Another changeble day has been forecast for Wales on Wednesday.

A Met Office spokesperson said: “A day of sunny spells and showers across the region. Showers may be heavy and merge into longer spells of rain at times. Pleasant in any sunshine, but otherwise feeling rather cool for June in a blustery breeze. Maximum temperature 15 °C.”

People have been issued a ‘toxic or life-threatening’ alert

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A leading vet charity has urged pet owners to double-check veterinary advice found on TikTok and social media platforms. The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) has warned that online “hacks” and home treatments could be putting pets’ lives at risk.

The PDSA has seen viral clips online where owners are encouraged to give dogs ibuprofen for injuries despite the drug being toxic to pets. Cat Henstridge, a veterinary surgeon who shares pet care advice to over 400,000 followers on social media, said the golden rule is to always “run it past your vet first”.

Henstridge, who runs the account @cat_the_vet, told the Press Association: “Ibuprofen is 100% off the menu for all pets and paracetamol is very toxic for cats.” Whilst stressing that some general advice from social media for pets can be good, Ms Henstridge said “when it comes to medicines, it has to be the veterinary profession that is the first port of call”.

The 45-year-old from Sheffield added: “A lot of home and herbal holistic remedies are at best ineffective and, at worse, potentially dangerous.”

Catherine Burke, a PDSA vet, said: “Animals process medications very differently from humans. Something safe for people can be toxic or even life-threatening for pets.”

Ms Burke said she can understand that social media offers pet owners “quick help” but this comes with a risk as these viral clips often “make medical guidance appear far simpler and safer than it really is”.

The PDSA is concerned how quickly “misinformation spreads online” and has encouraged pet lovers not “to try home treatments seen online without first checking with their vet”. It added: “What works for one animal in a short video may not be safe for another, and similar symptoms can have very different underlying causes.”

The charity is urging owners to contact their vet directly if they are concerned about their pet’s health, rather than using social media trends or often unverified online tips. Ms Burke added: “Following these viral tips can delay pet owners from seeking proper veterinary care, where early treatment can make a significant difference to health and wellbeing.”

The PDSA is the UK’s leading veterinary charity, with 49 pet hospitals across the UK. The charity has a dedicated Pet Health Hub where expert advice can be found.

Locals say it is like ‘football match traffic’ at peak times for the church

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Frustrated residents say traffic issues caused by worshippers attending Kingsgate Community Church are like facing “football match traffic” each week.

People in Peterborough have said they are in favour of the church providing regular services and creating a sense of community. However, they say the associated traffic makes navigating the area a challenge before and after peak service times.

“As a local resident in the vicinity of the Kingsgate Community Church, I find it frustrating and a burden on the roads and surrounding area of the amount of traffic every week associated with the services and meetings at Kingsgate,” said a local resident who asked to go by Lou.

“The traffic disruption, noise, pollution and ever increasing numbers is something that needs to be addressed for the benefit of the whole community.”

Kingsgate Peterborough, in Parnwell, is the founding and largest hub of the wider Kingsgate network of churches, which includes campuses in Cambridge and Leicester.

The congregation first moved into the 84,000sq/ft Kingsgate facility in 2006. Since then, it has grown to megachurch status, regularly attracting between 1,000 to 2,000 worshippers to its most popular services.

Lou said: “Sundays, in particular times between 8:50am and 12:45pm, are causing a nuisance with queuing traffic to get in through the morning causing a lack of flow for local residents.”

Lou said she and her fellow residents resent the fact that they often have to tweak their own journeys and social activities to fit around church service times. “We shouldn’t have to adapt what we want to do around what’s going on at the church or then get caught up in traffic unexpectedly,” she said.

“At times it feels like you are dealing and coming across football match traffic issues on a weekly basis throughout the year.” She continued: “They are a good community church with various valuable projects and I do not hold bad will against them. But this has been going on for years and nothing changes, just at times gets worse.”

