Snooker legend Ken Doherty has announced his retirement from the game’s main circuit.

The 1997 world champion turns 57 in September and says: “It’s been the thrill and pleasure of my life, a magical journey.

“I probably should have done it years ago to be honest. It’s just gotten so much harder as I’ve gotten older.

“Winning the world title was the greatest thrill. The open top bus ride through Dublin was like something out of a dream.

“To bring that trophy out at Lansdowne Road on the day of an Irish match, at Croke Park when Dublin were playing Meath, at Celtic Park and, the pinnacle for me, to walk out at Old Trafford with Alex Ferguson, the stuff of dreams.

“It’s 30 years next year since I won the world title. I would have loved one more shot at The Crucible. But the young lads are just too good. They have youth on their side. Sadly, I no longer do.”

Doherty recalls days and dreams at his old Crucible stomping ground, notably that tremor-inducing world title triumph 29-years-ago.

A night preserved in aspic, Ken emulating boyhood hero Alex Higgins by defeating Stephen Hendry to claim one of sport’s most iconic prizes.

On other occasions as the 56-year-old takes a seat to observe the film of his own life, images of the late father and mother develop in the darkroom of his mind and he grows quieter, thoughtful, the love pouring from him like water from a fountainhead.

“My one regret is that my Dad never got to see me play. He died very young, when I was only 13 in 1983.

“He used to let me stay up and watch Pot Black with him on a Thursday night. I was only eight. He was a huge Ray Reardon fan. I was mesmerised by Alex Higgins.

“That year there was a small little snooker table at the end of my bunk bed on Christmas morning. That was the beginning, my father letting me stay up to watch Pot Black – the start of it.”

Nineteen yeas on, all his doubts melting away under the Sheffield lights, Doherty won the World Championship.

Famously his mother, Rose, had been too nervous to watch. She cycled to Clarendon Street Church to light a candle for Ken, suffered a puncture on the way home and heard from a passer-by that her son was champion of the world.

“There were hundreds at Dublin Airport when I got back. She was at the front. Just to see her there. Jeez. I handed her the trophy and told her ‘that’s for you Mam, for all you’ve done, for all the sacrifices…’”

It remains a moment of such gut-bursting power that his voice tails off as he stops to chalk the cue of his composure, the umbilical cord of love again conjoining mother and son.

Doherty can hear again the demons in his own ear as he sought to take down the great Hendry.

“I remember I was 15-7 up against Stephen and he came back to 15-12. He was noted for his comebacks. He was going for six titles in a row. I was properly shitting myself.

“I was thinking to myself ‘not me, not now, not in the final, not here. This is my moment. Don’t do this to me, because I’ll never get over it.’ If he had have come back and beaten me I probably never would have recovered.

Doherty remains enraptured by the game, “it blessed me, changed my world for the better”.

As far back as the 1985 final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis, he discovered it was his first love.

“I was 14, going out with a girl from Donnybrook. I was dropping her home hoping to get a kiss and a cuddle and hoping that all the family were gone to bed. Because it was 11pm or something like that.

“Of course when we went into the house they were all up, glued to the TV watching the snooker.

“So I knew the kiss and cuddle wasn’t coming, so I said ‘f*** this, I’m running back to Ranelagh to watch the end of the match’.

“That superheated my ambition. If Dennis could topple the great Steve Davis, a player who was almost invincible at that time, then a young lad from Ranelagh could dream.”

Doherty remains the only player in snooker history to have won the Triple Crown of Junior (U-21), Amateur and Professional World Championships. He convulses into laughter as he recalls the first of those victories.

“I didn’t even know it was on. I was 19, I’d only just come over to London from Ireland with 500 quid, my cue and a little bag of clothes.

“A fella from London, Curly Mick, said ‘are you going to Iceland?’ I told him I couldn’t afford. He asked if he paid for my flight would you go. I said ‘f***ing right I will.’

“Curly Mick – to this day I don’t know his second name, he’d a mop of curly hair, he was a gambler from London who loved the snooker.

