SDLP South Down MLA Colin McGrath said: “It’s really sad to see the former convent in Downpatrick on fire. Although it’s been lying derelict for some time, it’s still one of those buildings that people in the town know well, and it’s difficult to watch it being lost like this.

“Many local people will have memories of the convent and the role it played over the years. Even in recent times it has remained a familiar part of the Downpatrick skyline, so seeing it go up in flames is upsetting.

“I want to pay tribute to the firefighters and all of the emergency services who have responded so quickly to what is clearly a significant incident. Their professionalism and bravery in dealing with situations like this should never be taken for granted.

“My thoughts are also with those living and working nearby who will understandably have been concerned as the fire developed.”

The swing bridge in Whitby town centre, which connects the two sides of the town’s harbour, has been out of action for days because of a mechanical fault.

The next bridge across the River Esk is the A171 New Bridge just under a mile upstream.

North Yorkshire Council is providing shuttle buses linking the two ends of Whitby Swing Bridge.

During the weekend, scores of people have been seen using the swing bridge, of all ages.

“This poses a serious risk to both themselves and others,” the police’s Whitby and Scarborough Facebook page says.

“Please do not attempt to climb the bridge under any circumstances while repairs are ongoing.”

The post continues: “We ask all members of the public to use alternative routes when travelling, whether on foot or by vehicle.

Thank you for your cooperation and helping to keep everyone safe.”

As well as local traffic and visitors to Whitby Abbey, the New Bridge carries vehicles travelling between Teesside and Scarborough, and the coast.

TOMBLAINE, France (AP) — Families watched in shock as a skydiving plane carrying their loved ones on what was meant to be a thrilling introduction to parachuting crashed in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board, authorities said.

The dead included five parachuting instructors, five novice jumpers and the pilot, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said it was France’s biggest aviation accident involving skydiving in about 30 years.

“Some of the victims’ families witnessed the aircraft falling with their own eyes. So there is tremendous emotion and an even greater psychological trauma,” Nunez said.

He refused to speculate on what caused the crash but said the plane dropped out of the sky suddenly. He said it had just taken off from the Nancy-Essey airfield on the outskirts of the city of Nancy when it came down about 300 meters (yards) from the runway.

Yves Séguy, prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, said the plane suffered a malfunction and “fell almost vertically,” narrowly missing a built-up area.

“Had it occurred just a few dozen meters away, the accident could have caused collateral casualties,” he said.

The plane banked to the left after takeoff and crashed less than a minute later near houses, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24.

Police cordoned off the crumpled wreckage.

Flight tracking sites identified the plane as a single-engine Pilatus PC-6, a small transporter of freight, passengers and skydivers.

The parachutists were to have jumped as tandems, Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein told public broadcaster France Info. Tandem jumps are skydiving experiences where two people, often an instructor and a novice jumper, are attached together for the descent.

Emergency services responded immediately and were providing psychological support to victims’ relatives, officials said. The Paris prosecutor’s office is leading the crash probe, Nunez said.

A resident, identified as John Curaku by BFM-TV, told the broadcaster that he was in his yard when he heard what sounded like a plane’s engine stopping, immediately followed by a bang.

He said he went to the crash site and “there were no signs of life,” with two of the bodies thrown a few meters (yards) from the plane.

___

Leicester reported from Paris and Hatton from Lisbon, Portugal.

Russell’s victory was founded on what happened at the end of that qualifying session. In fact, the destinies of the three drivers who ultimately contested victory were effectively decided as they intertwined at Turn Nine in the dying seconds of the final session on Saturday.

Max Verstappen crashed, because of an aerodynamic problem at the rear of his car, Red Bull said.

Antonelli mis-read the light boards beside the track and thought he had to back out of his lap for a double yellow flag.

Russell read them right, and lifted only as much as he needed to. That, combined with the quality of the lap up until then, put him on pole, Antonelli and Verstappen fourth and fifth.

Had each delivered to their potential, they probably would have lined up for the grand prix Russell-Antonelli-Verstappen, and been fighting from the beginning. Instead, Russell had some breathing space while Verstappen and Antonelli fought past the Ferraris, and that was enough.

That’s not to say the result would necessarily have been different. Mercedes calculated the pace of the top three finishers to be pretty much identical, the differential seen at the end as Verstappen closed on Russell while Antonelli closed on both simply caused by their different tyre life.

