The announcement affects women due to give birth in the next six weeks

Women due to give birth in the coming weeks have been told they can’t have the births they planned due to “significant staffing challenges”. The changes affect women in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area, which includes Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil.

Health board bosses said they have taken the decision to suspend its home birth services as well as shut a midwifery-led birthing centre at one of its hospitals for the next six weeks.

Women will no longer be able to give birth at the Tirion birth centre, which opened at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in 2019, which the health board says is a “temporary” decision in response to staff shortages. Stay informed on the latest health news by signing up to our newsletter here

No confirmation has been given as to when Tirion will reopen, or home births will resume, with Cwm Taf Morgannwg saying in a statement the temporary change will be “reviewed” after a six-week period. The health board also apologised for any “concern” caused by the “temporary suspension”.

The Tirion midwifery-led birth centre opened in 2019 when the health board rearranged how it delivered maternity care across the region. It is an option for women following a midwife-led care pathway, with the three rooms being staffed and managed by midwives.

Previously, the Royal Glamorgan Hospital had consultant doctors working there to provide women and neonatal care, but these services were relocated and centralised to be delivered at Bridgend’s Princess of Wales Hospital and Merthyr Tydfil’s Prince Charles Hospital.

Those women who have been told they will no longer be able to give birth at Tirion but still wish to give birth in a midwifery-led birth centre will have access to care at the Tair Afon birth centre at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr, and at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.

The health board said antenatal and postnatal services including breast feeding support will continue to operate as usual from Tirion birth centre during the day.

A spokesperson for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said: “Due to significant staffing challenges, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend our home birth service and midwifery-led births at Tirion Birth Centre. We will review this temporary change after a six week period.

“Women who wish to give birth in a midwifery-led birth centre will continue to have access to midwifery led care at Tair Afon Birth Centre, Prince Charles Hospital, and at Princess of Wales Hospital. Antenatal and postnatal services including breast feeding support will continue to operate as usual from Tirion Birth Centre during the day.

“Our community midwives are available to support families to discuss their birth options. We apologise for any concern this temporary suspension may cause and thank our women and families for their understanding.”

If you have been affected by the change to birth services in Cwm Taf Morganwwg and would like to get in touch, please email ellie.gosley@walesonline.co.uk.

Leisure Guard Security has signed up to sponsor the Flying the Flag for Bolton category at the 2026 ceremony, which celebrates individuals, businesses, and organisations that champion the town and help raise its profile across the region and beyond.

The award recognises those who show outstanding pride in Bolton through their work, community involvement, and commitment to making the borough a better place to live, work, and visit.

Leisure Guard Security joins an impressive line-up of businesses backing this year’s awards, which shine a spotlight on the achievements, innovation, and success stories that continue to drive Bolton’s economy forward.

Richard Duggan, regional editor at Newsquest North West and editor of The Bolton News, said: “We are delighted to welcome Leisure Guard Security as sponsor of the Flying the Flag for Bolton Award.

“This category celebrates people and organisations that are passionate about our town and work tirelessly to promote everything that makes Bolton special.

“It is fitting that a respected local business such as Leisure Guard Security is supporting this award.”

Saj Kadva, operations director at Leisure Guard Security, said: “As a business founded in Bolton 25 years ago, supporting the Bolton News Business Awards and sponsoring the Flying the Flag for Bolton Award was an easy decision for Leisure Guard Security.

“Bolton is more than simply the place where our business was established. It is our home.

“The company’s owners were born and raised here; our journey started here, and for a quarter of a century, Bolton has provided the people, businesses, and opportunities that have helped us grow into the company we are today.

“Over the last 25 years, Leisure Guard Security has built a reputation for protecting businesses, public spaces, events, and communities across the North West and nationally.

“Whilst our reach has expanded, our roots have never changed.

“We remain proudly Boltonian and committed to supporting the town that helped shape our success.

“The Flying the Flag for Bolton Award represents everything we believe in.

“It celebrates the individuals, businesses, and organisations that showcase Bolton at its very best, whether through innovation, community spirit, enterprise, or achievement.

