Stockton Council is considering a request from Cumbria Waste Recycling Ltd is to repurpose an existing industrial site to handle both hazardous and non-hazardous waste, including its treatment, temporary storage and transfer.

They intend to change their existing facilities at Seal Sands near Billingham into a “hazardous waste transfer and treatment facility which will include imports of both hazardous and non-hazardous liquid and solid wastes for treatment, temporary storage and transfer”.

The 1.85-hectare area is on the site of a former chemical processing and production facility.

Stephenson Halliday Ltd has submitted a screening request on behalf of Cumbria Waste Recycling (CWR), for the council to make a “judgment on the likelihood of the project giving rise to significant environmental effects”.

It says in its request: “CWR intend to repurpose much of the existing facility for the purposes of establishing a hazardous waste transfer and treatment facility.

This facility will receive, bulk, and treat both hazardous and non-hazardous waste arising from industrial customers within the Tees Valley area, as well as niche waste streams from specialist operators nationwide.

The request adds: “Under the proposed development, much of the existing site will be retained and repurposed for the purposes of waste storage, bulking, and processing. A new weighbridge will be installed on site for the acceptance of waste. The final design of the facility has yet to be determined.”

The developer says waste would be delivered by road, sampled, analysed then either accepted and stored, rejected and returned, or put into quarantine until discrepancies can be resolved.

“The site is fully capable of safely and securely accommodating hazardous wastes of differing properties within separate, dedicated areas,” says the request.

It says the development mostly involves accepting, bulking and transferring waste, “with almost negligible levels of hazardous waste chemical treatment planned for the future”.

It says none of the principal operations involve chemical treatment of waste, though the company is “exploring the treatment of small quantities of specialist waste”.

Wastes would be stored in five areas – the main warehouse, a flammable waste storage area, a secure storage area or two yards.

“Depending upon the nature of the waste, the site will facilitate waste treatments on suitable, compatible wastes in order to separate, bulk and repackage the waste for transfer offsite to a suitably licensed waste management facility where the waste undergoes additional treatment, is subject to recovery or is subject to disposal,” the developer said.

It is proposed that the facility will deal with about 90,000 tonnes of waste per year for bulking and transfer, about 50,000 tonnes for producing waste-derived fuel, and about 15,000 tonnes of mixed oil and water in liquid wastes. About 10 HGVs would access the facility from Seal Sands Road per day between 6am and 6pm.

The statement adds: “Vehicle movements to and from the site will be limited to normal daytime operating hours and restricted to a 5mph speed limit when on site.

“Waste treatment, including bulking of wastes, will take place inside enclosed tanks and enclosed buildings. The site is constructed of impermeable surfaces with a contained drainage system, which would contain any spillage and prevent its discharge into the environment.”

The developer says the proposed facility “would not result in any significant landscape and visual impacts” and “there will be no adverse traffic and transport impacts”, nor significant impact from noise, dust or smells. It says the treatment facility would employ about 15 people full-time and would support local businesses, suppliers and the local economy.

It adds: “The nature of the operations and variety of wastes to be accepted at the site means that odour may be generated.

“However, the emission of odour will be controlled via an odour management plan that has been prepared as part of the environmental permitting regime, which sets out how odours will be prevented and minimised.”

It asserts the proposed development would make “relatively minimal changes” to an existing industrial site, with no nearby residents which could be affected. It argues the plan will not need an environmental impact assessment in the planning process.

Trump claimed he did not want to extend the ceasefire hours before doing so

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US President Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire in Iran once more, announcing the move just hours before the deadline was due to expire after he was reportedly urged to “hold our attack”.

The President released a statement claiming the extension was necessary because the “Government of Iran is seriously fractured”. Trump had previously told Iran that the “whole country is going to get blown up“.

Posting on Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote: “Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.

“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”

This post comes just hours after Trump declared the US military was “raring to go” ahead with fresh strikes on Tehran if progress was not made in the Pakistan talks. Speaking with CNBC, the US leader insisted he did not want to extend the two-week truce.

“I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” he said, adding, “We’ve taken out their navy, we’ve taken out their air force, we’ve taken out their leaders.”

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There are now just eight celebrity contestants remaining on the ITV reality show

I’m a Celebrity viewers were “heartbroken” as Beverley Callard made a shock exit from the jungle.

The Coronation Street actress had to leave the ITV reality show on medical grounds after becoming unwell.

