Arriva in Tees Valley received the lowest overall customer satisfaction in the country in the Transport Focus’ 2025 bus user survey.

Seventy-two English transport areas with various operators were listed from highest satisfaction levels to lowest, with a top score of 94 per cent – while Arriva in Tees Valley scored 75 per cent.

The survey, listing results from last year, breaks England down into 43 geographical areas – with the Tees Valley scoring the second lowest overall satisfaction out of all patches.

Tees Valley had a 79 per cent satisfaction rating, compared to the English average of 85 per cent.

Redcar and Cleveland Labour Councillor Carl Quartermain said the customer satisfaction results should “concern” all those with an interest in public transport in Tees Valley, adding that Arriva’s ranking should be “alarming” for the company, local authorities and passengers.

While Arriva in Tees Valley’s 75 per cent score sees them rank bottom of the list of 72 operators in various areas, Stagecoach’s 83 per cent score places them in 54th.

The overall Tees Valley rating of 79 per cent satisfaction is down from 80 per cent in 2024, compared to an English average increase from 83 per cent to 85 per cent.

Arriva said it has listened to customers and already taken steps to address the areas where they have “fallen short”.

Stagecoach said it was “encouraged” that overall passenger satisfaction sits at 83 per cent in Tees Valley, while recognising there is “always more to do” to improve customer experience.

Cllr Quartermain, who sits on the TVCA transport committee, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that operators “must stop managing decline and focus on rebuilding a bus network that people genuinely want to use”, adding that TVCA, operators and local councils must work together “to improve reliability, connectivity, and passenger experience, especially in communities such as East Cleveland where public transport is often a necessity rather than a choice”.

While wanting to see more “partnership” working, Cllr Quartermain said he hoped that recent changes in Arriva ownership and leadership would mark the beginning of a more “open and constructive relationship”, concluding: “The message from passengers is clear. People want a bus network that works for them, not one that continually asks communities to accept less and then calls it progress.”

Richard Hoare, managing director for Arriva North East said: “We know that passengers in Tees Valley deserve the best and we take the findings of this survey seriously. The results give us clear focus on how to improve customer satisfaction and we are committed to putting that right.

“Since the survey results were collected at the end of last year, our performance has continued to improve and we have recently announced a £340 million investment programme, which will see hundreds of new vehicles join our fleets. More than half will be zero-emission, alongside the refurbishment of existing buses.

A Stagecoach North East spokesperson said: “We’ve invested significantly in bus services across Tees Valley in recent years, including the introduction of a new fully electric fleet in Stockton, with a further electric fleet planned for Hartlepool within the next 18 months.

“Alongside this investment, we remain focused on delivering reliable services, high standards of customer care and value for money for local communities. We agree that strong partnership working is essential to improving bus services further.”

TVCA was contacted for comment.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fruit-flavored e-cigarettes recently authorized by the Food and Drug Administration were not significantly better at helping smokers quit than tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes, according to a new memo that’s likely to stir more questions about the agency’s decision.

The FDA last month gave its first OK to fruit-flavored vapes — essentially endorsing them as a less-harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes. The decision came despite the agency’s longstanding position that such flavors appeal to children and must show extra health benefits to warrant approval for adults.

Health groups and Washington lawmakers quickly condemned the decision and have called for an explanation.

A six-page FDA memo released this week provides more details about the agency’s rationale. In it, FDA regulators appear to sidestep previous statements about the risks of sweet vaping flavors while acknowledging shortcomings in the data submitted by vape manufacturer Glas Inc.

To meet federal standards, companies must show that their products benefit public health. In practice, that means demonstrating that their vapes help adult smokers switch or quit cigarettes, while not attracting underage use by teens.

Smokers who tried Glas vapes were much more likely to completely switch from cigarettes over the course of a three-month study, according to the memo.

But the data did not show “statistically significant differences” between adults using the company’s mango and blueberry flavors and those using a tobacco-flavored e-cigarette.

