Three-year-old Noah Woods, who was found dead in a pond following a huge search in Suffolk, had left a play area “through a gap in the fence”, an inquest has heard.

A major search was carried out in the village of Brantham after the toddler went missing on 15 September. His body was found the next day in nearby water by police divers.

Assistant coroner Jyoti Gill said it was a “very sad and tragic death” as she opened and adjourned the inquest in Ipswich.

A tribute issued by Noah’s family called him a “happy, cheeky, playful” boy who loved to laugh, with his mother urging other parents to “hold their children a little tighter and cherish every moment”.

Suffolk Coroner’s Court heard from police that Noah had left the playground, walked into a memorial garden and left that through an open gate. He then ran down a path on a new housing estate towards nearby Decoy Pond.

Det Ch Insp Matt Connick from Suffolk Police told the court that CCTV showed Noah in the play area being looked after by a relative, which was “part of a normal routine”.

The detective said Noah “left through a gap in the fence leading to the memorial garden where he left through an open gate”.

After he had left the play area, he was closely followed by the relative trying to catch up with him, Connick added.

The inquest heard the relative had shouted out to Noah, who lived in neighbouring East Bergholt, but he went out of sight shortly afterwards.

Another man was said to have joined the search and then police were called.

At the time of the search, volunteers were told that Noah was non-verbal and partially deaf.

A statement from Brantham Parish Council, which maintains the play area at Merriam Close, said it was “deeply saddened by Noah’s death and our thoughts remain with his family and all those affected at this extremely difficult time”.

“The parish council understands that there was a break in the internal fencing, being constructed to separate the play area from the memorial garden, however the whole of the area at Merriam Close, including the play area and memorial garden are completely enclosed by appropriate perimeter fencing,” it said.

“The council will co-operate fully with any investigation and, while inquiries are ongoing, does not consider it appropriate to comment further.”

Donald Trump‘s military is lining up battlefield surgeons, military police and combat engineers for a potential operation against Cuba within the next four months.

US Army Reserve headquarters sent an internal message last week asking its commands whether they could hand six types of units over to Southern Command, which oversees American forces in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The memo does not mention Cuba, but multiple US officials said the planning is aimed squarely at the communist island, according to CBS News, which obtained the document.

The units would ‘possibly [be] needed in 90-120 days’, the memo states, opening a potential deployment window around Christmas. Commands were given until Friday to respond.

Among the units requested is a forward resuscitative and surgical detachment, a small team that performs emergency surgery and trauma care on wounded troops close to the fighting.

There is no indication any units have been given deployment orders, and the message does not say how many troops would be needed, where they would go or what operation they would support.

Trump told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that Cuba’s communist government ‘will fall’ and ‘freedom will be coming’, after US special forces snatched Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro from Caracas in January.

The Cuban delegation stormed out of the hall as the president made the veiled threat. Trump added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was ‘deep into negotiations’ with Havana.

Cuban soldiers take part in the Torchlight March on the 173rd anniversary of National Hero Jose Marti (a leader of Cuba’s independence from Spain and founder of the Cuban Revolutionary Party) in Havana on January 27

Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel waves a national flag during celebrations marking the victory on the 65th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion and the declaration of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution in Havana on April 16

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Hegseth visiting Guantanamo Bay in February

The memo also asks for a medical brigade to direct units in the field, and a military police brigade, whose units typically handle security, detention and law enforcement missions.

Also on the list are an engineer battalion, a logistics battalion that manages transport, fuel, maintenance and supplies, and an expeditionary sustainment command to run logistics across an entire theater of operations.

A Southern Command spokesperson said: ‘Due to operational security concerns, we do not disclose details or comment on US operational movements or potential deployment timelines associated with current or future operations, contingencies, or planning.

‘However, US Southern Command continuously coordinates with the Joint Force to assess a range of potential requirements across its [area of responsibility] in support of assigned missions.’

