Lillia was first reported missing on Friday (September 11) and was later seen at 11pm in Piccadilly Gardens

Missing teenager Lillia has been located safe and well in Manchester city centre, officers confirmed on Saturday evening.

The 13 year old lass vanished from her Bolton home more than a week ago, sparking a substantial police hunt. She was initially reported missing on Friday (September 11) and was subsequently spotted at 11pm in Piccadilly Gardens.

Her next sighting came when she boarded the 247 bus at the Trafford Centre at 1.50pm on Saturday (September 12), followed by CCTV footage capturing her at the McDonald’s in Piccadilly Gardens at approximately 8.20pm on Sunday, September 13, reports the Express.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: “Thank you to everyone who shared our missing appeal for 13-year-old Lillia, who has been missing since Friday 11 September 2026.

“We can confirm that she has been found safe and well in the city centre. She is currently with our officers, and her next-of-kin have been informed of this update. We will release more information in due course.”

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By GLEN OWEN POLITICAL EDITOR

Published: 22:06 BST, 19 September 2026 | Updated: 23:51 BST, 19 September 2026

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick says he still has faith in the video assistant referee – but added that the apology for the error that led to their defeat in the Manchester derby does not mean much.

Referee’s body Pro Ref issued a formal apology to United within three hours of the end of Manchester City‘s 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.

Neither VAR Matt Donohue nor his assistant Blake Antrobus have been selected for games this weekend after failing to spot City midfielder Enzo Fernandez clearly in an offside position and interfering with play before Erling Haaland’s matchwinner for City.

Carrick was livid after the game, saying it was a “worrying” interpretation of the rules.

And before his side’s Premier League trip to Fulham on Sunday, the United boss was asked if he still had faith in VAR.

“One-off things can happen,” he said.

“At the time it was a pretty big one, we know that. I don’t think I need to go over that. But yes, I’ve got faith in it. It’s the system we work towards and that we use.”

Referee’s chief Howard Webb has been heavily criticised over general officiating standards in the game.

Analysing the incident on ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’, Webb said he was “really disappointed” with the outcome, stating the officials had been too focused on a potential offside against Haaland and had failed to assess Fernandez’s position.

Webb has spoken to United about the situation in an effort to be more accountable.

“The apology doesn’t mean an awful lot,” said Carrick.

“I can appreciate and respect them putting their hands up and saying we got that wrong – it does happen. We just have to deal with it.

“Maybe we get one or two decisions on the law of averages or whatever but that one had a huge impact on the game and that’s why it was particularly tough.”

Here is a list of the pairings in full:

One pair who won’t need to get to know each other are reality TV star Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin.

Dyer is back to compete for a second time, having withdrawn from last year’s series due to a fractured ankle.

“I’m just over the moon. I’m so, so happy,” she said after the pairing, while Kuzmin added that he had “tears of joy” in his eyes.

Meanwhile, actress Bethany Antonia and professional Nancy Xu became the third two-woman couple to compete in the show.

In a poignant moment, Antonia revealed that watching boxer Nicola Adams and Katya Jones performing together in Strictly’s 2020 series was a “big part of my coming out journey”.

Among the other pairings were EastEnders actress Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola, former Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon, and Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr.

Also back on the dancefloor for a final spin was reigning Strictly champion, former Lionness Karen Carney.

Clad in the same diamante-encrusted football shirt, Carney recreated the Jive that first marked her out as a contender of her series, alongside dance partner Carlos Gu.

“I absolutely feel like I’m at home,” Carney told Willis after the routine, as she paid tribute to her pro partner.

In 13 weeks time, she’ll have to surrender that glitterball trophy to a new victor.

Liv Newcomb will take on the role of Belle alongside Ollie Llewelyn-Williams as Prince Sebastian and Neisha-Yen Jones as the Enchantress.

With audiences already familiar with Beauty and the Beast in its many forms, Newcomb admitted there is some expectation attached to playing such a recognisable character.

However, rather than feeling pressure, she described stepping into Belle’s shoes as an honour.

(Image: The Northern Echo)

She said: “Everyone knows the traditional story and the Disney version of the fairy tale, so there’s pressure in terms of being the character that everyone loves.

“But it’s more like an honour to be able to have the tradition that’s associated with it.

“It’s stepping into something that you know everyone loves.”

While the traditional story remains at the production’s heart, the format gives its stars the opportunity to put their own stamp on the familiar characters.

For some of the cast, it will also mean adapting to the distinctive world of pantomime for the first time.

Llewelyn-Williams has come from more traditional theatre and said the freedom for performers and audiences to interact makes panto a very different prospect.

He said: “You get to interact with the audience, break fourth wall.

“They can have a sing-song, they can boo at me, they can cheer at me.

“It’s exciting and it is a new technique.”