Labour councillor Sam Hemraj, herself a Parnwell resident, represents the East ward where Kingsgate Community Church is. “For residents living in Parnwell, around Parnwell Road and Oxney Road area – it is a nightmare at times,” she said, describing local Sunday morning traffic as “horrendous”.

She added: “I’ve had other residents complain about it, [and] even my husband says ‘I’m not leaving now because we’re going to get stuck in that traffic’.”

Like Lou, Cllr Hemraj was keen to highlight that, away from the evident traffic issues, she regards the church as a great asset for Parnwell. “What they do, community-wise, is fantastic,” she said. “They help a lot of vulnerable people in the community.”

Kingsgate Community Church acknowledged the popularity of its services, saying “more people than ever” now attend its weekly Sunday morning services, and that it was fully aware of the issues this brings.

“We understand the frustrations expressed by some residents… and would welcome the opportunity to engage directly with members of the local community,” a spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The church said it is “grateful to be part of the Parnwell community” and that it is looking at ways to help to alleviate some of the challenges residents have become frustrated with.

They continued: “Proactive work is ongoing to manage increasing traffic both on and off the Kingsgate site. This has included carrying out traffic surveys, working with local businesses to utilise other car parks, and enlisting traffic management consultancy support.

“We are continuing to explore all potential options for longer-term measures to address the impact of traffic on local roads, in liaison with the relevant authorities.”

Residents have also suggested a number of measures the church might consider implementing in order to help resolve the issue. These include staggering church service times, bringing in shuttle bus services, and establishing more than one exit and entry point.

Cllr Hemraj believes a change in local infrastructure may well be the only truly effective way to comprehensively resolve the issue in the long-term, and that she would be pushing for that in her official capacity. “This [issue] is on my agenda,” she confirmed.

“I think that the only way to alleviate [the traffic] is an improvement to the road. There were talks about extending Parnwell Way but it goes down to the [council] funding. I think… that road needs two lanes.”

The councillor said that she would be reaching out to Peterborough City Council’s Service Director for Infrastructure and Highways, James Collingridge, to discuss potential solutions.

The remains of a woman who died in the 2025 Air India crash were wrongly identified and repatriated to the UK under another victim’s name, an inquest has heard.

The remains of Vasuben Narendrasinh Raj, 70, were sent to the UK under another name, only to be correctly identified after a DNA test.

She was among the 241 passengers killed after the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed in western India’s Gujarat state on 12 June 2025. The plane slammed into a medical college building shortly after take off, killing 19 more people on the ground. Only one passenger, a British national of Indian origin named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash.

Inquests have now opened for two victims of the crash, including the 70-year-old woman and a second individual who is yet to be identified.

On Tuesday, senior coroner professor, Fiona Wilcox, told Inner West London Coroner’s Court that it was “obviously very unusual” to open inquests nearly a year after death.

She told an online hearing that Raj’s remains were flown into the UK under another person’s name, but when the remains were tested, it was confirmed they were not of that person.

Westminster Public Mortuary then sent the remains for DNA testing, and sent the results to Indian authorities, who then confirmed that it were those of Raj.

“There have been extensive inquiries ongoing in the background and we have only recently been able to make contact with the son of Ms Raj,” she said.

In a separate case heard at the inquest, an unidentified male victim’s remains had been mixed with those of another crash victim and were later separated through forensic examination.

She said extensive examinations were conducted on these remains and the victim was separated from another person’s remains

“We have sent palm prints and DNA to India in an attempt to identify this gentleman but to date we have had no confirmation as to his name or any of the other registration that the court is able and required to find,” she said.

“The identity of the unidentified male remains outstanding. I hope that identification will be forthcoming,” she added.

Full inquests will be held once results from the Indian investigation are available.

Detective Inspector Mike Buck, who was also part of the hearing, said: “We have been working for some time with British High Commission in India to make those identifications.”

Full inquests will be held once the Indian investigation concludes.

