The nostalgic DJ event, Hay Day, is coming to Sunderland on Saturday, August 1, at Southpaw Studio in Sheepfolds Stables.

The event promises an energetic throwback to the era of dance anthems, with doors opening at 3pm and closing by 7pm.

Robby Graham, artistic director of Southpaw Company, said: “Hay Day will be full of energy and atmosphere and take away the hassle that often comes with a late night out.

“Whether you’re coming to dance with friends, celebrate a special occasion, or simply relive the soundtrack of your youth, Hay Day will be an afternoon to remember.”

UK-based DJ and producer, Aaron Swales, will be spinning the tunes, a mixture of dance club anthems and feel-good favourites from back in the day.

The early finish means guests can enjoy a night out without the after-effects of a typical late-night rave.

Tickets are selling fast with plans already underfoot to hold the event regularly.

Southpaw Company was established in 2013 under the artistic direction of Robby Graham and blends innovative choreography with compelling storytelling rooted in the lived experiences of working class and marginalised communities.

Southpaw Studio is located in the heart of Sunderland’s Sheepfolds district, a fully-equipped creative space designed to host performances, rehearsals and community activities.

From creating intimate touring pieces to large-scale outdoor spectacles, the company blends innovative choreography with compelling storytelling rooted in the lived experiences of working class and marginalised communities.

Southpaw’s mission is to craft performances that are reflective of the communities it engages with, driven by authentic collaboration and co-creation.

Whether working with local residents on mass-movement pieces, such as RUSH and RISE, or touring narrative-rich productions like Speakeasy, it believes in the transformative power of the arts to spark dialogue, promote empathy and celebrate the diverse cultural voices across the UK.

In addition to its artistic output, Southpaw runs three, free engagement programmes:

• AMPLIFY – A community performance company
• ORIGINS – Breaking barriers and empowering young dancers (aged eight to 18) through breaking and hip-hop styles
• IGNITE – A high level training class for professional working class dancers and advanced students

Erimus, created for the re-opening of Middlesbrough Town Hall, won the Journal Culture Arts Council England Award and National Campaign for the Arts Award for the Best Local Authority Arts Project Encouraging Community Cohesion.

Tickets are available via the Southpaw website at southpaw.org.uk/events.

“We will begin to see a modest change as a weak weather front pushes south across the UK on Saturday bringing some much-needed rain”

Light rain and scattered showers have been forecast for Northern Ireland this weekend after a long dry and sunny spell.

For Friday, July 24, the Met Office say it’s set to turn increasingly cloudy this evening with a chance of a few spots of light rain.

The rest of the night is expected to be mainly dry with clear spells, freshening winds, and a minimum temperature of 14C.

On Saturday, July 25, it’s set to be a cloudy morning with patchy light rain spreading southeast. It’s expected to turn drier and brighter for a time into the afternoon, with a maximum temperature of 19C.

And for the weather outlook for Sunday, July 26, to Tuesday, July 28, the Met Office said: “Bright spells and scattered showers on Sunday.

“Fairly unsettled and changeable Monday and Tuesday with the risk of further showers or spells of rain.”

Ahead of the “modest change of weather type” on the horizon for the UK, Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington stated: “The high pressure has been a key feature of the UK’s weather forecast over the last few weeks, bringing above-average temperatures and extremely dry conditions for many.

“However, we will begin to see a modest change as a weak weather front pushes south across the UK on Saturday bringing some much-needed rain, albeit it light and mainly concentrated in the north and west. Behind the front a showery air mass will bring potentially heavy showers some of which may be thundery.”

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FBI director Kash Patel handed over a collection of looted Indonesian artefacts to president Prabowo Subianto in what Jakarta described as an important step in restoring the nation’s cultural sovereignty.

Indonesian culture minister Fadli Zon said the return of the artefacts from the Papua region was part of ongoing cooperation between his ministry and the FBI to recover cultural objects that had been illegally smuggled into the US.

The recovered items include stone axes and ceremonial objects linked to the Dani, Asmat, and Sentani tribes of Papua.

The ministry said that traditional stone axes from Papua were valued far beyond their practical use as communities in the highlands, including the Dani, regarded them as markers of social status and wealth, used them in marriages and other ceremonial exchanges, and passed them down generations as prized heirlooms.

Mr Zon said the artefacts would be displayed at the National Museum. “Patel brought Indonesian cultural artefacts as part of cooperation between the Indonesian government, through the culture ministry, and the FBI to return cultural objects that had been illegally smuggled into the United States,” he said. “These are very valuable objects because this repatriation process is part of our effort to restore our cultural sovereignty.”