The planning comes as Trump pursues what officials have dubbed the ‘Donroe Doctrine’, a muscular push to drive adversaries out of America’s backyard.

The administration hit Cuban officials and entities with fresh sanctions days before his UN speech, including military-linked firms tied to the island’s nickel industry.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office in March that he believed he would have ‘the honor of taking Cuba‘.

US special forces snatched Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro from Caracas in January

The Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, part of the Russian naval detachment visiting Cuba, arrives at Havana’s harbor, June 12, 2024

‘Taking Cuba in some form, yeah,’ he said. ‘I think I could do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth.’ Later that month, he declared: ‘Cuba’s going to be next.’

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has vowed to fight back against any US attack and accused Washington of ‘aggression’ and ‘economic warfare’ for choking off the island’s oil imports.

Military planners have also examined an air assault on the island by thousands of troops from the 101st Airborne Division, the only unit trained for the task, CBS News reported in July. Officials emphasized no decision had been made.

Another US military operation may seem far-fetched with conflicts raging in Iran and Ukraine, but Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has admitted his government is also prepared for a US invasion.

‘I think you have a responsibility in these roles to look at extreme tail risk,’ Carney, 61, told the New York Times on Wednesday. ‘That’s just risk management. That’s not a base case, but it would be irresponsible not to.’

“Ultimately we need to know that patient safety will not be compromised.”

A Lisburn Ulster Unionist has put down his party’s red line amid calls for the UUP Health Minister to face scrutiny over £50m hospital savings.

Newly installed Health Minister Robbie Butler (UUP) is now being beckoned a short distance from his city office for council scrutiny at Lagan Valley Island civic centre.

The South Eastern Trust is also being called to the special meeting over concerns a Department of Health cost cutting measure could put patient safety at risk.

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Bringing forward a motion, Castlereagh East DUP councillor Samantha Burns said: “I have grave concerns that the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust has been instructed to deliver significant savings of £50.7 million during 2026/27.

“The cost savings of this scale we have to ask what the exact consequences will be for patients, staff and the services our constituents rely upon particularly at Lagan Valley Hospital and Ulster Hospital.”

The Department of Health has pledged £800m in savings after revealing it is currently overspending by £2m a day.

The ‘reset and recovery’ plan will require a 4% saving to be made by NI health trusts every year for the next three years.

Trusts are being encouraged to reduce temporary staffing, standardise care pathways, shorten hospital stays and reorganise services to deliver savings.

Councillor Burns added: “I am further concerned that the Trust has determined that these measures do not require formal public consultation despite their scale and potential impact upon patients, staff and local communities.

“People deserve to know what is being proposed and deserve to have an opportunity for their concerns to be heard,

“Ultimately we need to know that patient safety will not be compromised.”

The motion received cross party support in the chamber with Minister Butler and the South Eastern Trust to attend the council chamber to outline the proposed savings in full to elected members.

In chambers, Lisburn North UUP councillor Nicholas Trimble said: “I understand Councillor Burns’ concerns and I share them..£50.7m is a huge level of savings for the South Eastern Trust to find especially when we are already half way through the year.

“It is entirely reasonable for us to ask what that is going to mean for our patients and staff.

“The Department of Health has over half the entire Executive budget and the health trusts spend the lion’s share of that and it is prudent for any public body to find savings and efficiencies. “

He added: “But, the UUP has a very clear red line throughout all of this, patient safety must come first no matter how dire the wider state of Executive finance, no health trust should ever do anything that risks either patient or staff safety and wellbeing.

“We do need to keep in our minds that the questions don’t stop with the South Eastern Trust, the Department of Health, the Minister, we must also direct them at the Executive and its wider shortcoming that has put us in this position.”

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This Sunday’s World Championships road race in Montreal promises to be one of the most open in years, with two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar not on the start line. His absence, and a course suited to a wider range of riders than some in recent years, means any number could claim the coveted world champion’s rainbow jersey.