That means the new vapes failed to meet the same bar as a handful of other flavored products previously sanctioned by the FDA, including menthol-flavored vapes from Juul and NJOY. Those companies showed that adults who used menthol were significantly more likely to cut down or quit cigarettes compared with those vaping tobacco flavors.

Elsewhere, FDA regulators explained that the Glas flavored vapes “did not have to demonstrate added adult benefit,” because young people were unlikely to use them. Glas requires users to unlock each e-cigarette with an age-verifying cellphone app.

The agency’s authorization also runs counter to recent FDA guidelines advising companies that fruit and dessert flavors would have to meet “a high evidentiary burden” for adult use, given their risks to children. Tobacco-flavored products are not popular with teens and generally face lower regulatory hurdles at the FDA.

The FDA document is also unusual in its brevity.

Previous FDA memos on new vaping products typically run dozens of pages. For example, last year’s document authorizing Juul’s menthol e-cigarettes was more than 90 pages and included detailed scientific data from research involving 50,000 people.

The short memo on Glas does not include key details, such as how many smokers the firm studied.

Previously, the FDA almost always posted such memos immediately after announcing an authorization. The document on Glas appeared on the agency’s website more than a month after regulators OK’d the products.

The agency has faced questions from members of Congress about the decision. Last month, 10 Democratic senators sent a letter to the agency requesting more information about the authorization, calling it a “shortsighted and reckless decision.”

The application from Glas, which also included menthol and tobacco-flavored vapes, followed a winding path to authorization. The small, Los Angeles-based company submitted a marketing request to the FDA in 2021.

In February, FDA scientists authorized several of the flavors. But that decision was blocked by a senior official reporting to then-FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, according to internal memos later released by the agency.

The mango- and blueberry-flavored products were finally OK’d during Makary’s last full week leading the agency. He resigned the post after months of criticisms from industry stakeholders, including tobacco companies that have lobbied President Donald Trump’s Republican White House for looser regulations on vaping flavors.

A spokesperson for the company could not immediately provide comment when reached Thursday morning.

___

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.

Jewish history in Wales stretches back centuries, yet its significance remains little known outside specialist circles.

My new book uncovers how Jews, Judaism, Israel and Palestine have played a far greater role in Welsh history and imagination than many realise. In fact, they have helped shape ideas of nationhood, identity and belonging over centuries.

In her 2012 book Whose People? Wales, Israel, Palestine, the scholar Jasmine Donahaye observed that “the fate of Jews in Britain had been historically closely caught up with the fate of the Welsh, though this seems to have passed largely unnoticed in Wales”.

My research builds on that insight, tracing Wales’s relationship with Jews, Judaism, Israel and Palestine from the earliest historical references to the present day. My research shows that these connections have been far more significant than historians have generally acknowledged.

The subject has often been overlooked. While scholarship on Jewish life in Wales has grown in recent decades, Wales has generally been absent from wider studies of Jewish history and antisemitism in Britain, which have tended to focus on England.

But the Welsh connection with Jews and Judaism stretches back much further than many people might imagine.

The first contact between Wales and Jewish culture appears to date from the Roman period with the discovery of a Graeco-Hebrew amulet in the Roman camp of Segontium in present-day Caernarfon, in north-west Wales. By the medieval era, Jews were already woven into Welsh political, economic and religious life.

Medieval encounters

Jewish communities existed in parts of Wales before the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290, though they may have been excluded from some Welsh territories even earlier.

Medieval records show Jewish financiers helping to fund major Welsh building projects. In the 1190s, the bishops of Bangor borrowed money from Aaron of Lincoln, one of the wealthiest Jewish financiers in medieval England, to support construction work at Bangor Cathedral.

At the same time, Welsh history was indirectly shaped by anti-Jewish policies pursued by English rulers.

During his conquest of Wales in the 13th century, Edward I imposed heavy taxes on England’s Jewish population to help fund his military campaigns and the construction of the “iron ring” of castles that secured his rule. After defeating Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native prince of Wales, Edward expelled the Jews from his kingdom in 1290, allowing the crown to seize debts owed to Jewish lenders.

