Key points after ninth week of Noah Donohoe inquest | Belfast Live
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The inquest into the death of the Belfast schoolboy, which is being heard with a jury, has finished its ninth week.
(Image: PA Media)
Police dedicated a “significant amount of officers” to search for Noah Donohoe in the days after the schoolboy went missing, the inquest heard this week.
A police witness told Belfast Coroner’s Court that he believed the high risk level of the case was recognised quickly. The inquest resumed on Monday morning with evidence from Inspector Bell, who was a sergeant in June 2020 and had been involved in the investigation to find Noah.
Inspector Bell told the inquest he had been carrying out inquiries in Northwood Road on Tuesday June 23, two days after the 14-year-old had gone missing. He said he had observed CCTV footage on a mobile phone of a youth cycling naked in the area. The officer told the jury that the previous day, he was the morning duty sergeant in Lisburn Road police station when he was told by an inspector he would be co-ordinating the investigation.
Inspector Bell gave a second day of evidence on Tuesday when was questioned as to why a map showing the last-known location of Noah’s phone was not provided to CCTV operators.
A police officer this week denied that “the urgency dropped off” the search for CCTV after Noah’s body was found. The inquest heard from PNSI Detective Sergeant Kitchen, who was tasked with gathering CCTV in the days of Noah’s disappearance and after his body had been found. He said his task when he was brought on to the case on June 24, when Noah had been missing for three days, was “continuing to build a picture to what happened prior to his disappearance”, but the primary purpose was “to find out where he now was”.
Also this week, a PSNI officer admitted to missing Noahon two CCTV cameras he is now known to have travelled past.. Jurors heard on Wednesday that an officer conducting initial searches on CCTV “fast-forwarded” footage on some cameras, leading to a suggestion from Noah’s mother’s legal team he was “not paying it the greatest level of attention”.
And this week a police officer said he cannot explain why he stated in evidence at the inquest into the death of Noah Donohoe that he had been tasked to search for a green coat belonging to the missing schoolboy. The constable initially told the jury at he had searched a flat for the missing coat, but later conceded he “didn’t believe” he had been told about the item. The officer also told the inquest he had been “briefed” by a team at Musgrave Street police station in Belfast before giving evidence on Thursday.
Spurs made the surprise decision to turn to the Croatian after Thomas Frank was dismissed on February 11.
Tudor had never managed in the Premier League, but had experience of sparking an upturn in form after mid-season arrivals and yet suffered five defeats from seven games, including four in a row at the start of his reign.
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A catastrophic 3-0 home defeat against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest prior to the international left Spurs just one point above the drop zone which effectively rendered Tudor’s position untenable.
Indeed, should West Ham beat Wolves at home on Friday evening, Spurs will face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light 24 hours later firmly in the bottom three and staring an unthinkable relegation full in the face.
The likes of Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange now face arguably the biggest decision in Tottenham’s modern history and one that will likely define whether or not they face the ultimate ignominy of dropping into the Championship.
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Glenn Hoddle had a spell as Spurs boss earlier in his career (Picture: Allsport)
According to the Daily Mail, Spurs are contemplating a variety of different options and are giving thought to turning to Glenn Hoddle, even though he hasn’t held a senior management position since he was the Molineux helm back in 2006, but did have a brief stint as part of Harry Redknapp’s coaching team at QPR.
Speaking earlier this month, arguably Tottenham’s greatest ever player made clear he was willing to help out as doubts over Tudor’s credentials quickly began to emerge.
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Asked if he would be willing to step up if Tudor was axed, Hoddle told Could It Be Magic, the FA Cup podcast sponsored by Carling: ‘I think it would actually. Particularly with Tottenham, as that’s my club.
‘I’ve supported them since I was eight years of age. So they were a massive part of my life.’
