By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 22:50 BST, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 23:42 BST, 19 August 2026

The Woodhead Pass was closed near Greater Manchester today (Wednesday, August 19) after a serious crash.

The A628 Manchester Road was shut in both directions in Hollingworth, Tameside, for several hours after what National Highways described as a ‘serious head-on collision.’

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It was shut between Moorfield Street in Hollingworth and West Drive in neighbouring Tintwistle.

Diversions were put in place along local routes with motorists travelling between Manchester and Yorkshire advised to use other trans-Pennine routes.

Derbyshire Police spent several hours at the scene dealing with the aftermath and carrying out investigation work.

No further details about the collision have yet been released, with the force still to comment on the incident.

The road reopened shortly before 9pm.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to move back to the UK, BBC News understands.

As first reported by the Daily Telegraph, external and the Sun,, external Prince Harry and Meghan intend to relocate from the US later this month to a private, non-royal residence outside London.

The couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are enrolled to start at a British school in September.

King Charles was told of the move on Sunday. There are no current plans for either Prince Harry or Meghan to resume their roles as working Royals.

The Sussexes and their children visited the King at his Highgrove home in July this year, but it is understood the move was not discussed.

The BBC understands the King was unaware of the move before last weekend but he welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family in a private and personal capacity.

But there will be no expected change to the official status of Prince Harry and Meghan and they will remain as private individuals.

Prince William and Princess Catherine have also been informed of their plans.

The couple’s move from California comes after they left the UK and royal duties in early 2020.

Family relations had been strained since, with July’s visit to the King and Queen Camilla being a key development in their relationship.

The Palace described the meeting at the King’s private home in Gloucestershire as a “private family occasion”.

It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years.

Prince Harry and Meghan had not been in the UK together since 2022, when they attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Security for the couple has long been a point of tension, with the July visit being reconsidered because the duke’s request for police protection was rejected.

Last year, Prince Harry lost a legal challenge over the levels of security he and his family are entitled to while in the UK.

The Duke had sought to overturn a decision that had downgraded his security after he stopped being a working royal and moved to the US with the Duchess.

Prince Harry had previously said that worries about safety have prevented him from coming to the UK and bring his wife and children.

Sussex Police say the three family members, named as Hassan El-Khawas, 55, his partner, Zeina Alayn, 37 and their 14-year-old daughter, Sara El-Khawas, had travelled down to Shoreham from their home in London.

In an update, the force said: “Yesterday afternoon (18 August), three people tragically lost their lives in the sea off Shoreham, and a fourth person remains in hospital in a critical condition having been recovered from the water.

“All four people have been formally identified and we can confirm they were all members of the same family.

“Hassan El-Khawas, 55, his partner, Zeina Alayn, 37 and their 14-year-old daughter, Sara El-Khawas were all confirmed deceased at the scene after being pulled from the water.

“A fourth person, a young girl who was also part of the family, remains in hospital in a critical condition.”

Sussex Police said they understand that the family, who lived in London, were visiting Shoreham when they entered the water.

“It is understood the family travelled down from their home in London to visit Shoreham, and entered the water from the beach at Shoreham Fort around 2pm on Tuesday afternoon, before getting into trouble,” the statement adds.

King Charles has seemingly been blindsided by the announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan are returning to the UK. 

The monarch is said to have only been informed on Sunday about the Sussexes’ return to British soil this month.  

Harry, 41 and Meghan, 45, are understood to be returning for an ‘extended period’ later this month, with Archie and Lilibet set to enrol at a British school. 

The family will move into a non-royal residence and will not be working royals.

It is understood that the monarch ‘welcomes’ the chance to see his youngest son and his family and personal capacity. 

However, the King is clear that there will be ‘no alteration’ to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s role and status, as sources stressed there is ‘no half in-half out option’.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will remain private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family in keeping with their ‘clearly expressed wishes and agreement over past years’.  

Despite clarity over their status, no questions have been addressed on whether the duo will return to the royal fold on a full-time basis should they be willing to give up their commercial endeavours.

Meanwhile, sources have insisted it is not within the couple’s ‘plan’ to return to the royal fold. 

The recent announcement comes just a month after the Duke saw his father in July following his High Court loss against Associated Newspapers. 

King Charles III meets members of the public after carrying out an inspection of the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion on August 16, 2026

He is understood to have visited his father at his Highgrove House residence in Gloucestershire, following an Invictus one-year-to-go event in nearby Birmingham. 

Harry was joined by his wife and two children, in an occasion that would have been the first time Lilibet and Archie had seen the monarch since Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. 

And just mere weeks ago, sources close to Harry said he wanted to visit Britain ‘every few months’ over the next year after his reunion with King Charles last month.

Before opting for a more long-term return, the Duke of Sussex, 41, said his most recent visit with his father and to the UK left him feeling ‘buoyed’, ‘very happy’ and ‘really energised’.

Harry was set to return to Britain in September for around a week, for a series of engagements including Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham next summer, as well as WellChild, the charity supporting seriously ill children

A source previously told The Sunday Times: ‘He wants more of a foothold here, more trips back, less courtroom drama. And he always loves seeing his family.’

Meanwhile, just weeks ago it was believed the Duke wanted his father to stand alongside him at next Summer’s Invictus Games.

A source told the Mirror: ‘Next year is a big deal for Harry. He is determined the Birmingham Games will be the best ever. It would mean the world to him to have his father there.’

Harry and Meghan, who quit as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California, have also recently spoken about their wish to introduce their children to their British roots.

During a visit to Warwickshire, Harry said: ‘I love being here, this is the highlight of my month.

‘Actually probably the last few months. It’s very easy to sit in your grief, to sit in your stress but, guys, if you are feeling it, share it.’

