The closures began around 4:15, when Greater Manchester Police and National Highways were made aware of the incident.

Police remained on the scene until around 6:15pm, when the matter was resolved and all lanes were allowed to reopen.

(Image: AA)

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “We were called to a concern for welfare that has now been safely concluded and the motorway is reopen.”

The incident was causing traffic between J3 and J5 on the M60, with motorists being diverted early to avoid the scenes.

Traffic was also slowed on the anti-clockwise lane due to ‘onlookers’, according to traffic analytics company Inrix.

Inrix said: “Congestion to just after J1 (Stockport Pyramid), with traffic slowing on the opposite past the scene due to onlookers.

(Image: Traffic Cameras UK)

“Cameras show the road is closed across all junctions for a police incident located between J5 and J6. Trapped traffic is being taken off at J5.”

There were delays on the road for around 20 minutes at one point as clockwise traffic was unable to pass through.

But by around 6:15 police managed to resolve the incident and the road was able to reopen.

Arsenal supporters are buzzing with excitement amid news that a deal has been agreed with Newcastle for Bruno Guimaraes, though the Brazilian has not signed in time to make his bow at the Aviva Stadium. Fellow Brazilians Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli, however, are expected to feature following a mandatory three week post-World Cup break as Mikel Arteta has seen his options increase significantly.

Michael O’Brien spent 11 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit but said he does not want the public to forget who the real victim in the case was

A man who spent 11 years serving a prison sentence for a murder he didn’t commit is raising money to replace the gravestone of the man he was accused of killing. Michael O’Brien, 58, said he didn’t want people to forget who the real victim was after he was jailed in one of the UK’s most notorious miscarriages of justice.

In 1988, Michael, who now lives in Aberdare, Darren Hall, and Ellis Sherwood were all found guilty of the murder of Cardiff newsagent Phillip Saunders, 52, and jailed for life.

Eleven years later, in December 1999, the Court of Appeal quashed their convictions and the three men walked free – they are known as the Cardiff Newsagent Three. Since then the murder of Mr Saunders has remain unsolved.

In June, South Wales Police said they were reviewing evidence in the case to assess whether there is any potential for further forensic investigation. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here.

The force said at the time: “This work is being carried out by the force’s Major Crime Review Unit in the hope that advances in forensic science will provide the breakthrough needed to identify who was responsible for Phillip Saunders’ murder in 1987.”

Two months before they reopened the case, Michael had launched a petition to gain justice for Mr Saunders and his family as part of his campaign to see the case reopened.

Michael said that during his meeting with Mr Saunders’ sister in 2022 he said he could see the pain in her eyes caused by her brother’s death 40 years ago. He said he made a promise to her that he would do all he could to get the real killer “behind bars”.

“They made me feel like they knew I didn’t do it. They told me they didn’t think I had done it at all and that was something I wanted to hear from them because I’d heard previously that they might’ve thought we’d done it and that upset me deeply.”

Michael said: “It means so much to me, I’ve been fighting for this for many, many years. From the moment I came out of the Court of Appeal I spoke about the victim’s family and said we need to catch the real killer.

“I’m so glad South Wales Police are taking this very, very seriously. I’ve criticised the police where I’ve had to in the past but I do think a fresh set of eyes now is very important.

“There’s a real possibility we could find out who did this.”

Michael said he felt hopeful about the prospect thanks to progress that has since been made in DNA and other historical cases being solved decades on.

However, it was a trip to visit Mr Saunders’ grave earlier this year which had an equally profound impact on Michael.

“It was very upsetting because when I went there I think it hit home to me that the killer was still at large. It had a profound impact on me.”

He added: “I noticed the headstone was broken and I just wanted to do something. I felt saddened that someone as prominent as Phillip Saunders could be left like that and I wanted to do something back.

“I felt sad that his name isn’t recognised on the gravestone because the headstone isn’t there anymore.

“I know I was wrongly accused of the crime but we mustn’t forget about the real victim. I’m not the real victim in all of this. It’s wrong for him to be forgotten about. He deserves a proper headstone to remind people what happened.”