Next permanent Tottenham manager odds
Roberto De Zerbi 6/4 Sean Dyche 6/4 Marco Silva 7/2 Adi Hutter 6/1 Mauricio Pochettino 10/1 Ryan Mason 12/1 Robbie Keane 14/1 Harry Redknapp 20/1
79-year-old Harry Redknapp has been linked with the job (Picture: Getty Images)
Marco Rose 33/1 Scott Parker 33/1 Andoni Iraola 33/1 Edin Terzic 33/1 Jens Berthel Askou 33/1 Kieran McKenna 33/1 Michael Carrick 33/1 Oliver Glasner 33/1
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Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner is set to leave the club at the end of the season (Picture: PA)
Diego Simeone 33/1 Eddie Howe 33/1 Enzo Maresca 33/1 Francesco Farioli 33/1 Gareth Southgate 33/1 Fabian Hurzeler 33/1 Julian Nagelsmann 33/1 Kjetil Knutsen 33/1 Ruben Amorim 33/1 Xabi Alonso 33/1 Xavi Hernandez 33/1 Brendan Rodgers 33/1 Philippe Clement 33/1 Frank Lampard 33/1
Hoddle spent two-and-a-half years in charge of Spurs between 2001 and 2003.
He added: ‘I managed them probably at the wrong time, I’ve got to say. Let’s put it that way. Politically and financially, it wasn’t money there. Certainly, it wasn’t what they told me I was going into didn’t succumb.
‘But I think something like that, I would have done.’
Assistant Bruno Saltor will lead training for the players not away on international duty at the moment, with the club aiming to appoint a new head coach in the coming days, in time for the full squad being back together and a crucial 10-day preparation period ahead of the April 12 fixture at Sunderland.
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Former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and ex-Burnley and Everton manager Sean Dyche are among the bookmakers’ favourites to take over, or they could turn to Ryan Mason, boyhood Spurs fan and player who has twice been caretaker before.
Igor Tudor spent just 44 days in charge of Tottenham (Picture: Getty)
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust responded to the news of Tudor’s departure by urging the club to now make a “wise choice” regarding his replacement.
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Its post on X read: ‘With thanks to Igor and his team for their efforts, and wishing him and his family time to come to terms with their loss.
‘In a season of bad calls, let’s hope we now see a wise choice for the remainder of the campaign.
‘Someone who understands the club and is up to the task in front of them: retaining our Premier League status. Someone we can all be proud of and who can bring some much needed success and enjoyment to our long suffering fanbase.’
The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event stars Normal People actor Paul Mescal as Sir Paul McCartney, fellow Irish actor Barry Keoghan as drummer Ringo Starr, Babygirl actor Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, with Wood’s onscreen husband, Harrison, played by Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn.
The UK is home to a wide variety of birds, and many gardeners are keen to make their outdoor spaces welcoming to them.
There are several ways to do this, including putting up a bird box or a bird feeder, as well as installing a bird bath.
However, planting a number of different shrubs can also help encourage birds to spend a bit of time in your garden.
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7 plants that help birds to flock to your garden
In a video on his YouTube channel, Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh called ‘How to Transform Your Garden Into a Paradise for Birds!’, the broadcaster brought up the topic of which plants to have.
He shared: “Another way to encourage birds to come to your garden is to plant things they will find useful, particularly in terms of food.”
For example, the Beautyberry or ‘callicarpa’ is a berry-bearing plant that robins and sparrows love.
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Alan added: “Stick it at the back of a border where it will be background for most of the year, but then come autumn, look what it does, it really draws your eye.”
The 76-year-old also advocated for the Firethorn and Cotoneaster Horizontalis as examples of plants that birds were attracted to for their fruit.
He added: “Don’t be cross with birds for nicking your berries, that’s half the reason why we plant them really.”
Birds also appreciate a number of different thorny plants for shelter, so Alan recommended getting Berberis or Holly as they help repel any predators.
Some forms of Holly can also have another impact in providing some fruit for the birds to snack on.
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A couple of trees can also be useful for nesting and feeding purposes if you have them in your garden.