As it stands, the Duke and Duchess no longer require accommodation for their patronages, with the whole family believed to be returning within the next two weeks.

Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are thought to have already enrolled at a British school – and the family are reportedly planning to stay for an ‘extended period’ until the children finish education.

It is not yet know, however, whether the move will be a permanent one. The location of Harry and Meghan’s new home has remained unknown for privacy reasons.

Harry and Meghan are set to retain their £11million home in Montecito, California, which they have lived in since moving across the pond in 2020. They also still own a residence in Portugal.

A Northern Ireland district authority is about to launch an app mooted since 2022 to tackle dog fouling incidents

A Co Down councillor has warned the “public won’t buy” into a new dog fouling pledge as a long awaited council app is about to go live to target increasing mess.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has confirmed 244 complaints made about dog poo in the last financial year, but only five fixed penalty notices.

A committee report now shows the local authority is about to launch an app mooted since 2022 to tackle dog fouling incidents in the district.

In chambers, Mournes DUP councillor Henry Reilly said:”On one aspect of the report, where it says we will improve the cleanliness of our district by continuing to promote recycling and address fly-tipping and dog fouling incidents.

“I have to say that on dog fouling it seems aspirational to me rather than practical.

“Because the amount of dog fouling in the district, especially in this really dry weather is totally unacceptable and the council doesn’t seem to be able to get a prosecution to try and deter these irresponsible dog owners.

“It is easy to say, but unless there is a real product emerging from it and an improvement in those services, the public won’t buy that.”

According to the council’s strategy, policy and resources committee paper, ‘dog fouling and littering’ reports increased almost 55% from from 212 to 328, with 35 fixed penalty notices.

However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has now been given further clarity from the council to show despite only 84 of the reports being for littering, there were 30 fixed penalty notices.

Whereas dog fouling resulted in only 2% of reports leading to a fine despite an increase of 31 complaints of dog mess on the previous year’s total of 213.

A council spokesperson said: “Newry, Mourne and Down District Council recently launched a three-year education and enforcement action plan to address key issues of fly-tipping, littering and dog fouling aimed at protecting the environment for future generations.

“The plan sets out how the council will continue to record dog fouling incidents in order to identify hotspot locations across the district.

“This will be further achieved through the online public reporting tool available on the council website, which is currently live, and through the introduction of an online reporting app.

“The app is due to be procured and implementation initiated during 2026/27.”

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Tony Kounnis, CEO of Face Int, which commissioned the research, said: “It’s far too simplistic to say that people in London are for or against facial recognition. This research shows that it’s far more nuanced than that – people have specific and understandable concerns, particularly the accuracy of the technology, their own privacy, and the security of biometric data.

It is understood there will no change to Harry and Meghan’s role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family

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Harry and Meghan Markle are planning to make the move back to the UK, according to reports.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to move back to Britain more than six years after they relocated to California, the Press Association understands.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the couple will move back to the United Kingdom later this month – making their home in a non-royal residence outside of London.

It is understood there will no change to Harry and Meghan’s role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family.

The King was first made aware of the move on Sunday and is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more the family both in a private and personal capacity.

But their status will remain the same, with the couple not being offered a “half-in-half-out” option when it comes to their roles, reports PA.

The Telegraph – which broke the story – reports the couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are enrolled to start at British schools in September.

Russian citizens have reportedly begun to pull money from banks after fears Vladimir Putin will raid savings to pay for the war against Ukraine.

During the first two weeks of August, the country saw the volume of cash in circulation rise by 286.4billion roubles, the equivalent of £2.5billion.

Russian banks have been bleeding cash each day, with the highest outflow of  56.8billion roubles (£491.9million) recorded on August 12.

The month before saw a record outflow, with more than 620billion roubles (£5.4billion) withdrawn from the banking system.

For seven consecutive months, money has been flooding out of the banks, according to central bank data, believed to be due to the ongoing instability.

Analysts suggested economic pessimism and fears that the Kremlin could freeze deposits or impose a cap on withdrawals.

Rumours spread across Russian Telegram channels of this potential freezebut Anton Siluanov, the Russian minister of finance, branded the posts ‘fake news’ in a statement.

The cash demand has reportedly drained banks’ rouble liquidity, resulting in the Central Bank of Russia expanding lending in the banking sector.

It’s not just the citizens who are moving money, though, as large companies are said to be moving funds abroad to avoid any potential seizures.

This comes hours after Moscow slammed Britain for supplying drones for long-range strikes inside Russia, warning this makes the UK a participant in the war.

Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov lashed out as Prime Minister Andy Burnham stressed that he is 100% behind Ukraine ‘against this illegal war led by Vladimir Putin.’

Burnham added: ‘Britain is providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself, and that’s been the British position all the way through this conflict by previous prime ministers, it remains the case with me.

‘We are not fairweather friends.’

Foreign Minister Lavrov spoke to Russian television and said: ‘This only means one thing. The president [Putin] warned of our right to act in any part of the oceans if someone encroaches on our interests, on our property. 

‘We have the same right to view the proudly declared direct participation of British missile forces in strikes against Russia as participation in a war, with all the ensuing consequences.’

Russians are becoming increasingly concerned over the new deep reach of drones and missiles deployed by Ukraine to target strategic targets deep inside the country.

Buildings were also hit today in other Russian cities – Tula, the location of multiple defence plants – and Ufa, a major oil capital. 

An oil refinery was hit in Ufa, sparking yet another fire as Russia grapples with critical petrol shortages and long queues. 

In Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, two people were killed and ten injured in a Russian guided aerial bomb attack on a residential area.

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By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 21:27 BST, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 22:24 BST, 19 August 2026