​A group of Independent and Green Party councillors have issued an official ‘call-in’ of NYC’s in-principal approval of the purchase of Resolution House in Scarborough from Anglo American at a meeting on Tuesday, March 17.

​The call-in means that the decision will be scrutinised by the authority’s oversight and scrutiny committee which independently monitors decisions made by the executive.

​The decision will see staff moved from Scarborough Town Hall and Malton’s Ryedale House to the building at the A64, which was marketed with a guide price of £4.5 million.

​Council officers said the price agreed with Anglo American was “substantially lower” than the guide price, which has not been made public, but which the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands is less than £2m.

​The call-in, signed by 10 councillors, states: “Given that the acquisition would commit the council to a significant capital decision and appears to rely on assumptions about wider estate changes that are not yet fully worked through, it is appropriate that the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee review whether sufficient information was available to support the Executive’s decision at this stage.”

​Speaking at a full meeting of North Yorkshire Council on Wednesday, February 18, Cllr Rich Maw said: “There are serious concerns about the move of council activity out of the town centre to the A64 at a time when footfall is declining.

​“Removing staff and democratic activity risks further weakening the economy and local democratic accountability.

“Moving out of town could well make it harder for residents to participate in and observe democratic processes.

“Why were Scarborough councillors and the town council kept in the dark, and will NYC commit to consulting with them before a deal is finalised?”

​The leader of the council, Cllr Carl Les, said: “I agree that the town hall is the civic centre of the town and there is no intention to change that. The Area Committee decides where to meet, and I decide where the executive meets.

​“As I’ve said before, there is no intention to relocate the customer services from the centre, and there was no intention to keep people in the dark, but property deals are often fast-moving. We’ve had good discussions with the town council, and it and other bodies will be involved in the future of the town hall.

“What’s clear to me is that we must provide better conditions than the shameful working conditions that staff are currently in.”

​Similar concerns were raised at the meeting by Cllr Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, who said the announcement of the plan to buy Resolution House was not the first time elected members found out about the council’s decisions on social media.

​Speaking at the full meeting, she said: “Is it acceptable for elected members to find out about important decisions, including about the use of second homes tax money in their ward or about the Resolution House plans, on social media?

​“The lack of information has prevented councillors from carrying out proper scrutiny and has prevented us from doing the job the public expects us to do.”

​Cllr Carl Les said that “in principle, I completely agree on the second homes funding announcement, we got it wrong, I’m sorry, and the officers are sorry”, and added that he stood by the policy.

​The Corporate and Partnerships Overview and Scrutiny Committee is set to discuss the call-in at a meeting on Thursday, March 26.

The call-in was backed by councillors Rich Maw, Janet Jefferson, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, Sam Cross, Kevin Foster, Arnold Warneken, Andy Brown, Mike Schofield, and Paul Haslam.

The shop owner said receiving the letter made his morning

A Welsh shop owner was left stunned after receiving cash and an apology for a theft that happened outside his shop years ago. Exotica Foods in Swansea received a letter from an anonymous sender who confessed to stealing a sign from the shop on a night out 15 years ago.

In the letter, they confessed that they and another student took a temporary PVC banner hanging outside the shop on St Helen’s Road after a night of drinking. The former student had a guilty conscious over the theft which happened over a decade earlier and sent the apology as well as five £20 notes.

The note reads: “Some 15 years ago as a student, following a night of drinking, I and another came across a temporary PVC banner hanging from your shop. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here

“For some reason we thought it would be funny to bring this home with us.“As an older man, I now see that what seemed funny to us at the time likely caused your shop some inconvenience.“I would like to offer my apology and hope you will accept this compensation.”The envelope also contained five £20 notes, totalling £100. The apology was signed simply: “A former foolish student.”The well-known international food store shared the note on social media after it was delivered to the shop.

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Shop owner Imran Ashraf joked about the long-delayed confession. “This has made my morning – thank you to whoever you are,” he wrote.His message attracted dozens of comments from locals praising the gesture.Many said it showed that “it’s never too late to do the right thing.”One commenter wrote: “Better late than never – well done!”Another added: “We’ve all done stupid things when we were younger. Fair play to him for making it right.”And one joked: “That must have been one hell of a guilt trip.”

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The man also assaulted his ex-partner on other occassions

A man who attacked his partner, including barging her off a bike, has been jailed. Robert Payne, 39, was walking with his ex-partner near St Barnabas Church in Mill Road, Cambridge on August 21 last year when he slapped her after an argument.