Alan said: “Trees not only bring height to a garden, but they also provide nesting sites and feeding sites for birds.
“Cherries flower earlier in the year in summer, and as anybody who’s grown a cherry tree knows, birds love the fruit.”
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Some crab apple trees work for this, too, such as the Golden Hornet crabapple variety.
The tree produces a bright display of yellow fruit that’s not too big for a modest-sized garden.
Birds especially like the fruit when it gets quite soft after having been on the tree for a little while.
Do you have any of these plants in your garden? Let us know in the comments.
With so many natural spectacles packed into the U.S., planning sightseeing trips can be a conundrum — the choice is bewildering.
With this in mind, we’ve assembled a list of 10 must-visit-at-least-once landscapes that should be inked into your bucket list. These are places that have mesmerized tourists, stolen scenes in Hollywood movies and adorned millions of postcards — wild America at its most theatrical.
Our round-up includes a canyon in Arizona so vast that storms sometimes form inside it, a geothermal wonderland in Wyoming containing half the world’s geysers, a waterfall in New York that will leave you awe-struck (even if it does seem familiar) and a valley in California that’s home to some of the world’s most famous cliff faces.
Alaska claims two entries, thanks to an epic glacier and an extremely lofty mountain, while Oregon makes the cut thanks to a lake that’s surreally beautiful.
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In Hawaii, there’s the coastline that wowed Steven Spielberg and a bizarre monolithic rock that caught his attention in Wyoming.
In New Mexico is a jaw-dropping desert that looks like it’s covered in snow.
1. Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and so deep it has its own weather systems (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
While there’s a postcard familiarity about the Grand Canyon, nothing beats experiencing the humbling majesty of the chasm in real life.
Carved by the Colorado River over millions of years (with rocks as old as two billion years old), the gorge, an uncontested entry on the seven natural wonders of the world list, has an immensity that’s almost difficult to comprehend.
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A mile deep and up to 18 miles wide, and stretching for 277 miles, it’s one of Earth’s most jaw-dropping landscapes, and so huge that storms sometimes form within it.
The South Rim offers one of the best ways to experience the Grand Canyon. It’s open year-round and is where you’ll find viewpoints such as Mather Point or Yavapai Observation Station. The canyon is also a popular day trip from Las Vegas by helicopter.
Great place to stay: El Tovar Hotel (rooms from $270) is set directly on the canyon rim and is imbued with historic charm. It was built in 1905 as a cross between a Swiss chalet and a Norwegian Villa.
2. Yellowstone’s geothermal drama — Wyoming/Montana/Idaho
Old Faithful, which shoots hot water around 180 feet into the air, is one of around 500-700 geysers in Yellowstone National Park (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Thanks to a vast supervolcano lurking beneath the surface and heating the groundwater, Yellowstone National Park — which spans Wyoming, Montana and Idaho — is a geothermal adventure land, with around 10,000 hydrothermal features making it seem as if the land itself is breathing.
The 3,472-square-mile park features brightly colored hot springs, mud pots, travertine terraces and between 500 and 700 geysers (roughly half of the world’s total).
The most famous of these is Old Faithful in Wyoming, which blasts water up to 180 feet in the air around 20 times a day.
One of the best ways to view the park’s theatrics is to walk the boardwalks around Wyoming’s Upper Geyser Basin, home to Old Faithful and around 150 other geysers.
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Great place to stay:Old Faithful Inn (rooms from $205, open May to October) oozes rustic simplicity — there’s no wifi or air conditioning, for example. But on the plus side, you’re within walking distance of the world’s most famous geyser.
Niagara Falls is a sight and sound you’ll never forget. Pictured is the epic Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the U.S./Canadia border. Goat Island, on the U.S. side, can be seen on the far left (Getty Images)
Around one million bathtubs of water pour over the edge of Niagara Falls every minute during peak flow. It’s a sight — and a thundering sound — that you’ll never forget.
