Emergency services were called to the scene near the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel last night after a blaze broke out in an area of vegetation.

Fire crews are still tackling a blaze near Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh nearly 24 hours after it first broke out.

Emergency services were called to the scene near the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel after a fire ignited in an area of vegetation at around 6.50pm on Monday, May 25.

Crews worked through the night to quell the flames and two fire engines remained at the scene at 2pm on Tuesday, May 26.

Clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the area as firefighters tackled the blaze and local residents were advised to keep their windows and doors shut as a precaution. There were no reports of any injuries.

The blaze came as the city felt the heat during the current sunny spell, with a maximum temperature of 25C recorded by the Met Office on Monday.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Two fire appliances remain in attendance to dampen down hot spots following a fire on Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh.

“Firefighters were mobilised to the area after the alarm was raised at 6.50pm on Monday, May 25, and firefighters worked to extinguish a fire affecting a large area of vegetation. There are no reported casualties.”

Speaking on Monday, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are in attendance at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh following reports of a fire on the hill on Monday, May 25, 2026. The park is closed to vehicles and we ask the public to avoid the area while emergency services deal with this matter.”

During the Edinburgh Marathon at the weekend, a number of runners were treated for heat exhaustion. The Scottish Ambulance Service said 16 people were taken to hospital on Sunday.

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Charlotte Tilbury has launched a bank holiday sale with 20% off sitewide, including the Unreal Blush Healthy Glow Stick reduced from £32 to £25.60 — but the deal ends at 6am on Wednesday, May 27

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Charlotte Tilbury fans have a limited opportunity to snap up one of the brand’s most coveted complexion essentials at a discounted rate – but time is running out. The beauty retailer has launched a Bank Holiday sale, perfectly aligned with payday, offering 20% off across the entire site, though it expires in under 24 hours.

Amongst the offerings is the highly praised Unreal Blush Healthy Glow Stick, which, while appropriate for all age groups, has particularly impressed older customers with its ‘radiant’ results. This multi-purpose blush stick has rapidly become a summer beauty staple due to its glowing, natural-looking finish, now dropping from £32 to £25.60.

The discount requires no code, as the reduction is automatically deducted during checkout. Nonetheless, quick action is essential, as the promotion concludes at 6am on Wednesday, 27 May.

Designed to give cheeks and lips a vivid splash of colour, the Unreal Blush Healthy Glow Stick comes in six shades ranging from cool pinks to peachy corals and deep berry hues. Drawing inspiration from ‘beautifying summer light’, the smooth formula delivers soft-focus radiance while helping skin appear more refined and luminous.

The skincare-infused formula additionally features hyaluronic acid and Collageneer alongside Charlotte Tilbury’s Skin Barrier Defence Matrix. The brand claims this blend hydrates and strengthens the skin barrier while creating a healthy, glowing appearance. The most popular shades include Pinky Glow, a striking cool pink, Peachy Glow for a golden hour-inspired radiance, and Cherry Glow, a rich sunset red designed to create a sun-kissed look. The versatile formula can be applied as a delicate hint of colour or layered for a more dramatic appearance, reports the Express.

Meanwhile, Rhode’s Pocket Blush Buildable Hydrating Cream Blush is proving equally popular, with several shades regularly going out of stock at Sephora. The Hailey Bieber-created products cost £25, with 10 different shades on offer.

Another popular option is the NARS The Multiple, a multi-purpose stick providing a sheer, natural look for eyes, cheeks and lips. Usually costing £33, it’s now reduced to £28.05 at LookFantastic, which also stocks 10 colour variations.

Meanwhile at Charlotte Tilbury, beauty fans have been raving about the easy-to-use blush sticks, with one customer commenting: “Love these. Easy to use and give gorgeous healthy glow.”

Another commented: “This is literally the most beautiful colour and texture. It goes on and blends effortlessly, stands out and lasts all day.”

A third customer highlighted how well the formula suited mature skin, noting: “This blush is a beautiful natural colour on my fair skin. It’s easy to apply with the CT complexion brush and a little goes a long way. I’m 64 and my skin looks radiant. I love wearing it.”

However, some customers found the products fell short of their hopes, with one review stating: “I’m not impressed. It doesn’t really last very long and I personally think the pigment isn’t strong enough, however it does glide on and feels nice at the time.”

