Mr Swinney added: “That is how we generate economic opportunity and economic growth within Scotland and that whole issue and ambition will be central to the government’s programme, because the more we grow our economy the more we can eradicate child poverty, the more we can strengthen our public services.”

Manchester United are still weighing up a move for a left-back on deadline day as Michael Carrick looks for an 11th-hour addition to his squad.

But Old Trafford sources insist they will only make a move today if the right opportunity arises and won’t rush into a panic signing, despite the lack of a back-up to Luke Shaw.

United have made a habit of making short-term loan signings in recent seasons, including Odion Ighalo, Wout Weghorst, Marcel Sabitzer and Sergio Reguilon, but Ineos are keen to put an end to those stop-gap additions.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi told his “friend” and Russian president Vladimir Putin that his war with Ukraine must end for “humanity’s sake”.

The world leaders met in in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek and the comments were made on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, according to a Kremlin transcript of the exchange.

“Every day that the war continues, humanity is, in effect, set back a step, whilst every step towards peace gives all of humanity real hope for peace,” he said.

“We need to move from endless war to an end to the war, to a cessation of hostilities. And we will need to move precisely in this direction.”

Putin is reported to have responded: “Thank you very much, Prime Minister. We are moving forward along this path.”

Meanwhile, a Russian drone barrage on the Kyiv region entered its fifth day on Monday.

The latest attacks injured four people and damaged warehouse facilities, an apartment block and a retail outlet in the Kyiv region, regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram.

It comes as Russia’s defence ministry has announced it is preparing “massive strikes” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in retaliation for a drone campaign by Kyiv attacking warehouses and oil and gas facilities.

Porters Lodge Tea Room is just outside of Cambridgeshire and is surrounded by pretty gardens

Hidden in the Suffolk countryside is a tea room that feels like home. Serving up afternoon teas and lunches, Porters Lodge Gardens and Team Room is in a serene spot surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Set within two and a half acres of garden and 20 acres of woodland, it’s a pretty place to go for a walk as well as enjoying a tasty lunch. The garden has no map, with visitors encouraged to have a wander and see what they find.

The owner of the tea room and gardens, Craig Wyncoll, said he opened the business 40 years ago to help subsidise Limitless Futures, a school for children with learning disabilities near the gardens. Guests make a £5 donation to enter the gardens, which goes towards running the school.

He added: “There’s a walled garden, a fern house, a Japanese garden, and a grotto. There’s a lot to see but I always tell people, there’s no map, I want you to go around and I want you to be surprised. There’s something around every corner. There’s lots of statues and water features so it’s not all about plants here. It’s the features that make the garden.”

Mr Wyncoll said the walled garden is “the great highlight”, as “it looks the best and has a big greenhouse” to look through. Mr Wyncoll suggests visitors come to the garden without any knowledge of the garden to be “very pleasantly surprised”.

He continued: “On the whole, I am just overwhelmed by the positivity of people. I’m endlessly being complimented and people tell me they’ve had a wonderful time. But I prefer them to come with very little expectations and go away very happy and that’s what happens really.”

The “old-fashioned” tea room on site is described as being “very well presented and very reasonably priced,” with many customers return regularly. The tea room has a range of cakes available with light lunches and platters in the summer. In the winter, they serve sausage rolls, soups, a hot dish of the day.

Mr Wyncoll said the tea room feels like going to somebody’s home and that Porters Lodge makes for “a pleasant afternoon out”. He continued: “You don’t have to come and go around the gardens. The rooms are open independently of the gardens. It’s the rooms that draws people in because it really is unique. You’re surrounded by trees and plants, and you can sit there all afternoon. We make people feel comfortable.”

Porters Lodge Gardens and Tea Room can be found on Icknield Way in Cavenham, which is around a 36 minute drive from Cambridge via the A11. There is a car park on site for guests to use.

CHICAGO (AP) — Alex Bregman hit three of Chicago’s franchise-record nine home runs and the Cubs punctuated their August power display with a 17-3 blowout of the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.

Clay Holmes pitched six scoreless innings for the Cubs, who launched five homers off Milwaukee starter Kyle Harrison in the first four innings and three more against position player Andrew Vaughn late in the game.

Chicago went back-to-back twice, in the first inning and the fourth.

The nine longballs matched the second-most by one team in a major league game, according to Sportradar. Toronto hit 10 during an 18-3 victory over Baltimore on Sept. 14, 1987.

Chicago finished August with 62 home runs, second-most by a big league club in a calendar month behind the 74 hit by the New York Yankees in August 2019.

