With Amazon’s Prime Day sale in full swing, shoppers have until 26 June to snap up some of the biggest deals of the summer. If you’ve been considering a new pair of wireless earbuds, there are some particularly impressive savings on Apple’s coveted models.

One of the best deals we’ve seen is on the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation, which have been reduced by £45. That’s a saving of 25 per cent, taking the buds down to the cheapest price we’ve seen for this model to date. Released in 2024, the buds include Apple’s H2 chip, voice isolation and MagSafe charging support.

Those looking to spend even less can also pick up the standard AirPods 4, without active noise cancellation, for £80, thanks to a discount of more than 30 per cent.

Keep reading for the best AirPods deals we’ve seen so far (they’re music to our ears).

Read more: Best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals in 2026

AirPods 4 wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation: Was £169, now £125.40, Amazon.co.uk

The Independent’s tech critic David Phelan tested the AirPods 4 as soon as they launched in September 2024. In his Airpods 4 review, David described the audio quality as “strong” and said: “Listening to music is exemplary, even with noise-cancelling off, offering decent breadth of sound and fidelity in vocals and mid-range notes.”

These are MagSafe compatible and David described them as “amazingly small and light”, adding that they come with a feature you may find handy if you’re prone to losing your earphones. “There’s also a speaker on the bottom of the case so if you lose your AirPods, you can cause the case to make a sound to help you find it,” he wrote.

They’re designed for better comfort over long periods than previous models, and David confirmed that they were “definitely comfortable”.

You’ll get a battery life of five hours if you choose to use noise-cancelling, and four hours with. Plus, you’ll get up to an hour’s listening time after a five-minute charge time.

AirPods 4 wireless earbuds: Was £119, now £79.80, Amazon.co.uk

These earbuds feel similar to their premium counterpart “with the same comfortable fit and intuitive controls where you press to pause or play, for instance,” writes tech critic David Phelan in his review. However, they don’t come with active noise cancellation.

If this feature isn’t important to you, you can save 32 per cent on the AirPods 4, which brings the price down to £79.80.

David described them as “the best-value AirPods ever” and praised their “neat design, tiny case, good battery life and excellent sound.”

For more expert advice, we’re answering all of your Amazon Prime Day questions

Police raided a home on West Lane, in Middlesbrough, after an illegal bike was spotted being driven dangerously.

They said a bike was found along with suspected cannabis and class A drugs.

Five males, aged 17, 18, 19, 20 and 45 were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences.

All are currently on bail whilst enquiries continue.

PC John Skerritt, from Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “The illegal use of bikes is often linked to other criminal matters, and puts innocent members of the public in danger.

“We won’t tolerate those who use these bikes to carry out criminality – not on our streets.

“Please contact police if you have information on illegal bikes, where they are stored and who is riding them, and also any information on drugs activity in your local area so that we can take action.”

Traffic monitoring system Inrix has described it as a multi-vehicle accident.

The says: “Two lanes closed and queueing traffic due to multi-vehicle accident on M4 eastbound from J34 A4119 (Miskin) to J33 A4232 (Cardiff West And Services).”

It adds: “Lane 2 (of 2) is also closed on the offslip road at J33.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that six people have been arrested for damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the iconic Washington, D.C. site increasingly becomes a flashpoint over the president’s $14-million-plus rehabilitation project gone awry.

In a social media post, Trump claimed without supporting evidence that there had been a “350 foot gash” in the paint as the administration faces a self-imposed deadline to fix the botched renovation before the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration next week.

Trump said another seven people were cited for damaging the pool. “It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition,” Trump wrote.

The Park Police and Interior Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s assertion.

The Associated Press verified that one man was arrested after touching the already-peeling paint as federal workers try to deal with an algae bloom in the water. The liner was installed as part of the project to repair the century-old pool, which included a new layer to its bottom in a color Trump has dubbed “American flag blue.”

Trump said that “some of the water” will be drained from the pool “either immediately before or after the Fourth of July, to do the permanent repair.”

It was unclear from his post what the scale, scope or cost of the permanent repair would be.

National Guard members and U.S. Park Police have been patrolling the deck around the pool after Trump insisted vandals were responsible for damage to the liner.

