Far-right group Britain First are marching in Manchester, with a number of counter-demos also being held by anti-racism groups

Counter protestors gathered in Manchester city centre today ahead of a Britain First march for ‘remigration’. Various signs were spotted in amongst the group boasting phrases such as ‘Refugees welcome’ and ‘Smash the Far Right’.

It comes as supporters of the far-right group were due to meet outside Piccadilly station at noon before taking part in a ‘march for remigration and mass deportations’.

The several counter-protests, including Resist Britain First – a coalition of Greater Manchester campaign groups – and Stand Up To Racism Manchester, took place from 11.15am in the city centre. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn addressed the SUTR rally in Piccadilly Gardens from 11.30am.

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Police have issued a 10-hour dispersal order on the city centre, giving officers extra powers to remove people from the area, while the demonstrations take place. GMP say it aims to ‘prevent anti-social behaviour, crime, harassment, alarm, or distress’.

In pictures, hundreds of counter protestors can be seen gathering in Piccadilly Gardens. Homemade signs state: “Stop Racist Reform UK”, ‘Health workers against the far right” and ‘Migrants make our NHS“.

Britain First protestors have also been seen holding the English flag.

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On Thursday, Manchester council leader Bev Craig said Britain First were not welcome in Manchester and urged people to come together to ‘send a clear message that hate has no place in our city’.

The protest comes amid ongoing travel disruption across Manchester due to a ‘major overhaul’ project at Manchester Piccadilly station. The station is effectively closed until tomorrow (Sunday).

Rory McIlroy is one shot back after a 65 in the second round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, where newcomers Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgeman share the lead at 12-under

Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgeman delivered outstanding performances at Riviera on Friday, both carding 7-under 64s that saw them share the lead at the Genesis Invitational, with Rory McIlroy breathing down their necks.

For Scottie Scheffler, the goal was simply making the cut. He managed that by the narrowest of margins, sinking a 7-foot par putt that caught just enough of the cup’s edge to drop in.

Penge, the top performer from the European tour to earn a PGA Tour card this season, surged ahead with five birdies across his closing seven holes and was first to post 12-under 130. Even more impressive than his scorecard was maintaining his focus on golf – his wife is settling into their new Florida home whilst expecting their second child next week.

“It’s been quite tough, to be fair, the last four weeks for me and my family,” Penge said. “She’s been in the US. on her own, heavily pregnant, looking after a 1 1/2-year old at the same time with no family or friends around.

“It’s been like a bit of a gamble of me just kind of going to compete and leaving her on her own.”

Bridgeman only experienced Riviera for the first time on Wednesday due to rain. He birdied his final three holes, closing with a 5-iron through a cool breeze to 8 feet to draw level with Penge.

The former Clemson standout has developed an affinity for poa annua, the grass variety that becomes bumpy with spike marks and footprints and late afternoon growth, and can prove genuinely intimidating on short par putts when the greens are running this quick. Joe Greiner, a caddie in his group, even questioned him, “Are you sure you’re not from the West coast?”.

“It’s shocking how soft they are and how fast they are,” Bridgeman remarked. “I think two or three times today I hit it 6 feet by the hole and was just like, ‘Wow, I don’t know how they’re that fast,’ because you can hit a 5-iron and it will back up. This is probably the most pure poa annua I’ve ever seen.”

McIlroy has started strongly with rounds of 66-65, recording just a single bogey across 36 holes – a stark contrast to his performance at Pebble Beach last week, where three double bogeys and a triple bogey derailed his challenge.

He navigated the three par fives impressively with two birdies and an eagle at the 11th, whilst also birdieing the par-3 fourth for consecutive days. The hole was extended to 273 yards, a modification McIlroy described as a “horrible change” at the season’s outset.

The PGA Tour has yet to utilise that tee box.

The most significant improvement has been eliminating costly errors from his scorecard.

“There’s no Pacific Ocean to hit it into around this golf course, so that helps,” McIlroy noted. “I still hit some loose shots, but the course setup is in a way that you can get away with it a little bit more. But I’ve hit it well, I’ve controlled my distance well for the most part, and I’ve holed some nice putts from inside 8 feet for pars when I’ve needed to.”

Xander Schauffele demonstrated further signs of returning form with a 65 that positioned him three strokes off the pace, alongside two-time Riviera champion Adam Scott, who posted the day’s lowest score of 63.

Scott reached 9 under through 13 holes before spending the closing stages battling to save par, only dropping a shot at the final hole.

This marks one of three signature events featuring a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and ties, plus anyone within 10 shots of the lead. Scheffler, who had to fight back on Friday morning with a 74 to complete the rain-delayed opening round, was acutely conscious of his position.