In February this year she revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, telling fans she was in the “early stages”. However, the show was filmed last September.

As she left the jungle, Bev told her surprised campmates that medics had said she had to leave the series.

“Hi guys, I’ve just got something to tell you all,” they said. “I didn’t feel very well this morning… and the medics have advised I can’t return to camp. I’ve got to go home.” “I don’t want to go,” Bev added. “I’m absolutely gutted. I wanted to finish.”

READ MORE: I’m a Celebrity fans fuming as two stars forced to leave ITV showREAD MORE: I’m A Celeb’s Ashley Roberts breaks silence on David Haye and Adam Thomas feud

The unexpected withdrawal means eight contestants remain in the competition, where they will vie to be crowned an I’m a Celebrity ‘legend’ during Friday’s (April 24) live final.

The rest of the campers were left reeling from the news, which came not long after David Haye and Gemma Collins exited the jungle, with Adam Thomas breaking down in tears in the Bush Telegraph.

Viewers were also upset, with one posting on X: “Feel so sorry for Bev bless her, she has been amazing!!”

“Bev crying is gonna make me cry,” said another. “Aw my heart’s breaking for Bev,” another fan wrote on the platform, which was formerly Twitter.

Another said that seeing the star in tears was “heartbreakng” and others posted heartbroken emojis on social media.

“I can’t deal with I’m a Celeb,” admitted another viewer on X, adding a string of crying emojis.

“Devastated over Bev, she is a queen,” said another. “That was really sad, Beverley going,” admitted someone else, as others noted that she had come actross as a “lovely person” during her stint in the camp.

“So gutted,” said another viewer, as somebody else posted: “What a woman.”

I’m a Celebrity… South Africa airs on ITV.

A San José teen is behind bars after prosecutors charged with murder in the death of his two-year-old foster brother, alleging the toddler was repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted after being placed in a foster home earlier this year.

The suspect, whose name was not revealed, was 17 at the time of the alleged abuse of Jaxon Juarez. The toddler died on April 9, just days after police found his “small, bruised and battered body” on Easter Sunday at the home where the suspect lived. An official cause of death has not been released.

The suspect, who is also Jaxon’s cousin, according to KQED, is currently in juvenile court, but District Attorney Jeff Rosen is seeking to have the case transferred to adult court. He recently turned 18, officials said.

“The rape and murder of a child are two of the most serious crimes that we prosecute,” Rosen said after the suspect’s first court appearance. “These crimes should be heard in our most serious criminal courts.”

The suspect was initially charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, including forced sodomy, but on Monday, prosecutors added counts including murder, child assault causing death and additional sexual assault allegations. Among them, he is accused of placing a hair tie around the toddler’s neck, causing significant injury.

Jaxon had been living with a relative, Bridget Michelle Martinez, the suspect’s mother, for only a few weeks before his death. Prosecutors said they are continuing to investigate whether additional charges may be filed against others, including potential accountability within the county system.

“This is not the first time that this has happened,” Rosen said. “People in the public, and myself as the DA, would like to know who is responsible criminally, civilly, morally, ethically, systemically.

“Why are horrible and tragic crimes happening to children in the care and custody of the Department of Family and Children’s Services over and over and over again?” he added.

Jaxon is the third child to die in recent years while under the supervision of Santa Clara County’s Department of Family and Children’s Services, according to Rosen as reported by KQED.

“This is the third child in the past couple of years under the care and custody of the Department of Family and Children Services who has been murdered,” Rosen said. “Change needs to come, and it needs to come fast – and it needs to happen now.”

County Spokesperson Peter Gallotta told ABC7 in a statement the Department of Family and Children Services is conducting its own investigation while requesting that the California Department of Social Services undertake its own.

“The county is committed to swiftly investigating every aspect of this horrific tragedy and publicly sharing the results of these investigations when available and to the extent allowable by law,” he said.

Both San José police and county officials are investigating Jaxon’s death, and the state Department of Social Services has been asked to conduct an independent review.

Before his death, Jaxon had lived with his parents until his mother, Brianna Burton, died last year. He then entered the foster system and then was placed with a maternal grandparent. The grandparent was ordered to bring the child to South Bay for regular visits with his father, a requirement that prevented the grandparent from continuing to serve as a guardian, KQED reported.

Family members say they had asked for Jaxon to be placed with relatives in Arizona but were denied. In February, Jaxon was transferred to live with Martinez, despite records showing that she was convicted of felony child endangerment in 2014. It remains unclear whether the department was aware of her history or how the placement was approved.

