Four people died trying to cross the Channel in small boats overnight, French officials have said.

One man died after a vessel capsized off France’s northern coast late on Wednesday, with a one-year-old child among those injured.

Separately, three people were found dead aboard a small boat early on Thursday after launching from Dunkirk overnight, some 100km (62 miles) up the coast.

French officials confirmed their deaths after several hundred people crossed the Channel into the UK on Wednesday.

The first boat capsized off the coast at Hardelot around 23:30 local time (21:30 GMT) on Wednesday.

The man is thought to have been in his thirties or forties, officials added. Six other people including the child sustained minor injuries.

Local officials said the vessel was a “taxi” boat – vessels which cruise along the coast and pick up their paying customers who are waiting in the sea.

Security officials “neutralised” the boat and an investigation into the incident has been launched.

The second boat launched from the Dunkirk area overnight and was spotted near a breakwater off the coast at 06:00, the French coastguard said.

Search and rescue officials subsequently found three unconscious people on board. Their deaths were later confirmed by emergency medical personnel.

A UK government spokesperson said: “Every death in the Channel is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people for profit.”

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There are plenty of places to grab a bite to eat across the week

The Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is right around the corner, and with so many events on across the week, you will build up a hunger.

There are so many fantastic food options across Belfast, and there are plans to open several pop-up food markets alongside the well-established markets throughout the city to meet the demand.

With so much happening, we have broken down all of the major food markets taking place across the city in one easy place for you.

Craic & Craft Food Market at ICC Belfast

Set just outside this busy competition and performance venue, the Craic and Craft Market offers a unique opportunity to experience Northern Ireland’s artisan food, drink, and craft producers alongside family-friendly entertainment.

Opening hours: Sunday, August 2, to Wednesday, August 5: 10am–5pm Thursday, August 6, to Sunday, August 9: 10am–10pm

Visitors can enjoy: Street food vendors, Artisan stalls, Family activities, Ferris wheel, Live music, Space to relax between competitions and sessions.

St George’s Market

Enjoy musical performances, dancing, artisan arts and crafts and street food at the market.

During the Fleadh, St George’s Market will be open: Sunday, August 2, from 10am to 3pm, and Monday, August 3, to Wednesday, August 5, from 10am to 5pm, and Thursday, August 6, to Sunday, August 9, from 10am to 10pm.

Fleadh food and drink village

A food and drink village beside Belfast Cathedral, operated by Market Place Europe on behalf of Belfast City Council, will provide a dedicated destination for local traders, producers and growers to showcase their flavours to visitors.

The family-friendly space will be open from 11am to 6pm on Sunday, August 2, and Sunday, August 9, 10am to 8pm from Monday, August 3, to Wednesday, August 5, and 10am to 11pm from Thursday, August 6, to Saturday, August 8.

It will include a delicious, diverse menu celebrating the region’s unique flavours and the best local ingredients, alongside relaxed, communal seating, a covered dining area and a performance space for live music, providing the soundtrack to your snack.

North Street carpark

North Street Car Park, which falls in the pedestrian zone, will swap cars for craic as a pop-up ‘Fleadh hub’ will host guests from August 2-9.

Fleadh Cheoil is the world’s biggest celebration of Irish music and culture, hosted in Belfast for the very first time – competitors from all over the world will showcase the very best of traditional music, song, dance and language in All-Ireland competitions.

The Fleadh at North St. will host live traditional music every day, serve Heineken and Beamish at the bar, and offer local street food and artisan coffee during the eight-day celebrations.

According to the Fleadh guide, it will be open from 3pm until late.

Titanic Quarter Night Market and Titanic Food Festival

Further along the Maritime Mile, a packed programme of activities will also get tastebuds tingling, with the Titanic Quarter Night Market (4pm to 10pm, Thursday 6 and Friday 7 August) and the Titanic Food Festival (11am to 5pm, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 August).

Common Market

Common Market has become a fan favourite for its raft of food stalls in the popular market and it gets even better for the week of the Fleadh.

With spots like Phat Dragon, Wing Society and Sal’s mixed with hours of live entertainment in collaboration with 39 Gordon Street, it’s going to become the spot to be.

They are set to have a week of unforgettable celebrations of Irish music, culture, food, and great craic! Join them for live traditional music, fantastic local vendors, delicious food, and a brilliant atmosphere for all ages.

HALT at Weaver’s Cross

From Sunday 2nd August to Sunday 9th August, HALT is the place to soak up the atmosphere with live music, incredible food and great company.

With 7 amazing food vendors, ice-cold drinks and one of Belfast’s best outdoor spaces, there’s no better place to enjoy the week.