But that’s the what if. As it happened, Antonelli cost himself time and track position with a madcap first couple of laps in which he spent almost as much time off track as he did on it and dropped to fifth. Verstappen had to find a way past the Ferraris.

Even then, the race turned on pit stops and strategy.

The decisive point for Russell and Verstappen as they fought was the timing of the second pit stop. Verstappen had closed to within 1.3 seconds when Mercedes brought Russell in on lap 43.

It was early, and Russell knew that the remaining 28 laps were a lot to ask of his tyres. But it banked track position and ensured Red Bull had to run Verstappen longer, to build a tyre offset to come back at Russell over the remaining laps.

Had Red Bull got Verstappen in that lap, the positions would have been reversed, and likely Verstappen would have won.

Likewise, Antonelli. He ran longer to both first and second stops. As luck would have it, had Mercedes waited one more lap before his first stop, he would have caught the virtual safety car that was called for Carlos Sainz’s stricken Williams. And that would have likely made him the winner.

Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was back “in full use” as he spent the day on a rainy tour of his D.C. beautification efforts around the nation’s capital.

Despite fencing around the structure and plans to drain and resurface it around the July 4 holiday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the pool was working well, adding that the “criminally made algae is gone.”

“It never worked properly until last week and, right after July 4th, when we will drain the water to treat the damage caused by these ’animals,’ it will again be in perfect shape,” added the president.

His bizarre claim that the algae bloom, which has overtaken the pool after its high-profile renovation, was the result of criminal mischief comes as the Parks Service has asserted that the president was right about vandals cutting the liner coating the bottom of the pool with a knife or razor of some kind after its installation.

Plans to re-drain the Reflecting Pool and reinstall the blue coating on the bottom are just part of the reason why the project has surged past Trump’s initial cost estimates of $2 million.

The administration is now estimating that it will cost $16 million to renovate the pool to stop leaks and achieve the new darker-blue look the president was hoping to see. The project has gone on for weeks as workers have dumped chemicals and worked daily to treat algae. At times, the pool has appeared lime green due to the algae, with chunks of separated blue coating and even dead ducklings visible in the water.

The president’s schedule on Sunday appeared to largely involve a tour of his various beautification projects around the District of Columbia. The sites he visited included Lafayette Park outside of the White House, the site of his “triumphal arch” planned for the grounds near Arlington National Cemetery, and East Potomac Golf Links, which Trump hopes to renovate into a championship golf course.

He did not appear to visit the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool directly, where fencing still restricts passersby from the area immediately surrounding the pool and the renovation project. Over the past week, National Guardsmen have been seen patrolling the area and signage on the fencing has indicated that the project will be completed July 4.

The actual date for the project’s completion is after the July 4 holiday, according to Trump.

The president has devoted significant focus to the Reflecting Pool itself in recent days, as media attention and the focus of city residents have increasingly fallen on the problem-plagued renovation efforts. The visuals of the pool at its dirtiest inspired ridicule and memes from D.C. residents and were mocked on Capitol Hill by Trump’s critics like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

His plans to build a European-style arch near Arlington National Cemetery have yet to be approved or funded by Congress, though the administration has shown a willingness to move other funds around to satisfy the president’s wishes as beautification efforts continue to be one of his top priorities. The president also plans to build a promenade down to the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial, another project awaiting congressional approval.

In his Truth Social post on Sunday, the president wrote that Lafayette Park near the White House had “not looked so good since its inception in 1820!” before going on an extended rant about the condition of the East Potomac Links golf course, which he vowed to refurbish to championship-tier quality.

“The grass is largely dead, the greens are virtually unplayable, and the Course is in very poor general condition […] after many years of horrendous maintenance,” Trump complained after visiting the course on Sunday.

He vowed: “We will build one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World which, importantly, will also be made available to the Public. When completed, this Course will have the ability to host Major Golf Tournaments, including The U.S. Open, The Ryder Cup, The PGA Championship, and other top PGA Tour events.”

Joseph O’Sullivan, 26, from Coventry, died in a motorbike accident in Bali while celebrating his birthday with friends after nearly two years living in Australia. His family have launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to bring his body back to the UK

The family of a young Brit who tragically lost his life while celebrating his 26th birthday in Bali are desperately fundraising to repatriate his remains to the UK. Joseph O’Sullivan, from Coventry, died following a motorbike accident on the Indonesian island.

He had travelled there to meet-up with friends after spending nearly two years living and working in Australia. His heartbroken relatives say they are still awaiting answers about the circumstances surrounding his untimely death and remain unsure whether the incident took place on June 17 or 18.