“It is completely unacceptable,” Jaxon’s aunt, Riley Wallace, said last week. “They did not protect a child, and that’s their job, that’s what they took the child for, to protect him. And they failed him so terribly.”

Wallace said the family plans to sue, arguing Jaxon should never have been placed in the home.

“He did not deserve this,” said Evangeline Dominguez-Estrada, a friend of Jaxon’s late mother, speaking outside court. “He deserved to be protected. He deserved to be cared for. Every child deserves that. They need us.”

The suspect is scheduled to return to court May 21, when a judge will decide whether the case should be moved to adult court.

The fairytale of Leicester City winning the Premier League at odds of 5000/1 is one of the greatest stories ever seen in English football.

But just a decade on from Claudio Ranieri’s men making history and Andrea Bocelli performing Nessun Dorma as they lifted an improbable title, the Foxes will find themselves playing League One next season after their relegation from the Championship was confirmed.

Leicester had to beat promotion-chasing Hull City on Tuesday to keep their slim survival chances alive, but a 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium means they will drop down to the third tier for just the second time in their 121-year league history.

It confirms a remarkable fall from grace for the 2015-16 Premier League champions, who were hit with a six-point deduction earlier this season for breaching financial rules. The club had bid to overturn the penalty, but an independent appeal board upheld the punishment.

Leicester are the first former champions of England to drop into the third tier since Leeds United were relegated to League One in 2007. The Foxes were relegated from the Premier League for the second time in three years last season, but this has been a troubled campaign with just one win in their last 18 Championship fixtures.

Leicester had more success following their Premier League title victory and reached the Champions League quarter-finals the following season. Under Brendan Rodgers, Leicester won the FA Cup for the first time in 2021 when they defeated Chelsea at Wembley, and came close to a return to the Champions League, finishing fifth two years in a row.

They paid the price for a dismal 2022-23 season and were relegated to the Championship, seven years on from lifting the title, with Everton staying up ahead of them on the final day. They bounced straight back, winning the Championship under Enzo Maresca, but were relegated again last season, with Ruud van Nistelrooy unable to stop their slide.

They appointed QPR boss Marti Cifuentes before the start of the season but he was sacked in January and their form has not improved under his replacement Gary Rowett. Even without the six-point deduction, Leicester would still be in a survival scrap with Blackburn Rovers and would be two points from safety with two games remaining.

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When evolutionary biologist Joseph Popp coded the first documented piece of ransomware in 1989, he had little idea it would become a major criminal business model capable of bringing economies to their knees.

Popp, who worked for the World Health Organization at the time, wanted to warn people about the dangers of ignoring health warnings, poor sexual hygiene and (human) virus transmission.

He sent out 20,0000 floppy discs that, when loaded, flashed up a demand for money to regain files that had supposedly been encrypted (in fact, it was just their file names). He was later arrested and charged with 11 counts of blackmail, but declared mentally unfit to stand trial.

In 1996, two Columbia University computer scientists published a paper explaining how criminals could use more sophisticated versions of Popp’s scheme to mount large-scale extortion operations. At the heart of this was malicious software that could be used to encrypt, block access to or steal a person or organisation’s files and data.

However, two preconditions still had to be met for ransomware to become a feasible criminal business: communication channels that were difficult to monitor, and a payments process outside financial regulation.

The Tor protocol, released by US intelligence services to protect their covert communications, solved the first problem in 2004. Cryptocurrencies solved the second – in particular, when bitcoin cash machines started appearing in North American cities from 2013.

Today, artifical intelligence makes malware coding and crafting convincing phishing-emails in any language simple. And the latest model in Anthropic’s AI system, Claude Mythos, recently proved more effective at hacking into computer systems than humans.

As an expert in extortive crime, I am increasingly concerned about public and political apathy to the threats posed by ransomware. To better understand these, it’s worth tracing its evolution over the past two decades – and how improvements in computer security and law enforcement, plus changes in data regulation, have led to new criminal strategies each time.

Cut out the middlemen

The first generation, which came to global attention in the mid-2010s, was known as “commodity ransomware”. A pioneering example, Cryptolocker, was developed by Russia-based hackers who infiltrated hundreds of thousands of computers, seeking to cut out the middlemen previously needed to commit financial fraud. They proved that a large majority of their victims would happily pay a small ransom to restore data that had been locked by their malware.

