Jamie Bevan has walked solo for 145 days from Merthyr Tydfil to Istanbul

He’s done it – champion walker Jamie Bevan has arrived in Istanbul 145 days after setting out from Wales on the trek of a lifetime. His incredible journey has raised nearly £20,000 and counting for his local community, smashing his original target of £3,000.

The 3,000-mile solo hike took the Welsh language translator through 11 countries across some of Europe’s wildest terrain. He arrived at his destination, the Asia side of Istanbul, on Monday August 31 after reaching the city’s European side 20km away on August 30.

On ending his journey, Jamie said: “I am exhausted and relieved”. After tucking into a huge celebratory meal of Lahmacun, a Turkish stuffed flatbread, he joked that the furthest he’ll be walking back home is from his sofa to the kitchen. You can read more about Jamie’s adventures on his walk here and here.

Jamie’s journey has all been in a good cause. By Monday afternoon The father-of-two had raised nearly £20,000 for his local Welsh language nursery, Cylch Meithrin Y Gurnos, with donations still coming in.

Since he left home in Merthyr Tydfil in April, Jamie has crossed mountains and forests in some of the remotest areas of Europe, rarely visited by tourists.

Hiking from the UK he walked across mainland Europe and down through the Balkans crossing from Bulgaria into Istanbul last week on the last leg.

Having slept in his tent and hostels, he said he’s been welcomed by strangers throughout his journey. He’s had a free meal in a Michelin-starred restaurant in France, been invited to share a barbecue at the roadside, enjoyed cakes and pastries in Germany and Austria and shared stories with people he met along the way.

Jamie has also been spreading the word about his mother tongue, telling people he met about the Welsh language, whilst hearing about theirs. He said he has missed chatting in his mother tongue, but he had a brief meeting with his parents who came to see him as he passed through Belgrade.

He has also been chatting Welsh on his social media updates which have garnered an ever growing following as news of his walk spread and he met supporters along the way.

Touching the ground in Istanbul, he said: “I arrived in the city lines on Sunday but had 20k more to get to the end which was crossing the Bosphorous to the Asian side of Istanbul. I wanted to walk from Merthyr to Asia and I’ve done it.

“I have walked the whole way apart from a couple of ferroes. I had to take a ferry across to the Asia side of Istanbul. It doesn’t feel real to be here, there’s definitely a sense of overwhelming relief.

“I am really looking forward to going home, much as I have enjoyed the countries and people on the walk.”

Jamie plans to stay for the next couple of days in Istanbul to rest and organise a flight home – he definitely won’t be walking back.

He didn’t want a welcome party for the end of his journey and instead spoke to his close family by phone. Since then he’s also been inundated with messages and calls.

Thanking supporters, he said: “I did the walk to raise money for my local cylch, that’s close to my heart but I was also doing this trip for personal reasons and never expected it to be such a public thing.”

Although he joked he’ll only walk from his sofa to the kitchen back home in Merthyr, Jamie admitted he is looking forward to his usual strolls along the Taff near his home and getting a large coffee from his favourite coffee shop there, Caffi Soar.

Amazingly, Jamie still has the same pair of walking boots he set out in, says his feet are “great” and that his hike of a lifetime hasn’t put him off walking, though he hasn’t got his next adventure planned – yet.

Llongyfarchiadau mawr, Jamie!

To donate see here and you can buy Jamie a coffee to help him celebrate here

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The captain of the doomed Cyprus ferry has been pictured after his identity was revealed by a senior Turkish Cypriot official.

At least eight people were killed and 20 remain missing after the Filo Jet, carrying 267 passengers and crew, sank off the coast of Girne on Sunday – with survivors claiming the captain abandoned ship as it capsized.

Mustafa Oz, 66, was named as the vessel’s captain as crew members and company officials were seen being led into court on Monday over the disaster.

They are among 16 people facing arrest warrants as police carry out a wide-ranging investigation into the sinking on suspicion of causing death through negligence.

Turkish Cypriot transport minister Erhan Arikli released documents naming Oz as the vessel’s captain as he said he was ready to resign if necessary over the disaster.

The ship’s captain and crew, company officials and port authorities are all under scrutiny, with police understood to have taken statements from more than 100 people and to be examining footage from before and after the disaster. 

