A councillor said: “These recent prosecutions show that anyone considering dumping waste illegally can end up out of pocket, so we would urge people not to run the risk.”

Two fly-tippers have been handed heavy fines after illegally dumping bags of household waste in locations in a Cambridgeshire city. Philimon Wakabikwa and Elena Ion were recently fined at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to fly-tipping offences following prosecutions by the authority.

According to Peterborough City Council, the bags dumped by Wakabikwa were found in Third Drove in Fengate with the waste traced back to him. Waste dumped by Ion was found in Clarence Road in Millfield. They were both fined £350 and each were ordered to pay a £140 victim surcharge and £200 costs – totalling up to £690.

Councillor Angus Ellis, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We are fully committed to tackling fly-tipping which is a blight on our city and something we take extremely seriously. Whenever we obtain evidence of fly-tipping we will investigate and look to issue either a fine or secure a conviction in the courts.”

Cllr Ellis continued: “These recent prosecutions show that anyone considering dumping waste illegally can end up out of pocket, so we would urge people not to run the risk. There are several ways to get rid of waste legally, such as by visiting the Household Recycling Centre in Fengate or using a licensed waste company.”

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Sofia Tepichin was about 30 minutes into her club soccer team practice in October when she spotted a fast-approaching defender. She tapped the ball away and hopped over the defender’s outstretched foot, came down awkwardly, and heard a “pop.”

She immediately fell to the ground, pain shooting through her left knee and knew it wasn’t good. It was, she said, “heartbreaking.”

“And I knew personally that I tore my ACL,” Tepichin said.

Tepichin joined the growing ranks of female high school athletes tearing their anterior cruciate ligament, a devastating knee injury that researchers are pressing the sports world to take more seriously.

Decades of research on prevention methods is available, but parents, researchers and trainers say that teams, coaches and leagues aren’t doing enough to protect the girls and educate parents.

High school female athletes are most vulnerable

Sports fans hear often about high-profile athletes like U.S. Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn tearing their ACLs, and many ACL injuries are chalked up to bad luck or a part of sports that will continue to happen at all competitive levels.

Still, high school-age female athletes suffer these injuries at much higher rates than their male counterparts — up to eight times more likely, one study says — and adults, most often in noncontact situations in sports that require fast changes in direction, researchers say.

Biomechanics researchers, trainers and physical therapists say there are pre-workout warm ups and strengthening routines — such as FIFA 11+ or PEP — that can at least reduce the risk of an injury that takes such a high physical and mental toll on young athletes.

But, they say, most coaches lack training or expert help, and high school girls compete in settings with far fewer resources than the professional and collegiate levels. As a result, risk-reduction routines are rarely included in day-to-day coaching curricula and practices.

“The real crime in this is that the data has been out there for 25 years,” said Holly Silvers-Granelli, a physical therapist and biomechanics researcher who advises athletes, professional teams and major sports leagues on injury prevention. “People are clamoring for answers, and the answers are largely there.”

The trendline of ACL injuries isn’t entirely clear, but the National ACL Injury Coalition — formed by the Aspen Institute and the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York — said its analysis of data from high school athletic trainers showed that the average annual ACL injury rate for high school athletes grew almost 26% from 2007 to 2022.

The rate for girls grew more than 32%, compared to 14.5% for boys, it said.

On their own to recover

When they get injured, high school athletes and their parents often find themselves on their own to deal with it. ACL injuries can require surgery and a year of rehab, physical therapy and strength training, which insurance may not fully cover.

Recovery changes their routine and identity: They miss out on the camaraderie of the team and stand on the sidelines, which can be as hard as the physical trauma, parents say.

Many high school athletes who tear their ACL never perform again at the same level, if they even return to the sport, the National ACL Injury Coalition says. And once injured, they carry a heightened risk of another ACL injury and long-term complications like degenerative joint disease, researchers say.

The coalition has urged the sports world to treat ACL injuries like brain injuries, now that professional and youth sports have tried to improve training, rules and equipment standards to prevent and detect concussions.

Sophia Gerardi, a sophomore at Pennsylvania’s Apollo Ridge High School who tore her ACL during a basketball game in December, was told by her doctors that she’ll forever have to wear a knee brace to play sports. She had surgery in January, will miss volleyball season and hopes to be back for next winter’s basketball season.

Like many girls who tore their ACL, she didn’t recall getting any ACL injury-prevention training.

