Former England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor will take on a groundbreaking role with the men’s national side after being appointed as fielding coach for next month’s Test series against New Zealand.

Taylor, a World Cup winner in 2017, has been part of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s coaching set-up for a couple of years and worked as an assistant coach for the Lions in Australia this winter under Andrew Flintoff.

But her new role with Ben Stokes’ side is a watershed moment, marking the 36-year-old out as the most senior female coaching appointment for a major England men’s team.

It is not her first time smashing through glass ceilings. She was once called ‘the best wicketkeeper in the world’ by the great Adam Gilchrist, who made it clear he was speaking without reference to gender, joined the Sussex coaching staff in 2021 and was drafted by Hundred franchise Manchester Originals the following season. Back in 2015, she even earned the distinction of becoming the first woman to play first-grade cricket in Australia when she took the gloves for Northern Districts.

She will work with Jamie Smith and James Rew in the three-match series against the Black Caps, with previous fielding consultant Carl Hopkinson involved at the Indian Premier League with Mumbai Indians.

Rob Key, managing director of men’s cricket, said: “She’s done a lot of work in the Lions. We’ve been thoroughly, unbelievably impressed with her and the way that she goes about her business.

“I just think she’s one of the best in the business at what she does. She’s been outstanding, and she’s worked a lot with Andrew Flintoff and (performance director) Ed Barney. They can’t speak highly enough of her.

“So from what we can see, she’s one of the best in the business. She’s stepped up to come and do this and she’ll continue to work with the Lions when that’s required. She’ll be someone that we’ll definitely look at and continue to use.”

One of Taylor’s former international team-mates, Alex Hartley, has previously worked as spin coach for Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League, with Ireland’s Cath Dalton also on staff as fast bowling coach.

In football, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has previously spoken encouragingly about the idea that Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman could one day take charge of the England men’s team.

Marie-Louise Eta was named as interim boss of Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin in April, while further down the English pyramid Hannah Dingley was briefly in charge of Forest Green on a caretaker basis in the summer of 2023.

Even further back, former British tennis number one Andy Murray became the first elite level male player to employ a female coach, working with Amelie Mauresmo from 2014-2016.

A large police operation is underway

A two‑year‑old British boy has reportedly been abducted in Cyprus as police launch a huge search operation after he was allegedly taken by his father from the family home in Limassol.

Officers say the 29‑year‑old Turkish Cypriot crossed illegally from the island’s north before entering the property, where he is accused of snatching the child from his British mother.

The man is believed to have stormed the property with an accomplice, forcing his way inside before fleeing in a small white car. A manhunt is under way, and investigators have already examined the suspected getaway vehicle as part of the operation.

Police believe the man returned to the island’s northern Turkish-occupied territories, with an island task force alerted to the incident.

Limassol deputy police chief Lefteris Kyriakou said an arrest warrant is set to be issued for the father, who is already subject to another arrest warrant relating to a domestic abuse incident in November 2025.

The British mum is part of the ‘Hope’ program which offers support to victims of domestic abuse, local outlet Protothema reports.

Channel 4 viewers have been left feeling ‘sick’ after the latest episode of Virgin Island ramped up the action.

The controversial reality series is back on our screens for a second season after the first became a hit with fans.

Taking place on a beautiful Croatian island, 12 adults who have never had sex attempt to overcome their intimacy issues with professional coaching and intimacy therapy.

Earlier this month, two sex therapists on the series insisted that they ‘were not lovers’ after a steamy scene between each other.

Now, however, viewers have been left ‘speechless’ after Bertie got his first proper tour of female genitalia thanks to his surrogate partner, Kat.

The 24-year-old, who is autistic, was encouraged to put his fingers inside of Kat’s vaginal opening.

After the pair stripped off their clothes and Kat offered an ‘anatomy lesson’, Bertie explained: ‘I obviously know what female genitals look like.

‘When it comes to dealing with one if I ever have sex, I wouldn’t know what to do. I’d know the different names of the different parts but I don’t know where’s where.

