Families with children aged 16 to 19 have until 31 August to tell HMRC whether their teenager is staying in approved full-time education or training.

The warning comes just days before GCSE results day on Thursday, August 20, when hundreds of thousands of teenagers will decide what to do next.

If a teenager is continuing in qualifying non-advanced education or approved training, parents can extend their Child Benefit claim. But if they fail to respond by the deadline, payments will stop automatically.

More than 372,000 parents have already extended their claims digitally.

Parents can complete the process in just a few minutes using the HMRC app or GOV.UK. Those who received a letter from HMRC can also scan the QR code to access the service.

Child Benefit is currently worth up to £1,406.60 a year for the eldest or only child, or £930.80 for each additional child.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “Exam results season is a big moment for teenagers deciding their next steps, and it’s the perfect time for parents to confirm those plans with us.

“Child Benefit is a vital source of support for many families and we don’t want anyone to miss out. It only takes a few minutes using the HMRC app or GOV.UK, so make sure you’re receiving the payments you’re entitled to.”

Who can continue receiving Child Benefit?

Child Benefit can continue while a young person remains in full-time, non-advanced education, including:

• A levels
• T levels
• Scottish Highers
• NVQs up to Level 3
• Certain approved training schemes

Parents only need to act if their teenager is starting a new qualifying course or training in September. Those already partway through a course that HMRC has previously been told about do not need to contact them.

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However, Child Benefit does not continue for children doing a university degree, a standard apprenticeship in England, or a course forming part of a job contract.

Parents must also tell HMRC if their child’s circumstances change, such as leaving education or starting a paid apprenticeship, to avoid being overpaid.

Around 1.5 million parents have received letters from HMRC this year reminding them to extend their claim by August 31.

Two women from the Alway area of Newport have been charged with drug supply offences following an investigation by Gwent Police.

Officers arrested the two women and seized crack cocaine, cocaine, cannabis and a quantity of cash following a search of an address in the city on Saturday 15 August.

Lisa Thomas, 44, was charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine, possession of a controlled drug of class A – cocaine, and possession of a controlled drug of class B – cannabis/cannabis resin.

Carmen Thomas, 24, was charged with being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin.

Both women, from Walford Davies Drive in Newport, were remanded into police custody to appear at Newport Magistrates’ Court on Monday 17 August.

The manager of a family farm defiantly refused to change the name of his Titanic-themed ride after facing backlash from the ‘woke brigade’.

A slide at Graveley Farm in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, is decorated and themed around the ill-fated ship which sank in 1912.

Despite having been an attraction at the park for multiple years, this summer a number of parents became enraged at the theming of the slides, branding it ‘disrespectful’.

Furious parents compared the Titanic theming to having a ‘Twin Towers ride’, despite the tragedy taking place more than 110 years ago.

Initially wishing to calm the critics, farm manager Will offered to change the name of the popular ride.

However, he was then encouraged by other guests to hold firm and chose not to change it at the behest of a small handful of people.

He pointed out that there are no living survivors of the tragedy and very few children of survivors and referred to the Titanic immersive exhibition, which opened in London last year.

The farm opened in 1981 and offers fruit-picking in summer as well as crazy golf, a playground and water slides for children.

The farm has vowed not to appease the ‘woke brigade’ and has decided against changing the ride’s name

Tickets for the slide at the farm are given out as boarding passes, with each ride called a ‘wreck’

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The ride lifts up into the air, providing four slides for children at the attraction

For £2-a-turn, children can hop on board the replica ship, which then lifts its bow into the air, creating four slides.  

Tickets are handed out in the form of boarding passes to the fateful 1912 ship, with each ride referred to as a ‘wreck’. 

Criticism began to emerge on Graveley Farm’s Facebook page, with parents describing the attraction as ‘sickening’.

Andy Taylor wrote: ‘I’m sorry, but this is one of the most distasteful, disrespectful and strange attractions for children.