The US previously returned a pair of bronze sculptures depicting the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The 8th-century Buddhist sculptures had been taken from Indonesian archaeological sites and then sold to an American collector through the late antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford.

They were among 34 Southeast Asian artefacts voluntarily surrendered by the collector in 2021 after investigations found that the items had been looted.

The Indonesian government has stepped up efforts in recent years to recover cultural artefacts held overseas, many of which were removed during the colonial period, stolen, or acquired through illegal trafficking networks.

In January last year, Indonesia displayed over 800 artefacts returned by the Netherlands after years of negotiations. The Netherlands ruled Indonesia as a colonial power for almost four centuries.

The collection, which was exhibited at the National Museum in Jakarta, included stone Buddha statues, jewellery, royal objects, paintings and weapons.

The artefacts, returned under a 2022 repatriation agreement, were looted during conflicts, taken by colonial-era scientists and missionaries, or smuggled by mercenaries during colonial rule.

The famous “Java Man” fossil, one of the earliest and most important discoveries of Homo erectus, was also returned to Indonesia last year from the Netherlands, more than 130 years after it was discovered in East Java.

James May has said he disagrees with 120 UK-based millionaires including Gary Lineker who have urged Andy Burnham to impose higher taxes on their wealth.

The group have claimed extra money raised from higher taxes on wealth could be used to reduce inequality, support public infrastructure and back small businesses.

A letter to the Prime Minister from the Patriotic Millionaires UK campaign group, says a 2 per cent tax on wealth over £10million could raise £24billion a year for the UK.

But former Top Gear presenter May has insisted he ‘already pays loads of tax’ and encouraged the wealthy to instead donate the extra 2 per cent to good causes.

When asked on LBC radio whether he agrees with the former Match of the Day host’s stance released in the ‘Proud to Pay’ letter yesterday, 63-year-old May said ‘No.’

Presenter Tom Swarbrick asked him why, and May responded: ‘I already pay loads of tax. Am I supposed to volunteer to pay some more?’ Swarbrick then pressed May, saying: ‘Well, you can do, of course. You can pay whatever you like to HMRC.’

And May told him: ‘You absolutely can. You could pay your whole income to HMRC if you like. And those people who say, I’d gladly, gladly pay an extra 2 per cent tax if it went to the homeless or military veterans or the disabled or whatever. There are plenty of people who will take that extra 2 per cent from you if you wish to donate it.’

Swarbrick asked him: ‘So you don’t feel that there is a patriotic argument for millionaires to pay more in tax, however that is defined or alighted upon? 

Gary Lineker is among 120 millionaires calling on Andy Burnham to impose higher taxes

And May replied: ‘I mean, wealthier people already pay more tax. The rate increases and it’s a greater absolute amount as well if you have more income. ‘

It comes as a Treasury minister declined to say whether Mr Burnham’s Government will heed the call for the higher tax.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds welcomed the offer, but said any announcement on tax policy would be made in the budget.

She would not be drawn into whether Mr Burnham will consider what the millionaires are asking for, telling Sky News: ‘Well, look, it’s day four of this new Government, and obviously any major tax changes would be announced at a budget.

‘I welcome the fact that people of good means are saying that they want to pay more. They can pay more. There is a link on gov.uk, but look, we have to look at tax policy in the round, and we only make major tax announcements at budgets.’

The letter from the Patriotic Millionaires UK group reads: ‘We want you to tax us. We can afford it. We’re not talking about higher taxes on those who get up and go to work for their income every day, but on the very richest whose income is derived from the wealth they hold.’

Lineker said: ‘Paying your fair share is a basic British value, but so many ordinary people are already paying more than they can afford.

‘Our richest people can do more and most want to. Our fantastic country deserves all of us to get behind it. I’m proud to stand with people across the UK who want to live in a more equal society.

‘To live up to our national values our new Government must raise taxes on extreme levels of wealth for a fairer, better, more hopeful Britain.’

Other signatories include crime writer Val McDermid, musician and songwriter Brian Eno, former chairman of Greggs Ian Gregg, economist and former City trader Gary Stevenson, and investor Julia Davies.

In addition to the wealth tax, Patriotic Millionaires also said reforms to capital gains tax could raise a further £12billion.

But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said a wealth levy is not the answer to raising UK living standards.

She told reporters after a London speech: ‘On Gary Lineker, he’s very welcome to pay more tax. He can write a cheque to the Treasury. No one’s stopping him.

‘But right now, we are seeing the people who create jobs leaving the country… If we keep taxing the people who create the jobs, who generate the growth, we’re not going to have any taxes at all.’

