safely on its original route.

“Further discussions will take place in the coming days to finalise the police operation to support the event and ensure the children enjoy their day.”

Mr Bell previously said that a policy change meant officers would no longer escort such events through the streets of Edinburgh and East Lothian and that the taxi outing did not meet the new criteria for a police escort.

He had raised concerns about proposals for static support at key places, saying the children involved in the outing had “a variety of needs and some will not manage to cope with sitting stationary for who knows how long waiting for the taxis at the back to catch up”.

A final decision is expected to be confirmed during a meeting between the police, taxi drivers and the City of Edinburgh Council on Thursday.

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Plans to put up a pergola in the outdoor seating area of the Dark Horse Espresso Bar have been approved by City of York Council.

The business stated the plans would see it remain in keeping with the vibrant café culture of Bishopthorpe Road while also enhancing the area.

Council planning officers stated the changes would preserve the character and appearance of the street scene and there would be no additional impact on nearby households.

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The approved plans are set to see louvered pergola would be mounted on an outside wall and positioned above the outdoor seating area at the front of the building.

It would replace an existing umbrella which has struggled to stay up during strong winds while also providing shelter.

The pergola will be finished in dark grey metal to match the colour scheme of the outside of the building.

Plans stated the scale of the pergola was modest and it would not dominate the front of the building.

The existing outdoor area of the Dark Horse Espresso Bar (Image: Supplied)

The application stated: “Bishopthorpe Road is a well-established and
vibrant mixed-use high street, characterised by a variety of independent shops, cafés, and small commercial premises at ground floor level, with residential accommodation typically located above a few properties seen on the street.

“The street is widely recognised for its strong local identity and active frontage, contributing to a lively and well-used public realm.

“The proposal represents a modest and functional addition that supports the existing commercial use, enhances the quality of the outdoor seating provision, and responds appropriately to the character and activity of Bishopthorpe Road.

“The proposed pergola will provide shelter over the existing outdoor seating area, enhancing the usability and functionality of the space while respecting the active frontage and vibrant café culture of Bishopthorpe Road.”

Mark Edwards, originally from Australia, and his York-born wife Laura received planning permission to convert the former kitchen showroom at 147, Bishopthorpe Road into a café in 2023.

They have run the Dark Horse Espresso Bar in Shambles Market since 2018.

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A temporary traffic regulation order has been issued for this Thursday (May 28) on Marine Road East from its junction with Broadway to its junction with Lord Street, from 6am to noon.

From noon until 6pm, the closure will move along Marine Road East between Lord Street and Northumberland Street.

A further order will affect several nearby side streets – Skipton Street, Back Crescent Street, Graham Street, Derby Street, Tunstall Street and Anderton Street – between 6pm and 8pm the same day, temporarily prohibiting any motor vehicle, cycle or pedestrian (except for filming staff and participants) from using those roads.

Traffic signs on Marine Road state that residents’ access and businesses will be open as usual.

In a notice issued by Lancashire County Council, the authority said: “The police, fire and ambulance services have been informed and emergency access will be maintained at all times.

“The temporary prohibitions are necessary to enable the filming of the television series The Bay.

“The prohibitions will only be operative when indicated on site by the presence of the appropriate traffic signs in accordance with The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016.

“Diversions will be signed locally.”

A separate residents’ letter, seen by the Lancashire Telegraph, explains that the beginning of the filming day will be on Marine Road Central and Marine Road East, with an “action vehicle” driving away from Morecambe starting at the roundabout outside Buzz Bingo and down to Broadway, with “several goes” running the same sequence using different camera set‑ups.

The next stage of filming will take place on Marine Road Central between Northumberland Road and the Buzz Bingo roundabout, with two action vehicles driving along the front and then turning down Skipton Street and behind onto Back Crescent Street.

Derby Street and Graham Street will also be closed “to maintain maximum safety”, with residents told that foot access to their homes will be maintained throughout.

Another traffic regulation order will prevent traffic and pedestrians from using the Coastal Road from the entrance to Cheyette Fitness to the junction with Elm Grove from 9am to 3pm on Thursday, June 11.