Niagara comprises three waterfalls — the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, which are both in the U.S., and the vast Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the U.S./Canadian border.
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The best way to experience the spectacle from the U.S. side is from the close-up viewpoints on Goat Island, which sits with the American and Bridal falls on one side, and the Horseshoe Falls on the other.
For perhaps the most awe-inspiring encounter, board the Maid of the Mist electric boat tour, which will take you right into the mist of the falls.
Great place to stay:The Giacomo is set in a restored Art Deco tower just minutes by foot from Niagara Falls State Park and the bridge to Goat Island.
This Yosemite Valley image was taken from Tunnel View, with El Capitan on the left, Half Dome in the distance (center) and Bridalveil Fall on the right (Getty Images)
Few would argue that Yosemite Valley delivers some of the USA’s most iconic scenery.
Within this seven-mile-long glacial valley, which sits within Yosemite National Park, monolithic El Capitan (3,000 feet) and Half Dome (4,700 feet) rise dramatically from the valley floor, and Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America, cascades 2,425 feet down a vast cliff face into Yosemite Creek.
One of the most breathtaking places to drink in the valley’s majesty is Tunnel View, just outside the Wawona Tunnel on State Highway 41.
It’s a vista made famous by the work of legendary photographer Ansel Adams, from where you can see El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall.
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Great place to stay:Yosemite Valley Lodge (rooms from $350) is in the heart of the valley, close to Yosemite Falls.
Denali, as seen from Reflection Pond in Denali National Park (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) is North America’s highest peak at 20,310 feet — but also one of the world’s great vertical ascents: from base to summit, the Alaskan behemoth measures 18,000 feet.
It’s a sight to behold, though famously elusive, with clouds often cloaking the summit.
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The mighty mountain sits around 90 miles from the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve, which is near the small town of Denali Park on the eastern edge.
As private cars are banned beyond the 15-mile mark, better views of Denali are offered by Denali National Park bus tours, which venture further in and feature a trained naturalist who both drives and provides narration.
Great place to stay:Grande Denali Lodge (rooms from $280) is about 1.5 miles from the park entrance and offers sweeping mountain views.
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S. — and has some of the clearest water in the world (Getty Images)
Behold America’s deepest, and most surreal, lake.
Crater Lake fills the caldera of a mammoth volcano that collapsed 7,700 years ago, and plunges to a depth of 1,943 feet. And the dazzling water is among the clearest on Earth. With no rivers in or out, it’s topped up only by rain and snow.
Adding to the otherworldly vibe is Wizard Island, a lone volcanic cinder cone at the west end that rises to 755 feet.
You’ll get the best photographs from the 33-mile road that loops the caldera, but taking to the water on a boat tour is also a must.
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Great place to stay:Crater Lake Lodge (rooms from $280) is perched dramatically on the rim of the caldera, with showstopping views as standard.
The Na Pali Coast — so dramatic it was used as a filming location in Jurassic Park (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
It’s no exaggeration to say that this landscape is truly cinematic — after all, it has the stamp of approval from Steven Spielberg.
The director used the serrated emerald cliffs of the Na Pali Coast as a stand-in for “Isla Nublar” in Jurassic Park.
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In the movie, we see a helicopter carrying Dr. John Hammond and guests flying towards the shoreline’s seemingly razor-sharp ridges — this part of the coastline is so steep that road-building is completely thwarted. A fact that’s helped to preserve its lush, primeval look.
A helicopter tour is the gold-standard way to see the cliffs, but you’ll also get a great view from the water. Ground-level views are available via the Kalalau Trail.
Great place to stay:Hanalei Colony Resort (rooms from $350) is set by the beach, just minutes from the Na Pali Coast.
Devils Tower gives one section of rural Wyoming a startling look (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Devils Tower is one of America’s most startling natural sights, an 867 foot-high rock monolith in a rural area near the Black Hills of Wyoming that will stop you in your tracks.