Surveys of coaches show that many don’t know about risk-reduction programs, aren’t trained to do them or aren’t encouraged to learn about them, said Vince Minjares, who leads the Aspen Institute’s ACL injury prevention project. Some coaches tell Minjares that it takes too much time.

He hopes that’s changing.

‘What is the solution’

This spring, the American Youth Soccer Organization — one of major national organizations in U.S. youth soccer — will roll out new age- and stage-based neuromuscular training programs aimed at preventing ACL injuries through warm-ups.

Coaches will get a regimen of exercises in bite-sized chunks, with video instructions. The goal is to build good habits before preteens age into more physical and demanding competition.

“My biggest shock was that this didn’t already exist,” said Scott Snyder, AYSO’s senior director of programs and education. “Everyone I talk to says, ‘Yeah, that makes perfect sense,’ but nobody’s done it yet.”

Last year, biomechanical researchers at the Scottish Rite for Children hospital in metropolitan Dallas began providing high school teams with resources typically only available or affordable at the professional and collegiate levels.

They created pre-season injury-prevention trainings, tailored for female athletes, to improve strength and movement quality. At the start of the eight-week program, each athlete gets a free motion-capture 3D-level assessment to identify weaknesses in strength, movement or balance. Another assessment at the end determines if the program reduced risk.

Future trainings could include nutrition and sleep, said Sophia Ulman, who directs the hospital’s Movement Science Laboratory.

“My team and I got tired of studying ‘why, why, why’ when there’s so many different possibilities to answer that question. And we wanted to move into the ‘what is the solution,’” said Ulman. Other biomechanics labs in the U.S. are trying similar outreach, she said.

One of the teams that participated was Plano East High School in Texas, where players — including Tepichin — had suffered a rash of ACL tears the past couple years.

Cristy Cooley, Plano East’s coach, said that getting a hands-on demonstration from trained professionals in proper exercises and movement patterns makes a big difference.

“It’s one thing talking about it,” Cooley said. “But it’s a totally different thing to show us.”

‘Something’s got to change’

Like other parents, Tiffany Jacob said she learned a lot about preventing ACL injuries that she wished she had known before her daughter — East Plano sophomore Aliya Jacob — tore her ACL last February. For instance, the surgeon told them three days a week of strength training is an absolute must for soccer players.

“Something’s got to change,” Tiffany Jacob said. “Coaches, clubs, something. They have to do something to prevent this because it’s just such a horrible injury.”

Aliya — who knows at least seven other female soccer players who tore an ACL, her mother said — is back playing for East Plano now. She endured twice-a-week physical therapy, the isolation of rehabilitation and, her mother said, “figuring out who you are when you’re not playing soccer.”

Tepichin, a high school senior, recalls her surgeon telling her to take a couple days to get all her sadness and anger out — and then devote herself to her recovery.

She’ll miss her last year of playing high school and club team soccer. Her next time on a field could be for Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania, where she committed to the NCAA Division III team.

Tepichin has seen a sports psychologist, gotten comfort from others who underwent the surgery — her sister, her father and her friend — and found a new routine after having been constantly busy with two soccer teams and a job.

“There’s not a day that I go that I’m not working out or doing something,” she said, “or getting better for my health and my recovery.”

___

Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter

They were selected following a consultation and some of them are already no longer 20mph

An update on which roads are changing back to a 30mph limit has been given by a senior councillor in Swansea.

Several roads – or sections of – which fell under the Welsh Government’s default 20mph limit for residential roads in September, 2023, are reverting to their previous limit. Some of them are already back to 30mph. The council had assessed 81 locations following a consultation and whittled them down.

In a written response to a question by Cllr Francesca O’Brien, of Reform UK, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure, Cllr Andrew Stevens, said he anticipated that the necessary work would be completed around mid-March.

The Labour cabinet member added: “I would confirm that all costs associated with both legal processes and physical works are being met through a grant provided by Welsh Government.”

The 20mph limit cost £34million to introduce in Wales. At the time councils were able to put forward exemptions though, meaning the 30mph limit would be retained, and Swansea had the highest number of exemptions.

Since then councils have continued to consider further changes under the relevant guidance. The Welsh Goverment said it allocated Swansea £205,000 for 20mph funding in 2025-26.

