Beyond Housing has donated 529 retired work mobiles to Protech City Ltd, a technology recycling firm based in Peterlee, to support continuous glucose monitoring for young diabetes patients in North East England and North Cumbria.

The refurbished phones will be used to receive real-time alerts from continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), which track blood sugar levels and warn families if readings become dangerously high or low.

Phil Harrison, ICT service desk advisor at Beyond Housing, said: “This was a practical way for us to make sure these phones could go on to have a real purpose after they were no longer needed by Beyond Housing.

“Every device had to be processed properly and securely, but the team was determined to do it because we knew the difference these phones could make to children and families at a very difficult point in their lives.

“It is brilliant to know that these devices will now help young people across the region access technology which can support them in managing their diabetes.”

The donation is expected to provide enough devices to support newly diagnosed children for up to 18 months.

The scheme began after Mr Harrison sought a way to repurpose Beyond Housing’s decommissioned work mobiles, which are regularly replaced as part of the company’s cyber security policy.

After contacting the diabetes team at James Cook University Hospital, the project connected with Jenny Foster, network manager for the Children and Young People’s North East and North Cumbria Diabetes Network.

The network, in partnership with Protech City, refurbishes donated phones for children with type one diabetes.

Each device was securely wiped, logged, and cleared of SIM cards and removable storage by Beyond Housing’s ICT team before donation—a process that took six months.

Ian Murphy, CEO at Protech City Ltd, said: “Protech has proudly supported Jenny and the team at the Young People’s North East and North Cumbria Diabetes Network for many years.

“During that time, we have seen firsthand the positive difference that donations like this can make to the lives of young people and their families.

“Supporting such an important cause is something we are incredibly passionate about, and we are proud to continue contributing to the fantastic work the team delivers.”

For many families, access to a compatible mobile phone becomes an unexpected and urgent need during the early days of a type one diabetes diagnosis, often while the child is still in hospital.

Ms Foster said: “We are delighted by Beyond Housing’s generous donation.

“Having delivered this project over the past four years, ongoing support like this is vital.

“This contribution enables us to continue our partnership with Protech, ensuring all devices are safely certified for onward use, while helping us reach more families across the region who might otherwise struggle to access essential diabetes technology.

“The diabetes community across the North East and North Cumbria is extremely grateful for this support.”

The project is delivered in partnership with the Type 1 Kidz patient and parent support group based in Durham.

A Channel 5 presenter raised eyebrows after she made various on-air blunders while announcing the death of singer Bonnie Tyler.

The ’80s music legend died this week at age 75, with dozens of tributes pouring in praising her ‘extraordinary’ vocals and sparkling personality, with one person dubbing her the ‘funniest woman alive’.

As news channels rushed to announce the sad development to viewers at home, one presenter, Dani Sinha, ended up delivering a statement filled with errors and awkward moments.

The issues started early as she fumbled over the name of Tyler’s most iconic song, 1983 hit Total Eclipse of the Heart, instead calling it ‘Total Of Eclipse’.

‘Singer Bonnie Tyler has died at the age of 75,’ she began before pausing to check her papers, which rustled on the microphone throughout.

She then continued: ‘The Total Of Eclipse star had been previously placed in an induced coma after having emergency intestinal surgery near her home in Faro, Portugal. She was due to tour Europe later this year.’

The segment then cut to Bonnie performing the song, with the well-known lyrics ‘… Now I’m only falling apart.’

Then, however, the camera abruptly cut back to the studio, where Sinha was clearly not expecting to be on air. Instead, she was seen looking stern as she rolled her eyes and shook her head to someone out of sight.

Noticing the camera, she then quickly moved the segment along, bringing the news report back on track.

Fans were left put out by the error-riddled delivery of the news from start to finish.

‘Ouch that’s really bad. If you know they’re cutting back to you, keep it professional. Also, why was her mic still on to hear the papers rustling? Mess ups all round here,’ emmabrainofficial wrote on Instagram.

‘I think the presenter has been let down here.. just unfortunate whilst giving out this news but hey, mistakes happen and we’re all human..’ Tom Barnwell defended.

Many noted that the presenter was likely rolling her eyes at the issues she had faced before the camera cut away.

‘She was totally let down on autocue and the clip. She was frustrated with technical errors,’ Christieamz_photography posed.

‘I think the presenter was just having an off day where everything was going wrong,’ WilliamDyer31 added.

Others noted that exclusively clipping the part of Bonnie’s major hit where she sings ‘now I’m only falling apart’ was also in poor taste, given it was an announcement of her death.