He found himself in trouble, 4-over par for the tournament with 10 holes remaining, calculating he needed to reach even par.

The world No1 responded immediately with three consecutive birdies around the turn, the latter two showcasing his exceptional short game, before adding another at the par-5 17th. However, he caught a straightforward chip too steeply at the 18th and subtly pumped his fist when the 7-footer for par dropped into the cup.

It marked the third consecutive week he’d failed to post an under-par opening round – something he hadn’t experienced since his maiden season in 2020 – yet he’d rallied in Phoenix and Pebble Beach to contend for victory. This time, it was simply about securing his place for the weekend, and he was thrilled.

“I started the day not where I wanted to,” Scheffler said. “But yeah, battled and it looks like I get another couple rounds to see what I can do.”

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Police say the calls targeted businesses in the Belfast, Co Antrim and Co Down areas

Two men will appear in court on Saturday charged with making hoax bomb threats and intimidation, the PSNI have said.

Both men, aged 46 and 33, are charged with four counts of communicating false information causing a bomb hoax and four counts of intimidation – causing a person to leave employment.

PSNI Detective Inspector Keon said the calls targeted businesses in the Belfast, Co Antrim and Co Down areas.

READ MORE: Men re-arrested after number of ‘hoax bomb calls’READ MORE: Six arrested during property searches as police target drug dealing

The men were arrested in East Belfast on Wednesday, February 4 on suspicion of offences including communicating false information causing a bomb hoax, intimidation and drug-related crimes. They were released on bail pending further enquiries.

On Friday February 20, they were re-arrested and were “assisting officers with their enquiries”.

In a statement, the force said detectives are continuing to investigate “a number of hoax bomb calls”.

They say the 46-year-old is also charged with “possessing criminal property” and “being concerned in the supply” of Class A and B drugs.

The 33-year-old has also been charged with possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply.

They are both due to appear before Lisburn Magistrates Court on Saturday.

A 37-year-old woman who was also arrested has been released on bail while the police carry out more enquiries.

The PSNI spokesperson said: “As is usual procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.”

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In a statement, a spokesperson for OpenAI said: “In June 2025, we proactively identified an account associated with this individual [Jesse Van Rootselaar] via our abuse detection and enforcement efforts, which include automated tools and human investigations to identify misuses of our models in furtherance of violent activities.”

Standing on the hills looking out across flat green fields, linked by a network of hedgerows, copses and small settlements, the Somerset Levels looks like quintessential English countryside.

But this region’s rivers, drains, waterways and wetlands are integral to the levels’ history – an inhospitable, and at times perilously flooded, watery world, centuries ago only habitable during the summer months.

Right now, the levels are experiencing extensive flooding, stretching for miles on all sides of any roads that are still open to vehicles. Communities are trying to cope with a relentlessly wet winter halting transport, closing schools and leaving homes underwater, underpinned by a longer-term cycle of climate and sea-level change.

This part of south-west England, much of which is currently under water, used to be known as the “land of the summer people”. Historically, frequent flooding was the main reason for purely seasonal occupation in this area bordered by the Bristol Channel and the Mendip, Quantock and Blackdown Hills. Drier summers provided valuable grazing land and plentiful resources such as fish, peat, wildfowl and reeds, while the winter months brought heavy rain and floods, forcing communities to retreat to higher ground.

The climate here, although often wet, remained broadly similar to the rest of south-west England where year-round living was commonplace. So what exactly makes the Somerset Levels so prone to flooding and why does that matter now? The answer lies in its physical geography and how water from the sea, rivers, ice and rainfall has shaped the land over time.

Let’s go back to the end of the last ice age around 10,000 years ago. Although not under ice sheets directly, the river valleys of the Somerset Levels were inundated as the glaciers melted and sea levels rose. Dry land was only found on the nearby Polden Hills and on odd humps and mounds that rose as islands amid the sea – Glastonbury Tor is perhaps the most famous in today’s landscape.

It is these hills and islands that provided safe winter havens for local people. Over the following thousands of years, the sea retreated and advanced periodically, first exposing, then flooding, the low-lying land. Wetter periods were driven by a cooler and rainier climate, increased river flows, rising sea levels and overall slow sinking of the land as a result of “isostatic readjustment” – the balancing of southern England after the weight of ice lifted at the end of the last ice age.

In response to the changes, the environment shifted from marine to brackish and freshwater conditions, initiating the formation of peat bogs as plants died in oxygen-less underwater conditions.