Milwaukee holds a seven-game lead in the NL Central over the Cubs with six meetings remaining this season, including three more in this series at Wrigley Field.

Holmes (6-6) allowed five hits, striking out eight and walking two. He has given up only five runs in five starts since joining the Cubs in a trade-deadline deal with the New York Mets.

Bregman’s second three-homer game in three weeks gave him 23 on the year.

The nine home runs were also the most allowed by the Brewers this season.

Tyrone Taylor and Nico Hoerner hit back-to-back homers off Harrison in the first, and Bregman connected in the second. Seiya Suzuki and Bregman went back-to-back in the fourth, the Cubs’ eighth set of back-to-back homers this season.

Harrison (10-4) had permitted only two earned runs in 12 previous innings against the Cubs this year, but he gave up nine runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings Monday as his season ERA spiked from 2.79 to 3.45.

Cooper Pratt hit a two-run homer for Milwaukee off Ryan Rolison in the seventh to break up Chicago’s shutout bid. Carson Kelly answered in the bottom half when he connected off reliever DL Hall for his 10th of the season.

Vaughn, a first baseman, allowed seven runs and nine hits over two innings while throwing 45 mph knuckleballs. He served up homers to Matt Shaw, Michael Conforto and Bregman.

At the plate, Vaughn had an RBI single in the eighth.

Up next

Brewers LHP Robert Gasser (4-5, 4.59 ERA) starts Tuesday against Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd (8-3, 3.99).

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Transport bosses have today revealed designs for three new Metro stations proposed under a long-awaited expansion of the light rail network through Washington.

It is the first time that a detailed vision for the stops at  Follingsby, Washington North and Washington South has been made public, ahead of the planned opening of the new line in 2033.

The 13km route will run between the existing Metro stations at Pelaw and South Hylton, crossing over the River Wear via the Victoria viaduct and then under the A19.

The proposed route map. (Image: NEXUS)

It would use the northern section of the mothballed Leamside Line.

Metro operator Nexus’ proposals, which will go on display at a series of 14 public events during September, show the layout of the route through Washington and the exact locations proposed for the three stations.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, said: “I promised we’d extend the Metro to Washington and now the next stage in that plan is underway – three brand new stations for the first time in 30 years. We’re doing this because you told us you want more affordable, publicly-controlled transport across the North East. Now is the time to have your say on how these plans develop.” 

Nexus said that it had already begun talks with potentially impacted landowners around the proposed train line, though the plans are still subject to change as the designs are developed further.

It is hoped that construction can begin in 2030, with an outline business case for the project due to be submitted to the North East mayoral authority early next year.

An estimated cost for the project is yet to be confirmed, though much of the bill is expected to be paid for through a £1.85 billion Government transport funding pot given to Ms McGuinness last year.

Once open, it will be the first new Metro line in 30 years – since the extension of the network to Sunderland.

Follingsby Station  

The proposed station at Follingsby would serve the area’s big Amazon warehouse and other businesses around the Follingsby Park industrial estate. 

Designs for the station show it located off Follingsby Lane and featuring a Park and Ride car park, the only one of the three new stations that would have one. 

The proposed Follingsby station. (Image: NEXUS)

Washington North Station 

The Washington North station would serve Sulgrave and would also be located close to the Nissan car factory. Its proposed location is at the intersection of the former Leamside Line and the A1290, next to Washington Community Fire Station.

However, the concept image of the new station shows that the A1290 would have to be diverted to the south to make way for the new station, with a new bridge running over the railway tracks and connecting to the existing roundabout at the junction of Glover Road and Spire Road.

The proposed Washington North station. (Image: NEXUS)

Washington South Station 

A station at Washington South is intended to serve residents living around the Fatfield, Columbia, and Teal Farm areas. It would be located to the south of the former Washington railway site, which was closed to passenger services during the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, next to the Swan Road industrial estate. A footbridge would also be built over the railway line to replace an existing pathway which links to Wilden Road.

The proposed Washington South station. (Image: NEXUS)

Other changes

Nexus announced a series of other developments that would be needed to bring the new Washington line into use. They include:

• A new underpass to carry the track beneath the A19 at South Hylton;
• Masts for overhead power would be installed on the historic Victoria Viaduct;
• A new track to be installed at Pelaw to allow trains to link up to the existing Metro network, requiring the replacement of a footbridge to  Stonehills Complex and alterations to existing bridleways and access roads;
• A new track  to the south of Coxgreen Road, to connect South Hylton to the Victoria Viaduct.