“These are the people who help strengthen the town’s reputation and inspire future generations.

“At Leisure Guard Security, we understand the importance of people.

“Our success has always been built on the dedication of our team and the trust our clients place in us.

“We are privileged to work with a diverse range of organisations and individuals who contribute positively to the communities they serve, and many of those success stories begin right here in Bolton.

“We believe Bolton has an incredible heritage, a strong business community, and a bright future.

Leisure Guard Security are a Bolton News Business Award 2026 category sponsor (Image: Leisure Guard Security)

“From its industrial roots to the thriving businesses, charities, and community groups that drive progress today, Bolton continues to produce people who make a real difference.

“We want to play our part in recognising and celebrating those achievements.

“Sponsoring this award allows us to support and highlight those who embody the very best of Bolton’s values: hard work, resilience, ambition, and community spirit.

“At a time when positive stories deserve to be heard more than ever, we are proud to stand behind an award that celebrates those who represent Bolton with distinction.”

The awards take place at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Thursday, September 17, with Bolton Council being the headline sponsor.

Tickets are now on sale via The Bolton News Business Awards 2026 ticket page (https://store.newsquest.co.uk/the-bolton-news-business-awards-2026-tickets).

Myleene Klass has urged women to check their breasts after suffering a health scare while attending Wimbledon.

The TV presenter and singer, 48, shared on Instagram how she found not one but two lumps after casually folding her arms during the tennis tournament.

Posting on Instagram, Myleene shared how she has since undergone medical tests, but she is now encouraging others to not ignore any changes.

‘Girls. A massive reminder to check yourselves,’ she wrote on social media.

‘I accidentally felt a lump when I was at Wimbledon watching the tennis. I casually folded my arms and there it was. Then a second one.

‘The subsequent days went both quickly and agonisingly slowly.’

The former Hear’Say star said that she was ‘okay’ three cysts and three lymph nodes later.

‘I have close friends going through similar experiences atm and it’s sobering, humbling and terrifying,’ she continued.

‘All this to say, as a fierce advocate for women’s health, right now, check yourself and go get a second opinion.’

Myleene also thanked those who helped her access medical care quickly.

‘Kudos and eternal thanks to @the_mutha_ship who moved mountains lightning fast to get me seen and sorted and didn’t take her foot off the gas,’ she wrote.

‘To those who don’t have a Sev, look at this as your prompt from me. Check yourselves.’

Reacting to her post online, several followers thanked the star for the reminder, with Zoe Ball commenting: ‘Great nudge to all ❤️❤️❤️ glad you’re ok M xxx’

Kirsty Gallagher also said: ‘Gosh darling sending so much love amazing lady and glad all ok. Thank you for sharing. Love you’

Myleene has long been a campaigner for women’s health and has previously spoken publicly about miscarriage, pregnancy loss and improving healthcare for women.

While breast lumps are common and many turn out not to be cancer, the NHS advises anyone who notices a new lump or other changes to their breasts to get them checked by a GP as soon as possible.

In another incident, the 23-year-old drove off with a Mercedes Coupe after pretending he wanted to buy it and taking a test drive

A man who pulled out a knife on a person he pretended he wanted to buy a car from has been jailed.

Hamza Ali, 23, met his first victim in Bretton, Peterborough, under the pretence that he was interested in buying a Mercedes Coupe. Ali went as far as to test drive the car with his victim in the passenger seat.

As the victim got out to move back to the driver’s seat, Ali drove off. Ali was arrested on January 19 after police received reports the Mercedes had been stolen and it was sitting outside Ali’s home in Watergall, Bretton.

It was later found out Ali committed a robbery with the same strategy in March 2025. In the 2025 incident, Ali met his victim in Ravensthorpe claiming he was interested in buying a car. However, when he was inspecting the vehicle, he brandished a knife and pulled the victim out of the car, before driving off with it.