Trump pitched the original improvements as intended to clean, beautify and reinforce an iconic site that he said had become dilapidated and dirty because of previous presidents’ neglect. Algae has plagued the pool for a century, and Trump insisted that the newly installed “American flag blue” coating, which he selected himself, would turn the pool into a gleaming expanse along the National Mall.

Yet within weeks of Trump declaring the rehabilitation completed in time for Independence Day, the water was plagued by a vivid green algae bloom that clouded the pool’s coating. A piece of liner, about 4 square feet, was observed Friday partially floating in the pool. The Associated Press saw additional pieces in the water Monday.

A mayoral by-election was triggered when Andy Burnham resigned following his return to the House of Commons after winning the Makerfield by-election.

Residents in all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester will elect the new mayor on July 30.

Bev Craig is currently leader of Manchester City Council and Deputy Mayor for Economy, Business and Inclusive Growth for Greater Manchester.

She has pledged to set out a “bold vision to build on progress made over the last decade” and deliver what she describes as “the next chapter” for the region.

A former council estate child whose family experienced unemployment, ill health and financial hardship, Bev Craig said Greater Manchester “transformed her life” after she moved to the city-region at 18.

After 15 years of working in local communities, leading Manchester City Council and campaigning for Greater Manchester, she says she wants “every person, community and borough” to share in the region’s success.

Bev Craig, Labour’s candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Greater Manchester is a special place – from the industrial revolution, the trade union and cooperative movements and the suffragettes – this place has always fought for progress.

“This place changed my life and I owe it everything it gave me opportunities I could never have imagined, and I’ve spent my career trying to give something back.

“While Westminster left places like ours behind, Greater Manchester has taken control of our own future and we’ve started building our own success.

“Working alongside former mayor Andy Burnham, we have achieved so much over the – bringing buses back under public control, creating jobs, attracting investment, and pushing Greater Manchester forward as a real powerhouse of the North West.

Andy Burnham’s MP victory automatically triggered an election to find a new mayor (Image: NQ)

“But for too many people, who work hard and do the right thing, life still feels too hard and unaffordable.

“As mayor I will apply a simple test: will it make life better?

“I will work every day for us to make sure everyone shares in the success Greater Manchester is building – making sure there’s more money in people’s pockets, pride in every town centre with a New High Streets Fund, a new generation of council and affordable homes and an expanded Bee Network that freezes fares and that works for all of us.

“That’s why I’m standing to be mayor, to build a Greater Manchester that works for everyone.”

Bev Craig enters the race with what her campaign describes as one of the strongest records of delivery in local government.

So far, Geraldine Coggins (Green Party) and Marlon West (Restore Britain) have confirmed they are also standing in the election.

CHICO, Calif. (AP) — A shooting at a library in Northern California left two people dead and an 18-year-old suspect has been arrested, police said Tuesday.

Police responded to a 911 call soon after 5 p.m. Monday. Chico police Chief Billy Aldridge said gunshots and screams could be heard on that call from the Chico branch of the Butte County Library. Chico, a city of about 100,000 people, is 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco.

The suspect fled out the back of the library as officers entered, but additional law enforcement personnel behind the building took the suspect into custody, Aldridge said during a news conference.

“The incident this evening was obviously very sad, traumatic for a lot of people. Very traumatic for our community,” Aldridge said.

The streets around the library were closed temporarily and a family reunification center was set up for the people who were inside the building.

A man in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to fatally shooting a man in a library and another man in a convenience store in 2023. In 2020, a suspect was sent to a mental health facility after he pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing a library security guard in Spring Valley, New York. A teenager who pleaded guilty to fatally shooting two public library employees in Clovis, New Mexico, in 2017 was also sentenced to life in prison.

The man allegedly barricaded himself inside a town hall office alongside two staff members before he covered himself in ‘flammable liquid’ – this is a breaking story

A man has held two people hostage and doused himself in gasoline inside a town hall in Germany.

The perpetrator entered the building in Lengerich before barricading himself inside an office alongside two members of staff. He then started pouring “flammable liquid” on himself and brandished a lighter.

