Thieves broke into Redcar Racecourse at 3.30am this morning (Saturday) and stole a Polaris all-terrain vehicle and caused damage to rails as they escaped along the track.

Racecourse officials are appealing for witnesses, CCTV footage, and any information about the whereabouts of the missing vehicle, which performs a vital function on racedays.

The crime comes ahead of Monday’s Zetland Gold Cup meeting – one of the premier fixtures of Redcar’s year – with racing also taking place on Tuesday.

Redcar’s general manager Amy Fair stressed that racing would go ahead as planned on both days but added: “It is bitterly disappointing for this to happen. The team work so hard to prepare for racing and this is a real kick in the teeth.”

The thieves made their exit up the straight, causing damage to rails along the way, and it is hoped they will have been caught on CCTV footage from homes backing onto the track.

“The Polaris vehicle is integral to racedays, being used to transport various pieces of vital equipment, so we now have to find a replacement in time for Monday,” said Amy.

“The Zetland Gold Cup on Monday is one of the jewels in our crown and it is so frustrating that such mindless criminality is causing extra work so close to such an important day.”

• Anyone with information is asked to contact the racecourse office on 01642 484068.

SpaceX launched its biggest, most powerful Starship yet on a test flight Friday, an upgraded version that NASA is counting on to land astronauts on the moon.

The redesigned mega rocket made its debut two days after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced he’s taking the company public. It blasted off from the southern tip of Texas, carrying 20 mock Starlink satellites that were released midway through the hourlong spaceflight that stretched halfway around the world.

The spacecraft reached its final destination — the Indian Ocean — despite some engine trouble, before erupting in flames upon impact. That last part was not unexpected, according to SpaceX.

Musk called it “an epic” launch and landing.

“You scored a goal for humanity,” he told his team via X.

It’s the 12th test flight of the rocket that Musk is building to get people to Mars one day. But first comes the moon and NASA’s Artemis program.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman flew in for the launch, saying Starship is now one step closer to the moon.

The last of the old space-skimming Starships lifted off in October. SpaceX’s third-generation Starship — a souped-up version dubbed V3 — soared from a brand-new launch pad at Starbase, near the Mexican border. Last-minute pad issues thwarted Thursday evening’s launch attempt.

SpaceX was hoping to avoid the fireworks it experienced during back-to-back launches last year when midair explosions rained wreckage down on the Atlantic. Earlier flights also ended in flames.

There was no fireball this time until the very end. The spacecraft plummeted upright into the Indian Ocean under seemingly full control, then toppled over and ignited.

While the liftoff itself went well, not all of the engines fired as the booster attempted a controlled return. The spacecraft also had to make do with fewer engines, but kept heading eastward 120 miles (194 kilometers) up. A pair of modified, camera-equipped Starlinks ejected from Starship provided brief views of the spacecraft in flight — a remarkable first.

At 407 feet (124 meters), the latest model eclipses the older Starship lines by several feet (more than 1 meter) and packs more engine thrust.

The revamped booster sports fewer but bigger and stronger grid fins for steering it back to Earth following liftoff, and a larger and more robust fuel transfer line to feed the 33 main engines. This fuel line is the size of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 first-stage booster. The retro-looking, stainless steel spacecraft also has more of everything — more cameras and more navigation and computer power — as well as docking cones for future rendezvous and moon missions.

Starship is meant to be fully reusable, with giant mechanical arms at the launch pads to catch the returning rocket stages. But on this latest trial run, nothing was being recovered. The Gulf of Mexico marked the end of the road for the redesigned first-stage booster, and the Indian Ocean for the spacecraft and its satellite demos.

NASA is paying SpaceX billions of dollars — and also Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin — to provide the lunar landers that will be used to land Artemis astronauts on the moon.

The two companies are scrambling to be first.

While Starship has reached the fringes of space on multiple flights lasting an hour at most, Bezos’ Blue Moon has yet to lift off, although a prototype is being readied for a moonshot later this year.

NASA is following April’s successful lunar flyaround by four astronauts with a docking trial run in orbit around Earth planned for next year. For that Artemis III mission, astronauts will practice docking their Orion capsule with Starship, Blue Moon or both.

A moon landing by two astronauts — Artemis IV — could follow as soon as 2028 using either Starship or Blue Moon, whichever lander is safer and ready first. It will be NASA’s first lunar landing with a crew since 1972’s Apollo 17. The goal this time is a moon base near the lunar south pole, staffed by astronauts as well as robots.

SpaceX is already taking reservations for private flights to the moon and Mars on Starship.

The world’s first space tourist, California businessman Dennis Tito, and his wife signed up 3 1/2 years ago for a flight around the moon. The timing is uncertain.

This week, another wealthy space tourist — Chinese-born bitcoin investor Chun Wang — announced he will fly to Mars on Starship’s first interplanetary mission. Wang previously chartered a SpaceX polar flight in a Dragon capsule last year and, along with his hand-picked crew, became the first to orbit above the north and south poles.

No price tag or date was revealed for his Mars cruise.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Thousands of homes in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area have been advised to boil their water before drinking due to an incident at the treatment works

Welsh Water has issued an update after telling residents in Rhondda Cynon Taf to boil their tap water before drinking it after a chemical issue at the treatment works. The boil water notice remains for a second day for residents across a large area whilst the issue is being resolved.

