The Environment Agency has issued warnings for Cambridgeshire areas and locals are advised to “be prepared” due to “high river levels”
Flood warnings have been issued for Cambridgeshire areas by the Environment Agency on Monday (February 9). Locals have been advised that flooding is ‘possible’ in some areas.
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Flood alerts mean that locals should “be prepared”. Environment Agency advice is that when flood alerts are issued, locals should be ready to follow a flood plan.
The flood alerts issued today are as follows:
Hundred Foot Washes in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk: There are reportedly high river levels today that may lead to flooding and the causeway at Sutton Gault has approximately 48cm of water on the road.
River Great Ouse: Areas most at risk are around the River Great Ouse from Brampton to Earith, including Back Brook, Hall Green Brook, Parsons Drove Drain, Swavesey Drain, and Wadsbys Folly. Access to properties in Berry Lane, Godmanchester may also be affected. Locals are advised to take care and avoid walking, cycling, or driving through flood water.
River Great Ouse from Sharnbrook to Roxton: The flood alert area includes Sharn Brook and Gadsey Brook. Longholme Boatlake may be inaccessible.
River Great Ouse from Wyboston to Brampton have areas possibly at risk including Duloe Brook, Hen Brook, and Fox Brook.
River Kym: Areas most at risk are around the River Kym and River Til from Yelden, and Upper Dean to Hail Weston. Rising river levels may lead to flooding.
Warnings announced on Sunday, February 8, highlighted “expected” flooding at the B1040 Thorney to Whittlesey Road.
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor said her players “do not deserve that level of refereeing” after Arsenal’s Katie McCabe avoided a red card for pulling Alyssa Thompson’s hair during their Champions League quarter-final exit.
The Blues were chasing a late leveller after scoring a stoppage-time goal to make it 3-2 on aggregate when McCabe reached out and tugged Thompson’s hair.
The American winger was breaking forward, but McCabe escaped a yellow card and the video assistant referee (VAR) did not advise referee Frida Mia Klarlundto review the incident.
Bompastor was shown a yellow card for angrily protesting against the decision and then sent off for her continued outburst – although she refused to leave the touchline as Arsenal held on to reach the semi-finals.
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The Frenchwoman arrived prepared with her mobile phone so she could show a replay of the incident as she gave a furious interview to BBC Two.
“For me, it is clearly a red card for the Arsenal player. She’s pulling Alyssa Thompson’s hair,” Bompastor said.
“If the VAR is not able to check that situation, I don’t know why we have the VAR.
“I’m the one getting a red card when I think the Arsenal player should be the one getting a red card.”
The horror discovery was made by police in the Mexican state of Guerrero, which has been plagued by organised violent crime caused by cartels fighting over drug-rich territory
Police recovered the dismembered remains of seven people on a major road in a horror discovery following local gang violence.
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The bodies were found abandoned on Tuesday afternoon on the Tlalpa-Olinalá highway, in the Montaña region of the state of Guerrero, in Mexico, on the sides of the road approaching crossroads in Cualác.
According to local outlets, black plastic boxes and an aluminum pot were also abandoned alongside a host of other objects believed to have been used to transport the remains.
The remains and their containers were discovered by authorities following reports from residents that armed men had abandoned the bodies.
Following the grim discovery, Infobae reports, security personnel and experts from the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Guerrero (FGE) rushed to the scene alongside the Ministerial Investigative Police, as well as experts. The remains were found in a part of Mexico that has been plagued by violent crime, with more than a dozen groups suspected to be operating in Guerrero.
In 2023, it was reported that 16 separate groups were identified by the Tlachinollan Mountain Human Rights Center, citing reports from several security corporations.
The state’s homicide rate was placed at 37.5 per 100,000 people the following year, with cartel wars, extortion and kidnapping blamed for the sky-high figure. Guerrero has also been used as a cartel battleground, with the groups operating in the area competing for control of drug production centres, including opium poppy cultivation.
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The high level of crime has come hand-in-hand with a lack of investment in security and social programmes, and general political instability, making it difficult for authorities to tackle the issue.
All of these issues combined have made Guerrero one of the most violent states in the country, with residents left in near-constant fear of being caught in the crossfire.
The Montaña region, where the remains were discovered, is located on the border of Oaxaca and Puebla, and in the middle of a major gang conflict.