Crew members reportedly told investigators that the ferry’s ‘bow section broke off’, with technical examinations now under way to establish exactly what caused the vessel to sink.

Investigators are also examining the ship’s technical condition before it set sail and its navigation and safety permits, although initial information indicates it had the necessary approvals.

Terrifying footage shows passengers desperately scrambling to escape from deep inside a sinking ferry off northern Cyprus after it was battered by waves

The double-hulled ferry, which had 267 people aboard, took in water and flipped over on Sunday just off the port city of Kyrenia, leaving survivors clinging to the overturned hull

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Rescuers in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognised by Ankara, pulled 239 people to safety, but eight others died ‘and the search continues for 20 people,’ prime minister Unal Ustel said. 

Survivors have claimed the captain ignored warnings that the ferry was taking on water before abandoning ship as it capsized.

The captain, seven crew members and a shareholder in the company operating the ferry were arrested and appeared in court on Monday.

Terrifying footage from inside the stricken vessel shows passengers scrambling to escape from deep inside the sinking ferry after it was battered by waves as frightened screams and cries ring out around them.

At one point, a man is seen perched on the side of the sharply tilted ferry with a phone pressed to his ear, appearing to call for help as others scramble around him. 

Other harrowing footage captures the aftermath outside, where survivors are seen bobbing in the choppy sea alongside the partially submerged ferry.

Some cling to one another in the water while others are seen trying to pull people from inside the ship. In further footage a rescue helicopter is seen hovering overhead.

Harrowing accounts of passengers’ ordeal have since come to light.

Ayten Bicer told how she felt her 12-year-old daughter slip from her hands and disappear as a ferry capsized on Sunday.

Her daughter Miray, and six-year-old son Mehmet Asaf, are among 20 people still missing on Monday as search teams scoured waters more than 500 metres (1,640 feet) deep.

‘She was saying, “Don’t let go”. And I didn’t let go of my daughter. I swear, I didn’t let her go,’ Ms Bicer sobbed.

Crew members arriving at court today, escorted by security 

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The ship’s captain and crew, company officials and port authorities are all under scrutiny

A rescue mission continued into the night after a ferry carrying 267 passengers capsized shortly after departing from the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday

Some cling to one another in the water while others are seen trying to pull others from inside the ship

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A suitcase fell on top of her, forcing the girl from her grasp. The mother caught hold of the daughter’s foot, but her shoes, coated in engine oil from the overturned vessel, slipped through her hands.

The double-hulled ferry with 267 aboard took in water and flipped over off the port city of Kyrenia, leaving survivors clinging to the overturned hull. They were rescued by passing vessels and the coastguard authorities.

Separate accounts said the wide-bodied vessel jolted violently before slamming onto the sea surface with part of its bow bursting open on impact. Severe storms hit Cyprus on Saturday and the seas were still rough on Sunday.

Debris remained scattered across the water on Monday, including a black wheelie suitcase bobbing on the surface and a sheet of steel that appeared to have broken away from the ferry.

The boat was struck by one wave before a second hit as the captain tried to regain control, causing the ferry to begin taking on water, according to Mr Ustel.

The privately owned ferry had originally been scheduled to travel to Turkey on Saturday, but its journey was delayed because of poor weather conditions, Mr Ustel said.

Naif Ezer, one of those waiting anxiously outside the port for news of passengers through the early hours of Monday, said: ‘We’ve been waiting since the morning, for 12 hours or maybe more.’

Of three friends travelling home to see their families, one had been found but the other two were still missing, he added.

Other harrowing footage captures the aftermath outside, where survivors are seen bobbing in the choppy sea alongside the partially submerged ferry

Some of those waiting sat and silently wept, while others scrolled through their mobile phones for updates.

It was unclear whether people remained trapped inside the vessel, which has now sunk and is lying on the seabed at a depth of more than 500 metres (1,640ft).

Divers from Turkey were assisting the search, officials said.

Officials gave differing estimates of the number of people still missing, with some saying 19 and others 18.

The ship’s captain and seven crew members were detained as part of an investigation into ‘how this tragedy occurred’, Mr Ustel said.

Authorities are also attempting to recover the ferry’s black box recorder to establish what happened.

Shortly after the doomed vessel departed from Kyrenia around midday on Sunday, passengers realised that there was a problem.

They had discovered that the boat had begun to take on water and warned the captain and crew that they needed to return to port.