The cast and crew of the Morecambe‑based show, which stars Marsha Thomason as DS Jenn Townsend and Daniel Ryan as DI Tony Manning, recently returned to the town to shoot scenes for its sixth series.

The South Belfast park is popular for water sports

A new piece of infrastructure has been approved for the popular Shaw’s Bridge area in South Belfast, to replace an important water sports access point in the park.

Belfast City Council has approved an application by the Stormont Department for Infrastructure for the installation of a new floating pontoon to replace the existing wooden jetty.

It will be at the river bank approximately 150 metres north east of the Shaws Bridge Car Park, BT9. The pontoon will be at an important access point for water sports at Clement Wilson Park.

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The fundamental difference between a jetty and a pontoon is that a pontoon floats and rises and falls with the tide or water level, while a jetty is a rigid structure built on fixed pilings that remains at a constant height regardless of the water level.

The existing wooden jetty at Shaw’s Bridge was closed due to its poor condition. The new infrastructure will take the form of a modular floating pontoon system, secured by two steel locating piles, and connected to the shore via a hinged access gangway and walkway with handrails. Concrete plinths will be installed at the existing ground level on the bank.

Clement Wilson Park is a designated site of local conservation importance. It is an area of parkland and walking trails within the wider designated Lagan Valley Regional Park and Lagan Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, owned by Belfast City Council.

The river Lagan runs through the parkland with a number of community greenways accessible nearby. The site is accessed from the Malone Road.

There were no objections from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency or Department for Infrastructure Rivers. No third representations were received by the council.

The council officer states in the Planning report on the application: “The proposal retains the use as facilities ancillary to water sports as an access point to the waterway. It supports policy positions promoting healthy and active lifestyles and the provision of community infrastructure in the form of leisure facilities.

“The floating pontoon will allow for year-round access to the river due to its nature as not fixed but floating, promoting increased accessibility for users.”

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Newcastle United have reportedly agreed a £69.3m plus add-ons deal with Barcelona for Anthony Gordon, with the transfer said to leave Marcus Rashford’s future at Manchester United uncertain

Anthony Gordon is poised to complete a move to Barcelona after Newcastle United accepted a £69.3million plus add-ons offer, casting doubt over Marcus Rashford’s prospects at the club. Following a day of negotiations between the sides, Gordon is now due to undergo a medical as the deal edges closer to completion.

The England winger is anticipated to double his earnings to approximately £300,000 per week, as Barcelona invest heavily ahead of the World Cup. The La Liga champions have adopted a markedly different strategy in their dealings with the Magpies compared to their negotiations with Manchester United.

They have the option to secure Rashford for £26m through a clause in his loan agreement, during which the 28-year-old performed well after arriving from United. However, Barcelona have been working to reduce that fee as they navigate their financial regulations in Spain.

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Gordon’s preferred position is on the left wing, where he’s set to compete with Rashford for a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s England lineup. Nevertheless, it’s been suggested that Hansi Flick is willing to bring in both players this summer.

Rashford has reportedly already consented to sacrificing nearly half his weekly wage to stay at Barcelona, while another loan arrangement has been mooted and would now appear a more probable outcome. United’s preference would be to sell at the figure they agreed last summer.

Whether United’s hierarchy are open to alternative arrangements following Barcelona’s pursuit of Gordon is yet to be determined. The Catalan side are flexing their financial muscle but could also use the Gordon transfer as justification for limiting further expenditure.

Gordon’s signing will also enable Barcelona to demonstrate they aren’t desperately in need of reinforcement in that area. Rashford drifted in and out of Barca’s first XI, despite contributing 14 goals and 14 assists.

This places United in an awkward situation regarding Rashford’s future. The homegrown talent is tied down until 2028, though he’d only intended to remain at Camp Nou this summer.

After securing the league title with Barca, Rashford expressed hope of prolonging his spell but seemed to suggest it wasn’t guaranteed. “This is the perfect way I want it to end,” he said.

“I’m very happy, I just want to enjoy today. I live in the moment. At the end of the season we will see.

“I came here to win and we do this so I’m very happy. It’s an incredible feeling.

“Over the season we deserved it, we were the best team. We had some bad moments but we always come back and fight to improve.”