But even after Jews disappeared from Wales physically, they remained highly visible in the Welsh imagination.

Medieval Welsh poetry and religious writing frequently portrayed Jews through negative Christian stereotypes, including accusations of usury and responsibility for the death of Jesus. One of the most influential medieval anti-Jewish texts in Britain, The Life and Miracles of St William of Norwich, was written around 1150 by the Welsh monk Thomas of Monmouth.

The text helped spread the false “blood libel” accusation that Jews murdered Christian children for ritual purposes. It was a myth that fuelled anti-Jewish prejudice across medieval Europe.

However, Welsh attitudes towards Jews were often contradictory.

From the early modern period onwards, many Welsh writers and theologians developed a fascination with the Jewish people and the lands of the Bible. Travellers and clergy drew comparisons between the landscapes of Wales and those of the Holy Land. Some even argued that Welsh descended from Hebrew or that the Welsh people were one of the lost tribes of Israel.

This admiration for Jewish history and scripture – sometimes described as philosemitism – often existed alongside a desire to convert Jews to Christianity. Welsh Protestant and evangelical movements were particularly active in missionary work aimed at Jewish communities abroad.

The influence of Jewish culture can also be found in the history of the Welsh language itself. The 1588 translation of the Bible into Welsh, based in part on Hebrew texts, played a crucial role in preserving and standardising Welsh at a time when the language faced serious threats.

Centuries later, Welsh language campaigners looked with admiration at the revival of Hebrew as a spoken national language in Israel. The Hebrew term ulpan was even borrowed for intensive Welsh language-learning programmes.

Welshmen in the Middle East

The Holy Land occupied a special place in Welsh religious life for centuries. It was a destination for pilgrims and the source of one of the country’s most treasured religious relics: the Cross of Neith, believed to contain a fragment of the true cross on which Jesus was crucified.

Welsh involvement in the region was not confined to devotion and storytelling either. The medieval Crusades were a series of religious military campaigns launched by western European Christians between 1095 and 1291, primarily aimed at reclaiming the Holy Land from Muslim control. Welsh soldiers played a role in some of those campaigns, linking Wales directly to some of the most consequential events in the region’s history.

In the 20th century, Welsh figures helped shape the modern Middle East. For example, in 1917, prime minister David Lloyd George oversaw the government that issued the Balfour declaration, which supported the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.

At the same time, the Welsh-born officer T. E. Lawrence was supporting Arab nationalist aspirations in the region. The tensions between those competing promises would have consequences that continue to resonate today.

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Britain governed Palestine between 1920 and 1948. Welsh soldiers, administrators, writers and settlers all became involved in that history. Some are buried in Israel today. A Welsh-speaking society was even established in Jerusalem during the second world war.

The relationship between Wales and Jews, Judaism, Israel and Palestine is about more than diplomatic history or religious belief. It is also a story about how Welsh people have understood themselves.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

In 2017, Pierluigi Collina was appointed as Fifa’s new head of referees and it heralded a very different era.

Collina often takes about how decisions should serve as justice – for both teams.

Players should stay on the field unless they have done something which truly deserves a red card.

For instance, under his stewardship the law around denying a goalscoring opportunity (Dogso) when a penalty has been awarded have been hugely relaxed. It is now very difficult to get a red card.

So it should be no surprise that the 2018 and 2022 World Cups saw just the four red cards after he took over.

Refereeing at the start of a tournament often seem to sets the tone. Should we be drawing any conclusions from this match?

In his pre-tournament briefing, the Italian was focused on timewasting and general player behaviour.

There was no talk of a hard stands which should result in a huge spike in red cards.

Sometimes red cards are simply justified. Well, most of them anyway.

Sithole’s dismissal for fouling Brian Gutierrez was a simple decision for referee Wilton Sampaio.

The Mexico attacking midfielder was through on goal. Sithole may not have meant to bring him down, but he did. There was no doubt the South African had denied his opponent a clear goalscoring opportunity.