“I beat Jason Ferguson in the final. I got 3,000 quid, a perpetual silver cup and a trophy with an Icelandic flag made of volcanic rock. Curly Mick asked to bring that trophy back to his mates in London to take a few pictures. I never saw him or the trophy again. Not once to this day…he disappeared.”

The uncontainable warm rush from those later spring days in 1997 has lost none of its thermal powers. He glows as he remembers.

“An open top bus through Dublin. Even to this day I can’t believe that happened. It was like something from a movie.

“A Chief Superintendent told me they didn’t have a single phone call reporting a crime to Garda HQ in Harcourt Square for the last three hours of the final.

“A girl on the Garda switchboard rang Telecom Eireann to report a fault with the phones, that nobody was getting through. The person on the other end of the line said ‘there all watching the bleedin’ snooker.’

“The Superintendent said to me ‘Doherty, you should be on television more often, you’d make my life an awful lot easier.’

“The funny thing is after such a wonderful year, going out onto the pitch in Lansdowne Road and Croke Park on Leinster final day with the trophy, being invited to Celtic and Old Trafford, I made the final again in 1998, but got beaten by John Higgins.

“I get back to Dublin Airport and instead of an open top bus I had to queue for a f***in’ taxi home.”

He will continue to play on the Masters circuit and to commentate on a game that lives in his heart

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Man United have agreed a deal with Atalanta to sign Ederson, who is expected to be an upgrade on Manuel Ugarte.

Manuel Ugarte has struggled with the Premier League’s intensity since his arrival in England, but it was concerning to watch him suffer against Grimsby Town at the start of the season.

Although Grimbsy’s first goal on the night of United’s humiliation at Blundell Park could have been stopped by four other players, Ugarte failed to react quickly to losing the ball at the beginning of the move.

Ugarte and Amad collided on the halfway line. The Urguary international did not get back up to his feet quickly enough to sprint back.

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There were 11 seconds between Ugarte going to the ground and the goal. He reached the penalty area as the ball left Charles Vernam’s boot, suggesting he could have got closer if he had reacted immediately.

There is no guarantee that Ugarte would have been able to reach Vernam to stop his shot if he’d reacted quicker, but maximum effort is obviously the bare minimum expectation. The problem is that Ugarte was trying – he just didn’t have the athleticism to recover quickly enough.

Ugarte’s running statistics were decent at Paris Saint-Germain, but playing in the Premier League is a different kettle of fish from competing in Ligue 1, as the intensity is relentless, and there is no time to dither.

That has not been the only worry with Ugarte, whose passing is not a strength, which is a problem in a division where it has become increasingly important for deep-lying midfielders to set the tempo.

Those two areas are strengths for Ederson, who should be an upgrade on Ugarte after his arrival from Atalanta. The Reds have reached an agreement with the Italian club to sign the midfielder for £35million, plus £4 million in potential add-ons, and the deal will be completed by early July.

The 26-year-old can play as a deep-lying midfielder or as a No.8 because of his ability to pass through the lines. At Atalanta, he regularly finds wing-backs with long passes from midfield, a trait that is not in Ugarte’s skill set.

Ederson can dribble out of tight spaces, like Kobbie Mainoo, and relieve pressure when United are under pressure from the opposition. In comparison, United fans sit nervously when Ugarte gets in those scenarios.

The Brazilian has a better engine than Ugarte as well, building a reputation in Italy for his running power and high energy levels, averaging 10.6km per game in the Champions League this season.

Ederson looks better suited to the demands of the Premier League, but crunching the numbers in the market also led United to sign Ugarte, who has never looked comfortable with English football.

United’s record of signings from Serie A is another reason to be a tad cautious about the Ederson transfer, however, there has been a feeling in Italy that he was destined for a bigger move, and that he will receive international recognition from Brazil when the time is right.

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The 26-year-old has cut it against English opposition too, having impressed when Atalanta beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield – covering almost every blade of grass – in the first leg of the 2024 Europa League semi-final.