The next day, the pair were cycling along Trumpington Road when Payne deliberately knocked the woman off her bike, causing her to fly over the handlebars and left her with facial injuries.

Their relationship ended on August 27 after another argument. However, Payne turned up at her home in Trumpington that evening and tried to get in by smashing her bedroom window.

Cambridgeshire Police arrested Payne that night. During his arrest, he also kicked an officer in the torso.

Payne, of Alice Bell Close, Cambridge appeared at Peterborough Magistrates Court, acting as a crown court, on Monday (March 16). He was jailed for six months after pleading guilty to two counts of common assault by beating and assault of a constable in the execution of their duty.

Payne also pleaded guilty to criminal damage, which was ordered to lie on a file. DC Jack Sillince, who investigated, said: “Payne’s attacks on his former partner would have been absolutely terrifying for her. Hopefully, some time in jail will allow him to reflect on his actions and ensure there’s no repeat in future.”

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Police are seeking unredacted files on Andrew and Mandelson from the US

A top police chief has told how the UK is looking into an alleged “wide spectrum of sexual allegations” linked to Jeffrey Epstein after he went to the US and is seeking unredacted files involving Andrew and Mandelson.

Officers are reviewing “a whole range of suggested sexual allegations” to determine whether any “merit a criminal investigation”, Sir Mark Rowley has said.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner confirmed he is requesting unredacted files from the US’ Department of Justice, which he warns could prove crucial if a case is to go against the ex-cabinet minister and the disgraced former Duke of York, reports The Mirror.

The news comes just weeks after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Peter Mandelson’s arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and as an image resurfaced showing the pair relaxing with the late convicted paedophile. Both men have denied wrongdoing.

Now, UK detectives believe key evidence remains locked inside millions of files held by US agencies investigating Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Speaking on US TV, Rowley said: “Of course, there’s a big body of that evidence … in the United States in all those files and at some stage we’re going to need the unredacted evidence. We need the original copy, and where it came from, and that’s going to be necessary if we get to the stage of court cases.”

The Met is in contact with the Department of Justice, despite repeated claims from US officials that there is nothing further to investigate stateside. But British detectives are taking a very different view.

Emails released earlier this year appear to show both Mountbatten Windsor and Mandelson shared sensitive information with Epstein during their time in high office. Investigators are now combing through the material to determine whether those exchanges crossed the line into criminality.

One message cited by Rowley suggests Mandelson discussed the timing of a financial bailout with Epstein during the European sovereign debt crisis – a revelation now under intense scrutiny. “It looks like it was shared with Epstein, so we’re looking at that as to whether that’s a criminal offence, and then colleagues in Thames Valley are looking at other documents that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor potentially shared,” he said.

Mandelson was arrested after investigators examined communications linked to his time as business secretary and trade envoy, with officers probing whether confidential government information was improperly disclosed. Mountbatten Windsor’s arrest followed a similar line of inquiry focusing on documents and contacts linked to Epstein.

Detectives are also assessing what Sir Mark described as “a whole range of suggested sexual allegations” to decide whether any merit a fresh criminal probe.

Before her death last year, Epstein’s ‘teen sex slave’ Virginia Giuffre alleged she was trafficked by the American paedophile to sleep with the former Duke of York when she was 17. The royal has repeatedly denied her claims.

Sir Mark told ABC News that previous interviews with Giuffre did not provide evidence that could be pursued in the UK. “With Virginia Guiffre, we did four of those interviews with her … and those interviews didn’t give us any evidence or any allegations of sexual offending or trafficking that we could investigate in the UK,” he said. “That’s why that investigation didn’t go forward.”

However, the decision to revisit aspects of the case marks a significant shift. He added: “Those investigations all go wherever the evidence takes them, quite comfortable with investigating sort of famous or powerful people. I think it’s really important for policing to do that, that sense of operating without fear or favour. The law applies equally to everyone, and those cases will go, say, wherever the evidence leads us to.”

The Met’s renewed push comes amid a concentrated drive on sexual and domestic abuse, with officers adopting more aggressive tactics to target dangerous offenders. “We’ve developed tactics to be much more proactive and target the most dangerous men who pose a threat to women and children, just like we do terrorists and organised crime. So, a combination of factors has seen the rates steadily coming down,” Sir Mark said.

“We’re making big progress and most of all, at the centre of all this that matters to me and matters to policing, is trust in the police’s building in London.”