The formation, created around 50 million years ago when molten rock erupted from below and cooled into distinctive hexagonal columns, has long attracted tourists — it became America’s first national monument in 1906. However, most will know it from Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, where it was used to striking effect as the point on Earth where aliens want to make contact with the human race.
For eye-popping up-close views, there’s a 1.3-mile trail that loops the base. Want to see what the view from the top is like? There are around 200 routes — but you’ll need to be an expert climber.
Great place to stay:Devils Tower Lodge (rooms from $200 per night) is just a few minutes from the monument’s base.
Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska is not just breathtaking, but easily accessible (Getty Images)
Mendenhall Glacier is vast — around 27 billion tons of ice stretching 13 miles from the mountainous Juneau Icefield to a lake dotted with icebergs. And it’s on the tourist trail, remarkable for being so easily accessible.
While many glacier visits require plane, helicopter or boat trips, followed by adventurous climbing, Mendenhall is an easy 12-mile drive from nearby Juneau city. Once there, tame trails lead to viewpoints with breathtaking vistas. You can even take to the water — guided kayak tours offer the chance to paddle among the icebergs.
There’s also the bonus of Nugget Falls, which plunges into the lake from a height of 377 feet, and the chance to spot wildlife, including black bears and eagles.
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Incorporate the Visitor Center into your visit to learn about the glacier’s dramatic retreat since the 18th century.
White Sands National Park is 275 square miles of ‘snowy’ sand (Getty Images)
Snow in the desert? At White Sands National Park, you’d be forgiven for thinking so.
The park, which sits within the northern part of the Chihuahuan Desert, is 275 square miles of brilliant white powdery gypsum sand, and looks for all the world like an Arctic landscape.
However, in the summer you can expect highs of 100F. Remarkably, because gypsum doesn’t absorb heat very efficiently, it’s possible to walk barefoot across the dunes even in strong sunshine.
The Dunes Drive loop, which begins just beyond the main park entrance off U.S. Route 70, between Las Cruces and Alamogordo, is one of the most rewarding ways to experience the spectacle, especially at sunset. It’s a paved route, and there are several parking areas from which you can step directly onto the snowy grains.
Great place to stay: Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces (rooms from $180) is around one-hour’s drive southwest of the park.
The One Show host Alex Jones has returned to South Wales and shared details of a new filming project as well as a special reunion
She’s become a household name thanks to her role as co-host of BBC’s weekday evening programme The One Show but Alex Jones has issued a career update that has seen her return to Wales.
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Ammanford-born Alex posted a series of photos to her official Instagram account sharing some details of her new project which also saw her reuniting with one of her closest friends.
The 49-year-old is filming a special documentary to mark the 60th anniversary in October of the Aberfan disaster when 116 childen and 28 adults were killed after a colliary spoil tip collapsed and slurry engulfed a school and a row of houses.
The mum-of-three said in her post: “Spent this week filming in South Wales and despite the very poignant topic of the documentary, it was so nice to be on home turf, spending time with one of my best friends since school @catrowlands77 who was in charge of the production.”
She continued: “A lovely crew, some of which I’ve know for decades and also being able to catch up with friends from home and even share a birthday cake, something we haven’t done since we weee 18! Also, special to introduce @lizbeckettmua who is such a great friend now to my oldest friends.”
In one of the photos, Alex is stood in front of a plaque at Pantglas Junior School Memorial Garden which reads: ‘Dedicated to the 116 children and 28 adults who lost their lives 21 October 1966. To those we love and miss so very much. I’r rhai a garwn ac y galarwn o’u colli.’
Another shows her with her friend Catrin Rowlands who works in TV production and there’s also a photo of Alex with another pal Liz Beckett who is a make-up artist.
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The post was shared just days after Alex’s 49th birthday and in another photo she can be seen blowing out four candles on a birthday cake.
In the comments one follower asked: “Are you making a programme to make the 60th anniversary?” To which Alex replied: “We are. It will air in October.” It’s not yet known which channel the show will be broadcast on.