In addition to the 20% reduction, shoppers who spend £85 or more during the offer will receive a complimentary Collagen Lip Bath in the Pillow Talk Fair shade, worth £28. The lip gloss features skincare ingredients including collagen to moisturise for fuller-looking lips, and mustard sprout extract to enhance lip volume, define the lip contours and create a plumper appearance.

For further summer beauty ideas, customers may want to consider the Hollywood Flawless Filter for a dewy ‘base booster’, now £32, or the £37.60 Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer for a ‘just back from holiday’ bronzy glow. The sweat-proof Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray is another strong option, available at £26.40 as part of the promotion.

The 20% reduction applies across the brand’s website until 27 May, excluding gift cards, bundles, subscriptions and delivery.

Marlon Wayans has opened up about supporting his transgender son while maintaining a close friendship with controversial comedian Dave Chappelle.

The Scary Movie star, 53, announced in November 2023 that his eldest child, Kai, was trans and uses they/them pronouns. Years earlier, Chappelle had come under fire for jokes he made about the transgender community in his 2021 comedy special The Closer.

However, according to Wayans, he would not “hang with Dave if he was full of hate.”

“I don’t hang with people like that,” the White Chicks actor told Variety in a new interview. “I know Dave’s heart, and his intention isn’t to punch down. Dave wants to freely tell his jokes, and if you’re going to be anti-comedy, then he’s going to keep attacking you until you learn to have a sense of humor. He’s just standing there and defending his front line as a comedian.”

Wayans continued: “As a comedian, I respect his journey. And as a friend, I respect his journey. And for my child, I respect their journey.

“And as the father of my child, I can appropriate my feelings toward my friend and my feelings toward my child, and how we can put those two things together and I can explain both sides. I’m between them, so I can explain both sides to each other.”

When Wayans first revealed his child was trans, he admitted the initial adjustment was difficult, but said he quickly transformed his hesitation into “unconditional love and support.” Kai, 26, is Wayans’ eldest child with his ex-partner Angela Zackery. The former couple also shares a son, Shawn, 24.

“All of my kids are gifts, and our love is the wrapping paper,” Wayans added to Variety. “I’m not here for hate. Transphobia is a form of hate. Homophobia is a form of hate. Racism is a form of hate. All those small-hearted, small-minded people, there’s a hell for you. And if you think you’re gonna bully my child, go somewhere else. It’s not going to happen. I won’t stand for it.”

Wayans has previously defended Kai against homophobic and transphobic attacks. In 2025, he slammed rapper Soulja Boy after the “Crank That” artist hurled a homophobic slur at his child.

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“If @souljaboy had a career he could get canceled for this type of slander. Luckily he ain’t been relevant since 2007,” the actor quipped on X at the time, later sharing a topless photograph of Soulja Boy, joking: “Hey @souljaboy My child had top surgery and still has more chest than you.”

In 2024, Wayans called out Tesla CEO Elon Musk for his treatment of his trans daughter, Vivian.

“I have a Tesla that I’m about to drive over a cliff,” Wayans joked on an episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast. “I don’t like what he be saying about his trans child. You don’t treat them babies like that. You don’t disown your babies.”

A self-proclaimed ‘binfluencer’ has issued a warning to all UK residents about dustbin collection times, mocking those who leave it until after 6am to put their rubbish out

A refuse collector has delivered a stark warning to anyone putting their wheelie bin out after 6am. Self-proclaimed ‘binfluencer’ Ashley has taken to TikTok to poke fun at those who regularly forget to put their bin out the nigher before a collection.

He’s frequently spotted them dashing down the street in their dressing gowns, desperately chasing after the dustbin lorry. In a spoof clip ridiculing these homeowners, he cried: “Come back!” This mirrors the situation countless people have experienced as the bin wagon vanishes around the corner.

To avoid this nightmare, Ashley has some straight-talking guidance.

“Ensuring your bins are put out on the correct day is essential for waste management and recycling services,” his clip noted.

“Many local authorities have specific schedules that residents should adhere to. Understanding your bin day helps prevent overflowing bins and missed collections. This ensures your waste is processed on time and contributes to cleaner communities.”

Even if you rise at the break of day, there’s still a chance refuse collectors will drive past without taking your rubbish.