The Los Tlacos, Los Ardillos and Los Rojos gangs are believed to be fighting for the territory, which has a high concentration of marijuana and poppy crops.
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According to the Tlachinollan Mountain Human Rights Centre, residents report being assaulted and extorted by criminal groups on the highways leading to other states, resulting in an exodus of people fearing they could be victimised. A report by the centre states that farm labour families have been most profoundly impacted.
The report states: “Farm laborer families are caught in a dilemma. In their communities, they are abandoned by municipal, state, and federal authorities.
“There are no job opportunities or productive projects to help them get ahead. Corn farming and migration are their only hopes for survival. The most devastating aspect is the recent violence they have suffered and the harassment by criminal groups.”
We have lift off! Artemis II’s four-astronaut crew is on its way to the Moon.
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Just 248,000 miles to go.
Anthony Cuthbertson1 April 2026 23:36
‘Go for launch’
All final checks have been carried out and the Artemis II launch countdown is back underway.
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“We are go for launch,” the launch director says.
Anthony Cuthbertson1 April 2026 23:25
Launch countdown held at 10 minutes
The launch countdown is held at 10 minutes while final checks and confirmations are made.
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(Nasa)
Anthony Cuthbertson1 April 2026 23:19
Update on battery issue
One of the two batteries on the launch abort system was reportedly experiencing a “higher temperature than would be expected” due to an instrumentation failure, however Nasa has now said it will not impact the launch.
The batteries are situated in the tower above the Orion capsule, and they are responsible for pulling it clear from the rocket in the event of a problem with SLS.
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It’s now just 10 minutes until the two-hour launch window opens.
Anthony Cuthbertson1 April 2026 23:13
The path of the first crewed mission to the Moon since 1972
Nasa has provided a handy graphic of the route the Artemis II crew will take in their flight around the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft.
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After lifting off from pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the SLS rocket will be jettisoned before Orion performs a high-altitude orbit of Earth.
Then begins the four-day outbound transit to the Moon, 250,000 miles away. After swinging by the Moon, Orion will return to Earth, eventually splashing down off the west coast of America.
(Nasa)
Anthony Cuthbertson1 April 2026 22:58
Battery issue but weather improves
Nasa has noted a battery issue, though adds that there’s still plenty of time for it to be resolved.
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On the plus side, the weather has improved, with the probability of favourable launch conditions now up to 90 per cent.
Anthony Cuthbertson1 April 2026 22:37
T-minus 1 hour for Artemis II launch
There’s now less than an hour to go until the Artemis II launch.
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While we wait, you can read all about this historic mission here.
Anthony Cuthbertson1 April 2026 22:29
Ground crew closes launch abort system hatch
The launch abort system hatch has been closed.
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The crew hatch of the Orion spacecraft, which sits atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, is already closed.
The close out crew will now leave that room. The next big step is moving the crew access arm away from the rocket.
(Nasa)
Anthony Cuthbertson1 April 2026 22:19
‘The range is go’
With just over an hour to go until launch, the issue with the flight termination system has been solved.
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“The good news is, the range is go,” Nasa says.
All other systems are looking good, though there is still a minor chance that weather could impact the launch. The launch weather forecaster has kept his original prediction of being “80 per cent go”.
City of York Council data showed 195 out of more than 1,000 slots made available for traders in the four weeks since bookings went live were missed.
About nine tenths residents who booked one of the more than 12,000 10-minute slots available for them turned up for their appointments from Monday, March 2 to Sunday, March 29.
A spokesperson for Yorwaste, which runs the site on behalf of the council, said Towthorpe had not been any busier than usual since the new system was launched.
They added they had not experienced any unusual increases in traffic since the Click Before You Tip system launched at Hazel Court.
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It follows the launch of the new booking system for Hazel Court on Monday, February 23 a week before time slots came into effect.
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It also comes as residents are encouraged to ensure they have booked a slot if they are planning on using the tip over the Easter bank holiday.
Households are currently limited to four 10-minute slots a week while businesses can book up to two 15-minute slots a day.
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Cllr Jenny Kent, the council’s Labour environment spokesperson, said at the time the system was a sensible solution to tackle congestion and queues and improve air quality in the area.
A report ahead of the council’s executive’s approval of the new system in September stated residents had raised safety concerns over drivers attempting dangerous manoeuvres in the road.
