A flock of seagulls brought Melbourne Victory and Newcastle Jets’ A-League match to a standstill after descending onto the pitch during a free kick in the 90th minute at AAMI Park

A top-flight football match in Australia had to temporarily halt after a swarm of seagulls began congregating around the spot of a free-kick in the closing stages.

The peculiar intrusion occurred during the A-League encounter between Melbourne Victory and Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Friday (April 17).

In the 90th minute of the contest, seagulls abruptly swooped onto the turf.

They all flew near to where Lachlan Bayliss was preparing to deliver a free-kick.

The troublesome birds are infamous for pinching chips. However, they appear to have shifted their focus to football by encircling the free-kick taker.

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Their match finished 2-2, but despite the gripping action, it was the seagulls who captured the headlines after clips of the episode spread rapidly online. One X user commented: “Seagulls love their football!”

Another remarked: “Peak A-League when the pitch is covered by seagulls. Pure, unadulterated chaos.”

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Other supporters were making jokes about Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, suggesting this is more akin to how their home fixtures should unfold.

Some more were also querying exactly why there were so many seagulls in that section of the pitch. Others speculated that certain fans may have hurled food from the terraces.

Despite the unusual spectacle, Victory manager Arthur Diles declined to acknowledge the seagulls in his post-match interview but did identify positives in his team’s draw. He said: “I think we deserve more out of these two games, and we got bit in the end.

The performance is something I’ve got to focus on, and the performance was good for a lot of that game, so that’s a pleasing sign.

“We want to play well as well, not just pick up points, but the points in the end should correlate with a good performance. When you don’t get the three points, when you feel like you probably can, that’s disappointing, it’s hard to take, but we’ll go again.”

Meanwhile, Newcastle Jets, who currently sit top of the A-League, also chose not to raise the issue of the seagulls.

That was despite the birds disrupting a late free-kick that could well have presented a golden chance to snatch all three points.

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In November, Curl Jar partnered with The Curly Cow, a hair specialist in Westhoughton, to host a community salon day dedicated to curl care.

The salon buzzed with people sporting curly, kinky and wavy locks, all sharing tips and tricks to make the most of their textured hair.

Now, Curl Jar is back on April 26, treating Bolton residents to another incredible event.

With The Curly Cow team, alongside specialists from The Curl Station in Liverpool and Curls Inc in Leeds, it is set to be another exciting day.

Curl Jar’s founder, Preeya Ogier, hosts educational salon days across the country.

She launched Curl Jar two years ago after spending years developing an all-in-one nourishing solution for textured hair.

Curl Jar is vegan-approved, Leaping Bunny certified (the global gold standard for cruelty-free cosmetics), cruelty-free and dermo-tested.

Preeya explained the challenges of styling afro and textured hair, which often require multiple products to achieve a desired look.

“I wanted to create one product to do a little bit of everything,” she said.

The event aims to teach people how to care for and style their natural hair, while giving them a chance to feel seen and supported in a welcoming environment.

“We’re all about encouraging the confidence that your hair can give you” (Image: NQ)

From 10am until 4pm on Market Street, the first 50 people through the door will receive free Curl Jar gift bags.

There will be styling bookings available for just £10, as well as free 15-minute walk-in demonstrations and consultations, offering expert haircare advice.

All demonstrations require clean, freshly washed hair without product.

A prize table will also be available, with raffle entries open throughout the day and winners announced at 8pm.

Prizes include a Bellissima Diffon hairdryer, a Curl Jar £100 gift set, a free curl transformation appointment, Milk Maids merchandise and vouchers, and a one-month supply of Glowwa hair vitamin supplements.

In keeping with The Curly Cow theme, Milk Maids will be at the event serving up their famous ice cream.

To find out more about Curl Jar, visit: curljar.com

To find out more about The Curly Cow, visit: thecurlycow.com

BBC Arabic’s correspondent Carine Torbey reports from the border town of Khiam, as the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon goes into its second day.

The Lebanese army has set up a barrier to stop residents from returning to their homes in Khiam, after loud explosions continued to be heard in towns that are partly under Israeli occupation.

On Friday, the Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, declared his country was entering a new phase which could transform the temporary ceasefire into a permanent peace settlement.

Seeing dead loved ones, white light and open doors are among the most common dreams people have shortly before death, a new study has revealed.

Researchers at Azienda USL–IRCCS di Reggio Emilia found terminally ill patients often report vivid dreams and visions in their final days – and that many of them are comforting rather than frightening.

A survey of 239 palliative care professionals in Italy found patients commonly spoke about being reunited with relatives who had died, or seeing symbolic images such as staircases, bright light and doorways.

The study, published in the journal Death Studies, looked at end‑of‑life dreams and visions (ELDVs) shared with doctors, nurses, psychologists and hospice volunteers.

