Two women have died while attempting to cross the English Channel in a dinghy.

Some 82 people left on a boat from Neufchatel-Hardelot in the Pas-de-Calais at 1.30am today.

The boat drifted out to sea after encountering a technical issue, French authorities confirmed.

The women from Sudan, who French charity Utopia 56 reported were a 16-year-old girl and a 20-year-old adult, were found dead on the boat.

Another three migrants are in a state of ‘absolute emergency’ after suffering from burns from fuel and sea water.

A total of 14 are in ‘relative emergency’, including five who have been taken to hospital.

French coastal patrol forces returned the migrants to Boulogne-sur-Mer by 4am.

Christophe Marx, the secretary-general of Pas-de-Calais, said an investigation had been opened into the incident.

A statement from French police said: ‘All state services were mobilised to respond to this incident, with the involvement of the national gendarmerie, border police, aerial resources — including drones — the departmental fire and rescue service, as well as volunteers from Civil Protection, and resources co-ordinated by CROSS Gris-Nez under the authority of the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea.

‘Smuggling networks, driven by criminal motives and a total disregard for human life, continue to endanger vulnerable people by organising crossings in makeshift boats.

‘The state maintains a firm response to these actions and, in co-ordination with the judicial authorities, continues its efforts to combat these networks.’

It comes amid a sharp downward trend in the number of small boat crossings.

Home Office figures show a total of 6,796 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, including 325 on Saturday.

This is 41 per cent down on the figure by this time last year, when 11,516 had made the journey, and 8,278 in 2024.

Four people were rescued by French coastguards on two separate boats before they entered British waters on Saturday.

The first dinghy was spotted in Merlimont beach, while the second was reported in Onival beach.

The Refugee Council said the latest crossings underlined the need for safe and legal routes for migrants to come to the UK.

Executive director Imran Hussain said: ‘We know that it is desperation that drives refugees fleeing devastating war and brutal regimes into small boats, which is why the lack of safe and legal routes to the UK is a problem that needs fixing.

‘The Government has said Sudan is the greatest humanitarian crisis facing the world, but a Sudanese refugee has no safe route to the UK, even if it is to join up with their family.’

Earlier this month two men and two women drowned while trying to make the dangerous crossing.

Another two migrants were also killed while crossing on April 1.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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Mr Polanski told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News: “I think you can both recognise the bravery of officers who run towards incidents that most of us, including myself, would certainly want to run away from, and find the appropriate forum to say that no one, especially the police, should be above scrutiny.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start today’s Miami Grand Prix pole. Antonelli only finished sixth in the Sprint earlier on Saturday but delivered a time good enough for pole with his first effort in Q3. Antonelli’s lead at the top of the drivers’ standings was cut to seven points to his teammate George Russell after the Sprint but has the chance to extend his lead today.

“It has been an amazing day to be on pole again,” Antonelli said. “It was a difficult start with the Sprint when it did not go our way but super happy with the recovery. I got a bit excited with the last lap in Q3 but the first lap was good enough and I am really happy with that.”

Antonelli will be joined on the front row by Max Verstappen, who was the only driver to properly improve with his second and final run in Q3.

“It is an incredible turnaround for us,” said Verstappen. “I really did not feel in control of the car up until this weekend. I did not know what would happen with it. The team have brought a really good performance upgrade to the car, made it more driveable for me and it really clicked as soon as I jumped in the car here it felt great, or a lot better. For us, to be on the front row, is a bit of a surprise but we take it. It is a massive boost for the whole team and we are heading in the right direction.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start third, with McLaren’s Lando Norris joining him on the second row in fourth. Norris won the Sprint earlier on Saturday as part of a McLaren one-two but qualifying was trickier for the team, with Oscar Piastri set to start today’s race in seventh.

“There were little things,” said Norris. “It was a bit windier, the direction was different, temperatures. But same for everyone, right? I think both cars clearly struggled a bit more than yesterday and we need to understand why. At the same time, it’s not like I felt we did a bad job. But other people did a bad job yesterday and today they did the job they should have done.

“Mercedes are just as quick as us. When you look at the GPS from Ferrari and Red Bull, there are many places they are quicker than us. So we just did a very good job yesterday and in the Sprint to win. But qualifying was a little reality check. But it is more where we deserved to be and where we should be honestly.”