The roads referred to by Cllr Stevens that are changing back are:

• A48 – From Penllergaer to Pontlliw: from a point 60m south of Parc Penderi in Penllergaer to a point 60m south of Oaklands Road in Pontlliw
• B4295 – The Promenade, Penclawdd: from the current 30mph limit at a point 45m south-west of its junction with Graig-y-Coed west to its junction with Hall Lane
• B4296 – Pentre Road, Pontarddulais: from the current 30mph limit at a point 360m south of its junction with Park Terrace to a point 130m south of this junction
• B4296 – Pentre Road, Grovesend: from the existing 30mph limit at a point 50m north of its junction with Clos Brynlliw south to a point 10m north of Clos Pengelli
• B4296 Coalbrook Road, Grovesend: from the existing 30mph limit 420m north of its junction with Frampton Road northwards for a distance of 100m
• B4436 Mayals Road, Mayals: from its junction with Mumbles Road west to the 40mph limit at a point 100m west of its junction with Curlew Close
• B4620 Swansea Road/ Carmarthen Road, Llewitha: from the existing 40mph limit on Swansea Road 570m east of its junction with Hospital Road east to a point on Carmarthen Road 250m west of its junction with Ystrad Road
• B4603 Clydach Road, Morriston: From a point 30m north of its junction with Field Close north to a point 50m south of its junction with Llanllienwen Road
• B4603 Clydach Road: from its junction with the northern kerbline of junction 45 of the M4, north to a point 30m south of its junction with Christopher Road
• B4603 Clydach Road: from a point 20m south-west of its junction with Quarr Drive south-west for a distance of 690m
• Carmel Road, Winch Wen: from a point 40m east of Colwyn Avenue to a point 50m west of Crymlyn Road
• Brynmill Lane, Brynmill: from its junction with Sketty Road south-east to its junction with Park Place
• Gors Avenue, Townhill: from a point 10m west of its junction with Townhill Road to its junction with Carmarthen Road
• Townhill Road: from its junction with Gors Avenue to a point 10m west of its junction with Mayhill Road
• Heol Ddu, Mynydbbach: from a point 20m west of its junction with Llangyfelach Road west to the existing 40mph limit 20m south-west of its junction with Roger Street
• Heol y Cwmdu, Cwmdu: from its junction with Carmarthen Road to a point 10m west of the access road to Parc Cwmdu
• Mynydd Newydd Road, Blaenymaes: from the existing 40mph limit 50m south of its junction with Penplas Road to a point 20m north of its junction with Broughton Avenue
• Pant Lasau Road, Morriston: from the existing 40mph speed limit 113m south-west of the southern boundary of the property known as Brynsirol north-east to a point 60m south-west of its junction with Heol Maes Eglwys
• Pentregethin Road, Blaenymaes: from its junction with Pontarddulais Road east then south-east to a point 10m south-east of Woodford Road.

The council has previously said the roads that had been proposed and then discounted following the consultation hadn’t met the exemption criteria.

Speaking in March last year Cllr Stevens said: “The overall review of these roads and routes was undertaken using strict Welsh Government guidance, including factors looking at the characteristics of the road, the facilities in proximity to it, its historical safety record and environmental impacts of any change.” Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings

The Welsh Government introduced the 20mph law because it said lower speeds would result in fewer collisions and a reduced severity of injuries.

A year after it came into force and following a backlash from many people ministers allocated an extra £5 million for councils to reassess limits on 20mph roads.

Welsh Government figures from last summer found there were 2,638 people injured, including deaths, on low-speed roads in the most recent 18 months, compared to 3,520 between April, 2022, and September, 2023, before the 20mph limit came into force – a reduction of 25%.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Their family spent years opposing Venezuela’s socialist system.

The government retaliated by sending men to beat the father, a state oil company worker whom it accused of being uncooperative. Other relatives were threatened.

The situation became so untenable that the family fled the country for the United States in 2021 after it obtained refugee status, according to one of the daughters, a 24-year-old clothing salesperson who was interviewed by The Associated Press.

The six siblings and their parents settled in Minnesota in 2023, living peaceful lives until the Trump administration said it was casting new scrutiny on refugees. One priority is those admitted to the U.S. under former President Joe Biden, whom the government accuses of prioritizing quantity over detailed screening and vetting, with an initial focus on 5,600 refugees who settled in Minnesota and are not yet permanent residents, making them particularly vulnerable.

Last month, three masked officers got out of a black SUV with tinted windows outside a St. Paul apartment complex, handcuffed the Venezuelan woman and her mother and told them their legal status was under review, according to the woman, who asked for anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Overturning years of precedent, immigration authorities have arrested or questioned dozens of refugees in Minnesota, attorneys and advocates say, with more detentions likely to come nationwide.