A GoFundMe campaign launched by his cousin, Susan Love, has already raised over £12,000. The money will go towards the costs of bringing Joseph home to the UK and helping his family give him a proper farewell, as reported by Need To Know.

In the fundraising appeal, Susan wrote: “Hi my name is Susan I am Joes cousin and close family member. As many are aware we received the tragic and devastating news of Joseph’s passing and we really need to get him home and help his mum Veronica lay him to rest.

“Joseph was kind caring funny and he was enjoying every day while travelling in Australia, living his best life. He had a smile that would light up any room.”

“Life is cruel and so unfair and we as a family would appreciate any help we can. Life is so short, please hug your loved ones a little tighter and live your life have fun and smile. Let’s bring Sully home and give him the send off he truly deserves.”

His sister Patricia O’Sullivan shared the devastating news of his death on Facebook on Friday (19 June), reports the Daily Star.

She posted: “Just to let everyone know that my little brother Joseph has sadly passed away in a tragic accident.

“We are all in shock, love him very much, can’t believe he gone. RIP Joseph, my little brother.”

In a follow-up message accompanying the fundraising campaign, she continued: “Can’t even believe I’m writing this. Joseph was loved by so many, taken way too soon. We all still in shock, still don’t feel real.

“Please help bring Joseph home. Anything appreciated. Give him the send off he deserves.”

Fellow family member Johanna Love posted a picture of Joseph, writing: “Oh Joe. I have no words. Such devastating news this morning. Let’s get you back home where you belong.”

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She subsequently added in a further update: “We will get you home cuz.”

According to Coventry Live, Joseph had been visiting mates in Bali while marking his birthday, having spent nearly two years residing and working in Perth, Australia.

The outlet reported he perished in an unexplained motorbike collision, with his family still awaiting formal details about the precise circumstances.

The fundraising appeal has already received upwards of 220 contributions as friends, family and supporters unite to assist in repatriating Joseph to the UK.

You can find the GoFundMe page here.

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A 26-year-old man was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

A man has been airlifted to hospital after a horror crash in Dumfries and Galloway.

Emergency services raced to the single-vehicle collision involving a silver Renault Megane on the A714 near Wigtownat 8.35pm on Saturday, June 27. Crews attended and a 26-year-old man, the sole occupant, was found seriously injured.

He was airlifted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where his current condition is unknown. Police say inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash are ongoing.

Officers have asked any witnesses of the collision, particularly those with dash-cam footage, to come forward.

Road Policing Sergeant David Kerr said: “Our enquiries are ongoing and I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the crash or the vehicle prior, and who hasn’t already spoken to officers to get in touch. Additionally, I would appeal to anyone who was driving in the area and who may have dash cam footage which could assist to contact us.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact 3292 of 27 June, 2026.

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The future queen climbed the highest mountain in the UK on Saturday.

Princess Kate has scaled Ben Nevis in a gruelling endurance challenge to raise money for a cancer charity and “explore life beyond diagnosis”.

Kate revealed in a message on social media that she had successfully taken on the Three Peaks Challenge, not only as a physical endeavour but “to give something back” and raise awareness of the wider impact of serious illness. The future queen climbed the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales – Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – within 24 hours this weekend, starting on Saturday evening.

She carried out the challenge solo, supported on route by Mountain Rescue, and was greeted at the end by the Prince of Wales and her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and her parents Carole and Michael Middleton and brother James Middleton. Kensington Palace said they believed the expedition was a royal first, with the princess being the first member of the royal family to complete the challenge.

The princess, who was pictured smiling broadly at the summit of Ben Nevis on Saturday evening dressed in a cagoule, with a cap on and her hood up, and trekking poles on her back, wrote: “I have taken on the National Three Peaks Challenge, not simply as a physical endeavour but as a chance to explore life beyond diagnosis and to give something back.

“The Royal Marsden is a place that holds great meaning for me and whose care and expertise are life changing for so many people. Through this challenge, I want to raise awareness for the deeper impact of serious illness and the importance of holistic healthcare.”

The princess, in the photograph at the misty summit, could be seen wearing her sapphire and diamond engagement ring, which belonged to William’s late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, during the challenge. Sharing her own experience of cancer, she spoke of how she personally understood that the illness can affect every aspect of someone’s life.

The princess added: “Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in this country hear the words no one wants to hear. What follows is a path that tests every part of who we are: physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. The challenges ripple outwards, touching families, friendships, work and the quiet moments we spend alone with our thoughts.