Ashley drove home his message by miming along to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. To anyone racing out with their bins at 6am, he cautioned: “It’s too late, my time has come.”

In the caption, the binman also made clear: “You need to make sure you put your bins out on time.”

Ashley’s clip racked up hundreds of likes, with viewers clearly enjoying his wit. One commenter said: “Good one.” Another wrote: “Too funny.” And a third added: “You really do make my day.”

While Ashley’s video might come across as a touch blunt, it does carry some genuinely useful advice worth bearing in mind.

If you leave putting your bins out until 6am, you’re far more likely to miss the collection (or cause yourself unnecessary headaches), as most councils schedule their crews to start early and they can reach your street shortly after dawn.

On top of that, leaving it to the eleventh hour raises the risk of oversleeping or getting side tracked and missing the collection altogether.

From a common courtesy standpoint, it’s also wise to avoid creating a racket at the crack of dawn. Wheeling bins across the pavement, slamming lids shut, and bottles rattling in the recycling are all guaranteed to wind up neighbours still trying to get some kip.

So for your own peace of mind, as well as that of your local bin collectors and neighbours, get yourself organised and put your rubbish out the night before!

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran on Tuesday denounced U.S. strikes a day earlier as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations continue toward a possible deal to end the war.

The U.S. military has characterized Monday’s strikes in southern Iran as defensive, saying targets included missile launch sites and boats placing mines, and said the U.S. acted with “restraint” in light of the weekslong ceasefire.

Iran’s foreign ministry called the strikes a ceasefire violation and warned that Washington would bear responsibility for “all consequences,” without details.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will leave no act of aggression unanswered,” it added in a statement.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Tuesday said it had shot down and deterred drones and a fighter jet that entered its airspace, according to Iran’s official Mizan news agency, which did not specify when the incident occurred.

It wasn’t immediately clear what the developments would mean for negotiations. The strikes came after Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf went to Qatar as part of the talks, which U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday were “proceeding nicely.”

The strikes were the latest flare-up in the fragile ceasefire that began April 7 and has largely held.

Negotiations center in part on the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway off southern Iran through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil and natural gas passed before the war began with U.S.-Israeli strikes in February. Tehran retaliated by effectively closing the strait, stranding hundreds of ships and shocking the global economy.

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center said an explosion was reported Tuesday morning aboard a tanker in the Gulf of Oman, which lies near the strait. No one was injured in the blast; there was no immediate information on the cause.

Besides disrupting energy markets, the strait’s closure is also squeezing fertilizer supplies worldwide. The full impact might not become clear until harvests that are months away. U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Qu Dongyu, warned at an event in Rome Tuesday that “the decisions we make now will determine whether this remains a manageable shock or evolves into a deeper global food security crisis in 2026 and 2027 and beyond.”

The strait has become a powerful lever for Tehran in talks, joining the long-running issue of Iran’s nuclear program and highly enriched uranium. Iran, in turn, wants the U.S. to lift its military blockade of Iranian ports that began on April 17.

“What we are witnessing today is not only a geopolitical crisis, it is a systemic shock to the global agrifood system,” Qu said Tuesday.

Trump has introduced a new angle in negotiations for a deal on the war, saying any agreement to end the war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, a series of U.S.-brokered diplomatic, economic and security agreements aimed at normalizing relations with Israel.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first countries to join in 2020; Sudan, Morocco and Kazakhstan have followed. Egypt and Jordan already formally recognize Israel and have long-standing peace treaties. Turkey first recognized Israel in 1949.

Israel’s conduct against Palestinians, including in the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has alienated Gulf Arab states and the wider Muslim world, but Trump has been keen to build on the Abraham Accords, forged during his first term. He has even suggested that Iran eventually could sign on.

Steven Schumacher’s side sealed promotion in style under the arch, with goals from Rúben Rodrigues, Sam Dalby and an own goal helping the Whites secure their return to the second tier for the first time since 2019.

Thousands of Bolton fans travelled to London on Sunday, May 24, for the showpiece final and celebrated long into the evening after the final whistle.

From emotional scenes in the stands to jubilant selfies on Wembley Way, supporters captured every moment of a historic day for Wanderers.