In January, a federal judge ordered a temporary halt to the arrest and detention of refugees in Minnesota while a lawsuit challenging the “revetting” continues. The judge ordered the immediate release of all refugees detained in Minnesota, and those taken to Texas.

Three refugees told The Associated Press that whatever happens, the rounds of inconclusive interviews with immigration authorities well after they thought their status was safe has them questioning their futures in the U.S. and living in constant fear.

The young woman from Venezuela hasn’t returned to her job at a clothing factory. A man who fled persecution in Myanmar won’t walk on the streets of Minneapolis without a letter from his church appealing for immigrants to “be treated humanely.” A Congolese refugee arrested in St. Paul despite her refugee status says “everything that’s happened feels like a movie.”

A change in US treatment of refugees

Welcoming refugees has been a source of bipartisan agreement in the U.S. since Congress passed the Refugee Act with overwhelming support in 1980.

The act helped make refugee applications some of the immigration system’s most heavily scrutinized. Government decisions that someone was persecuted for who they are or what they believe are rarely second-guessed, and revisiting refugee status that’s already been granted is a major blow to legal tradition, advocates say.

“They’ve been heavily vetted and were admitted by the government with approval,” said Beth Oppenheim, chief executive officer of HIAS, a major refugee aid group.

Once a refugee is admitted to the U.S. through the resettlement program, the only way to strip them of their status is to prove that they should never have been admitted, Oppenheim said. That is why the Trump administration is interviewing people again, she said.

Matthew Tragesser, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in a written statement refugees “are REQUIRED to be subject to a full inspection after a year within the United States.”

“This is not novel or discretionary; it is a clear requirement in law,” he wrote.

While it is correct that refugees must apply for green cards one year after admission — a change of status that brings a renewed layer of scrutiny — the administration is breaking with decades of tradition by revisiting initial decisions to admit people as refugees, and then detaining them while they are under review.

“Arresting, detaining, and rescreening refugees are all new changes which will inflict grave harm on vulnerable populations,” said Smita Dazzo, deputy director of U.S. programs at HIAS.

Venezuela to Minnesota to Houston and back

In January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the Venezuelan women to Houston on a flight where migrants were shackled at the wrists and ankles and forbidden from talking. The daughter said she was told she was there for green card interviews and isolated in a cold room with no food, water or anything warm to cover her. She said she refused to sign documents without an attorney present.

“They told us, ‘Your status is worthless. You’re illegal,’” she said. “What we went through is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone … We were supposed to arrive in this country with refugee status, and we thought we would be protected here. But right now, at this moment, it is quite the opposite.”

The women were released after successfully filing habeas corpus petitions in federal court, part of a flood of last-ditch attempts at freedom under a Trump policy denying bond hearings in immigration court. Friends of their attorney drove them back to Minnesota at their own expense. Since then, the younger woman has been too afraid to leave the house.

The pastor who received a letter and went to the interview

Saw Ba Mya James, a 46-year-old ethnic Karen father of three who fled military persecution in Myanmar, arrived in St. Paul last year after obtaining refugee status with help from a local church.

Despite a pending green card application, the Anglican pastor did not attend church for weeks after friends advised him to avoid going outside.

“I was told to stay at home, so I listened, and I prayed to God with my family,” James said.

James received a letter Feb. 2 ordering a “post-admissions refugee reverification” at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services St. Paul field office, according to a copy reviewed by The Associated Press.

During an interview that lasted several hours, an officer pressed James with questions he said he already addressed extensively before being admitted to the U.S. The officer said the review was needed because an inexperienced employee handled James’ initial vetting.

Within two weeks of the interview, James got another letter asking that he and his family provide fingerprints, which his attorney took as a positive sign.

Still, James remains wary of being detained. He faithfully carries his church sponsors’ letter appealing for him and other immigrants to “be treated humanely as fellow image-bearers of God.”

The Congolese refugee arrested arriving at work

A Congolese woman settled in the Twin Cities area in November 2024 with refugee status, working in the hospitality business as the breadwinner for her husband and four children.

She said an immigration officer approached her parked car when she arrived for work at 7 a.m. on Jan. 14 in St. Paul, saying he knew her name and that she was a refugee. After telling her to exit the vehicle to answer questions, he handcuffed her despite her efforts to show a work authorization document and identification.