The second dismissal was much more controversial, given to Zwane on a video assistant referee review for violent conduct.

Zwane tussled with Roberto Alvarado, with the Mexican going to ground holding his head.

It looked like a coming together off the ball, but the referee was sent to the pitchside screen by the video assistant referee (VAR), Colombia’s Nicolas Gallo.

As Sampaio was shown the replays at the monitor it was difficult to make out what had happened.

Was there really a hand to the head? And if so, was it accidental or did he swing the arm?

When assessing violent conduct, the VARs are told to look for a clenched fist as a sign of aggression. This does not have to be present, but it is an indicator.

Zwane appeared to connect with an open hand to the side of Alvarado’s head, not with a closed hand.

It looks exceptionally harsh, and not the kind of clear and obvious decision VAR as introduced for.

Or maybe this is exactly the kind of thing Collina had told his referees and VARs to look out for, falling into the category of poor player behaviour.

Collina has brought in red cards for players who cover their mouths in confrontations, and those who leave the field in protest at a decision. He also wants goals disallowed for blocking on set-pieces.

Perhaps the actions of Zwane fall into this sort of category, a way for Collina to try to reduce the dark arts within the game.

Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX will make its debut on Wall Street Friday and both institutional and retail investors are expected to gobble up the 555.6 million shares going up for sale at $135 apiece. Musk, already the world’s richest man, could become its first trillionaire.

SpaceX is likely to become the biggest IPO ever, with proceeds of around $75 billion. SpaceX hopes to become the first company to send people to Mars. In fact, part of Musk’s future compensation depends on SpaceX eventually establishing a colony of at least 1 million people on the red planet.

Why SpaceX is going public now

In a video conference on Musk’s social media platform X, he told JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon that people have suggested for the last 10 years that he take SpaceX public. He’s doing it now because the company plans to put 100,000 next-generation Starlink satellites into orbit. Deploying AI data centers in space is a “massive new growth base and you need capital for that,” he said.

Going public provides access to the capital that SpaceX needs. But it also exposes it to more scrutiny from shareholders and more regulatory oversight. That includes filing quarterly financial reports, which critics say incentivizes short-term thinking over longer-term planning and creates unnecessary costs for a company. Securities regulators are currently soliciting public comment on a proposal to require public companies to file the financial reports only twice every year.

How the IPO impacts the company

Musk will hold the majority of a special class of shares, giving him control over decisions related to company strategy, finances and personnel. On the latter, because of his ownership of most of these Class B shares, the only person who can fire Musk as CEO … is Musk.

The company credits Musk with being the “driving force” behind its growth, innovation and success. But what happens if Musk is no longer in the picture? SpaceX warns that the loss of Musk could disrupt its ability to execute its strategy as well as hurt its “reputation and relationships with customers, partners and other stakeholders.”

The company also warns that finding a replacement with the same skills and experience as Musk would be time-consuming, if not nearly impossible. As Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote Wednesday, “At the end of the day Musk is SpaceX and SpaceX is Musk.”

Some big investors are unhappy. Officials from pension funds for firefighters, teachers and other workers in California and New York sent a letter to SpaceX last month decrying some of the provisions in its IPO, including the “super voting shares,” mandatory arbitration of shareholder claims instead of the possibility of lawsuits and how much power Musk will hold over the company.

They said they could become owners of SpaceX stock because they hold index funds, which automatically buy stocks after they get included in certain indexes.

The prospectus filed last week says SpaceX’s biggest potential market is the sale of business-oriented artificial intelligence products designed to transform how people get work done. It’s an opportunity SpaceX predicts would be worth $22.7 trillion if it could somehow dominate rivals like Anthropic, OpenAI and Microsoft in a highly competitive industry. But the prospectus shows no clear path to profitability for the xAI business, which merged with SpaceX earlier this year.

Why Wall Street is paying attention

If the SpaceX IPO is as successful, the stock could quickly join the Nasdaq 100, a widely followed index that tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies in the composite. That’s important because some popular funds, such as the $460 billion QQQ exchange-traded fund, mimic the index and will automatically buy whatever is listed in the index.