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Take a look through our gallery to see some of the best fan pictures from Bolton’s promotion-winning afternoon – and see if you can spot yourself.

Each of us tells a story about who we are, often tracing our identity back through an imagined line of ancestors. Though identity is fundamentally cultural, we tend to anchor it in biology – in the idea of a stable genetic inheritance passed down through generations.

Population genomics has exposed a history far more complex, dynamic and intertwined than we might wish to imagine. Even in a place such as Britain, long imagined as an island of deep and uninterrupted heritage, genetic data suggest a history marked by intense migration, mixture and cultural reinvention.

Two new studies have reinforced this picture, by analysing DNA from the skeletal remains of British individuals who lived during Roman and medieval times.

Prehistoric Britain witnessed periodic major migrations interspersed with smaller and more regular movements of peoples across what was then a contiguous landscape.

After about 6100BC, rising sea levels isolated Britain from mainland Europe, helping to promote later historical narratives of a population relatively isolated.

Yet even early observers recognised otherwise. Writing in the first century AD, the
Roman historian Tacitus noted the diversity of Britain’s tribes, suggesting their origins lay in Germany, Gaul and Iberia.

Such conclusions were drawn from physical, cultural and linguistic observations. Now it is testable, thanks to rapid advances in population genomics and ancient DNA sequencing, allowing direct ancestry reconstruction across demographic and political changes.

A major recent study by Marina Silva, from the Francis Crick Institute in London, and colleagues analysed more than 1,000 ancient genomes from across Britain during the first millennium AD.

The pre-print, which has not yet been published in a journal, asks one simple question: could the main historical events of Britain – the Roman occupation, Anglo-Saxon migration, the Viking Age and the Norman conquest – be detected in the genetic data of the populations that lived through these eras?

The answer was complicated. The Roman period, for all its political and cultural upheaval, left surprisingly little mark on the genetic structure of the wider population. About 80% of the individuals who lived during Roman times in Britain cluster almost exactly with those of the immediately preceding Iron Age, arguing for genetic continuity and no replacement. Even in urban centres where occupying Roman elites were most prevalent, the broader population retained overwhelmingly local ancestry.

In contrast, the early medieval period, from around 410AD (when Roman rule collapsed) to 1066AD, saw a substantial influx of new ancestry from across the North Sea. The researchers were able to detect this influx by comparing the British samples with genetic data from populations in other parts of north-west Europe. Continental ancestry associated with Anglo-Saxon migration appears in more than 70% of of the burials in southern “Anglo-Saxon” Britain.

Thus, migration was not just cultural but demographic on a scale sufficient to leave its imprint on the shape of population structure.

Yet even this transformation cannot be generalised. From about 700AD to 1000AD, further waves of continental influence appear in Britain, with the arrival of settlers from central Europe (seemingly from France and the Rhineland) and, to a lesser extent, the south of Europe. However, the Viking Age leaves a more uneven and regionally variable genetic signal than its historical prominence might suggest.

While a Scandinavian component is clearly present in northern and eastern regions,
it is rarely of a magnitude comparable to that found in early medieval migrations.
Most surprisingly, the Norman conquest of 1066 appears to have been largely an
elite process, leaving little detectable trace in the genomes of the common
population.

Genome-wide ancestry profiles straddle the date of the conquest, with
no hint of abrupt population replacement. Despite all its drama, the conquest seems, at the level of population genetics, to have involved elite replacement by relatively few individuals.

A second pre-print study provides a closer view of what this looked like on the ground. Focusing on a rural cemetery at Priory Orchard in Surrey, Flavio De Angelis, from Arizona State University in Tempe, and colleagues examined individuals buried across the centuries before and after the Norman conquest.

Again, the results are surprising: rather than any clear genetic break after 1066, both pre- and post-conquest burials fall within the same cluster, showing shared ancestry and no evidence for demographic turnover. The continuity is not just qualitative, but visible in the statistical similarity of ancestry components
across generations.

Instead, the community reflects a much longer history of interaction across the North Sea world. Its ancestry includes Anglo-Saxon-associated components, significant Scandinavian input dating to the Viking period, and smaller continental contributions.