The clean-up, led by Darlington Council’s public health team and the Darlington Stop Smoking Hub, collected 5,000 cigarette butts in just two hours.

The project forms part of the council’s broader efforts to promote environmental sustainability, healthier living, and longer life expectancy for residents.

Some of the thousands of cigarette butts cleared from around Darlington Memorial Hospital (Image: Supplied)

Cigarette butts are among the most commonly littered items worldwide and can take up to a decade to break down.

They also leach toxic chemicals into soil and waterways, posing threats to both the environment and wildlife.

Lorraine Hughes, director of public health at Darlington Council, said: “Quitting smoking is the single best action you can take for better health.

“Within weeks, you’ll breathe easier, feel more energetic, and lower your risk of serious illnesses like cancer, heart attack, stroke, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

“Many people also report feeling calmer, happier, and less anxious just a few weeks after quitting.

“It’s better for your bank balance too and could save you over £2,000 a year.

“Our friendly local stop smoking services are here to help you quit for good – giving you the best advice on how to kick the habit and ease your cravings.

“Even if you’ve been unsuccessful in the past – please don’t give up; your next quit attempt could be the one that works and changes your life.

“It’s never too late.”

The 5,000 cigarette butts collected represent around £3,500 spent on tobacco products and roughly a month of lost life, with each cigarette estimated to reduce life expectancy by 11 minutes.

Darlington Stop Smoking Hub offers free advice, guidance and evidence-based support.

Appointments can be booked at www.darlington.gov.uk/stop-smoking or by calling 0800 802 1850.

400 free licences for the NHS Smoke Free app are also available for Darlington residents at https://smokefreeapp.com/.

Councillor Stephen Harker, leader of Darlington Council, said: “We are committed to making sure people in Darlington live longer in good health and initiatives like this, provide fresh opportunities to engage with our communities about issues which impact their health and wellbeing.

“Smoking is the single largest driver of health inequalities – something we are determined to address in Darlington.

“Smoking prevalence in the borough is now the second lowest in the region, and lower than the UK average.

“Referrals to local stop smoking services continue to increase, and more people than ever are benefitting from kicking the habit.

“However, one in 13 local people continue to smoke.

“The small action taken by our staff and partner colleagues has helped prevent plastic particles entering soil and drains and toxic chemicals from leaching into the local environment – protecting local wildlife, waterways and public health.”

Record View says an inquiry would be able to reassure the public that decisions were above board.

We all now know Peter Murrell is a crook. The estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon has admitted so in court.

But the former chief executive of the SNP is also a chancer. Given the weight of the evidence against him, Murrell must have known he was guilty all along.

As soon as cops started poring through a decade of receipts for dodgy purchases, the game was up.

But Murrell’s delay in admitting his guilt allowed the SNP to go into the Holyrood election unsullied by the unfolding scandal.

Murrell was originally due in court for a pleading diet before the Holyrood election. But the date was then pushed back until May 25 – weeks after the crucial vote, which the SNP won at a canter.

We report today how election experts believe the delay gave the SNP a clear advantage in the May election.

The calls for a full inquiry into the Murrell scandal are growing every day.

Any inquiry – whether at Westminster or Holyrood – must examine the decision to delay his final day in court.

The role of the legal authorities in agreeing to a delay may have been entirely legitimate. But transparency must be the new watchword for Scotland’s secretive public bodies – so an inquiry should be able to clear that issue up once and for all.

An inquiry must also look at the decision to grant Murrell legal aid, despite him having a luxury villa in Portugal worth £400,000 and a £600,000 pension.

Why was he given taxpayers’ money to mount his defence when he was clearly a man of some means?

Again, an inquiry would be able to reassure the public that everything in that decision was above board.

Voters deserve answers on these key questions.

And here at the Daily Record we won’t give up until we have them.

Be a visa pleaser

It’s every Scottish football fan’s worst nightmare.