There will also be two alternative options presented for significant changes around South Hylton station, in order to retain permanent vehicle access to properties located north of the railway line. 

The proposed changes around the existing South Hylton station. (Image: NEXUS)

Both options would result in Hylton Bank being closed to vehicles, with alternative road access constructed, as well as moving the station further to the east to allow access to both platforms. 

One option would create a new road connecting Railway Terrace to St Luke’s Road, via a tunnel constructed underneath the existing station site.  

The second option would be for an upgrade to the existing underpass at Keelman’s Road, enabling vehicle access to South Hylton via Keelman’s Lane and Claxheugh Road. 

Nexus also confirmed that the current proposals will not take the Metro extension to Penshaw.

Penshaw has been identified, however, as a possible railway station location if the southern section of the Leamside Line can also be brought back into use. There are ambitions of using that stretch to restore heavy rail train services that would also run through communities like Bowburn, Belmont, West Rainton, and Fencehouses.

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus, said: “This is a really significant moment for the Metro to Washington project as the proposed route and station locations are shared publicly for the first time.  This will be the first new Metro line for 30 years, providing a new route between the cities of Sunderland and Newcastle through Washington. 

“We are committed to keeping the public up to date on the plans. A series of 14 public engagement events will now get underway over the coming weeks, giving people the chance to come along, ask questions, and give us their views. We look forward to seeing as many people there as possible. 

“If people are struggling to get there in person, there is also an option to provide feedback online through the Nexus website at nexus.org.uk/metrotowashington. This will be vital as we shape the plans further, ahead of construction getting underway.”   

Here is a full list of the  drop-in events: 

• Tuesday 1 September: Washington Millennium Centre, Concord, 4-6pm;
• Saturday 5 September: Washington Arts Centre, Biddick Lane, 1.30pm-4pm;
• Monday 7 September: Wardley Fitzgeralds, 12.30pm – 4.30pm;
• Wednesday 9 September: Tansy Centre, South Hylton, 1.30pm-4pm;
• Friday 11 September: Teal Farm Pub, 1.30pm-4.30pm;
• Saturday 12 September: North East Land, Sea, Air Museum, Washington, 11am-2pm; 
• Tuesday 15 September: Sunderland College, City Campus, 5.30pm-7pm;
• Wednesday 16 September: Washington Arts Centre, Biddick Lane, 10am-1pm;
• Saturday 19 September: The Galleries, Washington, 10.30am-1.30pm;
• Tuesday 22 September: Columbia Village Community Centre, Washington, 5.30pm-7pm;
• Wednesday 23 September: Tansy Centre, South Hylton, 10am-12pm;
• Friday 25 September: Pelaw Metro Station, 8.30am – 10.30am, and 5pm-7pm; 
• Saturday 26 September: The Bridges shopping centre, Sunderland, 10.30am-1.30pm

There has been some transfer activity involving Arsenal late in the summer window

Transfer deadline day is here and Arsenal are still expected to be active before the window shuts at 11pm. With the exception of signing a marquee forward, Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta has addressed each and every one of Mikel Arteta’s squad needs.

The Premier League champions have signed Illan Meslier as a back-up for David Raya in goal and strengthened their defence by bringing in Ezri Konsa as cover for William Saliba. They have also signed Christos Tzolis as an upgrade on Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, while Bruno Guimaraes’ arrival means the former Newcastle captain can take some of the burden off Declan Rice this season.

Where the Gunners have fallen short is their pursuit of a world class player who either plays on the wing or as a striker, having failed to land Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior. They have since turned their attention to long-term target Julian Alvarez, whose future remains uncertain heading into the final hours of the window.

The north Londoners also made progress on the sales front over the weekend, which means Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira have finally moved on. Now, Mirror Football takes a look at two of the latest transfer developments involving Arsenal.

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Julian Alvarez transfer twist

Arsenal received a boost to their pursuit of Alvarez on Sunday after it was reported that Atletico Madrid are planning for life after the Argentine striker. The 26-year-old, who the Gunners are still keen to make their record signing at around £128m, has still not given Arteta the green light that he wants to join.

Yet, Fabrizio Romano claims Atletico have lodged a formal offer to sign Jonathan David on loan from Juventus, and the two clubs are now in talks. The offer, which is said to include an option to buy, may indicate that the La Liga side are eyeing David as a replacement for Alvarez, which suggests good news for Arsenal fans.

Given Atleti have blocked Alvarez’s dream move to Barcelona, Arsenal are the likeliest team to sign the forward if he decides to leave the Spanish capital. It was reported at the weekend that the player was given until Sunday to inform Atletico of his decision in order to end the saga once and for all.