Businesses based in and around Hazel Court have also claimed congestion caused by queues for the tip was making it harder for their customers to reach them.
But the council’s Liberal Democrat opposition raised concerns about the plans at the time, saying they followed a decision to close the site on Wednesdays and could cause more fly-tipping.
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Rubbish removal business Waste Warriors told The Press the new system had resulted in them having to turn down jobs due to limits on trips to the tip.
Traffic blocking the road as drivers queue to turn into Hazel Court Recycling Centre (Image: Newsquest)
Feedback from Yorwaste suggested the day-to-day operations at the site remained stable since bookings launched.
Around 70 per cent of the more than 12,000 slots made available to residents have been booked, rising to 80 per cent in the last full week of March.
The council stated the system was being widely-used and well-adopted by residents and activity at the site was broadly in line with seasonal expectations.
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But it added missed trader appointments were causing issues because they reduce availability and cannot be easily given to someone else at such short notice.
People are required to bring their booking confirmation with them to show to tip staff on arrival.
Slots can be booked online or over the phone up to two weeks in advance.
The Towthorpe site, in Moor Lane, remains available to use without having to book beforehand.
Arsenal lose the second leg of their quarter-final against Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, but win 3-2 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League and move a step closer to successfully defending their title.
James Lewis KC, the chief justice of the BIOT, said on Tuesday: “Any rational reason for passing the provision has now disappeared, if there ever was one.”
The Chagossians had initially claimed they were seeking to visit Ile Du Coin temporarily to visit graves, and did not mention they planned to establish a “permanent camp”, the judge said.
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He continued: “A claimed power to exclude a whole population must be justified by legal source, not administrative necessity.”
The judge also said that the deal signed between the UK and Mauritius “removes any claimed reliance on defence or security issues in repopulating the outer islands, as well as rendering funding issues otiose [serving no practical purpose]”.
The commissioner is challenging the decision, according to the Foreign Office.
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A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We do not agree with this judgment, and we understand the BIOT administration have appealed it.”
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have accused Sir Keir Starmer of treating Chagossians as “an inconvenience”.
Image: Priti Patel has criticised Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel has called on the prime minister to abandon what she described as an “appalling” deal to hand back the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which she said was a “complete betrayal”.
Ms Patel said: “Throughout the process, he has sought to sideline the Chagossian people, treating them as nothing but an inconvenience.
“Chagossians, many of whom have no desire to see the islands handed over to an ally of China, ended up taking matters into their own hands. And now this latest humiliation has further undermined the Government’s case.”
Tiger Woods formally turned down the Ryder Cup captaincy Wednesday as he steps away from golf activities, and a Florida judge approved his motion to leave the country to seek treatment.
Woods posted a statement Tuesday night saying that he was stepping away indefinitely “to seek treatment and focus on my health.”
A motion filed Wednesday by his attorney, Douglas Duncan, asked a judge that Woods be allowed to travel outside the country to begin “comprehensive inpatient treatment.”
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Duncan said the recommendation from Woods’ doctor was based on the golfer’s “complex clinical presentation and the urgent need for a level of care that cannot safely or effectively be done within the United States as his privacy has been repeatedly compromised.
“Ongoing medical scrutiny and public exposure create significant barriers to his care and would result in setbacks and an inability to fully engage in treatment.”
Martin County Court Judge Darren Steele approved the motion, which did not say where the inpatient treatment facility was located.
The Ryder Cup decision by the PGA of America was not a surprise during the last five, chaotic days involving Woods dating to his Friday arrest.
In a statement, Mills said: “The recent announcement that I am no longer contracted to the BBC has led to the publication of rumour and speculation.
“In response to this the Metropolitan Police has made a statement, which I confirm relates to me.
“An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully cooperated and responded to in 2018.
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“As the police have stated, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges.
“Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed 7 years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter.
“I wish to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have reached out to me with kindness, my former colleagues, and my beloved listeners, who I greatly miss.”
The breakfast show host was abruptly taken off air by the BBC last week, before his sacking over allegations related to his “personal conduct” was announced on Monday.
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The 53-year-old last hosted his show on Tuesday, March 24 and signed off with: “See you tomorrow.”
He was questioned by police under caution in July 2018.
Mills was not charged with a criminal offence, and the case was closed due to a lack of evidence.
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The Metropolitan Police does not identify people who are subject to an investigation before any charges are brought.