Atalanta hammered Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final, and Ederson was singled out for praise by his manager. “I’ve been fortunate enough to coach a lot of very good players,” Gian Piero Gasperini said.

“In terms of physicality, regains and the timing of his runs, Ederson is definitely an extraordinary player, one cut out for teams at the very highest level. It surprises me he still doesn’t play for Brazil, even if he’s often been called up. But that’ll come.”

Ederson was not included in Brazil’s squad for the World Cup, but there are talented players ahead of him in his position, with the likes of Casemiro, Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes, and Fabinho making the cut instead.

United admire Guimaraes and would take him in a heartbeat from Newcastle if a deal could be agreed, as most clubs would. That’s not going to happen, but the Reds have got their own version for a cheaper fee with Ederson.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

Dr Caitlin Todd will sexually assault Charity this week

Emmerdale is to explore the devastating effects of sexual violence and the complex feelings of isolation survivors can experience, particularly in the context of female-on-female assault.

The powerful storyline airs on Sunday, 7th June, when the character Charity Dingle, played by Emma Atkins, is sexually assaulted by her blackmailer, Caitlin Todd, played by Caroline Harker.

In the coming weeks, Charity will struggle to come to terms with the attack, having to choose between confiding in her loved ones or internalising the trauma.

Emmerdale producer, Sophie Roper, explains the importance of the storyline: “Charity’s storyline will explore the impact of sexual violence, and though this heinous act is fundamentally about power, we’ll explore the complexities of how Charity processes her trauma when the perpetrator is a woman.

With little conversation surrounding female-on-female assault, we’ll explore the overwhelming feelings of isolation many survivors experience and will examine the disparity between the legal term sexual assault and the fact that many women in Charity’s position feel this minimises what’s happened to them, because they feel like they’ve been raped. Though difficult viewing at times, Charity’s resilience will inspire hope as she confronts what has happened to her.”

Emma Atkins commented: “This has been one of the most demanding and significant storylines I’ve had to navigate as Charity. We know her as a tough, resilient character, but this trauma will expose a deep, raw vulnerability that has been heartbreaking at times to play.

“I hope this storyline gives even one person the courage to speak out or helps others understand the quiet devastation of trauma.”

In confirmed spoilers, Charity is desperately trying to find a way to pay off Todd, so Sarah’s 21st birthday isn’t ruined. Overwhelmed with guilt and drinking heavily, Charity confronts Todd and dares her to expose the secret. Todd backs down, seemingly unable to publicly destroy Sarah’s life.

Todd tries to justify her blackmail to Charity and admits to enjoying Charity’s chaotic life. A temporary truce is formed when Todd implies the secret is safe, but it’s not long before Todd’s malicious nature resurfaces when Charity is subjected to an assault.

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX and YouTube from 7am.

Londoners endured a 24-hour Tube strike yesterday, with torrential rain and even hail making journeys even more miserable.

Commuters survived the first wave of the two-day strike sweeping London this week as the dispute between the RMT union and TfL over working hours remains unresolved.

Tuesday’s walk-out saw the return of hordes of strikelists, while the Elizabeth line, one of the few routes not included in the strikes, suffered a signal fault, affecting trains to and from Heathrow.

Businesses around Liverpool Street station told Metro their takings were down on the first strike day, while commuters rushed to nab Lime bikes by pre-booking them.

Cycle paths were full to the brim despite the wet weather, and Metro saw both pedestrians and riders rush through red lights at rush hour.

As there is no immediate resolution in sight in the bitter row, commuters should brace for another strike scheduled to go ahead tomorrow.

When will the Tube strike end?

There is no Tube strike today, so commuters can enjoy some respite before the next 24-hour walkout.

The strike will start on Thursday, June 4 at 00:01, and end at 23:59.

Which lines are affected?

Some Underground routes have fared better through the strikes, while the likes of Circle and Piccadilly have had no service.

Here is what kind of disruption is expected tomorrow.