Unmoved by their concerns, the ferry continued on towards the Turkish port of Tasucu.

Fearing for their safety as the boat continued out to sea amid a storm, the terrified passengers scrambled to find lifejackets, only to realise they were in short supply.

Passengers try to pull people out who are still trapped inside the ship 

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They heard a blast come from the ship’s bow and the vessel began to capsize, leading to an exodus of passengers who frantically jumped into the sea to escape, many without any buoyancy aids.

Among the first to abandon ship, according to survivors, was the captain himself, who was arrested alongside seven of his crew members later on Sunday.

One rescued passenger said he spent an hour-and-a-half in the water before being rescued.

The man, aged in his 50s and not named, told local Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus television that the front of the boat ‘exploded’ and the side windows ‘blew out’ as the boat took on more and more water.

‘Those who could, got out,’ he said, adding that he saw the captain among the first to abandon ship ‘without organising anything’.

Several rescued passengers told local media that a blast had gone off at the bow before it rolled over.

Another witness, in his 30s, corroborated reports of an explosion. He said he had reported water leaks to the captain.

‘The seats started to float, the captain kept going, and the bow exploded,’ he said.

Those tuning into the BBC drama have been sharing their frustrations online with some even turning off the show altogether

BBC viewers have raised an identical complaint about returning drama series Vigil.

The star-studded thriller returned for its third season on Sunday night (August 30), with Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie reprising their roles as DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre respectively.

The latest season follows the pair as they head to a remote Arctic research station in the wake of a murder. The victim is a member of a covert British special forces mission, meaning the pressure is well and truly on to hunt down the killer responsible.

A BBC synopsis reads: “Amy and Kirsten need to catch the killer and defuse a potential international confrontation, as different nations compete for control of the Arctic and its resources in the changing polar climate, with both their careers and relationship on the line.”

Episodes air on BBC One on Sunday and Monday nights, with episodes also released two at a time to BBC iPlayer every Sunday morning. The second episode which aired tonight (August 31) saw Amy looking further into the kidnap of a government minister and start to close in on the person responsible.

Fans have been discussing the first two episodes across social media, but many flagged that they had struggled with poor sound quality. One viewer fumed: “Mumble mumble mumble. Switched off!”, before adding: “I couldn’t understand any of the dialogue.”

Another fan claimed parts had been “indecipherable”, but they persevered. “Not sure what was going on,” the viewer continued, “However, started to get into it about halfway through.”

Meanwhile a third questioned what had happened during a crucial scene, asking: “What did the scared wife at the bedside say???” Yet another vented: “Poor sound and diction made it difficult to understand what was being said,” as a fifth echoed: “Half the dialogue is incomprehensible.”

“The sound wasn’t very clear. I switched over after 15 mins, didn’t know what it was about,” said another disgruntled viewer.

While some had their struggles with sound, many have been raving about the show’s return to telly. “Enjoyed it a lot, can’t wait for next Sunday’s episodes,” said one fan.

Another remarked: “I really enjoyed it! Can’t wait until Sunday for more. When do we think Amy will join Kirsten?”

Vigil airs Sunday and Monday nights at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

Dame Priti added: “With Labour axing key transport schemes, cancelling plans for a new school, threatening to destroy our countryside, councils and communities and cutting policing, I will be a vocal champion for my constituents in the House of Commons defending their interests and demanding action.”

The Met Office is forecasting heavy downpours for 46 areas across the UK this Wednesday, with weather charts turning blue from Scotland to the Midlands and Wales.

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Britons are bracing themselves for torrential rainfall this week, as the Met Office predicts numerous regions across the UK will be drenched on Wednesday.

The most recent meteorological charts have shifted to blue, indicating millions are expected to experience wet conditions on Wednesday morning, spanning from Scotland through to the Midlands and Wales.

Current weather projections suggest up to 8mm of rainfall hourly across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, reports the Express.

A Met Office outlook covering Wednesday through Friday states: “Remaining changeable with showers or longer spells of rain for most, although some drier and brighter spells also developing.

“Temperatures near normal for early September, although often mild by night.”

These predictions arrive following the nation’s unpredictable weather throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, when a combination of sunshine and showers intensified, accompanied by thunderstorms in certain areas.