Crucially, these elements are already present before the Norman arrival and persist
afterward. The Norman conquest, in genetic terms, is barely visible. What looks, on historical timelines, like a moment of dramatic rupture appears, at the level of the common individual, as a continuation. Genes tell the story of populations and detect localised impacts of migration, but they do not map neatly onto geopolitics.

Taken together, these studies point to a crucial distinction. Cultural and political change does not necessarily equate to demographic change. Britain’s history is neither one of uninterrupted continuity nor of repeated population replacement, but something more complex: long-term mixture punctuated by events that reshape institutions more than populations.

Some migrations – such as those of the early medieval period – left deep and
measurable genetic legacies. Others, despite their prominence in historical
narratives, left only faint traces. The discrepancy is striking: the scale of genetic change does not map neatly onto the scale of historical attention.

Modern genetic data reinforce this picture. Contemporary populations across the
British Isles do not form a single, uniform group. Instead, they cluster into
overlapping but distinct lineages reflecting different regional histories and varying degrees of past migration.

These patterns echo the ancient record, but they did not affect all regions equally. Wales and Ireland retain stronger continuity with earlier populations, while England shows clearer evidence of ancestry linked to early medieval migration from northern Europe. Scotland occupies an intermediate position, reflecting both long-term continuity and later Scandinavian influence.

Importantly, these differences are matters of degree, not kind. All populations of the British Isles share deep common ancestry overlaid by layers of migration whose
effects vary regionally. The structure we see today is the product of these layered
histories, not the survival of isolated or “pure” populations.

What emerges is not a story of rooted, bounded identities, but of continual
connection. British identity – like all identities – has been assembled over millennia through movement, interaction and adaptation.

Modern genomes do not simply tell us who we are; they preserve how we got here.
History does not make migration exceptional – it reveals it as the norm.

Emergency services were called to Green Lane A1044 just before midday on Tuesday (May 26) after two vehicles collided near HMP Kirklevington Grange. 

Pictures taken from the scene show the crumpled aftermath of one of the cars – a cream Renault – which had one of its airbags deployed. 

The aftermath of a crash on Green Lane in Yarm (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

The road was cordoned off by firefighters at the time, sparking a backlog of traffic on the busy route leading to and from the Crossways Roundabout. 

The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has confirmed that two people were treated and discharged at the scene and another was taken to the James Cook University Hospital for further treatment.

Their condition remains unknown at this time.

A Cleveland Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Cleveland Fire Brigade were called on Tuesday, May 26, at 11.51am to an incident near Healaugh Park in Yarm. 

“Two fire engines from Thornaby were in attendance. It was a two-vehicle road traffic collision, where no people were trapped. 

“Crews made the vehicles safe. The stop message was received at 12.30pm.”

A NEAS spokesperson said: “We received a call at 11.49am on Tuesday 26 May to reports of a road traffic incident near the Golden Jubilee in Yarm.

“We dispatched an ambulance crew and a rapid response paramedic to the scene.

“Two patients were treated and discharged on-scene and another was transported to James Cook for further treatment.”

“The first set happened super quickly, and it’s not a nice feeling, you know, when the points and the games are going, like, very, very fast,” Raducanu said. “I’m glad at least in the second set I was able to get a few games on the board.”

The second set was a marked improvement, and the British No 1 rallied from 4-1 down rather than capitulating entirely, as she has done previously when facing a similar scoreline. While Sierra might not be the same calibre as Amanda Anisimova, Elena Rybakina or Iga Swiatek, who have been at the other end of the court on those occasions, it is worth noting that this is only her second match in more than two months and on her least favoured surface.

Her unforced error count remained high, as she hit 27 in the second set, but Raducanu also hit 15 winners and took six out of nine break points.

It was a dogged effort to drag herself back into the match on two occasions, at 4-1 down in the second set and then again at 5-1 down in the tie-break to give herself a chance at 4-5.

It has been a difficult season overall for Raducanu, who missed more than two months citing the after-effects of a viral illness she contracted playing in Cluj in November. While the majority of that has cleared, she was noticeably coughing into her towel at one point during the opening round match in Paris.

It was when the question was put to her about the number of injury and illness setbacks she faced and the mindset needed to continue that Raducanu became emotional and, with tears in her eyes, said: “It’s very difficult. I think you need a lot of resilience. I think I’m trying my best each day, and I think that’s all I can ask of myself.”

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