‘I cannot believe that you have created a game and ride based on such a tragedy.

‘The Titanic is infamous for sinking, causing the deaths of 1,500 people of which 60 were children. This is sickening and anybody who doesn’t see an issue with this clearly has no sense of morality.’ 

Claire Borchers added: ‘So odd to have a children’s ride themed around one of the worst tragedies in history.

‘Why is it named Titanic? Strange bunch of people who not only enjoy, but endorse this. 

‘A simple change to the name or colour of this ship would make it far less offensive and more appropriate as a children’s ride. 

‘There wouldn’t be a ride focused around the twin towers or other historical tragedies, so why is this acceptable? Very very odd 

‘Certainly won’t be visiting whilst it is there and will urge others not to as well.’

In response to the backlash, the farm was forced to apologise and at first promised to change the name. 

They wrote: ‘We are absolutely making no joke about it at all.’

However, farm manager Will later had a change of heart and vowed to ignore the ‘woke brigade’ and keep the name.

He said: ‘We did get some criticism at first, and we did change the name. 

‘However we then got considerably more people telling us not to give in to the “Wokes”, so we changed it back. 

‘We get around five hundred people a day using it, and as far as I’m aware it has offended only a handful of people.

‘Titanic has become almost a byword in the English language. There are no survivors, or for that matter, children of survivors alive today.

‘I would like to think if we could talk to the ghosts of the people who drowned over a hundred years ago when the ship went down, that if they knew that there was a children’s slide made in their memory that gives a lot of pleasure to so many people, then it would be met with a kindly smile.

‘There is a full immersive experience in London and this was put up after our ride. 

‘Everyone loves the slide and we honestly got far more backlash for changing the name than we did when we had it as Titanic. This is why we changed the name back to Titanic and have had it ever since.’

A finance boss who worked from home tried to sue for unfair dismissal after being warned she would be sacked if she moved to France but did so anyway.

Iryna Malyk ignored her company Teleperformance Contact when given an ‘express instruction’ that she would lose her job if she moved outside the UK.

Her claim has been rejected at a tribunal held in Bristol, where she lived and worked.

She was told by her boss that it was not ‘financially viable’ for the company and that it would cause legal issues.

Ms Malyk was informed that she would have to resign if she moved to France but she ‘disagreed’ with this decision and moved there anyway.

The finance boss was fired after she continued working for the company after moving across the channel.

The tribunal heard she worked for Teleperformance Contact from May 2022 as a European regional finance business partner.

The firm provides outsourced visa services to governments including in the UK, France and Germany.

In her contract, her home and the address of the company were both in Bristol.

Ms Malyk’s ‘principal’ place of work was at home, but she was also required to travel into the office until it closed in September 2022.

In late 2023, a big contract in France was lost, which affected Teleperformance Contact’s operations there.

Ms Malyk’s husband got a new job in France in early 2024, so she booked a meeting with her line manager to discuss relocating there.

Michael Aouate told her she could not work from the country with a UK-based employment contract and there was not a position there available to her.

The tribunal was told: ‘In a follow-up call on June 26, Mr Aouate told [Ms Malyk] that she could not work on UK projects in France on a permanent basis because the laws are different and this would cause legal and tax issues.

‘He did not provide specific detail about the laws he was referring to.

‘Later on June 26, [Ms Malyk] emailed [Drussila Solomon, head of HR in the UK] saying that due to personal circumstances she was moving to France in July, and was planning to continue to work from home from there.

‘She said Mr Aouate had told her he wouldn’t be able to perform her duties from France as it would mean breach of certain law.’

Ms Malyk said that she believed her contract was ‘fully remote’, so she thought that she could ‘work from anywhere’.

Ms Solomon told her that she needed permission from her line manager to work in another country.

In July, Mr Aouate said that it was not ‘financially viable’ to employ her in France, and the business did not ‘offer the facility for employees to be able to work remotely outside the country they were employed from’.