The most common theme across these – some of which occurred while people were awake – was reuniting with loved ones, with many saying a late spouse, parent, relative or even a beloved pet appeared to them.

In one case, a woman dreamed of her dead husband telling her: ‘I’m waiting for you.’

Others reported more symbolic visions tied to crossing over or moving from one state to another, such as ‘climbing barefoot toward an open door filled with light’, while others spoke of stairways, thresholds and bright spaces.

There were also more surreal, almost cinematic images, like ‘a white horse galloping along the shoreline’.

The scientists said these ELDVs ‘carry an important relational potential’, allowing people to ‘approach otherwise unspeakable topics through a symbolic mode of expression, bypassing the obstacles of rational language, which can instead trigger defensive reactions such as denial.’

In other words, they may help patients work through fears and hopes around dying, and come to terms with their situation in a way conversation can’t.

But while most were said to feel ‘comforted’ or ‘peaceful’ as a result of what they saw, not all the visions were soothing.

About one in 10 were distressing, including one report of a monster with the patient’s mother’s face dragging her down.

According to the researchers, these darker experiences may ‘indicate unmet clinical or emotional needs’, from unresolved conflicts and traumatic memories to physical pain.

Still, study leader Elisa Rabitti said the ELDVs lack a ‘clear cultural and clinical understanding’, despite how often they appear to happen.

This study bolsters the findings of previous research showing that dreams about deceased loved ones are common in the terminally ill, and become more frequent as death approaches. 

‘What’s really interesting is it’s not random who comes to you – it’s always those people who loved and secured you,’ commented Christopher Kerr, lead author and chief medical officer at Hospice Buffalo in New York state.

ELDVs about ‘preparing to go’ were prevalent too, with Kerr noting: ‘Patients often describe dreams about packing or getting on a bus.’

‘We’ve also had lots of veterans, and whatever wounds or burdens they’re carrying are often addressed in their end-of-life dreams,’ he added.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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Ted’s Convenience Store on Derby Street was investigated after Bolton Council’s trading standards department received “numerous complaints”.

A local resident said they’d seen “multiple visits” being made to the shop “during all times of the day and night” and suspected the illegal products were being kept in a car parked to the side of the shop.

Trading standards officers said this is a “widely recognised” strategy to “try and distance a business premises from being linked to illegal business practices, to appear legitimate to the authorities”.

They said a second person, or ‘runner’, will wait outside to quickly grab the goods to return to the shop after a sale has occurred.

If officers visit, “the second person can simply walk away, or drive the storage vehicle away, to evade detection by removing the goods from the scene”.

Ted’s Convenience Store (Image: Bolton Council)

In a joint operation with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) on February 3, 2025, trading standards investigated a number of shops on Derby Street.

They were tipped off that a black BMW parked to the side of Ted’s was being used to store illegal tobacco and got a positive indication from their tobacco detection dog.

The boot was searched and 3,780 illegal cigarettes, 0.7kg of suspected counterfeit rolling tobacco and a quantity of nitrous oxide was discovered inside and seized.

Bolton Council received another complaint on March 4, 2025, that said the shop was still selling “nitrous oxide, illicit tobacco, vapes and other drugs” from a car parked outside.

Illegal tobacco and laughing gas were discovered in the boot (Image: Bolton Council)

GMP and trading standards visited Ted’s again on October 23, 2025, and found two opened packets of cigarettes under the till during a search.

Trading standards said: “The packets were of different brands, indicating that cigarettes were being sold as ‘singles’”.

During the visit a car was again spotted on land opposite to the shop and the boot was searched after the tobacco detection dog gave a positive indication.

Inside, officers discovered “4,240 sticks of illicit tobacco and 0.3kg of suspected counterfeit hand rolling tobacco”.

Illegal tobacco and laughing gas were discovered in the boot (Image: Bolton Council)

After this, an investigation was launched to link the supply of illegal products in nearby cars to sales made within the shop.

On November 7, 2025, a test purchase of suspected counterfeit Lambert and Butler cigarettes was made – with the test purchaser charged £5 for the packet.

He reported that after asking for cigarettes the shopworker “made a phone call” and a second man then entered the shop before leaving and returning two minutes later with the cigarettes.

Trading standards said a legitimate 20 pack of Lambert and Butler currently costs between £14.95 and £15.84.

After inspecting the purchased pack they said there were “irregularities” including no security label – required since May 20, 2024 – which means they are “not legal for sale”.

20 pack of Lambert and Butler bought at Ted’s (Image: Bolton Council)

Another complaint was made on December 11, 2025, that nitrous oxide canisters were being sold by “several mini markets on Derby Street” including Ted’s

The complainant said that “groups of youths are openly inhaling nitrous oxide and dumping the empty canisters in the back streets, in turn creating severe public safety and environmental issues”.