Epstein died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was later convicted of sex trafficking offences and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

How’s your faith in football holding up, then? Perhaps you like celebrating goals. Well, in the era of VAR, it can feel like the authorities are actively seeking to take that away. You might assume that rules should apply equally. Not if you’re Cristiano Ronaldo, the biggest star at the upcoming World Cup, who has seen a two-game ban overturned without precedent that will allow him to start Portugal’s opening games. One of the hosts of that World Cup has been bombing one of the participating teams. And the president of that host country does not think they should play their games there “for their own life and safety”. So, fair enough, the country being bombed does not want to play its games in the country bombing them. But ask Fifa what they think and a spokesperson will point you to the sanctity of its match schedule; nothing to see here. And then there’s just what happened in the Premier League with Chelsea.

There is a brilliant drama/horror currently being shown on the BBC called The Capture, which essentially deals in how footage of live events can be easily manipulated by powerful figures to create an alternate reality. Perhaps you remember the Sunday evening of 18 January, where the Africa Cup of Nations final descended into pure chaos when Senegal stormed off the pitch in protest of hosts Morocco being awarded a controversial late penalty and returned to the changing room for 17 minutes. Maybe you saw Brahim Diaz fluff the resulting penalty by attempting a Panenka, then Pape Sarr score a sensational goal to win the match for Senegal in extra-time, followed by the post-match scenes of yet more chaos. You remember Sadio Mane, having urged his team-mates to return in an admirable display of leadership, lifting a second Afcon trophy and Morocco’s deep, haunting anguish at what they had lost, right?

Well, the records now show that Morocco won 3-0, actually. The Confederation of African Football (Caf) Appeal Board ruled on Tuesday night, two months after the event, that Senegal had forfeited the final when they walked off in protest. And, hey, rules are rules, and according to Article 82 and 84 of Caf’s regulations, it should have been declared immediately that Senegal eliminated themselves from the tournament when they left the field of play, with Morocco announced as the champions. But that also ignores the environment and atmosphere the Afcon final was played under, with questionable refereeing decisions in some of Morocco’s matches an established theme before kick-off. Senegal were already incensed by being denied a late winner at the other end.

Were Senegal’s actions after Morocco were given a penalty right? No, and it is correct to say they could have made a dangerous precedent by abandoning the pitch in protest. “We witnessed unacceptable scenes on the field and in the stands – we strongly condemn the behaviour of some ‘supporters’ as well as some Senegalese players and technical staff members,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino said afterwards. “It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right.” If Caf, who initially vowed that “appropriate action” would be taken, had a decision to make, Fifa had let them know which one they would be pushing for.

But Senegal did return to the pitch, they won – that happened. When Caf’s decision was announced, some of Senegal’s players took to social media to post pictures of their trophy celebrations from January, holding their gold medals that will soon have to be returned up to the camera as if proof of its existence. “This is not AI, this is real,” said the centre-back Moussa Niakhate, alongside a picture of him celebrating with the Afcon trophy. Senegal will be appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) in Switzerland and Abdoulaye Seydou Sow, the Secretary General of Senegalese Football Federation, said the “truth and law” is on Senegal’s side. “This is a travesty; this decision is based on absolutely nothing. It has no legal foundation,” Sow claimed. “From what we saw this morning when the hearing began, we already had serious doubts clearly, the judge did not come to rule on the case, he came to carry out orders.”

And this will rumble on – perhaps to paraphrase the iconic Mitchell and Webb football sketch: “It will never be finally decided who has won the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations”. But by overturning the result of an entire tournament two months later, that is what the Caf Appeal Board has opened up, a chasm for doubt and post-truth. We have enough of that in the real world. In football, this is another farcical moment, in an increasingly fragile time.

I tested these TVs in a home environment, examining every part of the experience. That starts with how easy the TV is to set up, from the stand or feet through to what the menus offer and how easy the remote control is to use.

I’m interested in the build and design, as well as the sound quality and whether the TV will need pairing with a soundbar. The connections are also tested, using games consoles and disc players.

But ultimately, it’s the picture performance that examining, watching a full range of content from broadcast TV and the latest streaming hits, through to tried and tested Ultra HD Blu-ray discs for the highest quality.

I test the screen in daylight and dark conditions and determine what tweaks it might need to get it to look its best. For some people, this is part of the fun, but others understandably just want a TV that looks great straight out of the box.`

Telegraph Recommended reviews are never shared with product manufacturers before publication, we don’t accept payment in exchange for positive reviews, nor do we allow brands to pay for placement in our articles. Visit our Who We Are page to learn more.