‘So, I wouldn’t know where to, you know… aim.’

Helping Bertie find different parts of the vagina, Bertie located the clitoris but ended up poking Kat, which led to her reassuring him that it’s ‘okay’ but saying it is ‘super sensitive’.

After laughing, Kat then said: ‘You can put your finger inside too to just feel what it feels like.’

Despite some hesistation, Bertie followed her instructions, giggling nervously, before he gave his finger a sniff afterwards.

He said: ‘I’m just curious. Okay, it doesn’t smell of anything.’

Reacting to the moment online, @bytesizedlaff wrote on TikTok: ‘I’m confused? Is this his partner or some random?’

Responding beneath, Catherine asked: ‘Is this broadcasted for all to see…on television?’

Meanwhile, Francesca said: ‘I’m gunna be sick,’ as Rachel similarly declared: ‘This is crazy honestly.’

Wendy also added: ‘I’m speechless, where did this come from?’

Previously, fans declared that Bertie delivered the ‘funniest TV moment of 2026’ after he learned how to position himself during sex with Kat and thrust.

The next episode of Virgin Island is available to watch at 9pm on Monday May 18 on Channel 4 and streaming.

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PARIS (AP) — Over 1,700 passengers and crew on a British cruise ship were ordered to remain on board after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, French authorities said Wednesday.

They dismissed any link to a deadly hantavirus outbreak on another vessel that has put European health authorities on alert.

The Ambition was midway through a 14-night cruise from Belfast and Liverpool that was due to take in ports in northern Spain and along France’s Atlantic coast.

It reached Bordeaux on Tuesday evening, according to the operator, Ambassador Cruise Line.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 23 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships visiting U.S. ports in 2025, the highest annual total in more than a decade. Most were caused by norovirus, including a new strain driving the recent surge.

The prefect of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and Gironde department, Étienne Guyot, suspended disembarkation from the Ambition and restricted the vessel’s interactions with the port of Bordeaux.

He acted on the recommendation of the regional health agency, the Agence Régionale de Santé Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the joint statement said.

Up to 50 passengers showed symptoms consistent with acute digestive infection after the ship’s captain alerted French authorities on Tuesday evening, the statement said.

Those affected were treated by the ship’s doctor and isolated in their cabins.

A medical team was dispatched to the vessel, and samples are being analyzed at a Bordeaux hospital.

“There is no reason to establish a link between this outbreak aboard a cruise ship from Belfast and Liverpool and the hantavirus cases detected aboard the MV Hondius,” the joint statement said.

The hantavirus outbreak aboard the Hondius last month prompted a multicountry response and the hospitalization of passengers in Britain, France, Spain and the United States. Three passengers died and there have been nine confirmed cases, with another two suspected.

An update is expected later on Wednesday, once analysis results are available.

Ambassador Cruise Line said earlier Wednesday that a 92-year-old male passenger had died on Sunday, although he had not reported symptoms consistent with the illness, and that his cause of death was yet to be established by a coroner.

The company said 48 passengers and one crew member were displaying gastrointestinal symptoms as of late Wednesday morning.

Ambassador said its data showed cases had risen after passengers boarded in Liverpool on May 9. All shore excursions at Bordeaux had been canceled and affected passengers offered full refunds, the company said.

Ambassador Cruise Line, a British operator targeting passengers over 50, was founded in 2021.

Bhekisani Matabiswana, 27, battered 37-year-old Luke Harden and was later caught at Manchester Airport attempting to escape the country

A man who killed a model and then attempted to flee to South Africa has been found guilty of murder.

Bhekisani Matabiswana, 27, battered 37-year-old Luke Harden and was later caught at Manchester Airport attempting to escape the country.

A court heard how Luke, who worked for Nemesis Model Agency in Manchester, and others were booked to DJ at a Halloween fancy dress party at a working men’s club in Stacksteads, Lancashire, on October 31, 2025.