As both competent and incompetent hackers piled into this new market, victims shared information about rogue operators and put them out of business. This led to the second generation of ransomware such as Ryuk, which emerged in 2018.

In this phase, criminals abandoned the indiscriminate “spray-and-pray” approach in favour of targeting individual cash-rich businesses. They would set an individual ransom, negotiate with the company, and even offer to help with decryption if paid. Fast-rising ransoms more than compensated for this increased administrative effort.

In response, many companies began investing in multi-factor authentication, better threat monitoring, advance warning systems and software patches for known vulnerabilities.

However, these security benefits were soon offset by the impact of COVID on work practices across the world. The pandemic led to widespread remote working, with many people using unsecured devices and connections that were vulnerable to cyber-attack.

A multibillion-dollar industry

The next ransomware innovation was driven by the emergence of back-up systems that enabled companies to restore encrypted files without the criminals’ help. This was coupled with the emergence of tighter data privacy regulation such as GDPR in Europe and the UK.

Invented in 2019, third-generation ransomware weaponised these regulations, which threatened firms with massive fines if confidential data about clients or staff was revealed. The criminal gangs now sought out and exfiltrated an organisation’s most sensitive files, then threatened to publicise them through dedicated dark web leak sites.

This so-called double-extortion model – encrypting an organisation’s data while threatening to make it public – brought many businesses back to the negotiation table.

Ransomware had become a multibillion-dollar industry – with the Conti gang, sheltered by Russia and employing hundreds of people, among the key players setting new records for ransomware demands. Its attacks on critical infrastructure and hospitals saw it sanctioned by the UK government in 2023.

This new approach forced many governments to row back on imposing hefty fines for data breaches, since many were the result of criminal attacks. Meanwhile, new initiatives by law enforcement – supported by the private sector – targeted and broke up the largest and most egregious ransomware gangs.

Today’s fourth generation of ransomware, building on the latest AI technology, looks nimbler and slimmed-down in comparison. Anyone who gains access to a network can lease weapons-grade malware on the dark web without forming long-term ties with a particular gang.

Advanced AI-based hacking tools make ransomware accessible to many more criminals and politically motivated hacktivists. And around one-quarter of breaches still result in ransom payments. For criminals sheltered by their governments, only the digital infrastructure is at risk of being taken down by western law enforcement.

Lessons not learned

While coverage of Claude Mythos suggests even the most sophisticated cyber defences could now be vulnerable, the troubling reality is that many individuals and organisations are still using out-of date, unpatched or only partially upgraded software. This means even early-generation ransomware techniques are still lucrative.

While Popp sent out his floppy discs to promote better sexual hygiene, today’s poor cyberhygiene is leaving many public and private networks open to malware attacks. The intended lesson of his original ransomware caper – be vigilant and properly heed health warnings – has still only been partially learnt in the digital world.

Many western societies appear to have grown accepting of criminals leaching on business conducted on the internet. Not even a steady stream of human fatalities, caused by attacks on hospitals and medical providers, has generated the level of response required to stamp out this dangerous threat.

The hope that governments sheltering cybercriminals can be encouraged (or forced) to stop them targeting critical national infrastructure appears increasingly fragile amid current geopolitical tensions. At all levels of society, we need to get smarter about cyber defence.

‘It’s little things like going out for a meal and not having to worry about where you’re sitting or going on an aeroplane and not worrying, if you’re in the middle seat, about encroaching on anyone else.’

A Scottish woman who shed more than half her body weight has credited small, straightforward lifestyle changes with delivering a remarkable transformation – and not skinny jabs. Karen Heffernan, who lives just outside Glasgow, took action following what she described as ‘a bit of a health scare and a bit of a difficult conversation with a surgeon.’

Rather than counting calories, she turned to a fitness app to guide her through a series of gradual, incremental changes and, over roughly 18 months, she lost 14 and a half stone (94kg) — more than half her starting weight of 26 and a half stone.

She says both physically and mentally she’s in the best shape of her life, adding: “I can’t believe it’s actually been so simple. I’ve not felt deprived along the way, my motto just now is ‘delay don’t deny.’ You can have the treats, you have the yin and the yang, you build things up. This isn’t through surgery, it’s not through medication or any of that, some vitamins along the way, yes, but good food, good exercise, good sleep and motivation to keep you going along the way.”