He said that it was a ‘reasonable management instruction’ to require her to work in the UK.

Mr Aouate asked her to review her decision to move to France, but added that if she decided to go ahead with it, she needed to resign.

Ms Malyk said she ‘disagreed’ with the decision and claimed that the instruction to work in the UK was a change to her contract.

The tribunal heard: ‘She continued to work from France under her existing contract, and explained in evidence that it was a busy time coming up to month end and so she needed to continue with her duties.’

An investigation meeting was held at the end of July in which she said there was ‘nothing to investigate’ because she had moved to France and ‘was not hiding this’.

She was suspended in August and her line manager told the tribunal this was due to a risk the company would be pursued by French authorities for breaking the law.

Following a disciplinary hearing, Ms Malyk was sacked for ignoring the company’s ‘express instruction’ not to carry out her role from France.

The company did not find she had committed gross misconduct and her appeal against her sacking has been dismissed.

Employment Judge Hazel Oliver found the reason Ms Malyk was sacked was ‘not trivial’, as the firm believed it would not be complying with French law if she lived in the country permanently while working on a UK contract.

The judge said her contract ‘expressly states that [Ms Malyk] will work from her home in the UK’ and she ‘was insisting on working from France’.

She continued: ‘[Ms Malyk] argues that she had acted openly and did not believe there was gross misconduct, and says [Teleperformance Contact’s] actions were disproportionate.

‘I do not agree. The instruction was reasonable in the circumstances, and the disciplinary action was pursued because [Ms Malyk] was continuing to refuse to comply despite having been warned about the consequences.’

A woman has been arrested and a man is still being hunted in connection with the alleged murder bid.

A woman has been arrested after two cops were injured in an alleged hit and run. The incident took place on Glen Avenue in Larkhall, South Lanarkshire, at around 2pm on Saturday, July 25.

Emergency services, including Police Scotland and Scottish Ambulance Service, rushed to the scene after police received a report of two of their uniformed officers having been knocked down.

The force confirmed that the pair had been carrying out enquiries at a property in the area before a white Renault Traffic was “deliberately driven at them”. Both male officers, aged 41 and 43, were blue-lighted to hospital.

They suffered serious injuries. Both have since been discharged, although they will remain unfit for duty for a prolonged period.

Detectives investigating the attempted murder have now arrested a woman in connection with attempting to pervert the course of justice. The 34-year-old was arrested and charged on Friday, August 14.

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She is due to appear at Hamilton Sheriff court on Tuesday, August 18.

A man is still being hunted in connection with the incident, and extensive enquiries are ongoing to track him down. More than 80 properties have been searched throughout Lanarkshire and the Scottish Borders, a significant amount of CCTV footage has been trawled through and extensive door-door enquiries have been carried out which has allowed police to track this man’s movements since the date of the incident.

Images previously taken from the scene showed the injured cops lying on the tarmac after being rammed. In one photo, one officer appears to be lying motionless on his side with a member of the public attending to him, while his colleague tries to recover on his hands and knees.

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A massive police and ambulance presence later descended on the area. Both officers were seen being attended to by members of the force and paramedics. Police later recovered the van in Kirkstyle Place, Glassford.

Detective Inspector Alister Thom said “This act of violence left two police officers seriously injured and significant enquiries remain on going to trace the man responsible.

“We know he has been travelling throughout Lanarkshire, Glasgow and the Scottish Borders and know that he is being assisted by associates.

“If you know where he is, or have information which could assist us, I am urging you to do the right thing and contact us immediately in confidence.”

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Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland on 999, quoting incident number 1652 of 25 July, 2026, or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Many commercial flights may need to be rerouted or grounded to prevent passengers from being exposed to space radiation from solar flares.

Researchers at the Surrey Space Centre (SCC) recently found that the radiation exposure at typical flight altitudes of 5-9 miles could trigger faults in aircraft electronics, posing a risk to flight safety.