She added that tax rises and ‘pennies here and there’ do not increase our standard of living, and that the focus should be on ‘backing business so that they can create jobs and create growth’.

Ms Davies, a member of Patriotic Millionaires, said: ‘We millionaires are here to be taxed more and we urge our new PM to grab this opportunity with both hands and tax our wealth. This is a fresh opportunity for our country.

‘A chance for the Prime Minister to help rebalance power, reduce the shocking levels of wealth inequality which intensifies the cost of living crisis, and raise much-needed revenue for our public services, improving life for everyone.’

Polling from the campaign group showed that 80 per cent of UK millionaires support a 2 per cent tax on wealth over £10 million.

‘As you decentralise political power, you should also disperse economic power,’ the open letter adds.

‘Extreme wealth sitting idle in the hands of a few can be put to work: reducing inequality, investing in sustainable jobs, strengthening hospitals, schools and social care, supporting entrepreneurs with the skills and infrastructure they need, and giving small businesses access to affordable finance.

‘Our wealth is our country’s secret weapon – let’s get serious about using it.’

May presented the BBC motoring show alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond from 2003 until 2015 and was known as ‘the other bloke from Top Gear’. 

He also earned the nickname ‘Captain Slow’ for his performances in challenges.

After leaving Top Gear, the presenting trio went on to make a new motoring show for Amazon Prime Video called The Grand Tour, which ran from 2016 to 2024.

Plans to stop remuneration payments to coastguard volunteers were recently dropped

The chief executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) faces a formal vote of no confidence following plans to stop remuneration payments to lifesaving volunteers.

The vote of no confidence comes following plans to stop paying volunteer coastguards were dropped.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) sought to move its coastguard rescue teams to an expenses-only volunteer model.

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Currently, coastguard rescue officers (CROs) are paid an hourly rate during callouts, but the MCA wanted to scrap those payments so it could classify them as volunteers.

However, the Government said the plans would be dropped after fears it could see swathes of officers stop working with the service.

Transport minister Keir Mather said he had listened to the views of coastguard rescue officers (CROs) and that a move to an expenses-only model would not go ahead.

It came after a Court of Appeal verdict saw the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) say it would move to a “revised volunteer model”, after a judge ruled against it over whether coastguard members are volunteers or paid workers.

They are officially volunteers but can claim about £11 an hour for callouts or training.

Mr Mather also refused to say he had confidence in the chief executive of the MCA, Virginia McVea, when given the opportunity to do so by shadow transport minister Jerome Mayhew. Mr Mather said he wanted to get any replacement system “right”.

Speaking in the Commons, he said: “We want to ensure that CROs are treated with dignity, with respect and they are empowered to carry out the incredible duties that they do.

“Having listened to the views and testimonies of CROs first hand, I can confirm that they move to the expenses-only volunteer model in September will not go ahead, and that current arrangements will remain in place.”

Now, in a letter to Lord Simon Stevens, Chair of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Board, GMB union’s coastguard members wrote to formally express their lack of confidence in the leadership of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency under Chief Executive Virginia McVea.

The coastguards also called on the board to undertake an independent review of the concerns, including:

• A perceived failure to adequately engage with and listen to the experiences and concerns of Coastguard Rescue Officers.
• Insufficient transparency in decision-making processes affecting frontline personnel.
• A culture in which legitimate concerns raised by Coastguard Rescue Officers are not addressed in a timely or meaningful manner.
• Decisions and policies that have negatively affected morale, recruitment, retention, and confidence within Coastguard Rescue Teams.
• Concerns regarding leadership accountability and responsiveness to issues raised by frontline operational personnel.

Nicola Savage, GMB National Officer, said: “These workers are the face of HM Coastguard in communities across the United Kingdom.

“They give their time, skills, and commitment to save lives across the country.

“But they need to feel backed to the hilt by the MCA and, under Ms McVea’s stewardship, they don’t.

“Given the farce of the remuneration payments, coastguards feel a fresh start is the only way to reinstate that trust.”

The North West Aqua Park will officially open at the Anderton Centre on August 3, offering visitors an inflatable obstacle course on Lower Rivington Reservoir.

The attraction features giant inflatables, slides, climbing walls, balance challenges and splash zones, with sessions supervised by qualified lifeguards.

Jason Pendlebury, CEO of The Anderton Centre, said: “We are incredibly excited to open the North West Aqua Park and welcome our first visitors on August 3.

“This has been a project that has involved a huge amount of planning, partnership working and commitment from many people, and we’re immensely proud to see it become a reality.”

The Aqua Park has been designed for families, friends, community groups and anyone looking for an outdoor challenge.