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She described how her health overhaul had transformed her day-to-day existence, boosting her energy levels alongside a wealth of other benefits, adding: “It’s little things like going out for a meal and not having to worry about where you’re sitting or going on an aeroplane and not worrying, if you’re in the middle seat, about encroaching on anyone else.”

Despite her impressive weight loss, Karen has avoided the issue of loose skin, which she attributes to intermittent fasting. Not only did this approach support a healthier path to losing weight, but research from Cambridge University also indicates that it carries anti-inflammatory properties, which contribute to skin renewal and elasticity.

Fitness and wellbeing apps have surged in popularity over recent years, with a notable spike during the pandemic as people sought ways to keep active throughout lockdown. From meal-tracking tools such as MyFitnessPal and LoseIt to digital workout platforms like Hevy, there is now a vast array of options to help people keep their fitness goals within easy reach.

The Simple app brings together the best features of many of these platforms into a single package, offering fitness options spanning strength training and cardio to chair yoga, alongside a range of cutting-edge tools. These include NutriScanner, which assesses the nutritional content of meals using just a photograph, and an intermittent fasting tracker for those looking to swap calorie counting for this widely popular method – also central to Michael Mosley’s 16:8 plan, which aims to rev up metabolism by adjusting mealtimes.

There is also an AI-powered assistant called Avo, on hand to offer guidance and respond to queries throughout the process. The Simple app is currently offering 80% off with code REACH at checkout. Upon signing up, users complete an online questionnaire about their goals and preferences regarding diet and exercise. This information is used to create a fully personalised plan tailored to each individual’s needs and schedule.

Karen explained: “I started small, I found the intermittent fasting lifestyle, did a lot of research and I gradually built things up. Simple was a great way to track the fasts that I was doing and gives you tips along the way. I also introduced Avo, which was great in giving you some tips for health and nutrition and making recipes.

“One of my first tips is to just keep going. Guilt? Get it out the window. There’s always the next day where you can start again and get on the journey. Exercise is really important. Now I do core stability, I’m doing pilates and you can’t stop me from walking. I take the family on little walks after a meal.”

Karen is among more than 17 million users globally who have downloaded the app to help boost their fitness levels. The Simple Life App holds an impressive average rating of 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot, based on more than 28,000 reviews.

One five-star reviewer said they ‘couldn’t say enough good things about this app,’ adding: “Love this app. It’s teaching me how to make eating healthy and being active a lifestyle that I can continue on my own. Love the workouts that I can adjust from low to high depending on my time and energy. Logging food and water is easy, as well as using their AI to get recipes from a list that I have in my pantry and fridge to scanning menus at restaurants to help me choose the best option.”

A second reviewer praised Avo for helping keep her motivated, adding: “The coach is helpful. Also, when I fall off track the coach doesn’t make me feel like I failed the day. It is very encouraging and helps keep me motivated and focused.”

Not everyone is won over, however. One three-star reviewer commented: “I feel tied to my phone. It’s not good for me.”

Yet that same portability proved to be a major selling point for another user, who described it as ‘one of the best weight loss and lifestyle apps I’ve ever used,’ adding: “It’s the best culmination of evidence based strategies (fasting, Mediterranean diet, mindfulness, etc) plus the power of AI, which is like having a personal health coach or therapist in your pocket. Also, I love that tracking is so easy and more focused on the quality of food choices vs cumbersome portion size and nutrition tracking like programs of the past.”

The Simple app can be downloaded on Android and iOS devices and is 80% off by using the code REACH at checkout.

Real simple users are featured who have been compensated for their honest testimonials. Results may vary.

When Donald Trump deported a group of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador in 2025, it was the fulfilment of a long-held wish. Across both of his administrations Trump has pushed officials to find ways to brutalise immigrants, particularly those who are undocumented, believing that doing so will deter others from making the trip.

The Venezuelan nationals were destined for El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, known as Cecot. When they arrived, according to a Human Rights Watch report, they were subjected to systematic beatings, sexual abuse and psychological duress.

The Trump administration amplified reports of conditions in the prison. Trump’s former homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, for example, filmed a video inside Cecot in 2025 in which she thanked El Salvador for “bringing our terrorists here and incarcerating them”.

Trump’s deportations were a chilling sign of how easy it is for US presidents to sidestep the constitution. If Cecot were in the US, it would be recognised as a site of illegal abuses. The constitution’s protection against “cruel and unusual punishments” would cause judges to order it shut down – and it is likely that political outrage would not cease until that order was followed.