Thousands of pounds spent on a World Cup trip, only to see it scuppered at the last minute by red tape.

But that is exactly what’s happening to a growing number of Scotland supporters as the US authorities revoke their visa waivers without any notice.

After the Record reported demands for US president Donald Trump to step in and sort out the mess First Minister John Swinney has spoken out.

He has demanded the US Consulate allow fans who have applied for visa waivers in plenty of time be given exemptions to let them travel.

We know Swinney has a direct line to the White House. He spoke to The Don when he lobbied for a cut in whisky tariffs.

He should use that connection – and Trump’s strong family ties to Scotland – to plead the Tartan Army’s case.

If he succeeds he’ll be the first Scottish hero of this World Cup.

Get Daily Record Premium for just £1 per month in exclusive offer to celebrate the world cup. Click HERE.

Residents have been forced to flee their homes in Belfast amid disorder on the streets following a knife attack.

Houses and cars have been set on fire, while all public transport has been paused in the city.

A 30-year-old Sudanese man is due to appear in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder following the attack in north Belfast on Monday night.

A man in his 40s remains in hospital with serious injuries to his eyes, neck and back.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland have called for calm as “sporadic pockets of disorder” have broken out across Northern Ireland in response to the attack.

Read more on this story.

Labour’s Makerfield candidate has promised targeted action in Ashton and across the constituency.

Calling for community policing schemes and a “blitz” on crime hotspots, including shops suspected of facilitating drug dealing and money laundering.

Mr Burnham said: “For too long, Westminster has been allowed to ignore areas like ours.

“I’m fighting this by-election to change that.

“People in Makerfield have had enough of dodgy shops blighting our high streets and illegal e-bikes making their lives a misery.

“Today’s announcement is about showing local residents I’m on your side.

“I’m calling for a blitz on the organised crime blighting local high streets, and push for new powers to stop those causing misery to our local communities.”

He has demanded a police crackdown similar to Greater Manchester Police’s award-winning Operation Vulcan, which targets illicit businesses linked to organised crime.

The award-winning Operation Vulcan – run by Greater Manchester Police – tackles “dodgy” shops that act as fronts for organised crime.

Mr Burnham wants a similar approach rolled out in Makerfield, with enhanced police patrols and enforcement focused on crime-linked shops and anti-social behaviour.

The pledge is part of a wider campaign to revitalise high streets.

Mr Burnham recently called for pubs and clubs to receive a 20 per cent business rate cut next year and suggested that small, family-run businesses should be exempt from business rates entirely.

He has also proposed new legislation to help councils block the opening of vape shops, which he says are “blighting” town centres.

Mr Burnham has also promised to support action on illegal e-bikes and strengthen efforts to tackle organised crime on high streets.

In addition to crime and business reform, Mr Burnham has pledged more opportunities for young people.

He has put forward a proposal for a new Ashton Youth Zone, which would offer sports, learning, and training facilities.

The youth zone would aim to give young people a safe space, structured activities, and access to mentors and support services.

During recent visits to Makerfield, Mr Burnham said he had listened to thousands of residents on the doorstep who raised the issues.

Changes are on the horizon for the food that students can choose in English schools. The government is proposing updates to the school food standards, which set out what schools can serve. The changes are aimed at increasing fibre and reducing fat, sugar and salt in school food. These will, for example, remove deep fried foods and fruit juice from school menus, while also limiting how often options such as pizza can be offered.

Our new research examined what students chose in secondary school under the current school food standards, and highlights students’ established patterns of food choice.

In our study, we examined more than a quarter of a million choices made by over 800 11- to 18-year-olds in a secondary school. By looking at what they chose over one academic year, we developed a profile for each student – and were able to look at patterns of food choice. We found that students fell into one of five groups, which we named according to the foods and drinks that dominated.

The largest group was “sandwich combo fans”, with 40% of students, who tended to choose a combination of drinks, sandwiches and cookies or traybakes. The next group was “break time snackers”: 23% of students, who predominantly chose savoury snacks.