Around 100 local businesses will also be selling their wares through successful applications for street trading – 60 inside the pedestrianised event zone, at High Street, Bridge Street and Royal Avenue, and a further 40 outside of this special scheme.

Many more will be extending their premises with additional outdoor space for food and drink, as well as longer opening hours to offer live music and other entertainment.

Keep an eye out for Fleadh-Friendly signs in windows across the city centre. Tons of local spots will be running their own exclusive taster menus, festival offers and pop-up acoustic sets.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here

The victim was punched in the head during an assault

A man suffered serious injuries after being punched in the head during an assault. Lincolnshire Police were called to a “large-scale disturbance” in the Sheep Market area of Stamford, near Peterborough, at around 9.50pm on Saturday, July 25.

Police are trying to piece together the events that led to the assault. A police spokesperson said: “We are now appealing for the public’s help to identify the two men, as we believe they may have vital information that could assist our investigation.

“The first man is described as being of stocky build, with dark hair and stubble. He was wearing grey knee-length shorts and a tight white t-shirt, with a grey man-bag with black strap. The lower halves of his left arm and left leg are heavily tattooed and he was wearing black trainers with a white marking on them.

“The second man is described as being of slim build, with ‘slicked back’ neck-length mid-brown hair. He had a moustache and goatee beard of a similar colour. He was wearing a white t-shirt and light beige cargo-type shorts.”

Anyone with information should contact Detective Sergeant Mike Hanson or call 101 and quote incident 559 of July 25.

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Staying on top of the latest fashion trends can sometimes mean sacrificing your own health and comfort for style.

Modern fashion trends including suffocating shapewear, flimsy ballet flats and oversized tote bags have caused misery for many wearers. But these trends are tame in comparison to many of history’s fashion fads — some of which were even lethal.

1. Vertiginously volatile shoes

The 1950s invention of the stiletto heel was met with mixed reviews. While for wearers it became a symbol of femininity and empowerment and many enjoyed the extra height it gave them, some women found the stiletto uncomfortable to walk in.

Concerns were soon raised over the heels’ potential to cause harm. In 1953, British photojournalism magazine Picture Post ran a feature titled The Hazards of the Stiletto Heel, which cited concerns from doctors about the impending dangers that wearing these shoes could bring, from turned ankles to broken bones.

Decades later, concerns over the harmful nature of high heeled shoes still continue. Studies have shown there’s a direct relationship between high heel wearing and musculoskeletal injuries.

However, it’s not only the act of wearing stilettos that causes harm. In 2016, The Telegraph reported that stilettos had been used as weapons in hundred of assaults. In 2013, US citizen Ana Trujillo, nicknamed the “Stiletto Killer”, received a life sentence for stabbing her boyfriend 25 times with a blue suede stiletto heel.

2. The deadly corset

The corset has had a long and often controversial history, one which can be traced back centuries. From the 16th century, it was an undergarment made either from whalebone and sometimes steel that was used to shape the waist.

But over the years, concerns were increasingly raised about the potential harms of wearing corsets – particularly from the practice of “tight lacing.”

For instance, in 1793 the German medical doctor and anatomist Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring published a book discussing his concerns over prolonged tight lacing. In it, he writes that the practice could compress the ribs and other internal organs and inflict deformities on the rib cage.

In June 1890, The Lancet also published an article illuminating the devastating effects of tight lacing – including causing broken ribs, damaged organs, breathing difficulties, deformities and even death.

While the trend for tight corset wearing may have subsided, there are still concerns over the impacts that more modern versions in the form of shapewear can have on the body. Research has shown that wearing tight clothing, such as shapewear, can have detrimental effects on breathing.

3. Poison gowns

During the Victorian era, a deadly trend emerged for a particular shade of emerald green which became popular for fabrics, furnishings and fashion. But green was a challenging colour to produce. So to achieve this vibrant and fashionable hue, Victorian dressmakers would use a particular dye called Scheele’s green which was laden with arsenic.

The public wasn’t aware of how harmful these arsenic-laden dresses were until renowned chemist AW Hoffman published an article in 1862 called The Dance of Death which exposed the dangerous toxicity of the green dye. The following week, the popular satire publication Punch Magazine featured a cartoon titled The Arsenic Waltz which featured a skeleton in a ballgown.

The lethal effects of wearing these dresses included ulcers, organ failure and eventual death. The young women who made these gowns in factories also experienced symptoms such as open sores, convulsions, vomiting and even death.

4. Toxic cosmetics

Queen Elizabeth I was known for her porcelain complexion, which was seen as a mark of beauty and status at the time. But the makeup Queen Elizabeth I used to achieve this look was also a mask which covered the smallpox scars on her skin.