The race has been brought forward by three hours due to the threat of thunderstorms. It was set to get under way at 9pm BST (4pm local time) but the FIA and F1 have announced a new start time of 6pm BST.

The UK was forecast a mostly dry and sunny Early May Bank Holiday, despite lingering threats of a washed-out rainy Monday, according to the latest British weather maps

The UK will be glistening in glorious sunshine for Bank Holiday Monday, as thousands of Brits dash for the beach to make the most of the 18C heat.

Britain was forecast a mostly dry Early May Bank Holiday, despite lingering threats of a washed-out Monday. Most of the country will see sunshine throughout the day, with some minor showers across the far south, a weather expert revealed.

The counties surrounding London would see the warmest temperatures throughout the day, peaking at about 18C; including Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, and Greater London itself. Elsewhere, the south coast was forecast highs of 16C, and the north could see up to 15C, the latest weather maps revealed.

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British Weather Services’ senior meteorologist, Jim Dale, told the Mirror: “It’ll be mostly dry with light showers for far southern counties of both England and Wales (South of the M4 corridor), as well as the far north of Scotland.

“Distinctly cool in the far north, with average seasonal temperatures eleswhere, peaking at about 18C in the London area. Fair weather for most areas, but it won’t be a standout in any respects.”

It was expected to be a foggy morning for most of Southern England on Bank Holiday Monday, before a band of light drizzle beds in along the south coast for most of the day. As the sun starts to go down in the evening, some thunderstorms might develop between Exeter and Brighton, according to weather maps.

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Any showers should be very light throughout the day, despite the widespread nature of them in the south. The Met Office said any scattered showers would be lighter than most other bands of rain over the long weekend.

Met Office deputy chief forecaster Mark Sidaway said: “Bank holiday Monday will remain changeable, with lingering cloud and scattered showers across southern and central areas. But these should be lighter and fewer than over the weekend.”

Toward the north and north-east of England, it would feel a tad cooler, the Met Office added. But, the winds will be relatively light, meaning it wouldn’t feel quite as chilly.

The Met Office said: “Farther north and northeast it will feel fresher and cooler, with a few scattered showers, some possibly wintry over higher ground in the far north east. Winds will be mostly light to moderate, though stronger at times in the far northeast, and while temperatures will be close to average for many, it will feel noticeably chillier in northern and north-eastern areas.”

Ryanair has announced it will shut its seven-aircraft operating base at Berlin Brandenburg Airport from October 24, 2026

Ryanair is poised to slash flights from several UK airports following confirmation it will shut down a major base in Germany.

The airline has announced it will close its seven-aircraft operating base at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) from October 24, 2026. As part of the shake-up, Ryanair revealed it will slash its flight capacity to and from the German capital by 50% during its winter timetable, reports the Express.

This means routes between Berlin and UK cities including London, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh are likely to face disruption. Ryanair presently operates direct flights from those airports to Berlin multiple times weekly, with journeys lasting approximately two hours.

While the airline hasn’t specified which particular UK routes will face the axe, it confirmed its Berlin passenger numbers will plummet from 4.5 million to 2.2 million in 2027.

The carrier added that over two million Ryanair seats annually will vanish as a consequence of the closure. Ryanair stated it will maintain services to Berlin, but using aircraft stationed outside Germany.

All seven Berlin-based aircraft will be relocated to cheaper airports across other EU nations, including Sweden, Slovakia, Albania and Italy. The airline pinned the blame on soaring airport charges and aviation taxes in Germany for the move.

Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson said: “We regret to announce this planned closure of our seven aircraft Berlin base from 24 Oct 2026, but we have no alternative following the Airport’s latest 10% fee increase to its already high airport fees.

“This comes on top of the 50% increase in Berlin’s airport fees since 2019. Despite Berlin Airport losing 30% of its pre-Covid traffic thanks to its excessive airport charges, and Germany’s stupid aviation tax regime, they have now decided to increase charges by a further 10%, which will result in the loss of more than 2m Ryanair seats p.a. and seven based aircraft.

“Ryanair will still serve Berlin but on a/c based outside Germany and our Berlin traffic will fall by 50% from 4.5m to 2.2m pax in 2027.”