During the previous week, the Met Office issued yellow thunderstorm alerts affecting dozens of areas across the UK. Additional downpours are anticipated throughout the remainder of the week and extending into September.

10 areas of Scotland facingrain on Monday

1. West Lothian.
2. Mid Lothian.
3. East Lothian.
4. Lanarkshire.
5. Berwickshire.
6. Ayrshire.
7. Dumfriesshire.
8. Kirkcudbrightshire.
9. Roxburghsire.
10. Wigtonshire.

By ANDREW COURT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and BRIAN MARKS, US ASSISTANT SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR

Published: 20:36 BST, 31 August 2026 | Updated: 21:19 BST, 31 August 2026

Lionel Richie has been hospitalized in St. Louis, Missouri, after falling ill after a show there on Saturday night.

The 77-year-old checked himself into the facility following his performance at The Muny in Forest Park to have some tests run, per TMZ, and he was treated in the intensive care unit.

Richie remains in the hospital as of Monday afternoon and is expected to be released on Tuesday, according to the site.

Sources said that the singer went to the hospital out of an abundance of caution, and doctors were reportedly examining the possibility that Richie might be suffering from dehydration. 

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The Daily Mail has reached out to Richie’s representative for comment but has not yet received a response.

The singer’s latest health scare comes just two months after he stoked concerns among fans when he was forced to cut short a concert in St. Paul, Minnesota, after falling ill on stage.

Lionel Richie, 77, has been hospitalized in St. Louis, Missouri, after falling ill after a show there on Saturday night. The singer checked himself into the facility following his performance to have some tests run, per TMZ, and he was treated in the ICU; pictured July 1 in Detroit, Michigan

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Lionel Richie, 77, has been hospitalized in St. Louis, Missouri, after falling ill after a show there on Saturday night. The singer checked himself into the facility following his performance to have some tests run, per TMZ, and he was treated in the ICU; pictured May 15 in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Richie remains in the hospital as of Monday afternoon and is expected to be released on Tuesday, according to the site; pictured in Spain in August 2025

Concert attendees told TMZ that Richie appeared to be having difficulty at the end of his concert in St. Louis.

During his show-closing performance of his iconic hit All Night Long, Richie had to ask for a chair to be brought out so that he could sit down while singing. 

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The incident was reminiscent of the health scare Richie suffered at his St. Paul concert in June, when he had to sit down on stage multiple times while performing.

The septuagenarian hitmaker was performing at the Grand Casino Arena as the start of his joint Sing A Song All Night Long tour with Earth, Wind & Fire when he announced an unusual intermission after a performance of Three Times A Lady from his piano, according to Minnesota’s Bring Me The News.

Richie’s band reportedly also left the stage minutes later, but more than 40 minutes after he cut off the show, a band member returned to announce he wouldn’t be able to return because he was feeling ill.

‘Unfortunately, Lionel is not feeling well,’ said saxophonist Dino Soldo, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. ‘He won’t be able to continue. Additional information will be available.’

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On social media, fans who attended the show shared their concerns and revealed that the singer had signaled throughout the performance that he wasn’t feeling well. 

Concert attendees told TMZ that Richie appeared to be having difficulty at the end of his concert in St. Louis, and he asked for a chair to be brought out so that he could sit while singing his show-closing hit All Night Long; pictured July 1 in Detroit, Michigan

The incident was reminiscent of the health scare Richie suffered at his St. Paul concert in June (pictured), when he had to sit down on stage multiple times while performing

A team from Yorkshire Water started work at the Fishergate Gyratory, at the junction of Fishergate with Paragon Street, shortly before 3pm on Monday (August 31).

It came after a flash of rainwater during the thunderstorm lifted a section of the pedestrian crossing, forcing City of York Council’s highway officials to cordon the section of road off and close a major section of York’s inner ring road.

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Yorkshire Water began removing the lifted road surface using a concrete saw at around 3.15pm.

Yorkshire Water arrived at the scene with a digger shortly before 3pm on Monday (August 31) (Image: Newsquest)

After placing barriers along the pedestrian crossing, a representative for Yorkshire Water said: “We will be cutting this section out, ready for another team tomorrow who will begin placing fresh tarmac on the road.”

City of York Council closed a section of Fishergate after a section had uplifted after the storm on Sunday (August 30) (Image: Newsquest)

City of York Council said the road would remain closed “for a few days” and vehicles heading eastbound on Tower Street would be diverted via Piccadilly and Walmgate Bar.