“Cancer doesn’t just affect the body. It changes how you think and feel and profoundly affects every aspect of life. I know this personally.”

Kate trekked for 23 miles, with a total ascent of more than 10,000 feet, and a driving distance of 462 miles between locations. She was treated for cancer at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, west London, and The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity has launched a specially designed fundraising page for people across the nation to donate.

Money raised will be used to help more people with cancer to benefit from holistic care.

The princess, who has long campaigned over the importance of spending time outdoors, wrote: “In the end, bravery isn’t just about pushing forward. It is about knowing how to stay grounded, connected and present, no matter the terrain, or landscape you are walking through.

“Together, we can stand alongside everyone navigating life with cancer, ensuring no one faces this disease feeling unseen or unsupported. Please know you are not alone.”

Kate, who signed her personal message with a “C”, also wrote of the benefit of holistic therapies, adding: “We have an opportunity to reshape what the future of holistic cancer care looks like, enabling more people, nationwide, to access the kind of personalised support that can help make a meaningful difference during and after medical treatment.”

Money raised will also support research into how holistic care can best work alongside clinical cancer treatments to help patients, with the goal of creating a blueprint for change, so the supportive care becomes a standard part of cancer treatment nationally. The fundraising link is available at: www.royalmarsden.org/princessofwales

Kate was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer early in 2024, for which she underwent chemotherapy, and she announced she was in remission 17 months ago in January 2025. She has gradually returned to royal duties, including supporting the King at state visits to the UK and returning to international travel with a working trip to Italy in May this year.

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Gill Thompson has met Michael Bardsley this month as, after she and her daughter did some research on Linkedin, they found the man’s account – and recognised his “family nose”

A grandmother discovered she had a brother and finally met him after 73 years apart — after tracking him down on LinkedIn.

Gill Thompson, 73, had no idea about her father Colin Bardsley until, in scenes akin to ITV’s Long Lost Family, she received a Christmas card from her paternal grandfather at the age of 25.

She learnt he had relocated to Cape Town, South Africa, remarried and had a son named Michael Bardsley — but was unable to find him following her initial searches in the late 90s.

Gran-of-four Gill was inspired to resume her search in August last year when an opponent at her bowls tournament had the same name.

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Gill’s daughter Sammy, 31, managed to track him down on LinkedIn — recognising him as her half-brother thanks to the family nose.

Michael, 64, and Gill came face to face for the very first time at Colwyn Bay railway station in north Wales on June 8.

Gill, a retired PE teacher from Llandudno, north Wales, said: “I felt very emotional as I watched Mike’s train coming in.

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“We embraced as only long-lost brother and sister could do.

“We had a happy evening catching up on a lifetime of memories.”

Michael, a sports film producer from Cape Town, South Africa, said: “I saw the joy on my sister’s face and a flood of emotion and memories of my dad kicked in.

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“As we hugged the reality sank in – after a lifetime apart I was now holding on to my closest living relative.

“It was worth every mile of the frustrating journey of cancelled trains.”

Gill’s parents – Joyce Priestley and Colin Bardsley – tied the knot in 1952 after discovering Joyce was pregnant with Gill, but the couple separated before she was born and later divorced.

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Gill said: “I just never knew anything about him. I never asked and mum never said.

“I was just happy and I never thought about it.

“Other kids at school talked about ‘mummy and daddy’, I just said ‘I don’t have a daddy’, for me it was ‘mummy and nanna’, that was normal.”

Following Joyce’s death at the age of 56 in 1986, Gill stumbled upon a photograph from her parents’ wedding – setting eyes on her father’s face for the very first time.

She said: “It felt as though mum wanted me to find it eventually.

“I was amazed and excited to see it.

“He looks quite like me.”

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Gill, also mum to Nick, 34, discovered her father had remarried and fathered a son named Michael when she got her first home computer 27 years ago and began trawling through birth, marriage and death records in the hope of tracking him down.

However, as her husband at the time, Ian Hainey, was seriously ill with oesophageal cancer before sadly passing away in 2004, she put the search on hold.

30 years later, now wed to Peter Thompson, 79, Gill learnt they were due to face a Michael Bardsley at the Colwyn Bay Crown-Green Bowls Festival in August 2025.