Selections by “traybake enthusiasts” were dominated by cookies and traybakes (19% of students), and those of “pizza lovers” by pizzas (17% of students).

Finally, the smallest group, “healthy lunchers” – less than 2% of students – tended to choose daily specials. These were only popular among healthy lunchers. Daily specials historically formed the backbone of a secondary school menu cycle in England. They contributed to an average lunch meeting the previous nutrient targets from older nutrient-based standards (which are no longer in place), and may have a more nutritionally favourable profile than other options.

Cookies and traybakes made up a quarter of all items selected and featured strongly across all patterns. They dominated selections by traybake enthusiasts and sandwich combo fans. Cookies and traybakes were also popular with pizza lovers (where they came second only to pizza) and break time snackers (second only to savoury snacks) as well as with healthy lunchers (second only to daily specials).

As well as looking at students’ patterns of food choice, we looked at trends with age. We found that, as students got older, there was a shift towards more breaktime snacking, with the proportion in this cluster increasing. Students here predominantly selected savoury snacks, such as bacon rolls, potato wedges and toast.

This shift may be related to older students moving away from a conventional lunch in the canteen, opting for alternatives and exercising autonomy over their food choices. So, for example, they may prefer to select snacks at school and bring in food from home or purchased on the way to school.

As with all research, it’s important to acknowledge the study limitations. Our findings should be considered within the context of the school, which was an urban secondary school, with more children eligible for free school meals than the national average at the time (academic year 2017-18), and with school food provided by a catering company.

What our study clearly showed was that students consistently gravitated towards certain foods. Cookies, traybakes and pizza were very popular, and daily specials and fruit were not. Ultimately, students didn’t tend to opt for food with more preferable nutritional composition.

The impact of school food on diet

We were particularly interested in adolescents’ food choice because 11- to 18-year-olds in the UK consume too much sugar and saturated fat and not enough fibre, fruit and vegetables. National data shows the extent of this issue. Less than 10% of 11- to 18-year-olds meet recommendations for fruit and vegetables, and 96% do not get recommended amounts of fibre. The vast majority exceed recommended limits for free sugars (95% of 11- to 18-year-olds) and most, for saturated fat (84% of 11- to 18-year-olds).

Understanding how and what young people choose in schools is important because this can make a substantial contribution to their diets, and because food habits during adolescence are important later in life. Taken together, these reflect how important school food is to the nation’s diet.

Our research findings highlight the importance of what students choose from the various options available to them, the dominance of certain items, and the relevance of convenient grab and go items.

The impact of the proposed changes to the school food standards is difficult to predict. For example, the updates restrict the availability of traybakes and pizza, highlighted as important choices for students. How young people respond to this – and if they opt for alternatives beyond the school menu – may depend upon how caterers respond to the updates and how school food changes.

As well as considering what foods are available under the proposed updates, other factors are important. These include behavioural insights to promote healthier food choice and the funding context and relevance of canteen revenue for schools. The convenient grab-and-go nature of some of the popular items is an important factor too, for example, when compared to some plated meals. Other aspects, such as how long students have for lunch, queuing and seating, may also play a role.

It will be particularly interesting to see how school food provision adjusts and in turn, how students respond – and ultimately, how the food choice patterns of those using the canteen evolve.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mismanagement at a massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas created unsafe conditions that contributed to detainee deaths and suffering even as millions of wasted tax dollars enriched contractors, according to a federal report released Tuesday.

The Government Accountability Office report documents serious problems at Camp East Montana, a sprawling tent facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso where three detainees have died in little more than six months. Evidence in one of those deaths, of a 55-year-old Cuban migrant who died in January after being held down by guards, was “missing or destroyed,” the report found.

ICE rushed to open the camp in August before construction was complete and failed to conduct required oversight to ensure detainees were held in sanitary conditions and receiving adequate medical care, according to the report.