Among their number is Britain’s Tom Pidcock, co-leader of a strong squad alongside veteran Adam Yates. Pidcock is no stranger to rainbow stripes, having won world titles in cyclo-cross and on the mountain bike – including winning a second mountain bike cross-country crown just last month. But a world title on the road would trump every other victory in his career, and make him the first man ever to be world champion in all three disciplines.

Speaking from a training base outside Boulder, Colorado, Pidcock tells The Independent and other outlets: “Regardless of everything else, I think becoming road world champion would be truly amazing. It’s going to be so hard to win, [but] I think this is my best opportunity so far in my career, that’s for sure. It definitely suits me, a hard course, the length of climb.

“I think the depth [in the peloton] is so deep, I might not even stand on the podium, so I think it’s quite an open race. Even having said that it’s my best shot so far.”

Part of Pidcock’s build-up to the World Championships involved the two Canadian Grands Prix, one-day races in Quebec and Montreal. The results were positive – a fourth place in Quebec and sixth two days later on the tougher, more hilly Montreal course. It was the ideal dress rehearsal: the GP de Montreal features 16 laps of the same Mont Royal circuit which features 12 times in the 273.2km Worlds road race.

“I felt like it was very attritional,” Pidcock says. “The race in Montreal felt like it also took forever.” There was a headwind on the main climb, the Cote Camillien-Houde, which – if replicated on Sunday – could play a decisive role in how the race pans out. “I don’t know if that’s the prevailing wind or not, but it made it hard, but also hard to make a difference. I think it’s a course that favours saving for one big move.”

The 27-year-old can often be a harsh self-critic but he sounded upbeat about his shape, following strong showings in Canada, a win in a one-day race in Italy, and most significantly, that mountain bike world title in Val di Sole. “I’ve felt really good these last few weeks, actually, even training at altitude. I did some VO2 efforts at 25,000 metres for the first time ever, and I actually managed to do them, so that must be quite a good thing,” he smiles. “I feel really, really good, to be honest, but yeah, one-day races, you can get it wrong, even if you feel good leading into it.”

We can’t discuss this World Championships without talking about the enormous void left by Pogacar, ruled out of a three-peat, and the rest of his season, with a collarbone fracture and other injuries sustained in a crash at the Vuelta a Espana.

Pidcock was third at last year’s Vuelta, his first-ever podium at a Grand Tour, but opted to skip it this season. Given how the race panned out without Pogacar, did he have any regrets about missing it?

His mind was made up long before, he says: “When I was sick before the Tour [de France] I thought, yeah, I don’t want to go back to the Vuelta now, the Tour’s gonna be rubbish. The Tour was all right,” – something of an understatement: Pidcock finished ninth overall, his best-ever result at the sport’s biggest race – “but, no, I wanted to go to the mountain bike Worlds. I missed that last year, so, you can’t do everything all the time, but I’m quite content with it, really.”

He doesn’t even wait for the end of a question on the Slovenian’s absence at Worlds before saying it “100%” changes the contours of the race. He says drily: “I wouldn’t know who to bet on now; if Tadej is racing, I want to bet on him.”

The two contenders that stand out to Pidcock in Pogacar’s absence are the Slovenian’s trade-team protege, 22-year-old Mexican Isaac del Toro – who won the GP de Montreal – and French teenager Paul Seixas.

Interestingly Pidcock rates Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, another favourite for the title and the 2022 champion, less highly: “Remco will for sure be good, and he’s always a guy that – in Montreal he got dropped on the climb and then he comes back because he’s so good – but I think Del Toro and Seixas are the guys who can make the difference on the climb more than the rest of us.”

Pidcock will co-lead alongside Yates, a former winner in Montreal and another of Pogacar’s trade teammates. After the Canadian double-header Pidcock opted to head to Colorado for a change of scene and to avoid the “endless wait” in the team hotel before the racing actually begins, meaning he has yet to actually meet up with Yates or his other teammates, but he says the 34-year-old is a big boost to the squad. “He’s got a lot of experience. He’s also been part of the winning team for the past five years [UAE Team Emirates-XRG].”