What was the Met Police statement?
A spokesperson said: “In December 2016, the Met began an investigation following a referral from another police force.
“The investigation related to allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy. These were reported to have taken place between 1997 and 2000.
“As part of these inquiries, a man who was in his 40s at the time of the interview was questioned by police under caution in July 2018.
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“A full file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, who determined the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges. Following this advice, the investigation was closed in May 2019.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists created virtual replicas of patients’ diseased hearts so precise that blocking a dangerous irregular heartbeat in these digital “twins” showed doctors how to better treat the real thing.
One of the first clinical trials of these custom models suggests it might improve care for ventricular tachycardia, a notoriously difficult-to-treat arrhythmia that is a major cause of sudden cardiac arrest, blamed for about 300,000 U.S. deaths a year.
The study, by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, was a small first step. The Food and Drug Administration allowed the digital twin technology to guide treatment for just 10 patients, and much larger studies will be needed.
But the results reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine come as doctors increasingly are exploring how a technology long used in aerospace and other industries might be harnessed for better health, too.
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Dr. Jeffrey Goldberger, a heart specialist at the University of Miami who wasn’t involved with the study, experimented with more rudimentary iterations 15 years ago and praised the new findings. “This is what we envisioned,” he said.
Doctors have long used 3D models, both physical and computer-generated ones, to simulate disease and practice techniques. But Hopkins biomedical engineer Natalia Trayanova said true digital twins predict how a real organ can react to different treatments. Her lab is pioneering colorful interactive models developed with an advanced MRI scan and other data from each patient.
“We treat the twin before we treat the patient,” Trayanova said. “Did it work? And if it did, are there new things that arise” that will require more or different care?
The heart’s electrical system powers our heartbeat. Ventricular tachycardia is a super-fast heartbeat triggered when an electrical wave short-circuits in the organ’s bottom chambers, the ventricles, and prevents them from pumping blood out to the body.
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“You see this heart that is basically quivering,” Trayanova said.
Medication can help but the main treatment is ablation, when doctors thread catheters to the heart to burn misfiring tissue. But it’s a bit trial-and-error, as patients spend hours under anesthesia while doctors determine where to aim. Repeat ablations are common, and many patients have an implanted defibrillator as backup.
Enter Trayanova’s digital twins of patients’ ventricles. Colors swirl on a computer screen – blue, green, yellow and orange – showing how the heart’s electrical wave moves across the chamber’s healthy areas before getting stuck on damaged tissue. It’s trapped in a circular motion that she compares to the swirl of a hurricane.
“It allows me to recreate the functioning of the patient’s organ and then predict what is the best way to ablate,” she said.
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The technology locates a dysfunctional region where the electrical wave repeatedly hits. Virtually ablating it will show if that solves the problem or if another arrhythmia forms that also will need zapping. “Then we poke it again,” she explained.
Trayanova’s team created customized ablation targets for each of the 10 study participants. Cardiologists transferred them to a mapping system they use as a guide and aimed just at those targets instead of hunting their own.
More than a year later, eight patients had no arrhythmias while two experienced only a single brief episode while they were healing — better than the treatment’s typical 60% success rate, said Dr. Jonathan Chrispin, a Hopkins cardiologist and the study’s lead author. All but two also stopped their anti-arrhythmia medicine.
More importantly, cardiologists may burn away less tissue by targeting “specifically the areas that we think are critically important,” Chrispin said. “We could potentially make these procedures shorter, safer, more effective.”
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The Hopkins team hopes to study the digital twin approach in a larger study with other hospitals, and has begun a trial using it to treat a more common type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. Other researchers are studying digital twins for cancer care.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
A system failure caused more than 100 driverless cars to suddenly stop mid-traffic in China.
Some passengers were left stranded in their vehicles after a “system malfunction” caused the driverless robotaxis to come to a halt in Wuhan on Tuesday.
No injuries were reported.
One passenger told Chinese media that their robotaxi stopped after turning a corner.
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Image: An Apollo Go robotaxi that stopped in the middle of traffic due to a system failure in Wuhan, China.
Pic: Social Media/Reuters
An instruction on a screen then read: “Driving system malfunction. Staff are expected to arrive in five minutes.”
While some passengers were able to leave their cars, others were afraid to get out because they had stopped in a middle lane with traffic going by on either side, according to local reports.
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