Trading standards said that though laughing gas is used “across a range of demographics” it is “most prevalent among young people, with users reporting to recreationally use nitrous oxide in their cars whilst driving”.

They also linked it to antisocial behaviour such as “group gatherings to abuse the drug in public spaces, such as children’s parks or high streets”.

Police officers investigating a robbery not connected to the shop on August 5, 2025, said they “had difficulty obtaining evidential CCTV footage from Ted’s”.

Ted’s Convenience Store (Image: Bolton Council)

They had to obtain a warrant to search the premises – stating that “staff were hostile”, the CCTV hard drive was seized and the shop had to close “due to not functioning CCTV”.

GMP said they believe Ted’s “has demonstrated an ongoing inability or unwillingness to operate responsibly or lawfully”.

They added that “the premises has been repeatedly linked to criminality over a sustained period, despite interventions, warnings and opportunities to improve”.

They’ve asked Bolton Council’s licensing sub-committee to consider revoking the shop’s premises licence and they will meet on Tuesday, April 21, at 1pm to make a decision.

A Ford Kuga and Vauxhall Corsa crashed on the M90 late last night.

Two men have died in a horror two-car crash where one of the vehicles was travelling the wrong way down the motorway.

Emergency services raced to the M90 near Kinross happened around 10.30pm on Friday.

A grey Ford Kuga was seen driving northbound on the southbound carriageway, near junction seven. It then collided with a white Vauxhall Corsa which was travelling southbound.

The 44-year-old male driver of the Kuga and the 20-year-old male driver of the Corsa sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. Their families have been made aware.

The road was closed for around 16 hours between junctions six and nine to allow emergency services to carry out enquires and has since reopened. The northbound carriageway was also closed for a short time overnight.

Chief Inspector Lyne Williamson, Operational Support Division, said: “My thoughts are with the families of both the men who died following this tragic incident.

“An investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances of the crash.

“Anyone who was travelling on the M90 at the time and witnessed what happened, or has dashcam footage that could assist our enquiries, is asked to contact officers on 101 as soon as possible.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We received the call at 10.40pm to a two-vehicle crash on the M90. Three appliances were dispatched, with the last one leaving the scene at 2.36am.”

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“Research it, look it up, ask the questions, and don’t take no for an answer.”

For months after her children were born, Eileen Brannigan had to be careful about how she held them as they were carefully positioned in harnesses to help their hips develop properly.

When her daughter, Eíbhí, was just 16 weeks old, a routine check with a health visitor found she had an uneven skin roll on her thigh, an indicator for hip dysplasia. However, the health visitor said she wasn’t too concerned, but would refer her just to make sure.

A few weeks later, Eileen received a letter about bringing Eíbhí for a scan, which discovered the little one had a severe hip dislocation and would need to wear a pavlik harness for up to 20 weeks.

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When her second child, Connor Óg, was born, he was automatically referred for a scan as the sibling of a child with hip dyslasia. He was also found to have the condition, and was put into a harness at eight weeks old.

The pavlik harness is a soft, fabric orthotic device used to treat developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in infants, usually from birth to six months. The condition means an infant’s hip joint doesn’t fit together properly, ranging from mild instability to full dislocation.

Treatment with the harness means the baby’s hips and knees are held in a bent, slightly spread position to encourage proper socket development. The way in which the harness is adjusted can be tricky, as if it’s too tight it can cause pain, but if too loose it won’t do its job properly.

Speaking to Belfast Live at her home in Co Down, Eileen said she hadn’t heard of the condition before, adding they were very lucky it was picked up.

The 29-year-old said: “My daughter Eíbhí was 16 weeks old and at her review at home, the health visitor was measuring her weight and height. For that, you have to strip the baby right down, and the health visitor does a few hip exercises with her.

“She then noticed an uneven skin roll on Eíbhí’s thigh, she had three on one thigh and two on the other. In her experience, the health visitor said that might suggest a little bit of hip dysplasia, but said she presented fine. She said she wasn’t concerned, but would do a referral.

“Within a few weeks, I received a letter to bring Eíbhí up for a scan and thought nothing of it. Everyone looked at her, every consultant looked at her as she was a wee bit sick when she was first born.

“Everyone told me this child is presenting really fine. Then we went in for our scan, and I was told she had a really severe hip dislocation, and she would immediately be put into a pavlik harness for 12 if not 20 weeks, depending on if she meets her numbers. She ended up doing the whole 20 weeks in the harness.

“I feel very lucky Eíbhí was picked up on a complete whim, otherwise she would have slipped through the net and around the age of two or three, she would have started walking differently than other children. She probably would have had sore hips playing sports, she would have ended up needing surgery.”

Her son was found to have a shallow hip, a less severe condition than her daughter’s dislocation, and remained in a harness for 12 weeks.