The popular hotspot near Inversnaid is facing the closure from the end of the month for vital safety and access changes ahead of the busy summer season.

A popular Stirlingshire beauty spot is set to close for up to three months ahead of the peak summer season for safety and access improvements.

The Falls of Falloch, north of Inversnaid, have become a regular stopping off point for visitors looking to enjoy a tranquil setting away from the hustle and bustle.

But an increase in visitor numbers at the site in recent years has led to an uptick in accidents and incidents at the falls, with officials from the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park (LLTNP) swinging into action to alleviate the issues.

The authority says that rise in tourist numbers has created a need refreshed paths, safer parking arrangements and improved access to better care for the surrounding woodland, riverside and waterfall environments.

A temporary closure of between 10 and 12 weeks has been put into place from March 30 to help with the necessary installations for the long-term health of the spot.

Stuart Mearns, Director of Place, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: “Falls of Falloch is a place many people care deeply about and want to visit.

“It’s popularity has, over time, created a need for improvements to protect the site’s environment and ensure a safe visitor experience.

“As part of our Place Programme, this project delivers long-term infrastructure investment that strengthens the site’s resilience, improves visitor safety and access, and supports the recovery of surrounding habitats.

“These works are about ensuring a much-loved location can continue to welcome visitors while safeguarding the natural features that make it such an iconic part of the National Park.”

The investment project will introduce redesigned parking bays, including a dedicated turning area to reduce hazardous roadside manoeuvres near the A82.

It will also implement clearer and more durable walking routes, new protective barriers, updated signage and nature interpretation, and measures to support woodland ecology and habitat recovery will be delivered as part of the upgrade.

When the works are completed, motorhomes, caravans and vehicles over six metres in length will no longer be permitted on site as part of moves to reduce congestion in the area at busy points and safeguard the nearby environment.

During the closure, visitors are encouraged not to visit the Falls either on foot or in a vehicle and instead explore alternative nearby locations with parking, including Tarbet, Inveruglas and the Dalrigh car park in Tyndrum.

Mr Mearns continued: “While works are underway, we’re asking visitors to avoid the site and not to stop or park on clearways along the A82 at any time.

“Keeping the road clear reduces risk on what can be a very busy route and allows construction to progress smoothly.

“When the site reopens, these improvements – including new restrictions on motorhomes, caravans and vehicles over six metres – will play a key role in managing visitor pressures and supporting a healthier, better-functioning site for years to come.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Donna Smith, of the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “It is tragic whenever anyone is killed or seriously injured on our roads, and speeding remains a major factor, which is why our officers are totally committed to reducing that risk.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jay Allen is a fan of President Donald Trump, and voted for him on the belief that the Republican would cut taxes and trim regulations, helping his manufacturing business in northeast Arkansas.

But the tariffs at the core of Trump’s economic agenda have wreaked havoc on his company, Allen Engineering Corp., which makes industrial equipment used to install, finish and pave concrete. The import taxes have raised the costs of engines, steel, gearboxes and clutches made abroad that Allen needs to build power trowels that can sell for up to $100,000 each.

Allen’s experience embodies a growing body of evidence that the tariffs that Trump said would help American factories are, in fact, squashing many of them. The problem could get worse as the administration scrambles to craft new tariffs to replace the emergency import taxes that the Supreme Court ruled illegal in February.

Allen said he ran his company at a loss in 2025 because of tariffs. His payroll has fallen to 140 workers from a peak of 205. To get by this year, he has hiked prices by 8% to 10%, even though that might mean fewer sales.

“What’s really sad is the unintended consequences of his tariffs are hurting manufacturing in our country,” said Allen. “Unfortunately, the working-class people are getting squeezed.”

Manufacturing jobs have declined during Trump’s first year back

Trump’s core rationale for tariffs has been that they would force more factories to open in the U.S. and would generate enough revenue to close federal budget deficits. But that hasn’t materialized.

Factories continue to shed workers, with 98,000 manufacturing jobs lost during Trump’s first full 12 months back in the White House. American companies that foot the bill for tariffs are now suing the Trump administration for more than $130 billion in tariff refunds. Meanwhile, the federal deficit is projected to climb over the next decade.