Although Michael had never met the man whose life had defined much of his, he said he had heard wonderful things about him and what he did in the community.

Michael said: “He was well-loved, well-liked and no-one had a bad word to say about him. He was a hardworking businessman, never bothered anybody and I just felt so bad about what happened to him.”

In the almost 27 years since his release, Michael said he had struggled to adjust to normal life and had been living with PTSD.

“I struggled with worries about who was going to employ me and what job could I do. My mental health isn’t the best. I suffer from complex PTSD but I’m just trying to survive and fight for miscarriages of justice.”

Michael’s work since has largely involved helping with other miscarriages of justice and supporting prisoners while also having qualified as a TV and radio presenter and written multiple books.

“I’ve done it all. I’ve lived quite an interesting life.” Michael is now hoping to raise £3,000 to £4,000 to replace the headstone.

New CCTV footage shows the alleged Covent Garden attacker walking away from the scene after stabbing four men with scissors. 

The victims were rushed to a major trauma centre after stabbings near the area in central London this afternoon. 

A woman, 47, was arrested following the attack, the Metropolitan Police said – while four men were being treated for injuries. The incident is believed to be mental health-related.

Video seen by the Daily Mail shows the suspect walking past the Rock & Sole Plaice restaurant on Endell Street at 12.27pm after stabbing several men. 

She is wearing brown trousers, a white top and a navy blue cardigan and passes several members of the public, some of whom are eating at a restaurant. 

Police and paramedics were called to the scene in Endell Street at about 12.30pm following the stabbings. A police cordon was put in place and an air ambulance helicopter was seen landing in nearby Trafalgar Square.

The injured men are aged 34, 39, 42 and 52, according to Scotland Yard, who said a pair of scissors was seized from the scene.

The arrested woman was being held on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and assault.

A local barber at 2 Chairs Grooming Room, who did not want to be named, said a man covered in blood stumbled into his salon after being stabbed.

Police officers arrested a woman after four people were stabbed in central London

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The 36-year-old told the Daily Mail he then pursued the suspect down the street, where she threatened him before she was arrested.

The man, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘The guy fell into the barbers covered in blood with a stab wound in his back.

‘He was shouting “call the police, call the police”. I chased her down the street.

‘I thought she was crazy, drunk. Clearly unwell. She was not talking.

‘The police were there within minutes.’

A woman is said to have approached people outside the Shaftesbury Theatre showing the musical Avenue Q.

Two men were reportedly stabbed in the back there ‘with scissors’, before others were attacked further along Endell Street.

Carlos, a resident of St Mungo’s homeless hostel, claimed he knew the suspect to be a Romanian resident of the same hostel.

Carlos said: ‘I know her from the hostel, she is Romanian.

‘She did a big hit on the crack pipe today before going out and stabbing all those people.’ 

A man wearing a blood-soaked shirt was seen alerting police officers to his injuries

Police and paramedics were called to Endell Street in central London after four men were stabbed on Wednesday afternoon

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An air ambulance helicopter was seen landing in Trafalgar Square after nearby stabbings today

Arjan Gjorga, who owns the Rock and Sole Plaice restaurant and witnessed the attack, said a woman involved in the incident was known to people who worked on the street.

He said: ‘I see her all the time, she’s a homeless person. She walks up and down asking for help, she visits the church at the top of the street.

‘We all saw a commotion, people were running away. It was totally random, just random people. She suddenly started stabbing them. The police reacted immediately, they arrested her right away.

‘The police were there within minutes.’

Later on Wednesday, Scotland Yard said two of the victims remained in hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing, while the other two have now been discharged.

A London Ambulance Service Spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 12:29pm today (5 August) to reports of a stabbing on Endell Street, WC2H.

‘We sent an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.

‘We treated four patients at the scene and took them all to a major trauma centre as a priority by road.’

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said that the four men were found with stab wounds after officers were called at about 12.27pm.

‘They have since been taken to hospital and we await an update on their injuries,’ the force said. 

A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault. She was taken to custody where she remains.

‘Police remain in the area, with a scene in place on Endell Street and the surrounding areas in Covent Garden.