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He added: “German aviation is broken. The Govt. admits that it is uncompetitive, yet there is no strategy to cut aviation taxes or high airport fees – despite Ryanair warning that Germany would lose traffic, connectivity, jobs and trade.”

Mr Wilson also warned that additional reductions in Germany were “now inevitable” without significant cost reform.

He went on to say: “Efficient operations and competitive airport fees are the foundation which enable Ryanair to deliver long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity for airports and regions.

“This is impossible at Berlin following the German Govt’s failure to abolish its harmful aviation tax and Berlin Airport’s decision to again increase its already high airport fees.”

Ryanair confirmed that pilots and cabin crew based in Berlin have been informed of the planned base closure. Consultations with staff are set to commence in the near future, with those affected being given the opportunity to apply for alternative positions elsewhere across the airline’s European network.

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Bath boss Johann van Graan called for more “consistency” with who supplies television match official footage after he felt foul play incidents were missed in his side’s Investec Champions Cup semi-final loss to Bordeaux-Begles.

The Prem champions were outplayed by Bordeaux on France’s Atlantic coast in the English side’s first top-tier European semi-final in 20 years, a point which Van Graan acknowledged post-match.

Billed pre-game as the defending champions’ organised chaos versus Bath’s structured efficiency, Bordeaux’s style prevailed as their visitors were eventually worn down by the game’s relentless pace.

Several key decisions did not help Bath’s cause.

French TV broadcasters have been criticised by some in the past for not showing replays of certain foul play incidents or decisions that may go against the home side.

Asked if there is a problem with French broadcasters providing footage, Van Graan told BBC Sport: “Yes. All we want is consistency on both sides of the ball right through the competition.

“I believe specifically that three carries from Alfie Barbeary made direct contact to the head.

“I want to make clear that the better team won on the day, but I want to ask why certain things are not picked up when you play away from home in France.”

Had those three incidents been called in Bath’s favour, it may not have ended up affecting the result, such was the excellence of Yannick Bru’s side.

At the sold-out 42,000-seater Stade Atlantique Bordeaux Metropole, the Champions Cup holders delivered a blistering first half with tries for Marko Gazzotti, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Maxime Lucu.

The English side were always underdogs but went blow for blow for the opening half hour, wing Will Muir twice getting on the scoresheet.

In a game of international quality the key match-ups were everywhere – Bielle-Biarrey v Henry Arundell, Matthieu Jalibert v Finn Russell – but it was young talent Louie Hennessey who got Bath’s third try at the beginning of the second half.

From there Bordeaux took over, with 23 stone-plus substitute Ben Tameifuna powering over the decisive try and Temo Matiu putting the result beyond the Prem side, despite Tom Carr-Smith’s late consolation.

Bath’s wait for another trophy in this competition will stretch to 29 years, while Bordeaux earn the chance to go back-to-back against Leinster in three weeks’ time.

Van Graan added: “Three words [points I would like to make]. Congrats to UBB, they were the better side. Number two the officials were exceptionally good today. The main point I want to make is that from a consistency point of view that where every game is played that the TMO [television match official] gets access to all the footage he wants.

“From my point of view, you want the match officials to know what they are looking at. Whatever decision a ref makes is the final call.”

A scenic route just minutes from the city centre offers sea views, charming towns and plenty of places to stop along the way

A stunning coastal walk just a stones throw from Belfast city centre has quickly become one of my favourite discoveries since moving to Northern Ireland.

The North Down Coastal Path traverses the shoreline of Belfast Lough offering a scenic and accessible route for walkers of all abilities. Whether you are seeking a short stroll or a full day’s hike, it is easy to see why this path is so popular with many people.

Running for around 25km, the route begins at Holywood Esplanade and winds its way east to Orlock Point. Along the way, it passes through picturesque towns and villages including Cultra, Helen’s Bay, Bangor and Groomsport.

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What to expect?

When I visited on a sunny day last week, the path was busy but never overcrowded thanks to the distance it covers. There was a real mix of people out enjoying it including families and dog walkers, to joggers and groups of friends sitting on the beaches making the most of the good weather.