Yet by making an agreement with El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, Trump managed to get around these legal and political obstacles. In a recent paper, I explored how Trump’s deportations are part of a broader pattern of what I call “presidential extra-territorialization” – American presidents acting in or through a foreign jurisdiction to circumvent the US constitution.

There is a long-term pattern of cooperation between presidents from both the Republican and Democratic parties and the leaders of foreign countries. It is a pattern that could have grave implications for the future of US democracy.

Outsourcing abuses

The ability of US presidents to engage in this outsourcing of abuses is rooted in two things. First, their control over the vast capabilities of the modern executive branch, with its array of spies, soldiers and law enforcement officials. And second, control over US diplomacy, which is enshrined in Supreme Court precedent.

In 1936, the court ruled that the president is “the sole organ of the federal government in the field of international relations”. This has commonly been interpreted as meaning US presidents cannot be constrained by the other branches of government when conducting diplomacy.

Combined, these factors mean presidents face fewer constraints in foreign affairs than in the domestic realm. They are able to avoid oversight from the courts and Congress by keeping agreements with other governments secret and by acting too fast to be stopped. If they can find just one foreign government willing to enable them, then what is not possible at home suddenly becomes possible overseas.

This lack of constraint was evident in Trump’s deportations. The US government sent the men to El Salvador despite a last-minute ruling by a federal court ordering their return.

And once they were in El Salvador, the Trump administation claimed it was no longer responsible for them and could not be expected to bring them back. The Supreme Court stepped in to pause further such deportations, but only weeks after the fact.

Other examples of the power and flexibility of extra-territorialization became apparent during the “war on terror”, when successive US presidents faced the issue of where to send detainees who were suspected terrorists.

If they were brought to the US, they would have had constitutional rights and could not have been tortured or indefinitely imprisoned. So presidents from Bill Clinton in the 1990s onward established a series of agreements with other countries to take and mistreat them instead.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the Bush administration established a series of “black sites” in countries such as Poland, Thailand and Romania in which to hold detainees in secret. Abuses were committed directly by US agents, but still beyond the reach of US courts. The administration held prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba too, another place where the constitution’s reach was limited.

Presidents can also shift territory in response to attempts to constrain their actions. When the US Supreme Court ruled that detainees at Guantanamo Bay had to be afforded certain rights in 2008, the Obama administration transferred some detainees to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Bagram was not covered by the Supreme Court ruling.

As a US court of appeals noted in 2010, the ability to shift territories so easily seemed to allow the administration to “switch the constitution on or off at will”.

Yet another example of extra-territorialization is the “Five Eyes” intelligence agreement between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and US. As part of this pact, members have been reported to spy on each other’s citizens – an outsourcing of surveillance that allows each to circumvent domestic privacy constraints.

The fact that Trump has engaged in extra-territorialization so openly, in contrast to previous administrations who tried to keep it hidden, is a stark warning.

Even when the president said he was exploring a proposal to send US citizens to Cecot in April 2025, he received little pushback from within his own party. This suggests they have accepted it as a legitimate strategy to achieve policy goals.

In the hyper-polarised atmosphere of contemporary US politics, extra-territorialization is threatening to become a regular tool of governance. To stop that from happening, it is vital to expose and confront it. But first we must understand it.

Cllr McDonald “brought knowledge and enthusiasm to all that she did”.

South Lanarkshire Council has said that Councillor Lesley McDonald sadly passed away after a short illness.

Cllr McDonald was chair of the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee at the time of her death, and had served as an elected member for Ward 20 (Larkhall) from 2007 to 2017, and again since 2022.

The council’s chief executive Paul Manning said: “Councillor McDonald was a hard-working councillor and much-liked across the political groups.

“I can say from years of experience of working with her, that she was extremely supportive as chair of the Finance and Corporate Resource, and she brought knowledge and enthusiasm to all that she did.

“Everyone who knew Lesley will know that this extended well beyond politics and the workings of the council – she was a real aficionado of the works of Robert Burns and a passionate supporter of the Scottish rugby team and Glasgow Warriors, among many other interests.

“Cllr McDonald will be greatly missed and as a sign of respect the council’s flags have been lowered to half-mast for two days. They will be placed similarly on the day of her funeral.”

Cllr McDonald was also chair of the Machan Trust in Larkhall.

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