An evacuation was triggered and a major operation was launched, with multiple streets closed off.

This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads – or visit The Mirror homepage.

The traditional Changing of the Guard ceremonies at both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, which sees marching soldiers in bearskin hats and heavy uniforms and horses take part, has been halted

The traditional Changing of the Guard ceremonies at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle have been axed for the rest of the week amid sweltering temperatures.

The ceremonies, which take place most days outside the royal residences, see visitors gather to see soldiers in their heavy bearskin hats and red tunic process to and from buildings to the sound of a military band, with horses taking part.

However, with temperatures in London and the Windsor area set to reach up to 39 °C in the coming days, leading the Met Office to issue a risk to life red weather warning, Changing of the Guard ceremonies tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday have been cancelled. It also did not go ahead today.

The Army In London, which puts on the ceremonies, said they had to be cancelled in order to protect soldiers, horses and spectators, who watch the spectacle.

It explained in a statement: “Due to forecasted excessive temperatures this week, including a red heat alert mid-week, there will be some important changes to Ceremonial Operations across London and Windsor.

“The well-being of our soldiers, military working horses, and the public who gather in large numbers to watch these events is always our priority. In line with advice from the Met Office and other Government agencies, who are recommending a reduction in travel and outdoor activities, the following changes are in place this week: There will be no ceremonial Guard Changes in Windsor or London on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.”

Meanwhile, the heatwave has also meant changes to the usual guarding of royal buildings and at other locations, such as Horse Guards Parade.

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The statement added: “On Wednesday, the King’s Life Guard at Horse Guards will change without ceremony at 0800 to avoid heat stress to the horses.

“While soldiers are on Guard, you may notice they have been moved to shaded positions and are changed more frequently — this is normal practice in hot weather.

“We know this is a busy and popular time of year to visit, and we’re sorry if this is disappointing. Thank you for your understanding, and please do follow the Met Office advice to stay safe in the heat.”

The Household Troops – or Guards – have protected the Sovereign since 1660 and have been patrolling outside Buckingham Palace since Queen Victoria made it her official residence in 1837.

During the Changing of the Guard ceremony, also known as Guard Mounting, the Old Guard – the soldiers currently on duty – line up in front of the Palace and are replaced by the New Guard, which arrives from Wellington Barracks. The New Guard is accompanied by a Band or Corps of Drums.

It comes as a ‘heat-dome’ is settling over western Europe and could bring temperatures of nearly 40C by Wednesday, with this latest heatwave expected to surpass the record for June of 35.6C set in Hampshire in 1976.

A red weather warning for extreme heat covering an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham was issued by the Met Office from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday. The temperature could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3 °C, which was measured in July 2022.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “The Met Office is flagging 39C as a headline maximum temperature on Thursday, most likely for somewhere in London or the South East.

“It is possible we could see temperatures higher than 39 °C if the final values are at the upper end of our narrow range.”

Daryl Berman has been found guilty of murder, after her first trial collapsed

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A woman who stabbed her husband to death in their kitchen lied to police and paramedics about his injuries.

Daryl Berman, 72, claimed David Berman, 84, fell onto a ‘little paring knife’ she had used for her lunch.

Mr Berman suffered a fatal chest wound during the incident at their home on Butterstile Lane, Prestwich, Greater Manchester, in March last year.

Prosecutors said Berman deliberately stabbed her husband ‘for a reason known only to her’, reports the M.E.N..

She insisted throughout two trial her husband’s injuries, and death, were ‘accidental’. Jurors in an earlier trial were unable to reach verdicts.

On Tuesday (June 23), following a week-long retrial at Minshull Street Crown Court, jurors found Berman guilty of murder.

The court earlier heard Berman called 999 at 1.55pm on March 13, 2025, to report that her husband was injured. He was pronounced dead at their home at 2.39pm.

Prosecutor Michael Brady KC said it was only later that a senior pathologist was called in as another doctor was ‘troubled’ by the injury.

Home Office pathologist Dr Philip Lumb reported that the stab wound had ‘typical features of a homicide’.

He claimed that though it was not impossible, an accidental fall was ‘very unlikely to have caused the fatal wound’.