The path itself is well-maintained with clear signage, benches, and information boards dotted along the route. It also takes you through some of Northern Ireland’s most desirable postcodes, with stunning homes overlooking the coastline.

Having walked well-known routes across the world from Vancouver’s Seawall to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore, I was surprised at how this local option compares. It might not have the same global recognition but in terms of scenery, it certainly holds its own.

Planning your journey

If you are not familiar with the area, it is worth planning your trip in advance. Families in particular may want to identify several exit points along the route, especially if little legs get tired.

Train stations close to the path include Holywood Railway Station, Helen’s Bay Railway Station, Cultra Railway Station and Bangor Railway Station. This makes it easy to hop on and off as needed throughout the day.

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If you are bringing your dog, well-behaved pets are allowed on trains after 9.30am, unless they are service animals which area allowed on at any time. Packing layers is also a good idea, as coastal winds can be unpredictable even on warmer days.

Landmarks along the way

There is plenty to see beyond the views alone. Highlights include the distinctive club house at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, The Ulster Folk Museum and the historic Grey Point Fort. These stops can easily add time to your journey, so it is worth deciding in advance whether you want to explore them full or save them for another visit.

Food, drink and facilities

There are plenty of places to stop for a bite to eat along the way. In Holywood, The Dirty Duck Alehouse offers sea views and a dog-friendly beer garden, while Noble is known for its locally sourced menu.

Within Crawfordsburn Country Park, Woodlands Cafe provides a scneic stop with views over the water.

Further along the route, the Jamaica Inn is a popular choice, while the Cottage Kitchen is well-known for its breakfasts.

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Public toilets are available at several points along the path including Seapark, Bangor South Pier, and Harbour Road in Groomsport, though it is worth checking locations in advance.

Whether you are a life-long local or a newcomer like me, the North Down Coastal Path one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to get outdoors as a way to take in the beauty of Northern Ireland’s coastline.

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

The cars involved in the shunt veered to opposite sides of the A167 Northgate in Darlington, in wet road conditions, at about 6pm.

Both cars seemed to have suffered damage, one to the front end and the other to the front nearside bodywork and tyre.

But there appeared to be no other vehicles involved.

Two cars are damaged in collision on Northgate, Darlington, this evening (Sunday May 5) (Image: Adam Foster – The Northern Echo)

One of the damaged vehicles at the side of the road in Northgate, Darlington (Image: Adam Foster – The Northern Echo)

Police arriving at scene of two-car collision in Northgate, Darlington (Image: Adam Foster – The Northern Echo)

Emergency news in and around North-East

A passing driver said there appeared to have been no casualties as the drivers awaited recovery of their vehicles.

Police were seen arriving at the scene a short time later to look into the cause and assist with recovery arrangements.

Despite the slight disruption caused by the collision it did not appear to prevent the flow of traffic on Northgate, into and out of the town centre.

Police were called to an incident on Bury Road, Bolton, on Saturday, May 2, where they arrested a man on suspicion of assault.

Officers confirmed on Sunday, May 3, that Mestafa Salim, 28, had been charged with common assault in connection with the Bury Road incident.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “Mestafa Salim, of no fixed abode, has been charged with common assault.

Mestafa Salim will be appearing before Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court (Image: Anthony Moss)

“He has been remanded in custody to attend Manchester and Salford Magistrates tomorrow, Monday, May 4.

“This was after officers responded to an incident on Bury Road, Bolton, on Saturday, May 2.”

Members of the public have been encouraged to call police on 101 if they have any concerns, or 999 in the event of an emergency.

Alternatively, people can contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A four-year-old boy is fighting for his life after he drowned at a hotel pool in Gran Canaria.

The child was pulled from the water on the south side of British holiday hotspot on Saturday afternoon.

Emergency crews first took him to a nearby private medical centre in San Bartolomé de Tirajana.

However, his condition deteriorated and specialist rescue teams were called in to take him to a specialist unit in the capital, Las Palmas.

Medics from the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC) rescued the child by helicopter before landing at a school car park.

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The youngster was then met by an ambulance, which raced him to the island’s University Maternal and Child Hospital.

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Officials confirmed the boy had shown clear signs of severe drowning before the emergency transfer was triggered.

The child remains in a serious condition.

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