(Image: Public)

Every session includes a safety briefing, specialist equipment and trained staff, with organisers saying the attraction has been built to high safety standards.

Mr Pendlebury added: “We believe the Aqua Park will become one of the North West’s premier outdoor attractions, bringing new visitors to the area while encouraging people of all ages to get active, enjoy the outdoors and create lasting memories with family and friends.

“We can’t wait to welcome everyone to experience it for themselves.”

Bookings are now open ahead of the school summer holidays, with visitors encouraged to reserve a place in advance.

The Anderton Centre was originally set up as a charity and said income from the Aqua Park will help support its outdoor learning programmes for children, young people and community groups across the region.

The sessions last for an hour and are £20 per person. It is suitable for confident swimmers aged six and over.

The Anderton Centre offers outdoor adventures from kayaking to archery ­

It also provides outdoor residential activities for young people.

The centre has been providing schoolchildren with residential activities for more than 20 years.

She is best known for playing Maxine Peacock on Coronation Street, having appeared in the soap from 1995 to 2003 before being murdered by infamous serial killer Richard Hillman (Brian Capron).

She has also appeared in other TV shows such as The Blue Room and Mile High, and embarked on a brief singing career in the late 1990s.

Shaw, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, shared a short video on her Instagram account telling her followers the results of her ultrasound scans.

She said while lumps found on her right breast are cysts and not cancerous, the cancerous lesions on her left breast have not shrunk.

Unfortunately, the lesions have changed shape and have “not really shrunk in size.”

Tracy was in tears in her video, which was filmed outside after her latest appointment, as she told her followers that she knows surgeons “can’t operate until they shrink it.”

Ending the video, she remained positive and said: “I was just expecting some miraculous miracle, but maybe it’s to come.”

What is breast cancer and who can get it?

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK and appears “when abnormal cells in the breast begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way”, Cancer Research UK explains.

While it’s mainly something that affects women, men can get breast cancer too, but it’s rare for this to happen.

In a year, about 59,400 people are given a breast cancer diagnosis (160 people a day).

When to see your GP about cancer

Tracy’s followers have sent messages of support, with one commenting: “Sending you the biggest hugs.. you can do this 💪💕🩷 xxxxx.”

Another said: “Oh dear girl I’m sorry there wasn’t the best news.

“Take care rest when you can and look forward to better days ahead they will come ❤️❤️❤️.”

This person added: “So sorry to hear the disheartening news-I know how hard this journey is and how much you cling to the hope it is all working.

“Sending lots of love and positivity that your miracle is just waiting around the corner 🙏🤗💕.”

Another commented: “Again sending love to you Tracey.

“You’re so strong and brave to go through your journey so publicly.

“I’m sure with all that strength you have will get you through this ❤️”.

Tracy shares regular updates on Instagram, raising awareness of the disease.

Bryson DeChambeau has said he is “moving past” the controversial two-shot penalty that hampered his bid for The Open at Royal Birkdale.

DeChambeau was docked two shots after his second round in Southport having been deemed by officials to have improved the area of his backswing by standing on and flattening grass as he played a shot out of the rough on the fifth hole.

The 32-year-old has since been accused of attempting to involve Donald Trump in the rules dispute, and eventually faded from contention to finish in a tie for 14th at the year’s final men’s major.

DeChambeau had missed the cut in the first three majors of the year and was left to rue what might have been having originally been just one shot off the halfway lead of Lucas Herbert before the penalty.

But while still believing he was in the right, and should not have been penalised, an honest DeChambeau admitted that he was able to move on from the incident.

“Look, golf is golf, right?” the American said after the opening round of LIV Golf UK with he and Herbert second and first at the JCB Golf and Country Club.

“I wish [Lucas and I] could have gone to battle last week. It wasn’t that way. But life goes on. There’s moments of adversity in everybody’s life, and I was passionate about what I believed and thought was right.

“For me, it’s now in a place that it is what it is, and you keep moving through it. You keep moving past it.”

Herbert shot an 11-under round of 61 to lead DeChambeau by three as the Australian continued his strong form after finishing tied sixth at The Open.

Ryan Fox claimed his first major crown as the New Zealander lifted the Claret Jug after birdieing the last at Birkdale.

DeChambeau closed six shots behind the winner – and pinpointed two triple bogeys, one of which came as a result of the penalty, as key to his failure to fully challenge.

“I made the cut,” DeChambeau quipped when asked about his Open. “No, it was a good fight.

“I wish I would have given it more on Saturday and Sunday. Felt like I could have. Besides the 5th hole and being three-over on that hole and then the 11th hole [in the fourth round], that’s six shots. That’s tied for the lead right there. That’s two holes and I’m right there with the Claret Jug.”