Alvarez missed three team training sessions last week because of what the club called an “indisposition”, before training alone on Friday. However, he was seen back on the training pitch with his team-mates on Sunday, with no announcement made yet regarding his future.

Fenerbahce open talks for Nwaneri

Fenerbahce have reportedly opened talks with Arsenal over a deadline day move for Ethan Nwaneri. Turkish outlet Fanatik reports that the 19-year-old has been eyed as a potential signing by the Turkish giants, as they look to bolster their midfield.

Fenerbahce see Nwaneri as the ideal player to fill their U23s quota. It remains to be seen what kind of deal transpires for the Hale End product, as recent reports claimed Arsenal did not want to sell their talented youngster.

Arteta, who admitted the player needs to further his development by playing regular football earlier this month, would prefer a loan deal. However, the Gunners could be swayed to part ways on a permanent basis if a huge offer comes in.

The links with Fenerbahce come after Sky Sports claimed over the weekend that Nwaneri prefers to stay at Arsenal, or to join another Premier League team, as opposed to a move abroad. That’s believed to be due to his miserable loan stint at Marseille in the second half of last season.

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The Conservatives and Reform UK, however, are preparing to attack his policies, questioning how they will be funded and whether there will be new tax rises.

Kemi Badenoch reshuffled her shadow cabinet team on Monday in preparation for this moment. To sharpen her party’s attacks on Labour over its handling of tax and the economy she promoted Andrew Griffith to be her new shadow chancellor.

The Conservatives are making much of his past jobs in business. Before entering politics he was chief financial officer and chief operating officer at Sky, and chair of Just Eat.

He is promising a Conservative government that would deliver “lower, simpler taxes, get Britain drilling again to bring down energy costs, slash the red tape holding Britain back, and scrap the job-killing measures in Labour’s (Un)Employment Rights Act”.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have seized on the fact Griffith was a Treasury minister in Liz Truss’s government and publicly defended her “mini-budget”.

Bridget Phillipson, the Labour Party chair, said the “Tories’ top team is crammed full of the same vandals who hammered family finances and left our public services crumbling”.

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said Griffith’s appointment showed the Conservatives were “happy to forfeit any claim to economic credibility”.

Burnham will face criticism from the Greens too. Their leader, Zack Polanski, says that Burnham’s ideas for greater public control over vital services is “just tinkering”.

Polanski says “if he really wants to bring back hope, he needs to tax the wealthy, take water and energy back under public ownership, bring in rent controls, and say no to new North Sea drilling”.

The Liberal Democrats are already attacking Burnham’s plans to deal with the prisons crisis.

Their justice spokesperson, Jess Brown-Fuller, said Labour’s promise to build new cells was not backed by any new money and proved “just how unserious this Government remains about fixing our justice system”.

Other major challenges facing Burnham include defence. How will he fund the plans he has inherited from Sir Keir? And, beyond that, how fast will he increase spending to meet Nato commitments?

There are imminent decisions to be made about whether to approve new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea. There are looming choices about whether to do more to help as energy bills rise this winter, whether to increase taxes at the Budget. And longer-term issues about reforms to welfare, social care and ties with the EU.

All of which means that the moment when Burnham rises to address MPs on Tuesday may well be the point when his honeymoon period as prime minister ends and the hard work begins.

The teenager is also charged with two counts of attempted murder and threats to kill following the Dungannon murder investigation

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A 16-year-old boy has been charged by police following the death of a 61-year-old man in Dungannon, Co Tyrone.

The teenager faces charges of murder, two counts of attempted murder and threats to kill.

The man’s body was discovered alongside his injured eight-year-old daughter at a property on Lisnahull Road on Saturday morning.

The man’s wife, aged 48, was also found with injuries at the scene.

The young girl is said to be in a stable condition in hospital, while her mother has since been discharged.

The teenager is scheduled to appear before Omagh Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday,September 1.

At a press conference held in Dungannon on Monday, Superintendent Peter Stevenson urged the public to refrain from speculating about the incident and confirmed that officers had been granted additional time to question the boy.

Stevenson said: “First and foremost, I want to express my sympathies to the loved ones of this family who will inevitably be struggling to come to terms with this horrendous news.

“Specialist officers are supporting the wider family circle and we are liaising with the relevant Consulate. We would ask that the public avoid speculation.

“I want to repeat that we do not believe that there is any ongoing risk to the public and, at this stage, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation.

“However, please be assured, that you will continue to see an increased police presence in the area. We have a significant number of detectives and local policing officers dedicated to working on this case.”