It’s not the only news channel to slip up during a death announcement in recent weeks.

After iconic British artist David Hockney’s death, the 1pm BBC news bulletin showed a graphic on screen which read ‘David Hockney resigns’, which fans immediately picked up on.

Metro has reached out to Channel 5 for comment.

MORE: Remembering Bonnie Tyler’s iconic appearance in major UK soap

MORE: Bonnie Tyler’s chaotic Never Mind the Buzzcocks episode will go down in TV history

MORE: Vanessa Feltz’s new career move revealed after Channel 5 show axe

Holy Cross Catholic High School on Myles Standish Way is set to shut its doors at 1.15pm on July 10 in response to an amber heat health alert issued for the North West.

A spokesperson said temperatures in the classroom could exceed 38C, posing a health and safety issue for children.

A school spokesman said: “Because of the extreme weather and high temperatures, school is closing early on Friday, July 10.

“This is a health and safety matter because classroom temperatures are expected to exceed 38C.”

Parents were given 24 hours’ notice of the closure, and buses were rearranged to accommodate the early finish.

The school confirmed that pupils who were unable to be collected or travel home at 1.15pm will stay at school.

Decisions about how many staff should remain on site will be made once the number of pupils needing supervision is known, with some staff may be allowed to leave early to work from home.

The early closure follows an amber heat health alert, which remains in force across the North West until 9pm on July 12.

Significant impacts are likely across health and social care services, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.

Other concerns include increased pressure on healthcare services, overheating in care settings, medication management challenges, and potential staffing issues due to transport disruption.

There are also risks of travel delays and a rise in water-related incidents, including cold-water shock and drowning.

A Ryanair passenger was sucked up to his shoulders out of a shattered plane window during a flight, fellow travellers on board have claimed. 

With his head trapped outside the smashed window, nearby passengers held the man down to prevent more of his body being sucked further out of the aircraft mid-flight this morning.

The Boeing 737-800 flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, had to turn back and land at its departure airport following the dramatic incident.

The jet took off from Greece as planned at 5.55am local time, but shortly after takeoff at an altitude of approximately 20,000ft, a loud bang was heard on board.

A witness told the German Press Agency (dpa) that a window smashed, as seen in videos circulating on social media.

Shortly after the sudden noise, a man seated next to the window was ‘sucked’ through, according to BILD.

‘His head and shoulders were sticking out of the broken window,’ another eyewitness told Greek broadcaster ERT. 

The man’s wife apparently held him by his legs for about five minutes, after which fellow passengers were able to pull him back into the cabin as oxygen masks dropped down. 

The injured passenger is believed to be a 61-year-old Serbian national 

The jet took off from Greece on time at 5.55am local time, but shortly after takeoff at an altitude of approximately 20,000ft, a loud bang was heard on board the flight 

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A Ryanair spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning (July 10) returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight.

‘The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. 

‘One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki. 

‘In order to minimise any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen which departed Thessaloniki at 9.53am local this morning.’

According to publicly available flight data, the Ryanair plane landed back in Thessaloniki after one hour and 14 minutes. 

The injured passenger is believed to be a 61-year-old Serbian national.

He was wounded in the neck by the impact and also sustained abrasions and burns, according to De Telegraaf.

The man is understood to be conscious but in a state of shock. 

Commenting on the incident, the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN) claimed there was ‘almost a tragedy’ 

Greek media is speculating that the incident was caused when part of the plane’s engine broke off, causing damage to the window

A pregnant woman also on board the flight was taken to hospital. According to local media, she is in good health and has since left the hospital. 

Greek media is speculating that the incident was caused when part of the plane’s engine broke off, causing damage to the window. 

The pilot then decided to turn around and return immediately to Thessaloniki airport.

Commenting on the incident, the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN) claimed there was ‘almost a tragedy’.

He said the ‘damaged’ window gave way and that part of the passenger’s body was pulled outside the aircraft before he was restrained by his wife. 

People on social media were quick to react to the dramatic incident, with one user writing on X: ‘That’s terrifying. Always wear your seatbelt folks.’

However, according to a fellow passenger, the man was wearing his seatbelt. 

A woman who was on the thriller flight spoke to Radio Thessaloniki 94.5 about what she witnessed.

‘A noise was heard as if a tire had burst. There was panic with screams, screams and voices because we immediately lost altitude from the decompression,’ she said.

‘For a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door. The flight attendants lost it. We all immediately put on our masks. It seemed like a very long time before we understood what was happening.’