A major solar storm in November 2025 caused radiation levels to briefly rise to nearly 10 times normal flight conditions at high altitudes, according to measurements led by SCC.

The strongest ever solar storm on record, which happened in 1956, could have exposed passengers to the equivalent of a year’s worth of flight-related cosmic radiation.

As the atmosphere provides us with protection from the sun’s radiation, on commercial flights we are significantly more exposed than at ground level.

A frightening recent incident has also shown the potential problems caused by intense solar storms.

In October 2025, a JetBlue flight from Cancún to Newark had to make an emergency landing in Florida after a sudden drop in altitude, injuring 15 people.

Afterwards, Airbus temporarily grounded 6,000 A320 aircraft after discovering the plane had a vulnerability to ‘intense solar radiation’ in a flight control computer.

Dr Fan Lei, Senior Research Fellow at the SCC said: ‘The recent Airbus A320 grounding linked to cosmic radiation shows that space weather is not a theoretical risk; it is already affecting aviation.

‘As aircraft systems become more advanced and increasingly reliant on electronics, understanding and preparing for these events will be critical to maintaining flight safety.’

The study highlights how high-energy particles from space can interfere with onboard electronics, causing what is called Single Event Upsets (SEUs) – small errors that can accumulate and disrupt critical systems.

In many cases, these disruptions may present a greater operational challenge than radiation exposure to passengers and crew, by increasing pilot workload and the risk of in-flight problems.
In extreme scenarios, SEUs could increase from a few per hour to thousands.

The biggest risks are on polar flight routes, including those between London Heathrow and Vancouver International Airport in Canada, where the Earth’s magnetic shielding is weakest.

However, during severe geomagnetic storms, these effects can extend much further south, including over the UK.

The findings highlight a gap in current aviation safety frameworks, which mostly focus on routine radiation exposure without fully accounting for extreme space weather events.

To help the aviation sector respond more effectively, the research team has proposed a new atmospheric radiation scale.

Designed specifically for aviation, it provides clearer thresholds for when action should be taken. It proposes increased monitoring as well as rerouting or grounding flights during severe events.

‘At the moment, there is no consistent way for the aviation sector to assess and respond to extreme space weather risks,’ Professor Keith Ryden, leader of the Space Environment and Protection research team at the Surrey Space Centre added. ‘We’ve introduced a clearer, aviation-specific radiation scale to help support more informed decision-making in aviation, helping operators act quickly to protect passengers, crew and critical onboard systems.’

Such delays may leave passengers cursing if stuck at the airport – but a few hours in duty-free or an airport bar may well be preferable to the alternative – a terrifying incident like the one that occurred last October.

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Thousands gathered at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate on Saturday (August 15) for the first-ever Symphonic Ibiza – an outdoor show blending DJs, live vocalists, and a 40-piece orchestra.

It marked the first outdoor music concert at the venue since Sir Elton John performed there in 2012.

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Freddy White, founder of Yorkshire-based company Sound & White and lead promoter of Symphonic Ibiza, said: “If we could have bottled up the atmosphere from Saturday night, it would be worth its weight in gold.

“The energy from the crowd was extraordinary and the response and feedback we’ve received since has surpassed anything we could have hoped for.

“A huge amount of thanks must also go to the incredible Showground team and our other staff, crew, artists and suppliers working behind the scenes.

Symphonic Ibiza (Image: Provided)

“An event of this scale involves an enormous number of people and moving parts and the professionalism, hard work and good spirit shown by everyone involved is what made the evening feel as seamless and spectacular as it did.”

The night began with a DJ set from Love Island’s Alex Bowen, followed by Vernon Kay, who brought the energy of his BBC Radio 2 90s dance show to the stage.

The Symphonic Ibiza Orchestra was joined by headline vocalists Heather Small, Rebecca Ferguson MBE, and Alison Limerick.