Nasdaq recently changed its rules to allow select companies to enter the Nasdaq 100 after just 15 trading days.

S&P Dow Jones Indices, on the other hand, is sticking to established and more traditional thresholds that will not allow SpaceX or other companies with gargantuan IPOs faster entry into its S&P 500 index. That means even high-profile companies will still need to wait for their stocks to trade a full 12 months before they can enter the index.

Companies want to be in the S&P 500 in particular because it’s arguably the most important index on Wall Street, with trillions of dollars either mimicking it exactly or benchmarked against it. Vanguard’s VOO fund that tracks the S&P 500 has roughly $950 billion invested in it, for example.

That same lesson applies to Bab al-Mandab for, in dangerous times, ships go the long way round the Cape of Good Hope. That adds roughly 10 days to journeys, with extra fuel, insurance and freight costs. Those costs do not remain at sea. They work their way into factories, supermarket shelves, defence logistics and, eventually, household bills.

The warning comes from road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, after its recent survey indicated that 54% of drivers have been diverted onto rural routes because of congestion on motorways, dual carriageways and other major A roads.

Rural roads accounted for 60% of road deaths in Britain in 2024, despite carrying just 45% of all traffic, according to Department for Transport figures.

UK drivers urged to ignore sat nav diversions onto rural roads

Nicholas Lyes, director of policy at IAM RoadSmart, said: “Every year, more people are killed on a rural road than any other road type, yet worryingly we’re seeing a high number of people taking unplanned diversions to use them.

“Congestion is inevitable, but we would encourage people to question if a diversion onto an unclassified or single-track route is worth saving a few minutes, considering the increased hazards they might face.

“Often, other people following sat navs will similarly divert and you end up with traffic volumes that exceed what the road is designed for.”

Mr Lyes also warned that without increasing capacity on the wider strategic network, more drivers could be pushed onto unsuitable routes with “potentially grave consequences.”

All future smart motorway projects were cancelled in April 2023 because of safety concerns.

All lane-running smart motorways were rolled out from 2014, which boosts capacity by converting the hard shoulder into a live lane.

Rural roads often feature hazards such as tractors, narrow lanes and restricted views from roadside foliage.

The survey involved 1,042 UK motorists and 114 IAM RoadSmart motorbike riders, and was carried out in February by research firm Online95.

When is it illegal to use a sat nav when driving?

Similar to a phone, it is illegal to hold a sat nav or any similar device that can send or receive data while driving or riding a motorcycle, the Government website explains.

You can use a device held in your hand if:

• you need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency, and it’s unsafe or impractical to stop
• you’re safely parked
• you’re making a contactless payment in a vehicle that is not moving, for example, at a drive-through restaurant
• you’re using the device to park your vehicle remotely

You can use devices with hands-free access, such as a built-in sat nav, too.

It is important to note that the device must not block your view of the road and traffic ahead.

The website adds: “You must stay in full control of your vehicle at all times.

“The police can stop you if they think you’re not in control because you’re distracted and you can be prosecuted.”

Recommended reading:

You can get six penalty points and a £200 fine if you hold and use a phone, sat nav, tablet, or any device that can send and receive data while driving or riding a motorcycle.

If you have passed your driving test in the last two years, you will also lose your licence.

As well as this, three penalty points can be given if you do not have a full view of the road and traffic ahead or proper control of the vehicle.

You can also be taken to court, where you can be banned from driving or get a maximum fine of £1,000 (£2,500 if you’re driving a lorry or bus).

Do you use a sat nav when driving? Let us know in the comments.

South Africa substitute Themba Zwane was sent off after a VAR review for appearing to strike Alvarado in the face late on as the pair tangled, on a day which firmly belonged to the host nation. Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio produced one more red, sending off Montes in stoppage time for a challenge on Khuliso Mudau.

The final release in a three-coin series from The Royal Mint celebrates friendship with Winnie-the-Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger.