Traffic is heavy along streets to Walmgate Bar (Image: Newsquest)

A council statement said: “The road will need to be closed for a few days while we work with Yorkshire Water to understand the cause, then get it fixed.

“For now, all traffic (including buses) will be diverted.”

A barrier was created by Yorkshire Water for the team to safely begin cutting the road with a concrete saw (Image: Newsquest)

Motorists turning on to Piccadilly, next to The Postern Gate Wetherspoons pub, from Tower Street, are currently being diverted to Lead Mill Lane.

This is causing heavy traffic, which is building along George Street, Margaret Street and Walmgate.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — A 17-year-old North Carolina girl who recorded a livestream of a shooting that killed three people at a San Diego mosque and disseminated the attackers’ white-supremacist writings has been charged with murder by aiding and abetting, a district attorney said Monday.

The girl’s name was not immediately released during a news conference announcing the charges. Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill told a news conference she was arrested last week and indicted by a grand jury Monday, just before she was due to begin the school year.

Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, stormed the Islamic Center on May 18 before being driven back outside by a security guard who exchanged gunfire with them as he initiated a lockdown, helping to protect 140 children who were just steps away.

The pair killed the guard, Amin Abdullah, and two other men before taking their own lives in a vehicle nearby. They left behind rambling writings full of vitriol against a wide range of people, and citing the shooter who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, as one of their models for the violence.

But what I do know, is that behind the mas bands and the two million people tailing them, is a largely self-built economy of families selling food, drinks, flags, whistles and souvenirs, and generations learning how to trade. It is children — now our own son too — discovering that their ideas can be worth something.

Part of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury canal near Little Lever was breached in July 1936.

Millions of gallons of water from the channel came cascading down into the River Irwell below.

The gigantic breach happened close to the Nob End locks, on the canal’s arm towards Bury, with the affected section never restored.

But work done by Watson Homes, who are building a new 255 home estate alongside the affected waterway at the former Creams Mill site in Little Lever, is set to change that.

Watson has been restoring a 800 metre section of the waterway as part of the planning permission.

The extensive work means the section of canal is set to be ‘in water’ by May 2027.

The 1936 canal breach at Little Lever (Image: John and Margaret Fletcher Collection)

The new section of waterway will also create a destination for visitors as a new café is planned alongside a canoe and kayaking school.

At the point of the canal collapse, a bend of the River Irwell had eroded the valley side, creating a steep slope.

Remarkably no one was injured, but the massive structural failure led to the decline of the canal, with now attempts to repair it, until now.

The project is being supported by other groups including Inland Waterways Association and The Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society.

Work is progressing on the bullnose at Nob End, Little Lever (Image: Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society)

The canal society has commissioned a feasibility study with Bolton and Bury councils and the Canal & River Trust to investigate reopening the canal to navigation from Little Lever to Bury and has also been instrumental in other improvement projects along the length of the canal.

The society’s vision is to progressively restore the canal to fully navigable condition, and in doing so create ‘blue-green spaces that aid wellbeing and environmental improvement’.

Mike Watson is a director at developers Watson.

He described the waterway project as the ‘centrepiece of the development taking place at Creams Mill’ and ‘a technically challenging but incredibly rewarding project’.

The project will also introduce a new towpath and pedestrian routes as well as a new stretch of waterway.

Mr Watson gave an update of when people will be able to see the section ‘in water’ for the first time in 90 years.

He said: “We’re working towards a date roughly around the end of May for starting to put water back into the canal but we’re exploring opportunities to kind of bring that in slightly ahead of that by utilising temporary bunds and filling up some sections as we go.

“We’re starting to pick up pace now and we can start getting the lining down.

“We’re building everything to adoptable standards from the Canals and Rivers Trust, doing all the connection agreements and licences and dealing closely with them.”

Mr Watson also gave an update on the new café and canoe school, which have already been granted planning permission.

He said: “We’ve got the café and the canoe school going along the side of the waterway.

“They will be located just as you go under the bridge between the two development parcels. “We’re working on the finalised designs at the moment.

“So we’re hoping that that will all be up and running to coincide with the water date.

“So as we fully open up that area, we’ve got a full recreational facility there.”