Symphonic Ibiza (Image: Provided)

The event was a collaboration between Sound & White and the Great Yorkshire Events Centre – the showground’s commercial events venue.

Profits will support the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), which organises the Great Yorkshire Show and supports farming, food, and countryside causes year-round.

Graham Thompson, commercial director at the Great Yorkshire Events Centre, said: “What a night for Harrogate.

Symphonic Ibiza (Image: Provided)

“We are so proud to have hosted the first Symphonic Ibiza, which brought The Main Ring to life on Saturday evening with an incredible series of performances.

“This was an exciting new event for us to host, in an iconic setting and a terrific event for the community to enjoy.”

Earlier in the day, the Pavilions of Harrogate celebrated its 30th birthday with a special gathering before guests made their way to the concert.

Symphonic Ibiza (Image: Provided)

A portion of ticket sales will also benefit two local charities: the David Brown Foundation, which supports youth and education in Harrogate and Yorkshire, and the Harrogate Theatre Trust, which promotes arts and creative activity in the town.

The event was supported by several regional sponsors and businesses, including Masons of Yorkshire, Tap & Tuk Tuk on Cheltenham Parade, and Rhubarb Restaurant.

International Champagne house Pol Roger headlined the VIP experience.

Hayden Panettiere flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina with her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, just a day before she died, according to reports. 

The actress passed away at the age of 36 on Sunday. Detectives confirmed to the Daily Mail that they responded to the apartment block in Greenville after they received a 911 call from an ‘acquaintance’ of Panettiere for an apparent cardiac arrest, describing her as ‘unresponsive’.

Officers and paramedics carried out chest compressions while trying to save Panettiere’s life.

The first 911 call was made at 1.51pm, but the actress – who was due to turn 37 this Friday – was pronounced dead at the scene just over 40 minutes later at 2.32pm.

Police and the local coroner’s office are probing the death, but said the ‘preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances’

Hayden is said to have travelled to South Carolina on Saturday with her on-off real-estate agent boyfriend Brian, where he is from. She was due to celebrate her 37th birthday this coming Friday. 

Greenville police stated an ‘acquaintance’ called emergency services on Sunday afternoon, and they later headed to the scene.

A statement from the Greenville Police Department read: ‘[Officers], accompanied by EMS personnel, responded to a report of an unresponsive female’ at around 1.50pm Sunday.

‘Upon arrival, medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

‘The case is under investigation by the Greenville Police Department in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call.’

TMZ also reported the actress had complained of back pain in the past year. 

Hayden’s representative confirmed that officials are looking into what happened and more details will be revealed in due course.

The spokesman told NBC News: ‘There’s an investigation ongoing. We should know more tomorrow.’

A statement from her father, Skip, read: ‘It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.

‘She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen.’

Her father also asked that her family be given privacy as they ‘take time to process this unimaginable loss’.

The actress passed away at the age of 36 on Sunday. An investigation into her death is ongoing, but police say a preliminary investigation has ‘not indicated any signs of foul play’ 

Hayden and Brian had an on-again, off-again relationship from 2018 to 2022 that was plagued by domestic violence incidents and arrests.

He was sentenced to 45 days in county jail after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend back in April 2021. 

Back in May, Brian revealed he ‘still dreamt’ of marrying the actress – despite admitting to abusing her.

When asked by TMZ if he ever thought about marrying the actress, he responded: ‘Yeah, of course… I hope so – she probably doesn’t think the same way.’

However, he acknowledged it was not healthy for the pair to resume a romantic relationship, as he added: ‘I think that Hayden is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met in my life, and I would be an idiot not to walk away from her and let her flourish in her career. 

‘So, we probably wouldn’t be good together.’

Brian said the pair’s relationship had now evolved into friendship after they were seen at the airport together in March, but said, ‘I miss Hayden every day.’

The actress later offered her response to his comments about marriage while talking to TMZ as she arrived at LAX airport back in May. 

When asked to offer her reaction, she said, ‘I don’t think that’s going to happen’.