Alex recently shared “amazing news” just minutes into an episode of The One show. Paddington Bear had previously appeared on the show as part of the the final of the 500 Words writing competition from Windsor Castle.
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Alex said: “We must say congratulations to Paddington, because he picked up an amazing nine awards for his musical last night.”
Paddington The Musical dominated the WhatsOnStage Awards earlier this month, winning nine prizes after its triumphant launch in the West End last year.
The One Show is on BBC One weekdays at 7pm and on BBC iPlayer
413,793 chocolate bars have been stolen while in transit from a Nestlé production facility in Italy, destined for distribution in Poland.
The cargo, weighing 12 tonnes, disappeared en route and is believed to have been stolen with the company adding in a statement on Friday that “the vehicle and its load are still nowhere to be found”.
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A spokesperson for KitKat said: “Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes.
“With more sophisticated schemes being deployed on a regular basis, we have chosen to go public with our own experience in the hope that it raises awareness of an increasingly common criminal trend.”
The shipment has not been recovered, raising concerns that the KitKat bars may end up being sold through unofficial channels across Europe.
KitKat said that all products can be traced using the unique batch code assigned to individual bars, and that consumers, retailers and wholesalers would be able to identify if a product is part of the stolen shipment by scanning the on-pack batch numbers.
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If a match is found, the scanner will be given clear instructions on how to alert the company.
The brand also told French news agency AFP that “the theft may lead to a shortage of KitKats appearing on shelf”, acknowledging that “consumers, unfortunately, may struggle to find their favourite chocolates ahead of Easter”.
German footwear retailer Deichmann has closed its doors in Davygate, York, after more than five years in the city.
The shop shut yesterday (March 28, 2026) after a sale period that began in mid-January, with stock at the shop reduced at least 25 per cent and some items marked down further.
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A spokesperson for the brand confirmed the closure to The Press in mid-January.
They said: “I’m confirming that we are unfortunately in the process of closing our store in York. We continue trading until 28th March 2026 and are keeping an eye on suitable alternative locations in York.”
Deichmann opened a new two-floor unit in 2020 after a £475,000 refurbishment, which came with the creation of 12 permanent jobs.
Hundreds of partygoers were forced to flee a dance club in southwestern Germany Sunday when a fire broke out in the early hours.
None of the 750 guests were injured in the incident in Kehl, a town near the French border, emergency services said.
Three people were treated at the scene for shock, police said.
The club was identified in local media posts as the K Club Kehl, which is a popular venue for hip-hop music. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
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At least 80 personnel from the fire department, police, and emergency medical services attended the incident, German news agency dpa reported.
A fire at a nightclub in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on New Year’s Eve, which killed dozens of people, was linked by investigators to sparklers on Champagne bottles.
The future of the MAGA movement was once again in focus on Saturday as the results of a straw poll were announced at the annual gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Matt Schlapp’s yearly Trumpfest was in Texas this year, eschewing its typical home in National Harbor, Maryland. A gathering of DC-area conservatives, the event is typically well-attended by the Tea Party wing of the GOP, while more mainstream Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill have long avoided it.
For 2028, the convention’s attendees are eyeing Vice President J.D. Vance as the likely successor to Donald Trump for control over the Republican Party, though the initial results suggest that the one-man dominance of the party’s leadership is finally coming to an end, at least as far as the party’s nominee is concerned.
JD Vance and Marco Rubio are the favorites to win MAGA’s support in 2028, according to the CPAC Straw Poll (Getty)
Vance led Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the CPAC Straw Poll, the annual poll of the conference’s attendees, which the vice president won over MAGAworld puppeteer Steve Bannon last year by a more decisive margin.
Rubio trailed Vance by less than 20 points, 53 percent to 35 percent, in Saturday’s poll, with every other mentioned Republican at 2 percent of the vote or lower.
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The poll’s results suggest that Trump’s own chosen running mate remains the obvious favorite among the president’s loyalists.