‘The force added that this was believed to be “a mental health-related incident” and that officers had seized a pair of scissors at the scene.’

An academic who was at the centre of a high-profile plagiarism row has resigned as a professor of sociology at the University of Cambridge after being placed under investigation.

The university, which consistently ranks at the top of higher education league tables, said its inquiry into Professor Jason Arday, who became its youngest black professor in 2023, had begun “following new information”.

The university said the inquiry would examine his academic qualifications and honorary appointments.

A series of media reports have alleged he plagiarised his PhD thesis and other research.

In a letter addressed to colleagues published on the Good Law Project’s website, Professor Arday said: “While criticism is an inevitable part of academic life, what I have experienced has gone far beyond scholarly disagreement.

“The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love.”

In an interview with The Times, he had denied the claims, saying: “I am accountable for the mistakes I’ve made. I hold myself accountable and other people should hold me accountable.

“We’re talking about academia here. I didn’t murder somebody. I think the cruelty that I’ve experienced and the positioning of me as this kind of liar and fantasist is totally unacceptable.”

A new university statement says: “The University of Cambridge has begun an investigation following new information about Professor Arday’s academic qualifications and honorary appointments. In order to ensure a fair process, we will not comment further until this has concluded.

“Separately, there remains a number of ongoing complaints regarding academic misconduct, which are being handled in line with our misconduct in research policy. This is consistent with our previous statement on the matter.

“While we are fully aware of the public commentary and concerns around this matter, it remains vital that any process is thorough and adheres to both university policies and employment law.

“We also fully recognise that there is a person at the centre of this situation and we continue to provide support to him.

“We are aware that Jesus College, Cambridge, will be taking their own steps in relation to some of these matters.”

A Jesus College spokesperson said: “Parallel to the University of Cambridge’s investigation into Professor Arday, Jesus College is launching its own process. Professor Arday’s college fellowship is linked to his university role and we will fully support the university.

“Professor Arday remains a fellow during this process. We recognise that this is a very difficult time for him and his family, and ask that they are treated with compassion and respect.”

Former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return to her country in December, despite facing the death penalty there for crimes against humanity.

Hasina, who denies the charges, was tried in absentia after fleeing to India during an anti-government uprising in 2024.

On the second anniversary of being ousted, Hasina said in an audio broadcast to a crowded press club in Delhi that she “had to go back”, but wouldn’t announce her exact plans or dates yet.

Her Awami League party has been falling apart and Indian officials have been facing pressure to extradite her after a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death last year for ordering lethal force to be used on protesters.

Hasina’s virtual meeting with reporters at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Delhi was her first meeting with the media since she was toppled after 15 years in power.

She delivered a speech over an audio link and then took a handful of questions.

“I know that they may put me in jail or they may kill me, anything may happen, but still I have to go back,” she said.

In the address she alleged that several organisations had turned the 2024 student protests into a “violent movement”, without providing any evidence.

She has always rejected the charges on which she was convicted as politically motivated. But UN investigators found evidence that she and her government tried to cling to power using systematic, deadly violence.

In audio of one phone call verified by BBC Eye, Hasina was heard authorising the deadly crackdown on demonstrators. Prosecutors used the recording as crucial evidence in convicting her.

The UN estimates up to 1,400 people were killed, most by gunfire from security forces, during the protests, which started as a student-led movement against quotas in government jobs and turned into a mass uprising.

The 78-year-old fled Dhaka as tens of thousands of demonstrators held protests and stormed government buildings, including her official residence, plunging the country of more than 170 million into crisis.

Soon after she was toppled, an interim government took charge. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power after elections in February this year, with its leader Tarique Rahman now prime minister.

His government had already warned local mediase not to publish or broadcast Hasina’s comments. After her address, it said it was “outraged” India had allowed her to take part in a public meeting with the media.

“Our people have firmly resolved that our nation will never again go back to the dark days of fascism and that Bangladesh will never be a client state,” a foreign ministry statement said.

Hasina’s presence in Delhi has strained relations with Bangladesh, which wants her extradited, a request India says it’s examining.