(Image: Sarah Caldecott)

That unpredictability is something Neisha-Yen Jones is also looking forward to embracing, particularly after working in productions where performances are typically more fixed.

She said watching experienced comedians respond to audiences and change their performances on the fly offers an opportunity to learn a different theatrical skill.

The cast came together ahead of the production’s December opening, giving its members an early opportunity to see their costumes and discover the different skills among the company.

Llewelyn-Williams said: “It’s the first time that we’re seeing all the costumes together and seeing the energy all together, and we’re all bonding.

“It’s making it feel more real now.”

Despite working with one of theatre’s best-known fairy tales, audiences should not expect everything they see at the Hippodrome to follow the version they already know.

New characters will appear alongside familiar faces, while comedy and the conventions of pantomime will put a different spin on the story.

Newcomb said audiences can expect “the traditional story that everyone loves, but with twists and turns that we’re not expecting, and new characters and jokes”.

The cast is also looking forward to discovering the show’s musical side, with big dance numbers and songs forming part of the production.

Asked which pop songs they would choose themselves, Newcomb opted for Beyoncé’s Love on Top, while Llewelyn-Williams suggested music from Justin Timberlake or Bruno Mars and Jones pointing towards a Tina Turner classic.

But for now, the finer details of what awaits Darlington audiences remain under wraps.

What the trio can promise is a production which combines the heart of the original story with the freedom, humour and audience interaction of a Christmas panto.

Beauty and the Beast runs at Darlington Hippodrome from December 11 to January 3.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is believed to be living ‘in limbo’ at his home in Norfolk following his arrest.

On February 19, the former Duke was detained on suspicion of misconduct in public office, allegations relating to his time as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011, a role ultimately terminated over mounting controversy surrounding his connection to associates like Jeffrey Epstein.

He was later released under investigation without being charged, as emails that were part of the Epstein files suggested he may have shared confidential information with the convicted child sex offender about his official work.

It’s understood that the ex-Duke of York has been advised to keep a low profile as the probe continues.

As a result, he reportedly feels like he’s ‘in limbo’ at the Sandringham Estate, having moved to the property upon leaving Royal Lodge in Windsor at the start of the year.

He was not legally required to surrender his passport and is, technically, still able to travel abroad; however, he has been advised not to by royal officials, who believe such a move would be ‘unwise’.

A source close to Mountbatten-Windsor told The Telegraph: ‘While Andrew remains under investigation after being arrested by Thames Valley Police seven months ago, he has effectively been living in limbo.

‘Although there are no formal conditions which prevent him from travelling while this drags on, he cannot really stray far beyond his home.

‘He cannot live his normal life as the police investigation goes on.’

The insider added that, in the meantime, police seem to be ‘no nearer being able to prove an allegation of misconduct in a public office’.

Mountbatten-Windsor is thought to be ‘making the most’ of his current situation, according to friends, as he focuses on his new life in Norfolk.

It’s believed he also feels a sense of ‘relief’ now that he’s out of the royal ‘bubble’.

Police enquiries are likely to continue for several more months.

For now, Mountbatten-Windsor is keeping his social circle small, and while he is thought to be in touch with his other siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, he has not spoken to King Charles ‘for some time’.

When police came knocking for his younger brother (on his 66th birthday), the King later expressed that the authorities have his ‘full and wholehearted support and cooperation’, insisting the Royal Family would ‘continue in [their] duty and service’.

The monarch also voiced ‘deepest concern’ upon hearing the news, stating clearly that ‘the law must take its course’.

Mountbatten-Windsor was interrogated for around 12 hours that day, and he has had no contact with Thames Valley Police since.

He has also ‘barely left Sandringham’ for the remainder of the year, having denied previous claims that he had holidayed in the south of France, a stark contrast to the jet-setting lifestyle he once enjoyed.

In May, biographer Andrew Lownie described Mountbatten-Windsor’s reality as ‘bleak’ and his life as ‘very empty’.

He told USA Today that the former prince had been ‘obsessively playing video games late into the night’ and that he was ‘prioritising gaming over work, health, and hygiene’.

Meanwhile, Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles last October, faces fresh legal strife, as a congressman accused him of perpetrating ‘sex crimes in the United States’.

At the beginning of September, Thomas Massie, a Republican representative from Kentucky, called for Mountbatten-Windsor to be ‘investigated and prosecuted’ in the wake of the Epstein files’ revelations.

This follows existing allegations that he abused Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, having paid her a settlement in 2022 without admitting any liability.

Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or having committed sex offences. He also denied ever meeting Giuffre.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Converse has apologized and pulled a sneaker ad after online backlash over imagery critics compared to the Ku Klux Klan and lynching.

The ad, part of Converse’s global campaign for its Chuck 70 X sneaker, featured K-pop star Karina of the group Aespa standing beneath a star-shaped spotlight while holding a pair of black high-top Converse sneakers. She wore a long white skirt, while the lighting made her silhouette look to many social media users like a KKK hood, with the dangling sneakers drawing comparisons to a lynching victim.