Since a falling-out with then-team Ineos Grenadiers in late 2024 and his surprise move to lower-tier outfit Pinarello Q36.5 Pidcock has enjoyed a role as undisputed team leader, which has also given him more confidence in calling the shots in the national squad. “It’s definitely something that I’ve grown into,” he says.

“Before in Ineos, even when I was leader, I struggled to ask for what I wanted because there were so many big names and experienced riders. I guess now coming to this team I felt almost more responsibility that I had to lead and ask for some things because I understood that people were there to support me, so I’m much better at that role.”

Only two British men have ever won the world title, Tom Simpson in 1965 and Mark Cavendish in 2011. The opportunity to make history and join those legendary names is something Pidcock is “very aware” of: “I think that’s why when Cav won it, it was so special. Also the Tour de France success that we’ve had, it’s not normal, shall we say, so I think it’s not to be taken for granted. That’s why it’s the world championship, that’s why it’s one of the most important races of the year.”

Catherine Zeta-Jones shared a passionate kiss with her husband Michael Douglas in a post to mark his his 82nd birthday on Friday.

The actress, who has the same birthday and just turned 57, posted a sweet snap of herself and her film star husband having a romantic moment in the ocean.

Alongside the post she gushed: ‘Happy Birthday darling! A birthday kiss to my husband Michael, sharing this special day with you, is as special as the day itself. Love you.’

Michael also shared a sweet birthday tribute, posting a picture with his wife and writing: ‘I had never fallen in love on a movie screen before. Until I saw Catherine. 

‘She was magic, in a way that went beyond beauty. And I was certain, as much as I had ever been about anything, that she was the one. 

‘It’s the kind of moment that only comes around once in your life, if you’re lucky.’ 

Michael also shared a sweet birthday tribute, posting a picture with his wife and writing: ‘I had never fallen in love on a movie screen before. Until I saw Catherine’

The post was an excerpt from Michael’s memoir, One Helluva Ride!, which is set for release next month

Michael continued: ‘The one time that you know, without any doubt in your mind, that you’re meant to be with someone. Happy Birthday Catherine! I love you always and forever! ♥️ @catherinezetajones.’ 

The post was an excerpt from Michael’s memoir, One Helluva Ride!, which is set for release next month. 

In response, Catherine commented: ‘Thank you darling. Thank you. Happy Birthday to you too my love. ♥️’

The couple, who married in 2000, share son Dylan, 26, and daughter Carys, 23.

The post comes just the day after Catherine turned up the glamour in a caped silver sequin gown for the premiere for her new thriller series Kill Jackie in London.

The actress plays Jackie Price in the new eight-part Prime Video show – a former international drug smuggler who has spent 20 years living an anonymous life as an art dealer.

Things change dramatically however when an elite team of assassins is hired to kill her, forcing her back into a life of danger.

At the premiere held at the Curzon Bloomsbury, Catherine looked the epitome of old Hollywood glamour in the glitzy number which featured a strapless corset-style top and a matching cape.

She boosted her height with strappy silver heels from Sole Bliss and wore her brunette tresses in loose waves while opting for a bronzed makeup look.

The series is based on the 2018 novel The Price You Pay by Aidan Truhen – the pseudonym of Nick Harkaway, whose father is legendary spy writer David Cornwell, aka John le Carré.

In the series, Jackie has been living a luxurious existence for the last 20 years – travelling the world, selling fine art and, above all, trying to stay anonymous after escaping a dangerous past as an international drug smuggler.

But just as life starts to feel a little boring, it takes a sudden lethal turn when she discovers that The Seven Demons, a squad of the world’s most terrifying hitmen, have been hired to kill her.

Assuming someone from her past is behind it, Jackie unleashes her old instincts and embarks on a wild, dangerous game plan – to take down The Demons one by one before they kill her.