By the Neolithic period (4000BC-2300BC) the Somerset Levels were a vast area of freshwater wetlands and reed swamps. Human-made wooden trackways crossed the impassable reed swamps, linking the drier hills and islands upon which hunters and farmers set up base. The tracks, preserved today in the peat, point to organised use of the wetlands likely during the drier months.

Through the iron age, encroachment of the sea made much of the landscape wet again, yet evidence of semi-permanent occupation is present in the preserved lake villages, constructed on artificial foundations of timber, clay, and rubble.

Romans exploited the Somerset Levels for salt production by evaporating salt from the salt water using clay ponds (salterns) heated by peat fires.

Medieval settlers diverted the main rivers to create canal systems that helped to reduce winter flooding and reclaim agricultural land as described by in the authoritative book The Lost Islands of Somerset: Exploring A Unique Wetland Heritage. Throughout history, seasonal adaptation was the key to successful living.

Draining of the levels

Large-scale and coordinated drainage of the Somerset Levels began around the 12th century and brought about a gradual end to seasonal occupation. River embankments were constructed to reduce tidal flooding and sluices were built to manage water flow.

A criss-crossing network of drainage ditches (known as locally as rhynes) was created to carry water off the fields and into the rivers – many of these are still visible today and play a critical role in flood risk management. From the mid-18th century and into modern times, engineering such as pumps and dredging (the removal of silt, mud and vegetation from river channels) were introduced to maintain a balance between water levels and productive agricultural land.

Today, pumping remains essential to manage flood risk. Dredging, however, remains a politically contentious issue and is only used as a carefully considered method in certain places. While dredging can benefit local flood risk in the short term, the longer-term implications for nature, water quality, downstream flood risk and economic cost are now widely known.

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Britain’s relentless rain shows climate predictions playing out as expected

Today, communities have settled permanently across the Somerset Levels but the risks of living here are ever present. Rivers, many of which remain artificially modified, drain from the surrounding hills into the flat, low-lying bowl of the levels where the peat and clay soils are highly water retentive.

At times of high tide and heavy rain, tide lock, where the sea rises higher than the river level, prevents inland floodwaters from draining into the sea. This causes water to back up, overwhelming pumps and exacerbating flooding. The climate is changing – for every 1°C of warming the atmosphere can hold around 7% more moisture, increasing the risk of extreme rainfall and flooding.

Future flood risk management will continue to combine traditional engineering with more natural processes. Measures such as developing flood storage areas, wetland creation, leaky barriers, woodland planting and changing how land is farmed help intercept and slow water flow, alongside the use of pumps, drains and sluices.

However, the devastating floods of 2013-14, were a stark reminder that not so long ago, the levels were the land of the summer people. As flooding takes hold again in February 2026, it’s not clear how long year-round occupation will remain viable on the Somerset Levels.

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The men’s ice hockey final at the 2026 Winter Olympics takes place this weekend between the USA and Canada.

The past three winners of the gold medal have been Finland, Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) and Canada, in 2014. Four years before that, in 2010, Canada took home the gold once more, after beating the US in the final in Vancouver.

The USA has 11 medals in total for competition in ice hockey but has not taken home the gold medal since 1980, over 45 years ago. Their only other gold medal came in 1960.

But 2026 will mark the first time since 2014 where NHL players have participated in Olympic ice hockey. Historically the NHL and International Olympic Committee have failed to reach an agreement on allowing NHL players to participate. In both 2018 and 2022 this was the case, affecting the USA, Canada and many other countries.

With the inclusion of the NHL once more, Canada are the favourites for the gold medal in Milan. The USA are behind Canada as the second favourites but the USA are touted as the team to beat in the women’s ice hockey.

Men’s Winter Olympics ice hockey schedule and results

Final

February 22

Canada vs USA (8.10am ET/1.10pm GMT)

Bronze medal match

February 21

Finland vs Slovakia (3.40pm ET/7.40pm GMT)

Semi-finals

February 20

USA 6-2 Slovakia

February 21

Canada 3-2 Finland

Quarter-finals

February 18

Czech Republic 3-4 Canada

Sweden 1-2 USA

Germany 2-6 Slovakia

Switzerland 2-3 Finland

Play-off round

February 17

Czech Republic 3-2 Denmark

Sweden 5-1 Latvia

Germany 5-1 France

Switzerland 3-0 Italy

USA Group C results

February 12: Latvia 1-5 USA

February 14: USA 6-3 Denmark

February 15: USA 5-1 Germany

Canada Group A results

February 12: Czech Republic 0-5 Canada

February 13: Switzerland 1-5 Canada

February 15: Canada 10-2 France

All games will either be played at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena or the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.