Vance’s is especially popular with younger voters in the party, while Rubio’s MAGA-fied traditional conservatism has its own sphere of support, which could result in a closely contested battle for control of the party in 2028.
2025 marked the first time in nearly a decade that Donald Trump didn’t win the CPAC straw poll for the next election cycle (AP)
CPAC’s straw poll hasn’t endorsed anyone besides Donald Trump since 2016, the year he first ran for office. Sen. Ted Cruz won the poll that year; a year prior, it was won by Sen. Rand Paul.
In 2021, 2022, and 2023, the president still ran away with the vote at the conservative conference, beating his closest rival, Ron DeSantis, by wide margins each time.
By the time his run for president was underway in 2024, he was back to dominating the polls with more than 90 percent of the vote.
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DeSantis’s star has clearly faded within the Republican Party, and on Saturday, he tied Donald Trump Jr. at 2 percent support in the poll.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis registered just 2 percent support in the poll, tied with Donald Trump Jr (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Vance’s rise and uncertain dominance of the post-Trump MAGA movement come as he has taken a public-facing role in the second Trump administration, with the clear aim of setting himself up as the next leader of American conservative politics.
That has led to risky moments for the vice president, including an on-camera shouting match with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in early 2025.
This year, his discomfort with the president’s military operations in Iran was reported, and his past opposition to interventionism has forced Vance to make an awkward about-face.
The vice president remains a relatively untested political candidate as well, which may complicate his bid for control of the party in Trump’s wake.
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His 2022 bid for Senate was punctuated by the endorsement of Trump, whose support catapulted Vance into the lead and allowed the Hillbilly Elegy author to run away with the GOP nomination.
Vance’s greatest personal political victory took place later that year, when, with the support of Trump, he won a decisive victory over Tim Ryan, a now-former congressman, in a year when Joe Biden’s Democrats suffered midterm defeats in line with historical trends.
Vance has never run for office without Trump’s endorsement, boosting his chances with the MAGA base, and it’s not entirely clear that the vice president would automatically win Trump’s support in 2028 if Rubio is also in the running.
The vice president remains the clear favorite, however, for both Trump’s support and overall victory in the primary.
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The value of Trump’s endorsement among independents in 2028 is also unclear, however, as the president’s approval rating continues to drop and now sits at just 41 percent in the latest Fox News poll, which was released this month. In other surveys, his approval rating is even lower.
Bath’s heavyweight bench came to the rescue as they narrowed the gap on Prem leaders Northampton Saints to just a point with a comeback win over Sale Sharks at the CorpAcq Stadium.
The champions’ rotated team trailed 19-7 at the interval but the cavalry changed the course of the contest and with England A hooker Kepueli Tuipulotu hugely influential they turned up the power to score four second-half tries.
The match-winning score came from another of the bench men – No 8 Alfie Barbeary – with nine minutes left.
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Sale engineered a great position to steal the win late on but George Ford, playing his first game since February 21 after being dropped by England following the Six Nations defeat to Ireland, lost control of the ball and the chance slipped away.
It was Sharks’ ninth defeat of a disappointing league campaign.
Sale Sharks: J Carpenter; T Roebuck, R du Preez (M Louw 48), R Ma’asi-White, T O’Flaherty; G Ford, R Quirke (G Warr 60); B Rodd (R McEachran 60), L Cowan-Dickie (E Caine 60), J Harper (T Raymont 60), E van Rhyn, B Bamber, S Dugdale (D du Preez 57), N Jibulu (J Gilmore 72), J Vermeulen.
Bath: T de Glanville; J Cokanasiga, L Hennessey, C Redpath, W Muir; S Carreras, T Carr-Smith (B van der Linde 60); S Kirk (B Obano 35), D Frost (K Tuipulotu 41), V Sela (T du Toit 35), W Jeanes (E Richards 53), R Molony (C Ewels 54-72), T Hill, E Staddon, M Reid (A Barbeary 60).
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