Eileen said she wasn’t given much guidance on the condition, and parents she tried speaking to about it had never heard of it before.

“I was a first time mum and didn’t know what I was doing anyway, so to be faced with a baby in a pavlik harness and not have support or guidance, there was nowhere to look up tips and tricks, it was difficult,” she explained.

“There weren’t any other parents really talking about it, I saw a few accounts on TikTok that I looked up, but anyone I spoke to didn’t know anything about it. I was the mum at the mums and toddlers group with the child in the harness, I felt really lonely.

“I felt completely alone, like there was no one I could talk to about it. I was getting a lot of sympathy but I didn’t want that, I wanted other parents to know about hip dysplasia.”

As a way to share her story and raise awareness of DDH to help other parents, Eileen started documenting her day-to-day life on TikTok, sharing aspects of her children’s lives with the condition.

From talking to more people about hip dysplasia, she said many don’t realise how common it is. Mild hip instability affects approximately one in 10 newborns.

Only around one in 100 infants require treatment for DDH, and one in 500 have a completely dislocated hip, with a higher incidence in girls, first-borns, and those with a breech family history.

Eileen said she would like to see automatic referrals for scanning for infants whose family have history with hip issues, to help prevent the condition from going undetected and showing up later in life.

She explained: “I want to raise awareness as there’s a lot of parents out there who don’t know anything about it. Maybe their grandparents had a bad hip, or their uncle is getting hip surgery. Of course you have sports injuries and different things which may mean you need hip surgery, but when it comes to it, not much is shared about it.

“They don’t ask about it during your booking scan when you go in at 12 weeks and are asked all your family history about diabetes, DVTs and heart problems. You’re not asked about DDH, you’re not asked about hip problems. That’s what I just really want to happen.

“I want expectant parents to be aware of this, both antenatally and postnatally. If it’s not discussed antenatally, then once the child is born, a leaflet before you leave the hospital, have you thought about this? Go and get your child checked.

“It’s not easy for consultants and GPs to pick it up just by looking at the child. It does require an ultrasound scan, which is why a lot of babies are falling through the net, so I want people to just be at least aware of it.

“They don’t have to go and get the child scanned, they don’t have to tick the box, but I would like there to be a box there to be ticked if you felt concerned or just wanted that peace of mind in getting your baby scanned.”

Since sharing her story on social media, Eileen said she has had a lot of parents reaching out about the condition.

“I had a mum contact me saying she watched the videos, and noticed her daughter crawling and walking a bit funny, so she got her looked at and she needs hip surgery in a few weeks, and she’s two years old,” she said.

“I had another mum in Derry who was literally given a harness and told to go home, and was given no information. I had to send her a step by step tutorial on taking the harness off and putting it back on, as it’s a skill in itself using it.

“A lot of people are aware of it once they hear about it, it clicks with them and they’re like ‘oh actually I have a bit of a bad hip and I’m 26.’”

As for the advice she would give to parents concerned about the condition, or interested in finding out more, Eileen said: “Research it, look it up, ask the questions, and don’t take no for an answer. Speak to your family and your parents if you can, to any family members who may have had hip problems.

“Just as much as we talk about diabetes in pregnancy, we talk about taking our folic acid, we should be talking about DDH. A simple scan will give the child a proper childhood, a proper adulthood instead of years down the line, being in severe pain due to something that could have easily been detected at birth.

“I think if there’s a family history of DDH or hip dysplasia, it should be an automatic referral. Giving up holding your child for 12 weeks or 20 weeks in my case is definitely worth it, compared to years of pain for them down the line because they don’t have a voice.

“I want to be the voice for them, as well as other children out there who may go undetected. A simple scan is all it takes.”

Symptoms of Developmental Hip Dysplasia (DDH)

Symptoms vary by age, with infants (0-6 months) showing signs of uneven skin folds on thighs or buttocks, limited abduction shown by being unable to move one leg to the side as far as the other during nappy changes, one leg appearing shorter than the other, or a clicking/popping sound in hips.

Toddlers may show signs of a limp, a waddling gait, walking on their toes, or dragging one leg which can be observed while crawling.

If the condition is undiagnosed earlier, it can appear in teenagers and young adults through groin pain often related to activity, a feeling of hip instability or reduced range of motion, or early arthiritis due to chronic misalignment.

For more information on the condition, click here.

Video by Belfast Live videographer Justin Kernoghan.

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Hello and welcome to our coverage of United’s clash with Chelsea.

Today could be a huge day in the race for Champions League football. A win for United would almost guarantee they will finish the season ahead of today’s opponents, but a defeat really would get those at Old Trafford looking over their shoulders.

We’ll have team news for you at 6:45pm and kick-off is at 8pm, so stick with us for build-up, updates and reaction from today’s game.