The Department of Homeland Security noted that ICE has replaced the contractor running the facility. “This new contractor will allow Camp East Montana to continue abiding by the highest detention standards with the ability to provide more medical care on-site,” said DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis.

The GAO’s findings echo past reporting by The Associated Press and other news outlets about dangerous conditions at Camp East Montana, which quickly became the nation’s largest immigration detention facility.

But the government report also details previously undisclosed incidents, including that a detainee escaped in October due to what ICE called the contractor’s oversight failure. In January, a security guard lost a loaded firearm inside the facility that was never recovered.

The contractor failed to administer skin tests to screen detainees for tuberculosis, relying on a questionnaire instead, the report said. The inadequate screening allowed a detainee with tuberculosis to be housed with the general population, which later suffered an outbreak.

GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency in Congress that investigates how federal funds are spent and evaluates whether programs and policies are operating effectively. The office opened its review into Camp East Montana at the request of Democrats in the House and Senate.

Facing pressure to increase its detention capacity, the Trump administration routed the contract to build Camp East Montana through the Army to speed construction after ICE twice failed to successfully award one. That resulted in selecting a small, little-known contractor, Acquisition Logistics, for the $1.3 billion deal despite it having no prior experience operating detention facilities and facing what ICE called a “significant learning curve.”

The Army — and later ICE after the camp was transferred to the agency — wasted millions of dollars paying for services it did not need because the contract did not account for fluctuations in the detainee population, the report said.

The Army blew up to $11.5 million paying for guards, medical services, transportation and meals in the weeks before the camp held detainees. The agencies wasted millions more because it was contracted to pay the cost of meals for the camp’s maximum population of 5,000, even when the number of detainees there dropped to around 1,600, the report said.

Facility didn’t initially meet detention standards

The facility did not meet ICE detention standards or the contract’s requirements in several ways when it opened, in part because it had not been inspected as required by ICE policy, the report said. The camp lacked security cameras on the perimeter and had other surveillance blind spots that raised the risk of sexual assaults or escapes.

The camp could not accommodate detainees using wheelchairs and had no showers compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, resulting in the disabled being held in medical care rooms.

The recreation area wasn’t available for several days, and after one yard was opened, it wasn’t enough space to provide required time for detainees. The law library, space to meet with attorneys and a visitation area did not open for weeks, resulting in detainees being deprived of legal resources and contact with family and friends, the report found.

The problems persisted as ICE began transporting more detainees there from across the country, the GAO found. While built to house up to 5,000 immigrants for short-term stays, its population has averaged about half of that from October until April, according to ICE’s most recent data.

Missing evidence and other problems

Detainees held at the facility didn’t receive comprehensive health assessments, which meant that those with chronic conditions received substandard care, the report said.

The contractor cleaned the dormitories weekly rather than daily as required, resulting in unsanitary conditions. Some guards offered detainees cookies if they would clean their own rooms. Acquisition Logistics didn’t reply to messages seeking comment.

The GAO report says investigations into the January death of Geraldo Lunas Campos were undermined after “evidence associated with the incident was missing or destroyed.” It did not elaborate. Campos died after he was restrained by guards and an outside autopsy report ruled the death a homicide due to asphyxia. The contractor at the facility did not provide use-of-force and death reports to ICE as required, according to the new report.

An investigation by ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility into the death is on hold pending a criminal investigation by the FBI.

On Jan. 14, Nicaraguan detainee Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, died of suicide after staff put him in a medical holding room instead of suicide-resistant cell and left him unattended for intervals longer than 15 minutes, the report said. Staff could not see into the room because the contractor had failed to install vision panels that had been requested months earlier, it found.

“These are huge discrepancies in their failure to prevent suicides,” said Diaz family attorney Randall Kallinen, noting that the report strengthens a potential wrongful death claim he’s considering. “They are part of an entire laundry list of problems at Camp East Montana.”

___

Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.