• No service on the entire line – The Circle and Piccadilly lines
• Partially suspended – The Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate, the Central line between White City and Liverpool Street

Tube services will be severely limited before 6.30am tomorrow, and passengers are advised to finish journeys before 9pm, TfL said.

Once the night turns into Friday, the June Tube strikes are over, and normal service is expected from then on.

What TfL services are running tomorrow?

The Elizabeth line, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, buses, tram and National Rail are running business as usual tomorrow, although they will be busy.

Then there are the dockless e-bikes like Lime and Forest, and Santander cycles, which have surged in popularity during previous strikes.

Lime told Metro that it increases drivers and foot patrollers on the streets to swap out batteries and redistribute bikes during the strikes.

One Lime fan, Lydia Dunne, 33, had secured a bike near Liverpool Street where bikes were scarce as commuters poured out of the offices by pre-booking it.

‘Otherwise it’s impossible to get one,’ she told Metro, pointing to the nearly empty bike parking area on Bishopsgate Plaza.

Passengers were dealt a major blow yesterday when the Elizabeth line was disrupted due to a signal meltdown.

The purple line was busy throughout the day, and hotspots like Liverpool Street saw bottlenecks form at the platform exit.

Liverpool Street railway station concourse was extra busy, with more commuters than usual opting for trains.

Hospitality bears the brunt of the Tube strike

Along with commuters, hospitality businesses reported a drop in revenue during the first day of June Tube strikes.

Rossana Merlin, the manager of Okja next to Liverpool Street station, said the new cafe selling plant-based baked goodies and coffee opened last week, but takings were down on Tuesday.

She said: ‘We usually have 80 transactions between 8am and 12pm, but today we only had around 60.

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‘But we knew to expect it so we cut down accordingly to avoid waste.

‘It could also be partially because of the weather.’

Bar staff at the nearby Railway Tavern said the pub is usually busier on Tuesdays all day, because it is the one day in the week when most work-from-home office staff are in.

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When the US and Israel launched their strikes on Iran on February 28 and Iran retaliated by targeting the Gulf Arab states, I was closely monitoring social media accounts from the region. I research Middle East politics, with a focus on the Gulf, and the social media platforms I use are full of people living in the region – including western migrants, or as they tend to style themselves, expats. To my surprise, from many of them I saw the same message: “It is safe and normal here.”

This was not a trivial claim – these messages were sent as the countries they live in came under attack. But the attitudes they exhibited reflect a broad strategy long cultivated by Gulf Arab regimes. This aims to instil in the people that opt to live there a sense of security, as well as aspiration for the lifestyle on offer and loyalty towards the country for making that lifestyle available.

More importantly, the expats’ reactions exposed the role that foreign residents and influencers have played in advancing a particular understanding of “normality”. Not only do they accept authoritarian rule in the Gulf, they have been pushing out messages about insecurity elsewhere.

To be clear, a lot of foreign workers did leave the Gulf, reportedly in the tens of thousands, when the conflict began. But even so, many of the initial reactions on social media, whether people stayed or opted to leave, projected this sense of security.

Part of the US security hub

These regimes have developed an image designed to attract global connectivity, foreign capital and flows of people and goods. The UAE, especially Dubai, has become a symbol of tax-free residency and luxury tourism. Qatar has established itself as reliable gas exporter and world-class mediator. Saudi Arabia has launched a sweeping reform project recasting national identity and the kingdom’s global role in championing “moderate Islam”, while Bahrain has worked early since independence to become a regional banking hub.

These state-building processes thrived under the security umbrella of US and other western military bases across the Middle East. Firmly embedded in the US sphere of influence, Gulf monarchies have benefited from precious diplomatic cover and access to global markets. Other regional regimes, meanwhile – notably Iran – were excluded. This was more often due to their hostility towards the US than for their brutal repression and disastrous governance at home.

By directing global attention to threats such as Iran, Gulf regimes forged a strong sense of domestic normality. But in recent years, a less reliable US regional policy has made the security arrangement increasingly uncertain, prompting Gulf regimes to explore alternatives. Without renouncing deeper engagement with the US, they welcomed cooperation with other powers outside the region, like China, as well as the possibility of closer relations with Israel and even a modus vivendi with Iran.