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Matabiswana, who attended the same event with his friends, launched what police described as a ‘frenzied and cowardly attack’ on Luke as he lay defenceless on the ground during an encounter shortly after both men had left the venue. His killer then attempted to portray himself as a Good Samaritan who had simply tried to help after, he claimed, coming across an injured stranger on the ground.

The model had suffered swelling to the brain and back of the head, extensive facial bruising with cuts to the left lower eyelid and to the lips, patterned bruising to the left cheek, fractures to his nose, jaw and larynx, and bruising to the neck, arms and shoulder. It was later established that he died as a result of blunt force trauma to head and neck following an assault.

Today (May 13, 2026), a jury at Preston Crown Court found Matabiswana guilty of murder after the judge accepted a majority verdict.

At 11.46pm on October 31, the defendant and his associates left the venue via one exit and Luke left via a different exit. CCTV footage captured the movements of Matabiswana’s group and Luke after they left. Footage showed that Matabiswana’s group was ahead of Luke, who was walking alone.

Matabiswana, who was known locally as Nick, and a woman he was with separated from their group on Clough Street at 11.51pm. However, when they got to Newchurch Road at 11.58pm, there was an interaction with Luke, and Luke was punched and then either kicked or stamped on by Matabiswana while he lay defenceless on the ground, police said.

Luke had no defensive wounds on his hands or arms, and there were no marks on his hands to suggest he was the aggressor.

Matabiswana was captured on CCTV just after midnight, and his female associate appeared to be tugging at him as if he was attempting to leave the scene. It was in the two-minute period before this that Luke was fatally assaulted.

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Rather than attempt to administer first aid or ring for an ambulance, Matabiswana used Luke’s phone to call the victim’s friends at 12.03am to tell them their friend was on the floor. He also called Luke’s family and told them a similar thing.

At 12.06am, a member of the public came onto Newchurch Road and saw Luke lying on the pavement and Matabiswana’s female associate was kneeling next to him with his head in her hands. Noticing that Matabiswana was on the phone, he asked the defendant numerous times if he had called for an ambulance but received no reply.

The member of the public then called an ambulance and administered first aid to an unresponsive Luke, along with Matabiswana’s female associate. Paramedics arrived just after 12.20am and provided first aid to Luke.

They noted he had injuries to his face which were consistent with being the victim of an assault. However, Matabiswana lied to the paramedics, claiming that he had seen Luke fall, stating that Luke had struggled to breathe after falling and that he had put him into the recovery position.

At 12.35am police officers on patrol in the area came across paramedics tending to Luke. Matabiswana told officers that he had been walking from the working men’s club when he came across Luke lying on the floor. He falsely claimed to have used Luke’s phone to call for an ambulance and to have telephoned Rawtenstall A&E.

Whilst the woman was talking to the police, the defendant was captured on the officer’s body worn video camera talking to himself, and he was heard to say: “We shouldn’t have done this.” Following this, Luke was pronounced deceased at the scene at 1.17am.

Matabiswana and his female associate were arrested on suspicion of Luke’s murder shortly before 2am and they were taken into custody. After arriving at custody, it was noted that Matabiswana had grazing on his left-hand knuckles and swelling around the ring finger of his right hand which caused him pain when touched.

He later claimed these injuries were old and did not cause him any pain.

On November 2, Matabiswana and his female associate were released under investigation whilst police enquiries continued. The following day however, Matabiswana was tracked by authorities and arrested at Manchester Airport trying to board a flight to South Africa.

In his subsequent police interview, Matabiswana accepted that he had struck Luke but claimed it was in self-defence as he had been punched first. He denied using his feet to assault Luke.

Following his arrest, Matabiswana’s mobile phone was seized and examined by experts. In text messages recovered from Matabiswana’s phone, he gave another conflicting account about the circumstances which led to the altercation with Luke to the two he had given to the police.