Regarding the 61-year-old Serb, she added: ‘They grabbed him and held him down, fortunately he hadn’t taken off his seatbelt. 

‘His head was completely outside the plane. The girls who were next to him were pulling him. Some doctors also went to help him.’

Greek media reported the incident had occurred over North Macedonia, and said the window had been broken by a piece of debris that detached from one of the plane’s engines.

In May 2018, the co-pilot of a Sichuan Airlines flight that was forced to make an emergency landing was ‘sucked halfway out’ of the aircraft when a cockpit windshield blew out, local media reported.

Captain Liu Chuanjian – celebrated as a hero on social media after being forced to land the Airbus A319 manually – told the Chengdu Economic Daily his jet had just reached a cruising altitude of 32,000ft when a earsplitting sound spread through the cockpit. 

Amid a sudden loss of pressure and drop in temperature, he looked to his side and noticed the right windshield was gone. 

‘There was no warning sign. Suddenly the windshield just cracked and made a loud bang. The next thing I know my co-pilot had been sucked halfway out of the window,’ he was quoted as saying.

‘Everything in the cockpit was floating in the air. Most of the equipment malfunctioned … and I couldn’t hear the radio. The plane was shaking so hard I could not read the gauges.’

In March 2024, Boeing was found to have erased security footage showing ‘repairs’ being made to an Alaska Airlines flight, months before a door plug blew out at 16,000ft sparking a massive federal probe into airline safety. 

National Transportation Safety Board officials, who investigated the incident, noted in a letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that the Boeing 737-9 plane underwent rivet repairs in September 2023.

The door plug blew out mid-flight above Oregon on January 5 and led to an emergency landing.

NTSB leaders said the door plug that failed was opened during the repair work months earlier but that Boeing has not been able to locate records of the work.

‘To date, we still do not know who performed the work to open, reinstall, and close the door plug on the accident aircraft. Boeing has informed us that they are unable to find the records documenting this work,’ Jennifer Homendy, NTSB chair, wrote in the letter.

‘A verbal request was made by our investigators for security camera footage to help obtain this information; however, they were informed the footage was overwritten.

‘The absence of those records will complicate the NTSB’s investigation moving forward.’

The bonfire is located close to the city’s longest peace wall

A local councillor has said a West Belfast bonfire “should be bulldozed” if a paramilitary flag displayed on it is not removed.

Independent councillor Paul Doherty said the Protestant Action Force flag was placed on the Cupar Way bonfire to “intimidate, provoke, and glorify loyalist paramilitarism.”

The bonfire is located close to the city’s longest peace wall between the Falls and Shankill areas. The PSNI say the flag has since been removed.

Posting on social media on Thursday morning, Cllr Doherty said: “If they won’t take it down, the bonfire should be bulldozed. There can be no tolerance for sectarian, racist or paramilitary banners, flags or symbols on bonfires or anywhere.

“The Protestant Action Force banner on Cupar Way is vile. It invokes a name linked to sectarian murder in communities like ours in West Belfast and beyond and is clearly designed to intimidate, provoke and glorify loyalist paramilitarism.

“This is not culture. It is pure hatred on public display.

“Those responsible should remove it immediately. Otherwise, the authorities should act without delay. How is this still happening in 2026?”

The Protestant Action Force was a cover name used for the UVF throughout The Troubles, and was used to claim a number of attacks.

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

Declan Rice is nursing an injury issue ahead of England’s World Cup quarter-final and Thomas Tuchel has been warned about using the midfielder if he’s not fully fit

Thomas Tuchel has been told it would be “foolish” to play Declan Rice against Norway if the England midfielder is still nursing his injury issue.

As things stand the Arsenal star is already a doubt for the Norway clash as he’s dealing with sickness, but throughout the tournament he’s been managing a hamstring issue.

Rice was seen with an icepack on his left hamstring during the latter stages of the 2-1 win against DR Congo in the last 32. Tuchel confessed that Rice was playing with “terrible pain” but he was able to last the full 90 minutes in England’s 3-2 victory over Mexico last Sunday.

Rice has been managing a hamstring problem since Christmas but continued to play a key role for Arsenal during their Premier League success last season – but Pearce insists a long-term view needs to be taken.

He said on talkSport: “The only thing that might be a consideration to him [Tuchel] is the injury… a concern that’s been with him [Rice] for a few games.”

Pearce also added: “Is that going to do him more damage and is he likely to break down? If there is a risk there, I think you’d be foolish as a manager to play him.”