Despite ongoing rivalries, including within the regional forum, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), regional conflict de-escalation and management appeared to be the preferred means to continue insulating the Gulf normality. Yet the ongoing destruction in Gaza, closer US-Israeli alignment in the latter’s pursuit of regional dominance, and the ensuing pressure on Iran’s network of proxies has undermined this delicate balance.

Expats get political

The attack on Iran exposed foreign residents’ role in sustaining the image of “normality”. Until then, expats and influencers embodied this normality by displaying safe, privileged and apolitical lives.

I saw posts attempting to divert attention from the threat of war in the Gulf by people claiming to feel safer under missile attacks in Dubai and Doha than “after 9pm” in London or Manchester. Other posts preferred the prospect of missile attacks to being “bombed by 50% taxes”.

These sorts of comments tend to mimic narratives pushed by far-right movements in the west around crime, taxation and immigration.

A viral trend concentrated in the UAE but replicated across other Gulf countries featured influencers responding to the question “Aren’t you scared?” with imagery of members of the ruling families and messages such as: “No, because I know who protects us.” The UAE president’s much-publicised walk in Dubai Mall followed this paternalistic framing of security.

After the initial shock, many influencers returned to the old form of messaging, not posting about the war and focusing on showing their privileged “everyday” lives.

Controlling the message

It’s important to remember that Gulf Arab regimes possess robust censorship apparatuses and broad national security and anti-cybercrime laws that penalise content deemed to “cause panic” or “disturb public order”.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia were swift to remind residents that “photography serves the enemy”, banning unofficial sharing of damage caused by the war, while the UAE threatened severe sentences for people posting negative messages. There have been reports of people detained for posting the wrong content – more than 300 in Qatar alone. Heightened security concerns exposed western expats to coercive practices typically reserved to political dissidents.

Having invested efforts in insulating their domestic projects from external threats through seeking political accommodation with neighbours, including Iran, Gulf leaders may now pursue a different strategy. In fact, we’re already seeing some different approaches as various Gulf countries work out their own best approach to the changing situation in their region. Some, like Bahrain, remain hostile to Iran. Others, including Saudi Arabia, are more nuanced in their approach, looking overall to ensure security in the region.

But for regimes and expats alike, this is a time of reckoning for the parameters sustaining “normality” in the Gulf. Most certainly, the region will never be the same.

Korsaks also controlled the victim’s finances and monitored her movements

A man has been jailed for more than two years after subjecting his partner to controlling abuse. Janis Korsaks, 42, of Hornbeam Close, March, started to become increasingly violent towards his victim after she tried to end their relationship due to his drinking and aggressive behaviour.

On November 8 last year, Korsaks repeatedly pressured the victim to go downstairs to talk. He later punched her as she lay in bed and threatened her. The police were called at around 2.30am the next morning and arrested Korsaks.

Leading up to his arrest, Korsaks subjected the victim to a sustained campaign of physical and emotional abuse. He made multiple threats of what he would do if she left him.

Korsaks had controlled his victim’s finances and monitored her movements. He demanded to know her location to follow her and, on one occasion, turned up unannounced at her workplace to try and take her home.

Korsaks was sentenced to two years and two months in prison at Huntingdon Law Courts on Thursday, May 28, after he admitted to engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship. He was also handed a seven-year restraining order.

Two counts of threats to kill, two counts of assault by beating, two counts of intentional strangulation, and threatening a person with a bladed article were ordered to lie on file.

DC Jake Boreham-Dennis, who investigated, said: “This was a sustained pattern of controlling, coercive and violent behaviour that left the victim living in fear. Korsaks used threats, intimidation and violence to try to control her, and his behaviour escalated when she tried to leave.

“I hope this sentence provides some reassurance to the victim and shows we will take action against those who commit domestic abuse. If you are experiencing this type of behaviour, please know you are not alone – support is available and we will listen.”