The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she fears reprisals, was flown to Houston to be questioned in detail about her experiences in the Congo, Uganda and the United States. She and other refugees refused to sign documents to be sent back to their home countries. She was released Jan. 18 without any ID documents to book a flight to Minneapolis. A manager at her company flew to Houston and drove her 17 hours back home.

“If I told you I’m feeling OK, I’d be lying to you,” she said.

___

Salomon reported from Miami.

1) Get ready for your first mow

2) Prune roses

3) Mulch fruit trees

4) Sow and grow veggies

5) Plant flowers, too

6) Keep some dandelions in your garden

Nearly 3,500 homes were initially affected

Nearly 2,000 properties have been left without power in Cambridgeshire villages. There was a power cut in Sawston, Babraham, Papmisford and Worsted Lodge on Friday (February 27).

A total of 3,495 properties were initially affected, according to UK Power Networks. Around 1,759 people were still affected after an hour.

The UK Power Networks website said: “An underground electricity cable has faulted on our high voltage network, causing an area wide power cut.”

Engineers are on their way to the site and the problem is expected to be fixed between 3pm and 4pm.

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Two British men have been arrested in Benidorm for allegedly staging a kidnapping to demand a ransom of €830 (£728) from a relative.

Spanish National Police said the men, aged 37 and 51, were detained inside a hotel in the city in Alicante, southwestern Spain, on Thursday.

Police said they sent a relative in the UK several videos in which one of them appeared bloodied and was being threatened with a knife.

Benidorm police officers launched an investigation in collaboration with Interpol, the British Consulate and the Kidnapping and Extortion Unit of the General Police Headquarters in Madrid.

During a raid of the hotel, officers saw two individuals matching the descriptions of the suspect and victim leaving the premises.

“The two men were conversing in a cordial and friendly manner,” police said.

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The pair were arrested on charges of fraud and impersonating a kidnapper.

The man allegedly posing as the kidnapper was also charged with identity theft because he had registered as a guest under a false name, police added.

In August 2020, he left the country to live in the United Arab Emirates, where he has resided ever since. His son and heir, King Felipe, endorsed the move which has kept him out of the public eye, with the exception of occasional visits he has made to Spain for sailing regattas and other social events.

The Secretary of State confirmed that visit records were disposed of after three to six years

There are no official records of Jeffrey Epstein having visited or stayed at Hillsborough Castle during the period when Peter Mandelson was Secretary of State, but visit records were disposed of after three to six years, Secretary of State Hilary Benn has confirmed.

In a letter sent to UUP leader Jon Burrows and seen by Belfast Live, the Secretary of State confirmed that officials have carried out comprehensive searches of all records held by the Department, including those covering Lord Mandelson’s time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, including carrying out electronic searches as well as reviewing physical files from the time.

The Epstein Files include flight logs showing that Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were passengers when his jet, the Lolita Express, landed in Belfast in 2000. The jet later left for Bangor, Maine the same day.

This comes after Mr Burrows wrote to the Secretary of State earlier this month regarding any association between Jeffrey Epstein and Lord Mandelson during his time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and whether there is any record of Jeffrey Epstein having stayed at Hillsborough Castle during this time.

“As a result of these searches, we have not identified any information to indicate that Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein had any official contact during the period October 1999 – January 2001. Additionally, the Department holds no information that indicates that Jeffrey Epstein ever visited or stayed at Hillsborough Castle,” he said.

“It is important to note that the Northern Ireland Office operates under an Information Retention Policy which forms part of our overall Information Governance Framework. As a result, the NIO retains information only for as long as necessary for business, legal, regulatory, and accountability purposes, adhering to GDPR and the Public Records Act 1958. Records are stored, with key documents selected for permanent preservation or National Archives transfer, while others are securely disposed of post the retention period

“Visits records were therefore disposed of after three to six years. Visits by significant individuals to Hillsborough Castle are recorded in the official visitors’ books and would have been retained for longer. These books have been searched for records of Jeffrey Epstein visiting Hillsborough Castle, and again, no reference to him has been found.

“The UK Government has firmly stated it will co-operate fully with all police investigations on this matter.”

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA said: “I raised this matter with the Secretary of State because the people of Northern Ireland must have confidence in that office and be assured it has acted with integrity. While the NIO’s findings regarding the 1999–2001 period are reassuring, they are necessarily constrained by the disposal of records. Given the gravity of the Epstein scandal, it was entirely proper that the NIO examined this issue. No stone must be unturned in any of the investigations linked to Jeffrey Epstein.”

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