This week Rice has already missed two days of training due to his sickness bug and he has been isolated from his England teammates so the illness from spreading across the squad

He is not the only concern and England defender Marc Guehi will be assessed on Friday to see if he is fit enough to play in Saturday’s clash against Norway. He has a slight hamstring injury. The Manchester City star is desperate to prove his fitness and remains optimistic he can be involved.

In more positive news right-back Reece James returned to training as expected on Thursday and is in contention for the quarter-final, which is especially timely after Jarrel Quansah was given a two-game ban after his red card against Mexico. He was one of the few remaining players capable of operating at right-back.

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Emergency services were called to Osbourne Close on June 25 after a man blocked himself inside and “made threats” – sparking the evacuation of dozens of residents from 23 properties.

A huge area was taped off at the time as a large-scale emergency response, including armed police and bomb squad teams, descended on the street. 

A 48-year-old was arrested at the time – and now, Cleveland Police has confirmed that Adam Piatek has been charged with a string of offences. 

Police on Osbourne Close in Hemlington following a standoff (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

These include communicating false information, criminal damage, two counts of assault by beating, racially/religiously aggravated harassment, and threat to damage property. 

Piatek, of Osbourne Close, is due to appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court today (July 10).

Dozens of displaced residents were forced to watch the 999 activity from the street amid 28 degree heat following the incident last month. 

Residents described waking up to emergency services swarming the area, with one person saying the armed police activity was “frightening”. 

The force confirmed earlier this week that some items were removed from the property but nothing was located inside that presented a “significant threat”.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Jewish adults feel unsafe in the United States, a new AP-NORC poll finds, with a majority saying they feel less safe than they did before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research points to how Jewish adults’ attitudes toward their own personal safety have changed over a relatively short period as more Americans became critical of the United States’ close alliance with Israel. The war in Gaza sparked U.S. protests over Israel’s military actions against the Palestinians in Gaza, and coincided with an increase in violent attacks against U.S. Jewish communities.

The findings highlight the vulnerability that many Jewish adults in the U.S. feel as bipartisan support for Israel erodes and significant divides emerge within the Jewish community about what constitutes antisemitism — particularly when it comes to protesting Israel.

A significant share of Jewish adults, about 3 in 10, say they or someone in their household has experienced physical assault, verbal abuse, online harassment or damaged property because of their Jewish background over the last year, according to the survey.

Hal Guberman, a 30-year-old in New Jersey, wears a kippah with some trepidation ever since a stranger in a passing car yelled a slur at him when he was walking down the street last year.

“That person, they don’t know anything about me. They don’t know my politics. They don’t know my beliefs. They don’t know my viewpoints,” Guberman said. “But they saw me being visibly Jewish, and they made an opinion about me.”

Jewish adults see prejudice against Jews as a serious problem, and many feel unsafe

About 6 in 10 Jewish adults say that prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the United States today, a view that is heightened among Jewish adults who say they are “extremely” or “very” emotionally attached to Israel.

About one-third of Jewish adults say they feel “very” or “somewhat” safe as a Jewish person in the U.S. today, while about one-third feel “very” or “somewhat” unsafe. The remaining roughly 3 in 10 say they feel neither safe nor unsafe. Those with a close connection to Israel or who identify as Jewish by religion — instead of saying they are religiously unaffiliated with a cultural, ethnic or family connection to Judaism — are more likely to feel threatened in the current environment.

About 6 in 10 Jewish adults say they feel “less safe” as a Jewish person in the U.S. than they did before Hamas’ 2023 attack, including about 7 in 10 of those who are religiously Jewish. About one-third of Jewish adults say they feel “about as safe” and very few feel safer.

Erin Baskin, a 36-year-old in Pennsylvania, said the Oct. 7 attacks didn’t change how safe she feels because she had her own experiences with prejudice before then.

“I’ve always grown up with antisemitism,” she said. “Among the rural community I’m in, they conflate Judaism with Zionism all the time. Unfortunately, that’s kind of been my experience. It’s nothing new.”

Some Jewish adults have grown wary of outwardly identifying themselves as Jewish following the Oct. 7 attacks, the survey found.

About 4 in 10 Jewish adults say they are “less likely” to wear, carry or display things that might identify them as a Jewish person than they were before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. About half say they are “about as likely” and about 1 in 10 say they are “more likely.”

Caitlin Rosendorn, a 24-year-old in Illinois, said she used to wear a Star of David necklace, but she worries now that wearing it could give people the incorrect impression that she supports Israel’s attacks against the Palestinian people.