On Friday, May 22, the water company identified an issue affecting the chemical dosing process at the Maerdy treatment works. Whilst the boil water notice is still in place, Welsh Water has advised customers that the issue has been fixed and water from the site is re-entering the network.

A statement made today, Saturday, May 23, said: “As a precaution, the boil water notice remains in place and we ask that you continue to follow guidance and boil tap water before drinking, brushing teeth, preparing food or making ice until further notice. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here

“Public Health Wales advise that it is important to continue to drink water in the current hot weather to stay hydrated, using boiled and then cooled water if affected by this issue. Boiled water is safe to use in the normal way when making infant formula.”

Bottled water stations have been set up for affected customers.

The full list of areas affected by the notice are:

• Blaenllechau
• Bryngolau
• Cymmer
• Dinas
• Edmondstown
• Ferndale
• Hopkinstown
• Llwyncelyn
• Maerdy
• Tylorstown
• Penrhys
• Pontygwaith
• Porth
• Pwll Gwaun
• Pantygraigwen
• Pontypridd – Treforest
• Trebanog
• Rhiwgarn
• Tonyrefail
• Tyn Y Bryn
• Trehafod
• Wattstown
• Williamstown
• Ynyshir

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The newspaper said: “From streets filled with bookshops to quaint island shores, there are plenty of eye-catching spots to lay a picnic blanket this summer.”

Downham features in the list, which also highlights towns, and is described as being one of the best spots, whether you choose to spend the day there or have a staycation in the area.

It’s little more than an hour away from Bolton, so ideal for a day out.

The likes of Port Isaac in Cornwall, Castle Combe in the Cotswolds and Tobermory on the Isle of Mull are among the prettiest towns and villages shared by The Independent.

But it’s Downham that flies the flag for Lancashire.

Why is Downham among the prettiest villages in the UK?

Downham’s location, and its lack of unsightly things such as overhead wires and satellite dishes, were some of the reasons it’s considered one of the prettiest villages in the UK.

The Independent says: “At the foot of Pendle Hill, Downham’s village green, scenic brook and limestone cottages, owned by the Assheton family since 1588, make it a serious contender for a summer stroll.

“Unspoilt by overhead wires and satellite dishes, the small town offers keen walkers or cyclists a bite to eat at acclaimed gastro pub the Assheton Arms, with a seasonal ice cream shop near the village’s car park in the summer months.”

What’s your favourite Lancashire village? (Image: Getty)

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Downham, The Independent recommends Greendale Teahouse and Rooms, which “offers comfortable and colourful rooms with countryside views” and you can look forward to visiting “a traditional tearoom stocked with artisanal breads and homemade cakes.”

What was filmed in Downham?

Downham has been used as a filming location for a few films and series.

The Downham Village website explains: “As well as a constant flow of tourists and walkers, the village is attractive to film makers because of the lack of apparent modernity.

“The absence of aerials makes it ideal for historical drama and many films have been shot in the village and its surroundings.”

Recommended reading:

Born and Bred was filmed there, as well as Wuthering Heights (not the 2026 version).

The website adds: “One of the most famous films [although this one did have TV aerials in view!] was the 1961 ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ starring Hayley Mills and Alan Bates, shot largely at Worsaw End Farm and including local children from Downham and Chatburn schools in the roles of many of the children in the film.”

The Secret of Crickley Hall was also filmed in the village.

Have you been to Downham? Tell us your favourite thing about the village in the comments below.

The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene

A man who died after a crash involving a lorry on the A14 has been named by police. Suffolk Police were called at 2.26am on Thursday, May 7, following reports of a crash involving a lorry and a pedestrian on the eastbound carriageway at Bury St Edmunds.

The pedestrian, a man aged in his 70s, was pronounced dead at the scene. He has since been identified as David Green, previously known as David Biggs, aged 76, of Bacton.

Officers are appealing for any witnesses that haven’t already spoken to the police. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Joint Norfolk & Suffolk Serious Collision Investigation Unit, quoting reference 37/25998/26, via their website, or by calling 101.

It was not the only Britpop anthem to get a Salah-inspired re-write that season, with London band Dodgy’s Good Enough providing the tune for a terrace chant the player calls “something special”. Acknowledging Salah’s self-proclaimed pride in his Muslim identity, the fans sing: “If he’s good enough for you, he’s good enough for me, If he scores another few, then I’ll be Muslim too, If he’s good enough for you, he’s good enough for me, He’s sitting in the mosque, that’s where I want to be.”

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Some 90 people have been confirmed dead following a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China.

More than 240 workers were on duty underground at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi, Shanxi province when the explosion occurred at around 7pm on Friday.

President Xi Jinping called on authorities to ‘spare no effort’ in rescuing survivors and treating those injured by the blast.

The cause of the incident in Qinyuan county is currently under investigation, the state-owned Xinhua news agency reported.

As part of a probe, executives from the Shanxi Tongzhou Group responsible for managing the facility have been arrested.

Six national emergency mine rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.

Coal mine explosions in China are often caused by flooding, although regulations introduced since 2000 have reduced the number of fatalities from incidents.

The latest blast is one of deadliest reported in recent years.

Premier Li Qiang called for information to be released in a ‘timely and accurate manner’.

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“In space we don’t experience any forces, our muscles, our bones immediately start to diminish because we’re not being loaded by those forces,” says Dr Dan Cleather, professor of strength and conditioning at St Mary’s University who is on the team developing the British equipment, HIFIm.