However, she soon realises her own demons are much more terrifying than the ruthless killers on her trail and her buried secrets lead her closer to home, with surprising consequences.

The post comes just the day after the actress turned up the glamour in a caped silver sequin gown for premiere for her new thriller series Kill Jackie in London

The actress plays Jackie Price in the new eight-part Prime Video show – a former international drug smuggler who has spent 20 years living an anonymous life as an art dealer

Appearing alongside Catherine are Daniel Ings, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Óscar Jaenada, Hattie Hook, Darci Shaw, Raff Law, Enzo Cilenti, Christine Adams, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Karlis Arnolds Avots.

The premiere comes just after Catherine insisted her children with Michael have had no more advantage than any other actor as they follow their parents and grandparents into the industry.

Her husband Michael is a double Academy Award winner and the son of Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, who died in 2020.

Speaking to Nuala McGovern on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Catherine was asked about her recent claim that the nepo-baby label often attributed to her children is ‘horrific’.

Doubling down on her stance, the Welsh star insisted that ‘if it was any other industry whether it be finance or business, or if you’re a lawyer, or I know all my grown-up surgeon doctor friends have kids going into that industry, and they don’t get labelled.’

‘I think, more importantly, I’m married to the ultimate nepo baby. My husband was the son of Kirk Douglas, the son of Spartacus, you know? And he’s done pretty good on his own,’ Catherine continued.

‘And so I think it’s unfortunate that with the intense scrutiny young people have, not just my kids or celebrity kids, just generally, they get slaughtered by AI images of perfection, or this and that. They don’t need another tag, I think it’s very unfortunate.’

When McGovern pointed out that many people think the children of celebrities have access to advantages that other actors don’t have, Catherine was adamant, exclaiming: ‘No, no, no quite opposite. First of all, they have so much to prove.

‘That “oh! It’s in your genes, it’s in your blood”. It’s like “No, actually I have a true passion and love of the craft”.’

The actress’s children are the next branch on a Hollywood family tree that also includes Michael’s mother, the actor Diana Dill. His eldest son, Cameron, who he shares with his ex-wife Diandra Luker, is also an actor.

Michael has also hit back at the nepo-baby label, insisting in a 2024 interview: ‘I don’t know a father in whatever business, be it a plumber or a contractor or a carpenter, who doesn’t try to help his son join him.’

The 31-year-old man, who has worked for the force for less than two years, was taken into custody in the early hours of this morning (September 25). 

Durham Police confirmed he was arrested on suspicion of both sexual communication with a child and misconduct in a public office.  

The officer has been immediately suspended while a criminal investigation is carried out. 

The Northern Echo understands that he was arrested while off duty and taken into police custody in a different force area. 

Brittin took over as BBC director general in May after a decade as president of Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Asked by Kuenssberg if he would allow a programme to be made and presented by AI, Brittin replied: “I would do, within guardrails.”

He added: “We want to experiment with this technology and understand what it can and can’t do, but I’m here because I believe in human creativity.

“I don’t think anything we do should be replaced by AI. I think there are lots of places where AI can help us make the licence fee go further, but also help us in our decision-making and creativity. But it’s not a substitute for humans.”

He also warned of the danger of a handful of tech companies having too much control over information in the future.

“We’re also in this moment where AI is in takeoff. So I think there’s a danger that six companies will control access to information in future and the creation of information and misinformation,” he said.

“Six companies, none of them European, let alone British. In that world, here’s the BBC. It’s the most trusted organisation by over half a billion people.”

Asked if he trusted big tech companies he replied: “There’s a lot of platforms out there, so I wouldn’t trust any platform innately.

“And I think what you do is you keep under review how those things work and whether your content can show up in the right place and fulfil its mission.

“I think the BBC and our apps and services should be the antidote to the algorithm. Everywhere else you go is driven by some commercial interest.”

The full interview will be broadcast BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, on 27 September, at 09:00 BST.