The Chuck 70 X was released globally on August 27, and the controversial image was posted to Converse’s social media accounts earlier this month. But the backlash intensified after social media users circulated an uncropped version of the advertisement, which they said made the resemblance to a pointed hood and hanging body more apparent.

Converse, which is owned by Nike, told The Independent in a statement: “We’re sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong. We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared. This should not have happened and we will do better.”

Still, fans and public figures alike continued to share their thoughts on the ad.

“No, you’re not crazy. Yes, the Converse ad is racist. Yes, it looks like a Klan outfit. Yes, it looks like a lynching. And no, ‘it’s just a shoe ad’ is not a defense,” one fan wrote on X.

Chicago-based photographer Stephanie Schwartz criticized the campaign on Threads, writing: “Shadow, light, and composition. Every photographer can tell you, whoever did this ad knew EXACTLY what they were doing.”

Actress Yvette Nicole Brown also reacted to the campaign on Threads, writing: “That’s a lynching, yes?”

The controversy also resurfaced a separate Converse campaign featuring footwear in a tree. The image, created for a collaboration with Copenhagen-based lifestyle brand Palmes, showed a person standing on a ladder with a pair of sneakers hanging from a tree branch. The image was reportedly released on September 14, Adweek reports.

Social media users shared the image alongside the Karina ad, saying the two campaigns together heightened concerns about the imagery.

One Threads user described the second image as doubling down on the symbolism, while another posted them side-by-side, writing: “There is NO REASON why WE should see an advertisement & immediately think of Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday.”

Tonight on the Strictly Come Dancing launch show, the 15 celebrities – including Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Bethany Antonia and Will Best – found out their partners.

However, not all of the pro dancers on the BBC series get to compete with a celebrity, and this year, Neil Jones has found himself unpartnered.

The 44-year-old has been a part of Strictly since 2016, and yet has only had three celebrity partners: Alex Scott in 2019, Nina Wadia in 2021 and Toyah Willcox in 2022.

Neil has responded directly to not having a partner yet again, as his personal Strictly curse continues – and his reaction is brutal, but brilliant.

In a video posted on Instagram, he wrote on top of it: ‘If I get the pen in the bin I will get a celeb partner.’

The video then showed him holding a pen directly over a bin, dropping it… but then, before it has a chance to land in the receptacle, someone else extends their arm and catches it.

Neil walks away, a disgruntled expression on his face as awkward music plays in the background.

In his caption, the dancer and choreographer wrote: ‘Pen in the cup 2.0 😂

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‘You know I love being part of @bbcstrictly and honestly after adding 2 Guiness world records last year to my 45 titles around the world, I feel like it would be greedy to win the glitter ball as well so I wanted to give the others a chance 😜😂😂😂.’

Several Strictly stars commented underneath the comical video, with pro dancer Kai Widdrington hailing Neil the ‘goat’ (greatest of all time).

‘Screaming. I love you 😂🥲,’ said House of the Dragon star Bethany Antona, who’s competing this year with Nancy Xu in the first same-sex pairing in three years.

Meanwhile, lots of Strictly fans expressed their confusion and upset over Neil not having a partner once more.

‘So sad that you haven’t gotten a partner again this year,’ said Jem, while Poppy wrote: ‘Christmas special’s yours boo.’

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Who are the Strictly couples for the 2026 series?

The full line-up of celebrities and their pro dancer partners are:

• Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola
• Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley
• Jowita Przystal and Lawrence Robb
• Will Best and Dianne Buswell
• Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr
• Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec
• Mark Karmalita and Tabby Stoecker,
• Julian Caillon and Dame Sarah Storey
• Maddie Ingoldsby and Cach Mercer
• Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden
• John Nellis and Katya Jones
• Carlos Gu and Jaime Winstone
• Nikita Kuzmin and Dani Dyer
• Kai Widdrington and Delta Goodrem
• Nancy Xu and Bethany Antonia

‘We need a government petition to give Neil a partner next year!’ Charlotte stated.

Becki also said that while Neil’s video made her laugh, she’s ‘gutted you haven’t been paired up 🥺’.

‘Can’t believe you didn’t get a partner…AGAIN! 😢,’ said Lynne, as the similarly named Lyn added: ‘The best professional on the show and once again no partner, I am so disappointed, and if it wasn’t for you being there I would stop watching it.😢.’

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At least Neil seems to be taking it on the chin!

Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday night on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

MORE: Strictly fans give their honest verdict on new presenters: ‘Three’s a crowd’

MORE: Strictly fans ecstatic over incredible same-sex pairing for first time in 3 years

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MORE: Strictly fans convinced one ‘fantastic’ new pairing are already the frontrunners to win

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