At Cambridge Crown Court on July 30, Ali was sentenced to 21 months in prison. He pleaded guilty to robbery, theft of a motor vehicle, and driving whilst disqualified. He was also banned from driving for 27 months and two days.

Detective Constable Pete Wise, who investigated, said: “The fact Ali used the same ploy twice showed his offending was planned, and he knew exactly what he was doing. I would like to thank all those involved for reporting these incidents to us and being co-operative throughout the investigation.”

While the FIFA World Cup has now come to an end, it’s almost time for the new football season to start.

There’ll be plenty of matches coming up, which can sometimes result in schedule changes for the soaps, including for this week’s EFL Cup match.

Here’s what we know about the TV schedule shake-up and which episodes the changes affect.

TV schedule changes for Emmerdale and Coronation Street this week

Emmerdale and Coronation Street usually air 30-minute episodes on ITV1 at 8pm and 8.30pm respectively, Monday to Friday, in what is known as the “soaps power hour” (introduced in January 2026).

However, there will be no new episodes airing on Friday as an EFL Cup match, which will see Middlesbrough take on Wrexham, airs at the same time as the usual soap slots on ITV1.

Coverage of the match starts from 7.30pm and runs until ITV News at 10 begins at the later time of 10.25pm.

ITV1 will instead air an Emmerdale episode at 7pm on Sunday, August 9 followed by Corrie at 7.30pm.

Apart from the schedule changes for Friday, Emmerdale and Coronation Street will air as normal this week.

Emmerdale fans told to expect ‘dark’ and ‘dramatic’ storylines in the coming months

“Dark” and “dramatic” storylines are on the horizon for Emmerdale fans in the months ahead.

Producer of the ITV soap Laura Shaw has teased what’s in store on the show through to 2027.

Fans can expect everything from a gothic drama to a big soap wedding, Laura told the Radio Times.

Laura added: “As for the Dingles, there’s going to be lots going on there within that family.

“The Miligans are going to be getting involved.

“A few fingers in a few pies for those guys and are going to try and build their empire a little bit.”

She also teased that fans could expect “quite dark gothic storylines” coming up at Home Farm, as well as some comedy from Kev and Lewis Barton (Chris Coghill and Bradley Riches).

“I mean, it’s a whole mix,” she said.

Adding: “That’s what soap is about, isn’t it?”

Who is your favourite soap family? Tell us in the comments below.

Global air travel is predicted to more than double by 2050, threatening to exceed the capacity of air traffic control officers (atcos) to oversee our skies safely.

One solution would be to recruit more controllers – but that’s not as easy as it sounds. Airspace in the UK and elsewhere is broken up into geographically and altitude-bounded sectors – with each sector normally the responsibility of one atco (the tactical controller) at any time. So, increasing the number of controllers to deal with a greater concentration of aircraft could require a major redesign of UK airspace.

An alternative is to move beyond the current generation of air traffic control technology by increasing the role of AI systems – including providing real-time decision support for atcos.

AI agents could continuously monitor each airspace sector and recommend instructions (known as “clearances”) to issue to aircraft in that sector. These would then be assessed for their appropriateness by the tactical controller.

The UK’s air traffic control provider NATS (a public-private partnership) is, like other national providers, on an automation journey. It has collaborated with the University of Exeter and the Alan Turing Institute on Project Bluebird, which is investigating how AI systems could help meet the challenge of growing air travel volumes.

AI has long been discussed as a threat to jobs and livelihoods. But what’s the reality? In this series, we explore the impact it is already having on different occupations – and how people really feel about their AI assistants.

As part of this project, I have been using immersive participant observation and interviews to investigate how atcos use their existing tools, explore how they feel about the adoption of AI, and how the trust relationships that are key to safe air traffic operation could be affected.

As one controller reflected about existing air traffic procedures: “It’s an overall improved system when you have more trust in the people that you’re working with, and you’re more familiar with them.”

Trust in the AI

Atcos are organised into “watches” – groups of about 15 controllers who regularly work together on the same shift in the same control centre to oversee sectors within their region. While each sector is the responsibility of one tactical controller, the movement of aircraft between sectors requires seamless teamwork.