Mr Berman was also found to have a ‘defensive’ wound to his finger. The couple’s 27 year marriage had been ‘loving and mutually supportive’ and that there had been no record of domestic violence or involvement with police.

Berman was described as a ‘very supportive and loving wife’

Prosecutors said Mr Berman’s family noticed usual aspects of the defendant’s behaviour in the days following his death.

“Although there is no set way to respond to and deal with grief in the days following David’s death, members of his family noticed how matter of fact and emotionless the defendant was,” prosecutor Michael Brady KC said.

Mr Brady told jurors Berman’s explanation that her husband’s injury had been caused accidentally was initially accepted by police.

The court heard Mr Berman had been diagnosed with dementia, used a walking stick and had been suffering with a ‘shortness of breath’ in the 10 days prior. “However, he had been in the best health his family had seen for some time,” Mr Brady added.

Earlier in the day on March 13, Mr Berman had been with his daughter and great granddaughter at a play centre, the court heard. Jurors were told Mrs Berman called 999 that afternoon and gave CPR under the instructions of the operator.

Jurors heard that in response to being asked what happened, she said: “I don’t know. I was in the other room. He’s carried a tray in. And all I can see is the tray. I think there was a knife.

“I don’t know whether the little knife that was there has gone into him and stabbed him. I really don’t know what’s happened.”

The first paramedic to arrive saw Mr Berman lay on his back on the kitchen floor, it was said. After a police officer arrived and spoke with Mrs Berman, she is said to have told him: “You don’t think I’ve murdered him, do you?”

Prosecutors said the officer also spoke with Mr Berman’s son, who said his father was ‘clumsy’ and was ‘always falling’.

Mr Berman’s death was not initially treated as suspicious, but it was five days later when the pathologist carried out a post-mortem examination that concerns were raised, the court heard.

Mrs Berman was arrested on suspicion of murder later that evening, jurors were told.

During an interview with police, she told officers she and her husband had both had lunch in the lounge and that Mr Berman had offered to take her tray into the kitchen.

She told police: “And he obviously walked into the kitchen, and I heard what sounded like a stumble or a fall. And straight away I said ‘oh my God, David, what’s wrong?’. He said ‘it’s okay I’ve slipped’.

“And I sort of almost immediately heard another sort of bang, and a sort of groan. So I got up. I screamed and I ran into the kitchen.

“And I found him face down. He was making the most peculiar sound, I sort of looked down, moved his head a bit. And I thought ‘what on earth is all this gravy? We don’t have gravy’. And it was the amount of blood, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.

“I got the shock of my life because I didn’t know where it was coming from. I just… I just couldn’t understand. And I was screaming, I said ‘David, David’… I said ‘you can’t go like this’.”

Giving evidence in her defence, she repeatedly broke down in tears.

Asked how she felt after being told he had died, she wept: “I was scrambling, I didn’t know what I was doing. I went into the kitchen on quite a few occasions because I just wanted to be with David.

“I took the sheet off his face and lay down next to him and cradled his head and told him I loved him.

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“I didn’t want to leave him, I wanted to lie next to him. It was the last thing I could do.”

“The suggestion is that you murdered your husband of 27 years, did you?,” Mr Hayton said. “Why would I do that to the man I love? No,” Mrs Berman replied.

“How do you explain how he came to die?,” the barrister asked. “I have absolutely no idea, I wasn’t in the room.”

In cross examination by Mr Brady, he said: “Are you lying to this jury?”

“No, I’m not… everything I have said is the truth,” she replied.

“Because you stabbed him and you are responsible for his death?” the prosecutor said. “No I would never do that to the man I loved. It was the worst day of my life,” Mrs Berman added.

Berman was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on July 3.

READ MORE: ‘I caught Jeffrey Donaldson lying over the years’ – Edwin Poots

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Sazeeda Ismail, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Daryl Berman stabbed her husband of 27 years in the chest and intentionally caused his death.

She lied to paramedics, police and family members when she claimed Mr Berman had accidentally sustained his fatal injuries.

“The jury saw through her lies and convicted her of murder, due to the strength of the prosecution’s case. My thoughts are with David Berman’s loved ones at this very difficult time.”