He also sent numerous messages about how he intended to flee the country, and that he needed money and a third-party email address to book a flight. Matabiswana, 27, of St James Street, Bacup, was today found guilty of murder, and he will be sentenced at the Preston Crown Court on Monday

DI Pete MacDonald, from our Force Major Investigation Team, said: “Following a brief encounter with his victim, Matabiswana engaged in a frenzied and cowardly attack – continuing to attack Luke whilst he lay defenceless on the floor.

“He then made no effort to help Luke, instead choosing to contact his family and friends in a sordid and sinister bid to paint himself as the Good Samaritan who had simply come across an injured man on the pavement. He continued these callous lies to Luke’s distressed friends and family, as their loved one lay dying on the ground yards away from them.

“Throughout this case. Matabiswana has shown no remorse, making several efforts to evade justice. Firstly, by attempting to leave the scene before police arrived – later being heard to say ‘we shouldn’t have done this’. And then secondly by booking a flight to Johannesburg. Thankfully he never made that flight.

“Thankfully a jury had today held Matabiswana accountable for his actions by finding him guilty of Luke’s murder. I would like to thank them for their considered verdicts.

“I would also like to thank our Counsel, the CPS and all those officers and police staff who have worked around the clock to ensure Luke’s loved ones got the justice they understandably craved.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday is set to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, bringing new leadership to the world’s most powerful central bank at a fraught moment for the global economy.

Warsh’s confirmation was thrown into doubt in recent months after Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he would block the nomination while the Justice Department investigated Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The Powell probe was dropped in April, clearing the way for the Senate to confirm Warsh.

Warsh, 56, a former top Fed official, is becoming chair at an unusually difficult time for the independent agency.

Inflation has topped the Fed’s 2% target for five years and is now rising faster because of spiking gas prices. The Fed’s interest rate-setting committee is divided and saw the most dissenting votes in more than three decades last month. And Powell, after years of personal attacks from the Republican president and an unprecedented legal investigation by the Justice Department, plans to stay on the Fed’s board even after his term as chair ends, potentially creating a competing power center.

The Senate is expected to vote on Warsh’s confirmation on Wednesday afternoon, a day after approving his nomination to the Fed’s Board of Governors. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the lone Democrat to side with Republicans in confirming him to the board.

The Fed has faced numerous threats to its independence from Trump, who has repeatedly attacked Powell for not cutting interest rates. Trump also sought to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook and launched an investigation into brief Senate testimony by Powell on a building renovation.

Kevin Hassett, director of the White House’s National Economic Council, said in a Fox News interview on Sunday that he believes the markets are relieved that Warsh “is going to help lower interest rates over time.”

“Obviously, data driven. I’m not putting any pressure on Kevin Warsh,” Hassett said. “We know that he’s an extremely smart, competent person who could be very convincing when he talks to his colleagues.”

In December, Trump said on his social media platform that he wanted a Fed chair who would cut interest rates when the stock market rose — the opposite of what traditional economics would prescribe — and added, “Anyone that disagrees with me will never be the Fed chairman!”

Trump’s comments have fueled concerns over whether Warsh will set rates based on economic conditions or seek to cut rates to appease Trump, even if doing so could worsen inflation. At Warsh’s confirmation hearing last month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, derided him as a “sock puppet” for Trump. Warsh declined to say that Democrat Joe Biden had won the 2020 election against Trump, who has falsely claimed that voter fraud cost him reelection.

Still, Warsh denied at the hearing that Trump had pressured him to reduce the Fed’s key rate.

“The president never once asked me to commit to any particular interest rate decision, period,” Warsh said then. “Nor would I ever agree to do so if he had. … I will be an independent actor if confirmed as chair of the Federal Reserve.”

___

Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

The festival will celebrate Whitby’s rich fishing heritage and will see the historic landmark open to the town’s residents this weekend.

Originally founded in the 7th century and later rebuilt as a Benedictine monastery, the Abbey has weathered centuries of history.

Shaped by religion, myths and stories, it notably served as the inspiration behind scenes from Bram Stoker’s Dracula – something which still attracts visitors from around the world today.