Automated short-term conflict alert systems to prevent air collisions have been a key part of air traffic control for several decades now. This offers an example of how AI tools may be received, as one atco recalled:

We were all quite nervous when that [conflict alert] system came out – we didn’t know how it was going to work. But very soon, you get your confidence in the system. You understand that the predictions that have been given to you are correct 98% of the time, or whatever they are – and you learn the small minority of situations where it isn’t.

From my discussions with atcos, it is clear that if AI agents are to be trusted, their recommendations must be presented in ways that controllers can quickly make sense of, and decide if they are appropriate. One told me:

There could be all sorts of possibilities where an AI agent is becoming your support controller, your secondary controller, and making suggestions you can either accept or decline … it’s a very interesting concept, if it can demonstrate to me why that’s a good idea – because that’s the bit we don’t know.

Concerns were raised with me about AI agents being “black boxes” whose workings lack transparency. This could make it difficult for an atco to determine when AI recommendations should be accepted and – just as important – when they should not be.

Delivering transparency means satisfying two requirements: explainability (knowing how the AI system reached its decision) and interpretability (understanding why the AI system reached that decision). As part of the project, we have identified ways to ensure transparency – such as the AI agent always revealing which aircraft within a sector it is taking into account when recommending clearances, and why.

In short, teaming atcos with AI agents could play an important role in handling growing air traffic volumes safely – but only if atcos develop strong levels of trust in the AI agents first.

A digital twin

Project Bluebird is working on more efficiency benefits for air traffic control and other air traffic management services. These include more accurate methods for aircraft trajectory prediction, using models trained on tens of thousands of observations of how aircraft behave in flight.

It is building a digital twin of UK airspace – a virtual model of airspace sectors, routes, procedures and other factors that form the operational context for air traffic. This high-fidelity model could be used for the training and evaluation of new types of AI agent, and testing the viability of new airspace designs.

Bluebird is also developing an assurance framework that regulators and other air traffic control stakeholders could use to determine if the safety requirements for AI-based systems are met.

These systems are likely to play an increasing role if the projected growth in air traffic is to be managed safely. While NATS is committed to keeping humans in the loop for the foreseeable future, the atcos I spoke to are cautiously optimistic about the benefits of AI. As one observed:

[Unlike a tactical controller,] an AI agent can think of the whole network. It can look at the whole trajectory of a flight … and even a small adjustment to an aircraft speed or heading can make a big difference to the overall flight.

Merseyside Police received a report that a silver Toyota Corolla had crashed into a house on Asbridge Street in Toxteth this morning

A man has been arrested after reports that a taxi crashed into a house in Liverpool.

Residents of Asbridge Street in Toxteth awoke to “two loud bangs” on Tuesday. At around 6.45am police received a report that a silver Toyota Corolla had crashed into a house on the road.

Officers attended the scene and, following enquiries, believe the driver of the Corolla – a taxi – was involved in an altercation with another motorist before the crash, the Liverpool Echo reports. Police said the other motorist left the scene.

A 40-year-old man from Liverpool has been arrested on suspicion of affray and criminal damage. He remains in police custody.

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An investigation is in the very early stages to establish the circumstances of what happened and police are looking to speak with the driver who left the scene.

Pictures from the scene show considerable damage to the Corolla, while the house suffered structural damage. The front window frame of the property has been caved in, and a large crack can be seen running through the window ledge.

A neighbour told the Echo: “It sounded like binmen moving the bins but it woke me up because it was so loud.”

A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “At around 6.45am today (Tuesday 4 August), we received a report that a silver Toyota Corolla had been involved in a collision with a house on Asbridge Street.

“Officers attended and following inquiries it’s believed the male driver had been involved in an altercation with another motorist prior to the collision, who had since left the scene.

“A 40-year-old man from Liverpool has been arrested on suspicion of affray and criminal damage. He remains in police custody.

“An investigation is in the very early stages to establish the full circumstances of what happened and we are looking to speak with the male driver who left the scene.”