The coin, developed in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company, completes a collection marking 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh.

Royal Mint launches brand new Winnie-the-Pooh 50p coin

Lucy Mackenzie, director at The Royal Mint, said: “Winnie-the-Pooh has been part of childhood for a hundred years, bringing comfort, warmth, and simple joy to generations of families across the world.

“From bedtime stories to beloved screen adaptations, these characters have a way of staying with us long after we’ve grown up.

“To mark the final coin in this special three-coin collection with The Walt Disney Company feels incredibly fitting, particularly as we celebrate the enduring theme of friendship at the heart of the stories.”

The earlier coins in the series celebrated kindness and loyalty.

The new edition is available in silver proof colour and brilliant uncirculated colour finishes, with prices starting at £15.

The new 50p celebrates friendship and features iconic characters Winnie-the-Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger (Image: The Royal Mint/PA Wire)

Royal Mint releases new 50p commemorating Aardman Animations

It is not the only new commemorative coin released recently by The Royal Mint, following a new 50p coin released marking the 50th anniversary of Aardman Animations.

Aardman is known globally for creating some of the UK’s most recognisable animated characters, including Wallace and Gromit, Morph, Shaun the Sheep, and the villainous Feathers McGraw.

The new coin features these beloved characters on its reverse side and was designed by Aardman.

Its characters have charmed audiences for generations, from Morph’s early days on Take Hart to Wallace and Gromit’s iconic misadventures and Shaun the Sheep’s farmyard antics.

To mark its 50th year, the studio is planning a series of celebrations and will release a new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, in the autumn.

Peter Lord, co-founder of Aardman, recently visited The Royal Mint to strike one of the first coins, marking the studio’s milestone year.

He said: “I’m very proud that the story of Aardman, and the characters we’ve created over the last 50 years, are being celebrated by the work of The Royal Mint.

“It was such a pleasure to visit and see for myself, close up, the amazing care and artistry that goes into making these beautiful coins.

“In fact, the whole place reminded me of the Aardman studio – both are full of super-talented artists and craftspeople creating timeless work.”

Recommended reading:

Royal Mint’s top 10 most valuable 50p coins

Here is a list of the top 10 most valuable coins, when they were made, and how many were minted:

1. Atlantic Salmon (2023), 200,000
2. Kew Gardens (2009), 210,000
3. Olympic Wrestling (2011), 1,129,500
4. Olympic Football (2011), 1,161,500
5. Olympic Judo (2011), 1,161,500
6. Olympic Triathlon (2011), 1,163,500
7. Peter Rabbit (2018), 1,400,000
8. Flopsy Bunny (2018), 1,400,000
9. Olympic Tennis (2011), 1,454,000
10. Olympic Goalball (2011), 1,615,500

Have you ever collected or found a rare coin? Let us know in the comments.

For anyone looking a fun night out this June, Belsonic has 10 big gigs lined up

Belsonic kicks off this week with the return of Farmer’s Bash at the South Belfast festival.

If you are looking to see your favourite artists in Belfast this June, looking for fun summer plans or have some serious ‘fomo’ because your friends have tickets – fear not!

There are a number of Belsonic shows with tickets remaining that you can snap up for a last-minute night out.

Here is the full line-up for Belsonic 2026 and how to get tickets:

Farmer’s Bash

Friday June 12 2026

Get tickets here

Josh Baker

Saturday June 13 2026

Get tickets here

Teletech

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Saturday June 20 2026

Get tickets here

Teddy Swims

Monday June 22 2026

Get tickets here

Def Leppard

Friday June 26 2026

Get tickets here

Sonny Fodera

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Saturday June 27 2026

Get tickets here

The Cure

Sunday June 28 2026 – SOLD OUT

Try for resale tickets here

Kings of Leon

Monday June 29 2026

Get tickets here

Pitbull

Tuesday June 30 2026 – SOLD OUT

Try for resale tickets here

Michael Bublé

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Wednesday July 1 2026

Get tickets here

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