We understand the public interest and concern and will continue to bring updates as our investigation progresses.

Harry Jackson was born with a rare bowel condition and needed a life-saving liver and bowel transplant

A Cambridge father who donated part of his liver and bowel to his son in an “extremely rare” transplant has described the experience as the “greatest privilege” of his life.

Harry Jackson, six, underwent the major operation at King’s College Hospital in London and is thought to be among only around 10 children worldwide to have received such a transplant. Harry was born with malrotation, a bowel abnormality that develops while the baby is still in the womb.

Volvulus is a complication of malrotation and occurs when the bowel twists, cutting off the blood supply to that section of the bowel. The condition can prove fatal. Harry has also been diagnosed with intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD), a progressive liver condition brought on by years of intravenous feeding required to manage his illness.

With limited options available, Harry’s parents Annie and Gary met with the transplant team at King’s College Hospital to explore the possibility of a combined liver and bowel transplant and to establish whether either parent was a suitable match. The couple, from Cambridge, were desperate for a solution and immediately agreed to undergo testing to determine their compatibility with Harry.

Ms Cerveno said: “When Harry was diagnosed with malrotation, we always knew that a bowel transplant would likely be part of his journey one day. We just hoped that day would be many years away. When his liver began to fail because of the total parenteral nutrition keeping him alive, everything changed.

“Suddenly we were faced with the reality that he needed both a liver and bowel transplant much sooner than we had ever imagined. There are hundreds of children like Harry waiting for the phone call that could save their lives. As parents, you feel completely helpless watching your child wait for something so uncertain.

“The thought that one of us might be able to donate and give Harry that chance was something we wanted to explore immediately. If there was any possibility we could help him ourselves, we had to try.”

After weeks of medical assessments, Mr Jackson was confirmed as a 98 per cent human leukocyte antigen (HLA) match with Harry, indicating their immune systems were remarkably compatible. In January last year, Mr Jackson underwent surgery at King’s College Hospital to donate portions of his liver and small intestine to his son.

He said: “When you’re a parent, you’d give your child anything in a heartbeat. So when I was told I could donate part of my liver and bowel to Harry, there was never a decision to make. I was just incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to do something that could help save his life and give our little boy a second chance.

“The journey to surgery wasn’t easy. I had to lose six stone, follow a strict diet, completely give up alcohol and stay focused for months to make sure I was healthy enough to donate. It was physically and mentally demanding but every challenge felt worthwhile because it meant I was one step closer to helping Harry.

“The operation itself lasted 17 hours and my recovery took around six weeks. It was tough, but nothing compares to seeing Harry looking healthier and stronger afterwards. Watching him recover and knowing that I had been able to play such a significant part in giving him that chance is something I’ll never be able to put fully into words.

“It remains the greatest privilege of my life, and I would do it all again without a second thought.”

At present, approximately three in every 100 liver transplants carried out in the UK involve living donors, with the vast majority of these performed on children.

Professor Nigel Heaton, consultant transplant surgeon at King’s, who formed part of the surgical team treating Harry, said: “From the first meeting, it was very clear that Gary was set on doing all he could to help Harry recover. He took the idea of living donation very seriously and reduced his weight through healthy eating and exercise.

“The surgery was performed through a vertical scar in the upper abdomen and removed about 20 per cent of Gary’s liver and one and a half metres (4-5ft) of the small bowel (normal length 20ft). Gary was always positive and uncomplaining, and recovered very quickly.”

King’s hosts the Institute of Liver Studies and has long been a leading force in liver transplant research and development. Ms Miriam Cortes-Cerisuelo, liver transplant consultant surgeon and clinical lead for transplant surgery at King’s, said: “There are a number of benefits to living organ donation.

“The donated organ is in excellent quality from a healthy donor, and the process allows better preparation and planning for the surgery. As a result, there are much better chances of success for the transplant. However, living donor transplants involving the small bowel and liver, such as the one that saved Harry’s life, are extremely rare.

“There are around just 10 cases worldwide that we know of, all involving children. In addition to carrying out Harry and Gary’s donor transplant surgery, the liver unit at King’s has conducted one other living donor combined liver and bowel transplant, the only two cases of this kind to take place in the UK.”

The King’s liver unit, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, has completed more than 300 living donor liver transplants since its establishment. Only three NHS centres across the UK provide this service (King’s, Leeds and Birmingham).

Ms Cortes-Cerisuelo said: “Our work would not be possible without the generosity of people who sign up to the NHS to become an organ donor and give the gift of life, and their families who supported their decision.”