The Queen achieved her pale complexion through the use of Venetian Ceruse, a lead-based makeup which is believed to have caused her eventual death. Recent research has found that Queen Elizabeth I’s white makeup was actually a combination of lead and white vinegar, which would allow lead to pass through the body in higher quantities than other recipes of Venetian Ceruse.

À lire aussi :
Dying for makeup: Lead cosmetics poisoned 18th-century European socialites in search of whiter skin

As with many other fashion trends, lead-based makeup has a long history. The Egyptian queen Cleopatra used a lead-based kohl eyeliner – which more recent research shows may have actually prevented illness.

5. Hazardous hair

Hair, so often the mark of fashion, has been the subject of many toxic trends through the years.

For example, the 1900s Pompadour hairstyle – named after 18th-century French courtier Madame de Pompadour – achieved its volume through the use of highly fashionable but toxic lead pomades.

The early 20th century also witnessed an unusual and hazardous trend for radium-infused products – including radium hair tonics and oils. Some products claimed that radioactivity would help with hair growth and cure dandruff. In some instances, radium was also brushed into the hair so it would glow in the dark. Yet long-term exposure to radium had many detrimental effects, including on the bones and blood – even years after use.

6. Flammable fibres

In 1871, Oscar Wilde’s young half sisters attended a Halloween party in Ireland. As society figures, they were both dressed in the height of fashion, wearing voluminous hooped crinoline skirts. But as they danced, their huge skirts caught light from a candle and both sadly perished.

Their tragic story was not unique. During the Victorian era, over 3,000 women reportedly met the same fate.

The crinoline was favoured for its lightness and freedom of movement, yet it was unwieldy and highly flammable. In 1858, the New York Times reported an average of three deaths per week, making the crinoline one of history’s most hazardous trends.

Just as fashion trends change, so too do the hazards that can come from wearing them. But we might consider ourselves much more fortunate than our predecessors that today’s fashion trends are largely less lethal than many used to be.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org; if you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

A Peabody spokesperson said: “We’re investing in communities in and around South Thamesmead, supporting people, improving public areas and providing much-needed new homes. The majority of local residents backed our proposal to redevelop the Lesnes Estate, which will help us expand our work and create an even better place for local people to live. 

An estimated 2,877 deaths were associated with excessive heat in May and June this year – almost double the number of casualties compared to last summer.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the figure represented a significant increase on 2025’s heat-related death toll, which was 1,504.

Approximately 753 deaths were linked to the heatwave from 24 to 27 May, while  2,124 were associated with a second period of unusually hot weather between 21 and 28 June.

The health body stressed that these figures are interim and an official number has yet to be determined.

But they are already approaching the annual record for heat-related deaths set in 2022.

UKHSA’s principal environmental public health scientist and author of the report, Dr Ross Thompson, said: ‘These figures highlight the significant danger that very hot weather can pose to people’s health.

‘This is particularly true for those who are more vulnerable including older adults and people with underlying medical conditions.

‘While the figures are interim, they suggest that, if we experience more periods of hot weather this summer, we could see the highest number of heat-associated deaths on record.’

The figure only accounts for deaths in May and June, covering just two of the four heatwaves the UK has experienced this summer. 

A third heatwave in early July saw multiple yellow and amber health warnings issued by the UKHSA.

A fourth heatwave currently underway has seen wildfires break out across much of the country, the most recent of which saw holiday homes and residential properties evacuated near a nuclear plant in Suffolk.

More than half of England is also experiencing drought as a result of the hot, dry conditions.

The Environment Agency (EA) said much of central, eastern and southern England is affected and that further restrictions on water use – like a batch of hosepipe bans brought in over the past few weeks – may be introduced.

Farmers have also warned the sweltering conditions mean they face depleted crop levels.

Gavin Lane, president of the CLA (Country Land and Business Association) – which represents 28,000 farmers – said: ‘Farmers are telling us this is the worst harvest in years.

‘A sodden winter followed by drought has left wheat at half its usual height and some crops not worth harvesting.’

Health and Social Care Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said of the report: ‘The sweltering heat has had a serious impact this summer on people’s health and on our NHS.

‘For many years, we have been used to winter pressures in our NHS and the need to support those who are vulnerable in the coldest weather.

‘But now we are seeing the summer heat have an increasingly serious impact on the health of thousands of people, and on the pressures facing our NHS too.

‘As we move through the summer, it is so important for people to be able to look out for their health and help those who are more vulnerable to the hot conditions.