Speaking about the relationship and her memoir, the actress told Us Weekly, ‘It’s a very embarrassing subject. I’ve always seen myself as such a resilient and strong woman.’

‘The idea that I could allow something like this to happen to me blew my mind. It blew the minds of the people that knew me best.’ 

Hayden’s This Is Me: A Reckoning memoir also detailed her battles with addiction and postpartum depression.

BEIRUT (AP) — Strikes launched by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia against Iran-allied fighters in Iraq have put Iraq’s government in a delicate position — and not for the first time.

Since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, Iraq has walked a tightrope between Washington and Tehran, seeking to avoid becoming a battleground for rival powers. The balancing act has only grown more fraught since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran in February.

Saudi Arabia had accused Iraqi armed groups of using drones to attack its oil facilities. The retaliatory strikes in Iraq hit bases of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a collection of armed groups close to Iran that are officially part of Iraq’s security forces but often operate outside of state control. The groups have also attacked U.S. forces who are in Iraq at the invitation of the government.

The Iraqi government has given non-state armed groups until the end of September to disarm, but some of the most powerful — and the closest to Iran — have said they have no intention of doing so.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been effusive in his praise of Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, a political outsider and fellow businessman. But the Iraqi leader is likely to face mounting U.S. pressure to rein in the PMF, and confronting them directly could lead to internal unrest.

The Iran-backed groups have fought Islamic State extremists and the US

The PMF is a coalition of primarily Shiite, Iran-backed armed groups that joined in the fight against the Islamic State group after it seized large sections of Iraq in 2014. Some have roots in the Shiite insurgency that erupted after the 2003 invasion.

During the war against IS, the PMF were allies of convenience with a U.S.-led international coalition battling the Sunni extremists. In 2016, Iraq designated the PMF as an “independent military formation” within the armed forces, but many of the factions remain largely autonomous.

Lahib Higel, an expert at the International Crisis Group, an international think tank, said that despite officially reporting to the Iraqi military command, most of the PMF brigades “have kind of retained the same command structure as they had when they were their individual groups.”

Since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Iraqi militias have launched regular attacks on U.S. military bases and diplomatic facilities as well as other sites, including energy infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia blamed the Iraqi groups for drone attacks

Saudi Arabia blamed Iran-backed Iraqi militias for launching drone attacks on Monday and Tuesday, some of which targeted petroleum facilities.

The Iraqi armed groups have denied any role in the attacks. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, described the Saudi claims as “fabrications” and an “attempt to justify their inability to respond to the painful Yemeni strikes that have targeted the heart of their infrastructure.”

It implied that the attacks were carried out by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who had themselves claimed to have attacked Saudi oil facilities.

Iraq’s National Security Council condemned the U.S.-Saudi strikes, saying they had killed and injured “a number of innocent people” and undermined the Iraqi state. It said the strikes came while the Iraqi government was actively investigating and trying to address the Saudi and American concerns. It said Iraq remains committed to ensuring the withdrawal of U.S. forces and consolidating arms under state control.

But Iraq faces a similar dilemma to Lebanon, where another U.S.-backed government is under mounting pressure to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah. If they move too aggressively, it could spark fighting in countries with bitter histories of civil conflict. If they move too slowly, they risk U.S. anger — and in Lebanon’s case, a prolonged Israeli occupation.

Iraq’s predicament is in some ways easier, as some of the PMF factions could be integrated into the armed forces and brought fully under the military’s command. But others, like the powerful Kataib Hezbollah — which is especially close to Iran — have refused.

“Everyone knows that this is a process that is going to take months if not years,” Higel said of the disarmament effort. “And you only have a handful that have agreed to it, while those that are the sort of self-described resistance groups have rejected it.”

As long as the U.S.-Iran war continues, she said, it’s unlikely that the holdouts will yield. They “view themselves as a part of Iran’s regional network. And this is their moment to fight.”