It is following an incident on Liverpool Road on March 29.

Jacob Hall of Chapel Street, Leigh, is among the men charged alongside two men from Irlam.

Also charged is Cole Churchill, of Morillion Road, Irlam, and Lee Browne, of Bowness Avenue, Irlam.

Hall, 19, Church, 20, and Browne, 18, are due to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 21 August 2026.

Donald Trump has spent decades presenting himself as a financial genius. His strongest evidence remains that he managed to bankrupt a casino, a business designed so that the customers are statistically guaranteed to lose.

Now that same grasp of economics has been entrusted with the world’s largest economy, global trade and a war in the Middle East – like appointing the captain of the Titanic because he once claimed expertise in ice. Last night, Trump imposed fresh tariffs of between 10 per cent and 12.5 per cent on more than 80 countries, including Britain, Canada, Mexico, Australia, India and the European Union.

Once again, America’s allies have been spoken to like contestants on The Apprentice, humiliated and punished on a presidential whim. Except this is no television show. The consequences will be measured in higher prices, lost jobs, damaged pensions and greater instability across the world.

OPINION

Trump talks about tariffs as though they are cheques posted to Washington by grateful foreign governments. In reality, they are paid by importers and passed on to families through more expensive goods.

This has been explained to him repeatedly. He either cannot understand it or believes his supporters will never question him. Both possibilities are alarming. After his previous tariffs were ruled unlawful, Trump needed another legal excuse. His administration has now settled on forced labour, claiming dozens of countries were failing to stop goods made through exploitation entering their supply chains.

Yet many of those being punished already ban such imports and have stronger employment protections than America. Trump has discovered workers’ rights with the sincerity of a burglar discovering home security. Forced labour is a grave abuse. Using it as a disguise for another tariff war cheapens the issue and exposes the cynicism beneath his incompetence.

The same ignorance and arrogance are driving Trump’s needless war with Iran.

In both cases, he mistakes aggression for strength, improvisation for strategy and confidence for knowledge. He launches first, boasts second and leaves everyone else to contain the consequences. Trump has no convincing endgame in Iran, no clear definition of victory and no credible path out. The conflict has already cost around £28 billion, with tens of billions more being demanded. Oil has risen beyond $100 a barrel. Petrol has become more expensive. Transport, manufacturing and food costs are being pushed higher.

Trump has created a military crisis, an energy crisis and a trade crisis at the same time, then congratulated himself on the result. It is like setting fire to the curtains and demanding praise for discovering central heating.

This week, he had the audacity to say people were “very impressed”. Americans, let alone the rest of the world, are not. History offers few examples of one man creating so much instability while remaining certain that he is the cleverest person in every room. Markets this morning have tumbled as investors try to measure the combined damage of war, oil prices and tariffs. Yet the real victims are not hedge-fund billionaires with teams of advisers.

They are workers with modest workplace pensions, pensioners relying on small private funds and families who have saved carefully for years.

They followed the advice they were given. They put aside what they could and hoped it might provide some security in retirement. Then Trump dreams up another economic policy between a Big Mac and a round of golf, and another piece of that security disappears. He will not suffer alongside them.

While ordinary people watch their savings fall and household bills rise, the Trump family has used the presidency to build extraordinary wealth through cryptocurrency, licensing deals and businesses tied to political power.

His supporters were promised a man so rich he could never be bought. They received one determined to sell every available surface, including the office itself. The arrangement is brutally simple. Trump creates the uncertainty, working families absorb the losses, and his relatives find another opportunity to profit.

His economic worldview has all the sophistication of a child dividing sweets. If another country prospers, America must have been cheated. If a business imports goods, it deserves punishment. If prices rise, someone abroad must be blamed.

There is no room for supply chains, investment, alliances or consequences. There is only Trump standing amid the wreckage, pointing at the rubble and insisting it proves he is winning. Even his most devoted supporters are beginning to notice. Many MAGA voters blame the Iran war for higher petrol prices, while Republicans facing the midterm elections fear they will pay the electoral price.

Trump appears unconcerned. He cannot seek another term, and loyalty in his world has always travelled in one direction.

America has survived foolish presidents, reckless presidents and dishonest presidents. Trump combines all three with an almost artistic lack of self-awareness. He is financially illiterate yet obsessed with money, intellectually incurious yet certain of his brilliance, and becoming personally richer while millions suffer from his decisions.

His greatest talent has always been converting private failure into public cost. Trump promised to run America like one of his businesses. He has kept that promise. The debts belong to somebody else, the damage is left behind, and he walks away, insisting nobody in history has ever enjoyed greater success.