‘Please don’t hesitate to seek help if you’re worried about your own wellbeing, or anyone else’s. A little care could make a lifesaving difference.’

MORE: Ex-footballer dies aged 41 in freak accident after storm kills four others

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Former England football star Shaun Wright-Phillips was the tenth celebrity announced for Strictly Come Dancing on Thursday. 

The sportsman, 44, whose father is retired footballer Ian Wright, said the show is ‘completely out of his comfort zone’, but that he was ‘looking forward to the challenge.   

The news was announced on Thursday 30th July via @bbcstrictly’s official social channels on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube. 

Shaun is a former footballer with 36 caps for England, across a professional career that also saw him play for Manchester City, Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers, and the USA’s New York Red Bulls and Phoenix Rising FC. 

Now a football pundit and broadcaster, Shaun has worked with the likes of the BBC, Sky Sports, ITV, and the Premier League and he has been a Manchester City club Ambassador since 2020. 

Shaun said: ‘Dancing is in my blood—but mainly at family events! Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!’

He will be joining Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone and Bethany Antonia in the Strictly line-up. 

Further news will be revealed throughout the summer ahead of the brand-new series getting underway on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this September. 

EastEnders star Lacey was the first contestant announced as she is currently on an extended break from playing her iconic character Stacey Slater in the soap and is keen to use her time to train for the BBC competition, which will start in September.   

In a video shared to Instagram, Lacey admitted she is ‘terrified’ to be taking part in the BBC show, which will return to screens in September, and can’t wait to ‘learn a new skill’.

She said: ‘Hello it’s Lacey Turner I can’t quite believe that I’m actually saying this but I want to let you in on a little secret.

‘This September I will be taking my little toes onto the dancefloor to do Strictly Come Dancing.

Shaun said: ‘Dancing is in my blood—but mainly at family events! Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!’

‘I can’t believe it. I’m so excited and terrified at the same time but I’ve had so many friends do Strictly and I thought it was about time that I plucked up the courage and made my way onto that dance floor. So, there you go the secret is out, see you there in September.’

It comes after it was revealed Dani is also making her Strictly comeback.

The TV star has been confirmed as the second celeb to take part in the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing one year after she was forced to quit the 2025 run after fracturing her ankle during rehearsals.

Dani said: ‘I am so excited to be back in the ballroom this September!’

‘I just cannot wait to get my dancing shoes back on and hopefully this time around I can actually make it to week one! I’m just over the moon and cannot wait to find out who else is doing it!’

Upon her exit last year, BBC bosses confirmed the door would be left open for ‘heartbroken’ Dani to return for the 2026 series as they said they ‘hope to welcome her back to the ballroom in the future’.

Elsewhere, on Monday the returning Strictly professional dancers shared a glimpse inside day one of rehearsals for the 2026 series on Instagram. 

Amy Dowden, Dianne Buswell and Jowita Przystal are among the stars returning to the dancefloor this year after the BBC show underwent a major shake-up.

The stars were also joined by returning pro Carlos Gu, 33, who scooped the coveted Glitterball Trophy with footballer Karen Carney.

As well as Katya Jones, Kai Widdrington, Aljaž Škorjanec, Lauren Oakley, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Alexis Warr, Julian Caillon and Vito Coppola.

Five new faces were recently announced to the pro line-up, months after the Strictly axe ‘bloodbath’ saw bosses ditch stars Michelle Tsiakkas, Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Gorka Marquez.

Making their Strictly dancer debut this Autumn will be Ukrainian Aleksandra Isaeva, Italian hunk Cristian Priori, South African latin champion Lethabo Monametsi as well as Canadian dancer Mark Karmalita and UK National Ballroom Champion Maddie Ingoldsby.

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It happens to the best of us. That present you’ve been meaning to buy for your loved one slips further down your to-do list until the big day arrives – you’re on your way to the birthday dinner, even – and you realise: fuck. I forgot to get them anything.

Whatever you do, don’t panic. Least of all, because any reasonable friend or family member will understand, but more importantly, because there’s always a way to dig yourself out of this hole.

For those moments when you find yourself in a pinch, flower delivery service Interflora works with local florists all over the country to design custom bouquets that can be delivered in under a few hours.

With hundreds of thoughtfully designed bouquets to choose from, all you have to do is select your favourite, add custom notes, and if you order before 3pm your creation will be delivered the very same day.

You can even choose from bouquets with a vase or a gift bag of your choice – and of course add a customised note.

And I know what you’re thinking: no, delivery doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Actually, it’s between £10-£15 for same day delivery.

We see you panic reading, so to save you time, we’ve rounded up the best birthday flowers for August birthdays and new parents.