Whitby is set to host its Fish and Ships festival this weekend (Image: Tripadvisor)

Residents with YO21 AND YO22 postcodes can learn more about this and see the historic gothic ruins while enjoying the festival.

As reported by The Press, the two-day event, based at the Marina Front, will feature live music from local bands and iconic sea balladeers, along with marquees packed with entertainment, cooking demonstrations and great food.

At the heart of the festival is the Fish Craft Marquee, sponsored by Magpie Café, where chefs will showcase their expertise in filleting the day’s catch.

Professional chefs will be on hand to lead cooking demonstrations (Image: Whitby Fish and Ships)

Local fishermen will also demonstrate the true art of pot sewing and net mending – vital skills still used in their day-to-day work – and a giant fish display will be highlighting the variety of species caught off the coast.

Organisers said: “Visitors can find out what these fish and shellfish look like before they are process, and chat to experts from the industry who will answer any of our fishing questions.

“There are many hands-on activities to keep kids big and small entertained.”

Coastal communities will be deploying the Shannon-class-all-weather lifeboat to give visitors a taste of what it is like onboard the emergency service.

Tours will be limited to 12 people every half an hour, and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with slots given on the day at the top of the gangway.

The lifeboat will be located on the Trident Pontoon, near the Marina Front Car Park, from 10am till 4pm on Saturday (May 16) – with the last tour starting at 3.30pm.

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It comes as local fishermen gear up for the special Fishermen Olympics, a challenge which will see experts go head-to-head while performing nautical tasks.

This will be complete with a classic tug-o-war competition – a true test of visitor’s strength.

For more information on the weekend’s itinerary, please visit here.

Good Omens has finally returned for its last ever series after an agonising three-year wait.

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Good Omens is over, and fans are eager to know all there is about how season three brought the drama to a close.

Although the Prime Video series started off as a story about preventing the apocalypse, it didn’t take long before it evolved into a romance between Crowley (played by David Tennant) and Aziraphale (Michael Sheen).

Season one was a direct adaptation of the 1990 novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, but series two and three are original story ideas developed for a proposed but never-written sequel.

Three years have gone by since Aziraphale and Crowley parted ways, but they reunite in the final series as the Supreme Archangel needs the former demon’s help to find Jesus Christ (Bilal Hasna), but even more problems arise.

Good Omens ending explained

In the final 90-minute episode of Good Omens, Archangel Michael (Doon Mackichan) uses the Book of Life to destroy the universe until Aziraphale and Crowley find him at the Eternal Flame.

Crowley is able to grab just one page from the fire, leading to him, Aziraphale, and the bookshop to be all that remains.

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With this pending doom now coming to life, Satan (Toby Jones) and God (Tanya Moodie) appear and seem to be content spending the rest of eternity with just one another.

Of course, Crowley and Aziraphale are not so keen on this idea and convince God to reboot reality so that the universe and, therefore, the human race could continue to live on.

However, they ask God that if the universe was to survive, then it should be in a new reality without Heaven and Hell, something God surprisingly agrees to.

She uses her infinite powers to bring this new world to life, but in doing so, wipes out Crowley and Aziraphale from existence.

This isn’t the end of their story, though, as fans are then taken to the new Earth where they meet as humans, bookseller Asa and Professor Anthony Crawley.

In a classic meet-cute moment, Asa awkwardly asks Anthony out for dinner after meeting in the bookshop.

Their date takes place at a bar where fans see the new versions of the characters, including Jesus and the former Antichrist Adam (Sam Taylor-Buck), enjoying a drink.

The camera then shows none other than the portrait of Sir Terry Pratchett, who co-wrote the Good Omens book on which the show is based.

Fast forward 20 years, and Asa and Anthony are still together, married, and living in a cottage in the South Downs.

They are seen watching a shooting star and listening to a nightingale when Anthony tells Asa, “I don’t need anything more than this.

“I have the universe out there, and I have you. I have everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Good Omens is available to watch on Prime Video.