It turned out not to be Gill’s half-brother, but the coincidence sparked the curiosity of Gill’s daughter Sammy, who tracked down a LinkedIn profile belonging to a sports film producer named Michael Bardsley based in Cape Town, and sent him a direct message including her phone number. Gill said: “Sammy was sure it was him. She said we have the same nose.

“It’s the same nose my dad had, and my son has it too.”

Sammy received a phone call from Michael back in September, which paved the way for Gill and Michael to enjoy a half-hour FaceTime chat shortly afterwards.

Michael had always known his father had another child, but lacked sufficient details to track her down.

Gill said: “I was so excited and nervous.

“He said ‘this is the most wonderful thing ever’, and it was.

“We talked for ages. We both laugh a lot, and we’re both into sport, and both work in sport.”

Through Michael, Gill discovered her father had a sister with three children — cousins Jacqueline, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, Nicola, from Northwich, Cheshire, and Alison, from London.

The newfound siblings now exchange texts every week and catch up on FaceTime every fortnight. Michael even spent two weeks staying with Gill in June, during which time the pair also got together with their cousins.

Gill, who shared her remarkable story with Sell Us Your Story, said: “We’re both delighted.

“This wouldn’t have been possible at all without the Internet.”

At just 30 years old Ross Muir has been through a lot in his career but he is using a painful time away from the table as a driving force to succeed on it.

The Scot first turned professional in 2013, earning his spot on tour when he came through Q School as a 17-year-old.

In his own words he has ‘definitely not shown anything at all’ since then, with last 16 runs his best in ranking events.

Muir firmly believes there is more to come after some tough times of late were understandably distracting him from snooker.

His mother passed away in February, over a year after being diagnosed with heart failure, a number of months which saw snooker fade into insignificance.

‘It’s still a bit surreal. She was my best friend and very supportive with snooker,’ Muir told Metro. ‘She has been with me for the whole journey. She always loved watching my games and we always chatted after the games. So from that perspective it’s a massive gap in my life now.

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‘I can’t put it into words to be honest, and I don’t think there really are words to describe it. It’s just one of these horrible things in life, it’s cruel, you know, it’s cruel to everyone involved.

‘It was tough over the last year. I took a step aside from practice. I was just going tournament to tournament and every other ounce of my time was put onto my mum to try and find ways to help her, ways to make her better.’

After his time spent looking after Margaret, she left him with words of encouragement to get back to focussing on snooker.

‘She had a good talk with us,’ he said. ‘She wanted us to look forward. She wanted me to be a snooker player again. She appreciated all the time that we spent together. But she did ask me to be a snooker player again, so that’s what I’m trying to be.

‘After the World Championship [qualifiers], I shook Robbie Williams’ hand, got in the car, came back home and that was me back into work mode. The following day I was on the practice table and I’ve been working harder than I’ve ever worked before. I’ve been tackling all the technical problems that were in my game. I’m really delighted with how things have come out.

‘I realise there’s two ways a tragic event like this can impact a person: very negatively or you can use it as a driving force. That’s what I’ve tried my best to do.

‘There are great signs going forward, as an opponent I’m a different prospect than I’ve been for a couple of years. I’m starting to play proper snooker again. I don’t need to try and grind things out like I was doing over the last year.’

The world number 109 needs to show those improvements on the table this season if he is to hold onto his tour card, but he is confident deep runs are in there.

He practices with the likes of John Higgins, Anthony McGill and Scott Donaldson in his base in Musselburgh – an old church building his table has been in for years.

On his ceiling of the last 16 so far in his career, he said: ‘That’s definitely not my limitation by any means. Over the years I’ve been a little bit turbulent with various different things. I’m trying to just be a bit more consistent and a bit more stable.

‘I certainly don’t want to be in a position of just grinding by, getting near the top 64, falling off, resetting. That’s not what I want to do, I want to be pushing a lot further forward than that. And I definitely know that I’ve got the game, I’ve got the determination to do that, and that’s definitely the two things that that are required to achieve that.’

Of his career turbulence, there was nothing more destabilising than the ocular migraines he suffered so badly that he thought he was retired from snooker in his twenties.

He suffered the nightmare condition in 2019, leading to falling off the professional tour as he was hit by significant vision loss on a daily basis.

‘I was pretty much not seeing anything,’ he explained. ‘It was 90 per cent vision loss when it was at its worst. I think it was pressure driven, so generally the more pressurised the match was, the worse it would get.

‘There’s no pain at all involved in it. The way I would describe it is you’re in a room that’s filled with smoke. And it was every single day, sometimes multiple times a day.’