​​St George’s RC Primary at Overdale in Eastfield, Scarborough, will construct a new multi-use games area (MUGA) for use by pupils and residents.

​The new facility will be open during evenings and weekends, providing a “high-quality space” to the wider community, which planners noted has a lack of sporting facilities.

​​St Cuthbert’s RC Academy Trust, which runs St George’s, will convert an existing area of natural grass playing field into a new synthetic play zone.

The existing grass surface will be replaced with a new MUGA that is 30 metres by 20 metres, in addition to a spectator standing area along the touchline.

​“There is an insufficient number of similar facilities within the local area, and this development will provide a space for the community to engage in sport year-round,” planning officers said.

​They added: “The MUGA will provide an accessible facility and in terms of health and wellbeing, the proposed development will provide physical benefits to the pupils at the school.”

​In order to limit noise pollution from the games area, the school plans to implement a “no-whistle policy” after 5pm and reduced hours of operation, which will be from 9am to 9pm, Monday to Sunday.

​No objections were made by the Highway Authority, which said that a “suitable level of parking will be maintained within the site, including turning for vehicles allowing them to enter and exit the highway in a forward gear”.

​It added that no changes were proposed to the junction with the highway and that it did not anticipate “an increase in vehicle movements as a result of the development”.

​The new facility will maintain the general gradients and levels of the existing natural grass area.

It will be finished in synthetic turf and will be enclosed by a three-metre-high, green-coloured, wired fence.

​

An access path will also be created and four lighting columns, each six metres high, will be on each corner of the development.

​

The application was approved by North Yorkshire Council, subject to conditions, on Monday, September 21.

A fan of Jason Derulo was called up on stage at his The Last Dance World Tour, and what happened next left people’s jaws hitting the floor in complete disbelief

A Jason Derulo fan was lucky enough to get up on stage alongside the man himself to dance, and what happened next left the audience completely floored.

Derulo, known for huge music hits such as ‘Whatcha Say’ and ‘Swalla,’ is currently performing in his The Last Dance World Tour. He was performing in Perth, Australia, where audience member Jess O’Meara was chosen to get up on stage with the 37-year-old star. It’s not uncommon for a fan to be chosen to get on stage to dance with singers, and it just depends on luck as to whether you’re picked to do it.

But Jason Derulo likely didn’t regret getting Jess on stage thanks to what happened. At first, she seemed a little shy, but she certainly knew the dance to Mi Chico.

However, as the dance went on, it was clear that Jess was a superstar in her own right, and she took the audience’s breath away.

Jess, who normally dedicates her social media pages to fitness content, kept time with the professional dancers, putting a whole lot of passion and energy into proving herself to be an incredible performer.

The other dancers were looking at her with admiration as she nailed every single move, but what happened next left them gobsmacked.

Jess did a backflip, then landed into the splits, kicked her leg into the air while she was still on the floor, and then got back up on her feet and continued dancing as if she hadn’t just done something incredible.

Over the top of the video, which amassed more than a million likes from people who were amazed by what she could do, Jess wrote: “There’s no way this happened (that’s me),” as she was still struggling to process that she’d had the opportunity to do something so cool.

What did people online say?

“Why do I feel so proud of a random stranger on the internet!! You grabbed your moment with both hands, and I LOVE THIS,” someone gushed.

Another claimed that she “outdanced the paid dancers” because she was so passionate and knew every step.

However, Jess responded: “Trust me, they were absolutely killing it the entire show!! My 2 minutes are nothing compared to their performance over 2 hours, but thank you!!”

Others wondered whether this was her “audition” to be part of the dancers full-time, and some were wondering how she managed to do such incredible things “in jeans”.

A fan penned: “I’ve watched this way too many times! You were phenomenal”.

Someone else said that she deserves “so many beautiful opportunities” because she “killed it” with the performance she gave randomly.

It’s safe to say that Jess did an absolutely amazing job, and proved that she has some serious talent!