The White House maintains that construction spending is high, more workers are being hired to build factories, new investments are being made and labor productivity in manufacturing is increasing — which could eventually fuel a factory revival.

“It takes time to get production online, and therefore it will be some more time before we fully materialize the benefits of the president’s policies,” Pierre Yared, the acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said in an email.

Construction is up — but that’s due to Biden’s bill

Some of the bright spots in construction cited by the White House appear to be the result of programs launched by then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

Factory construction spending began to accelerate in 2022 with the anticipation of government support from Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act, which included big subsidies for computer chip plants. The law was a primary contributor to a historic surge in the annualized rate of construction spending on manufacturing facilities, said Skanda Amarnath, executive director of the economic policy group Employ America.

Construction spending on factories has slipped during Trump’s presidency, but the pace remains relatively high largely because of continuing work on Biden-era projects in Arizona, Texas and Idaho, Amarnath said.

Amarnath has also gone through the interviews regional Federal Reserve banks have held with businesses. Those comments show some companies might expand by taking advantage of Trump’s tax breaks on investments in equipment and new buildings.

But while the pharmaceutical drug sector might be expanding, the comments show no overall uptick in manufacturing because of Trump’s tariffs.

“You don’t get the sense that there is this new manufacturing renaissance underway,” Amarnath said.

Uncertainty in tariffs has deterred investments

Based on orders, proclamations and other statements, Trump has taken more than 50 actions on tariffs so far — and that tally doesn’t include the tariff threats he regularly makes on social media or in conversations with reporters but hasn’t formally put in place.

The flurry of announcements, reversals, exemptions and legal challenges — as well as Trump’s decision to bypass Congress to impose tariffs — has made it difficult for smaller manufacturing companies to plan.

For example, Allen Engineering imports its 75-horsepower diesel engines from Germany. Building them in the United States would require a $20 million investment — a huge risk if the status of the tariffs is unclear.

Are engine-makers “going to spend that kind of money to move production from Germany to the U.S. when they don’t know what the landscape is going to be in three years?” Allen said. “I don’t know who is going to be in the White House, and what the stance is going to be on these tariffs.”

Joseph Steinberg, an economist at the University of Toronto, said research shows that under the best-case scenario “it would take a decade for manufacturing employment to rise above where it was before tariffs were enacted.”

But Steinberg said “the current situation is nothing like the ‘best case,’” since U.S. trade policy is unsettled and that leaves companies reluctant to expand.

Equipment makers have been hit hard by rising steel costs

About 98% of U.S. manufacturing establishments have fewer than 200 workers, according to Census Bureau data, and don’t have the kind of name-brand recognition or lobbying heft to minimize the damage from tariffs that big players like Apple, General Motors and Ford possess.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers in February reported that America’s share of global manufacturing severely lags China’s. The group has urged tax credits to offset the expense of tariffs, and specifically called for tariff relief on raw materials, parts and components that cannot be acquired domestically at scale.

Steel tariffs have been a particular concern. Trump imposed them last March and hiked them to 50% in June. They were not affected by the Supreme Court decision.

Trump has credited the tariffs with restoring profits at American steel mills. But they have hurt companies that use that steel, like Calder Brothers in South Carolina, which makes equipment to pave asphalt.

“The steel tariffs were the first thing that got my attention,” said Glen Calder, the company’s president. “My steel pricing jumped 25% two weeks before the tariffs went into effect for domestic steel. The market price just jumped. It has stayed elevated.”

Meanwhile, China’s trade surplus has grown

Part of Trump’s push to expand manufacturing was to help American companies compete against China — a country he plans to visit this spring for talks with its leader, Xi Jinping.

But the U.S. manufacturing trade imbalance rose last year under Trump instead of narrowing. Meanwhile, China’s trade surplus with the world climbed to a record $1.2 trillion.

This trend exposes one of the big problems with Trump’s tariff strategy, said Lori Wallach, director of the Rethink Trade program at American Economic Liberties Project. She noted that he largely bypassed Congress and failed to address gaps in the World Trade Organization’s rules for the trade frameworks that he negotiated with other countries.

Instead of working with partners to ensure there were penalties for foreign manufacturers with abusive labor practices and unfair subsidies, Trump chose against rallying partners to counter China as a unified group. American manufacturers are at a disadvantage, Wallach argued, because there is not a coalition of nations that can impose penalties for currency manipulation, subsidies and schemes to evade tariffs.

“The general revulsion of this administration to international cooperation means they’re trying to do it alone,” Wallach said.