“I don’t want to wear a Star of David to work if that’s going to alienate somebody who sees the Star of David as a symbol of Israel as opposed to a symbol of Judaism,” she said. “I don’t want people to get the wrong idea about my views.”

Many Jews report physical assault, property damage or harassment

About 1 in 10 Jewish adults say that in the past year, they or someone in their household has been physically assaulted. A similar share had property damaged or destroyed specifically because of their Jewish background.

About 2 in 10 Jewish adults say they or someone in their household has been called a slur, threatened, verbally harassed or verbally abused. Similarly, about 2 in 10 say they experienced online harassment or cyberbullying. Overall, about 3 in 10 of Jewish adults say that they or someone in their household has experienced at least one of these incidents because of their Jewish background.

Jewish adults who attend religious services at least once a month are much likelier than Jewish adults overall to say they or someone in their household has experienced attacks or harassment over their Jewish background — a finding that comes as there have been several targeted attacks on Jewish religious spaces in recent years.

Slightly less than half of Jewish adults who frequently attend religious services say they or someone in their household has faced verbal harassment. A similar share experienced online harassment, and about one-quarter have dealt with physical attacks or property damage.

Jon Kessler, 38, of California, who grew up in the Conservative tradition of Judaism, believes non-Jews might be surprised at the extent to which Jewish adults have to consider security at community events.

“Most people when they go to church don’t have armed security, but every synagogue has an armed security guard,” Kessler said. “My son’s Jewish daycare has an armed security guard.”

Jews are divided over whether protesting Israel is a form of antisemitism

Protests surrounding speakers tied to Israel — whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanahyu’s address to Congress or college speakers seen as either too supportive or too critical of the country — became more common following the backlash over Israel’s war in Gaza.

Jewish adults, in particular, are divided over whether protesting an event related to Israel is an act of prejudice against Jewish people generally. About half of Jewish adults say anti-Israel protests are not a form of antisemitism, but roughly 4 in 10 say they are.

Many anti-Israel protests have been tied to criticism of Israel’s military action in Gaza. More than 73,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Israel retaliated against Hamas’ attack in 2023, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilian and militant deaths.

About two-thirds of Jewish adults say criticizing Israel for its military actions is not a form of antisemitism, but Jewish adults with a close emotional connection to Israel are more likely to say that criticism of Israel’s military actions is antisemitic. That said, relatively few Jewish adults say it’s antisemitic just to criticize Israel for “any reason.”

Americans overall are less likely to say it’s antisemitic to protest an event that is supportive of Israel, or to criticize Israel’s military actions — but they are also much less likely to have an opinion.

Jewish adults are more unified in deeming some actions as definitively antisemitic. The overwhelming majority say vandalizing synagogues or Jewish-owned businesses because of Israel’s actions is antisemitism. The same goes for denying the reality or scope of the Holocaust, putting responsibility for Israel’s actions on Jewish people in the United States, saying Israel shouldn’t exist as a Jewish state or claiming American Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the U.S.

There is less consensus among non-Jewish U.S. adults on whether some of these actions constitute antisemitism, with many saying they’re not sure.

Amanda Goldsmith, 53, who lives in Chicago, believes people have become too comfortable expressing antisemitic views online — something that she previously thought only existed in extremist spaces.

“Now, it seems like there was an undercurrent, and it’s a free-for-all, and everyone is free to say what they want,” she said. “The freedom with which people say horrible things about Jewish people is appalling.”

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Associated Press writer Giovanna Dell’Orto contributed from Minneapolis. Associated Press writer Peter Smith contributed from Pittsburgh.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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The AP-NORC poll of 3,040 adults was conducted June 11-17 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The poll included interviews with 1,022 Jewish adults. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points and the margin of sampling error for Jewish adults is plus or minus 5.0 percentage points.

BEIJING (AP) — China successfully recaptured the first stage of a rocket after a launch on Friday in a breakthrough for the country’s space program, state media said.

The first stage of a Long March-10B rocket separated from the second stage after liftoff and returned to a platform in the sea, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

It was the first time China recovered the first stage of a rocket. America’s SpaceX has been doing so for several years to drive down launch costs by reusing the booster that helps lift the satellites or whatever the rocket is carrying into space.

The Long March rocket was launched from China’s Hainan Island, a popular beach destination off the country’s southern coast.

The rocket’s reusable configuration can launch a payload of up to 16,000 kilograms (35,275 pounds) into what is called low Earth orbit, Xinhua said.

The maximum payload of the SpaceX Falcon 9 is 22,800 kilograms (50,265 pounds), according to the SpaceX website. The Falcon rockets transport astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.