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Two people have been injured following a crash on the A505 on Wednesday, June 3. Cambridgeshire Police were called at 6:35am this morning to reports of a crash involving a HGV and other vehicles.

The crash happened near Duxford. Two people have been injured. One of the two have sustained serious injuries.

The A505 has been blocked in both directions between Duxford and Pampisford following the collision.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “We were called at 6.35am this morning to reports of a collision on the A505 near Duxford. A HGV and other vehicles were involved and two people have been injured, one seriously. Motorists are urged to avoid the area because of disruption.”

Ian Huntley was allegedly attacked with a metal bar at a maximum security jail

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A trial date has been set for an inmate charged with the prison murder of Soham killer Ian Huntley. Anthony Russell, 44, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court by videolink from HMP Frankland, near Durham, on Wednesday for a brief hearing during which he did not enter a plea.

Russell is charged with a single offence of murdering the 52-year-old, who was allegedly attacked with a metal bar in a workshop at the maximum security jail on February 26. Huntley was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where he died on March 7.

Russell, wearing a brown T-shirt, appeared before Mr Justice Hilliard. The judge set a trial date for November 23, with a further pre-trial hearing on July 3.

Huntley was serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The ex-school caretaker killed the best friends after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4 2002. He dumped their bodies in a ditch 10 miles away.

They were not found for 13 days despite a search involving hundreds of police officers. At the time, Huntley lived with Maxine Carr who was a teaching assistant at Holly and Jessica’s primary school.

He denied murdering the girls but was convicted after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2003. He was jailed for life with a recommended minimum term of 40 years.

Residents have been calling for action to be taken against the ‘overconcentration of HMOs’

Campaigners have praised the newly formed council’s promise to improve regulation of HMOs in a cross-party agreement. Cambridge City Council voted in a new Labour leader on Monday night after an earlier meeting ended in deadlock.

The minority administration agreed to bring forward new controls to improve regulation of smaller HMOs and develop the case for an Article 4 Direction. This would require HMOs housing three to six people to seek full planning permission where currently this is only required for seven or more occupants.

Cllr Tim Bick, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: “This is a complex subject and the council may not have all the powers we would like it to have, but we want to deploy what we can to make whatever difference we can.”

Donna Ferguson, chair of Guest Road Area Residents’ Association in Petersfield, said she was “overjoyed” but also called for the council to consider a numerical threshold. She said almost a third of properties in their area are registered HMOs, meaning they house at least five people – but smaller HMOs do not need to be registered.

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There are 58 parking spaces for the around 100 properties in the area, including the 32 HMOs which are entitled to three residential parking permits each.

Donna said the terraced homes, intended for families, now have “far more” adults than intended leading to fly-tipping as “there isn’t enough space for the bins”. She said the council’s local plan states that “overconcentration of HMOs” can “have a harmful impact on the community”.

She noted at least 51 local councils have already passed an Article 4 Direction, and “many of them uni towns – York, Manchester, Oxford”.

She said: “I just couldn’t understand why Cambridge, a uni town, doesn’t have these measures in place – I even saw that Peterborough had recently applied for an Article 4 Direction.”

At least 27 local authorities have also limited HMOs to a threshold of 10 per cent of properties within a certain radius – usually 50 to 100 metres – and Donna is calling for Cambridge to do the same.

She started a petition which has more than 100 signatures at the time of writing and you can visit here. Even with the council considering options, she said it’s “even more important now” to sign the petition to show there is support for the measure.

She said: “It’s not saying we want to stop HMOs – we really welcome students who have always been a part of our community, or tenants perhaps struggling with unaffordable rents. I know tenants who have come to us in the residents’ association to ask, ‘can you do anything? Our landlord won’t do anything’ – it’s the landlords, not the tenants.”

Donna said she hopes the stricter regulations will deter “speculative applications” from “potential venture capitalist developers”.

She said: “I’m very pleased and want to say thank you to the councillors who are supporting this – I think it’s fantastic and hope they can work together to do something.”