By ADAM S. LEVY, US SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 00:39 BST, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 00:51 BST, 20 August 2026

Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler is the latest star to pay tribute to the late Hayden Panettiere following her tragic passing at the age of 36 on Sunday.

‘She was a dear friend of mine, I loved her dearly and I feel bad for her mom – big love to her,’ Tyler, 78, told TMZ on Tuesday.

Tyler had worked with Panettiere on a September 2015 episode of her ABC series Nashville, as the pair sang a duet of the Patsy Cline song Crazy.

In the storyline of the season four opener, Panettiere’s character Juliette Barnes was playing Cline in a biopic, leading to the collaboration with the rock icon.

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The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Tyler for further comment on the story.

Tyler previously spoke about his working experience with Panettiere in a 2015 interview with Entertainment Weekly, praising her talents.

Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, 78, is the latest star to pay memorial to the late Hayden Panettiere following her tragic passing at the age of 36 on Sunday 

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Tyler had worked with Panettiere on a September 2015 episode of her ABC series Nashville, as the pair sang a duet of the Patsy Cline song Crazy 

‘Hayden is a peach,’ Tyler told the outlet. ‘She’s a seasoned pro, from her success on NBC’s Heroes.’

The Dream On vocalist said of Panettiere, who starred on the show for six seasons: ‘She’s a true professional both while filming, recording and off set as well.’

Asked about the song selection on their duet, Tyler said that ‘it only made sense that we would sing the most recognizable Patsy Cline song ever’ with the plot of the series in mind.

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Tyler said that Panettiere showed off her skills as a singer in the outing, when asked if the performance had been lip synced.

‘Why lip sync when you can sing live? And yes – she is that good!’ Tyler said. ‘We had to give the audience a performance.

‘My favorite thing about filming is that I can yell, “CUT!” and have a do-over if I want. There are no cuts in rock n’ roll.’

While primarily known for her acting skills, Panettiere had also displayed her musical talents on Nashville as well as a number of Disney projects.

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They included 2004’s Tiger Cruise, 2005’s Ice Princess, and 2007’s Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.

Tyler had worked with Panettiere on a September 2015 episode of her ABC series Nashville, as the pair sang a duet of the Patsy Cline song Crazy 

The Dream On vocalist said of Panettiere, ‘She’s a true professional both while filming, recording and off set as well’

Tyler said that Panettiere showed off her skills as a singer in the outing

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Panettiere’s passing was announced Sunday by her father Skip Panettiere, who said in a statement: ‘It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.

‘She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.’

Authorities in Greenville, South Carolina, subsequently said that officials responded to an apartment in the area after receiving a report of an ‘unresponsive female’ via a possible ‘drug overdose,’ subsequently determined to be Panettiere.

Officials, who attempted lifesaving measures prior to declaring the actress deceased, said that no signs of trauma or foul play were evident in their probe into Panettiere’s death, which remains ongoing.

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For most people, a Salmonella infection causes gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines that can mean several miserable days of diarrhoea, cramps, fever or vomiting. Most people recover within a week. But severe diarrhoea and dehydration can still be dangerous, even while the bacteria remain confined to the gut.

In a small minority of patients, however, Salmonella crosses the gut lining and enters the blood. In the current UK outbreak, seemingly caused by eggs imported from abroad,
two people have developed bloodstream infections and one death has been associated with the outbreak. How does a familiar cause of food poisoning escape the gut, and why does this only happen to some people?

By August 13 2026, the UK Health Security Agency had identified 207 confirmed cases of a closely related strain of Salmonella Enteritidis. Among patients for whom the relevant information was available, 38% had been admitted to hospital because of their symptoms.

Egg consumption is investigators’ strongest lead, although the source remains unconfirmed. Several affected people ate egg dishes at food businesses supplied by several sources, including importers. Investigators also identified possible opportunities for cross-contamination, in which bacteria are transferred between foods or surfaces, at two premises. They have found no link to UK-produced eggs or poultry.

Salmonella Enteritidis belongs to a broad group called non-typhoidal Salmonella, which is distinct from the bacteria that cause typhoid and paratyphoid fever. Doctors describe an infection as invasive when Salmonella reaches the blood or another part of the body that is normally free of bacteria. A bloodstream infection can lead to sepsis, a life-threatening reaction in which the immune system begins damaging the body’s organs and tissues.

How Salmonella escapes the gut

Genes, which are sections of DNA containing biological instructions, allow Salmonella to build tiny injection systems that work like molecular syringes. One injects proteins into cells lining the gut, causing them to engulf the bacterium. These injection systems are found in many Salmonella bacteria , so their presence cannot explain why one patient develops a bloodstream infection while another has relatively mild diarrhoea. In most people, several layers of immune defence contain the infection in the gut.

A second helps Salmonella alter the membrane-wrapped compartment that forms around it after an immune cell swallows it, allowing some bacteria to survive and multiply. Macrophages are immune cells that engulf and usually destroy microbes. Some Salmonella can survive inside them. This sheltered position is one way the bacteria may move into deeper tissues and the bloodstream, although other routes may contribute.

Why some people become more seriously ill

Scientists have identified more than 2,600 types of Salmonella, known as serovars, although fewer than 100 cause most human illness. A strain is a more closely related genetic branch within one of these types. Both types and strains vary in their tendency to spread.

Nontyphoidal Salmonella that can invade blood are known as invasive serovars and the most predominant serovars associated with blood infections are Typhimurium,Enteritidis, Choleraesuis and Dublin

Records from routine testing in England illustrate the difference. Among more than 116,000 bacterial samples collected between 2004 and 2015, about 2% of Enteritidis samples came from blood, compared with 35% of Salmonella Dublin samples. Testing patterns affect the figures, but the difference indicates that some types spread beyond the gut much more readily than others.

Strains within the same type can also behave differently. Laboratory experiments on two Enteritidis strains, conducted using mouse immune cells, identified genes that help the bacteria survive and multiply inside macrophages. Such experiments identify mechanisms for further study but cannot predict how ill a patient will become.

Age and health also shape the outcome. In the English study, Salmonella was found in blood in 6.5% of samples from adults over 65, compared with 1.9% from adults aged 18 to 64. Newborn babies also had an elevated risk. Weakened immune systems and certain long-term health conditions can make an infection harder to contain.

The number of bacteria swallowed affects the likelihood of becoming ill. Outbreak-based models suggest that heavier contamination increases the risk, although researchers do not know how strongly the amount swallowed affects the likelihood of an infection reaching the blood.

What the current outbreak can tell us

The hospital admission figure deserves attention, but it does not establish that this strain has an unusual ability to cause severe disease. The 38% applies only to patients for whom information was available. Official counts also miss many people whose illness clears before testing, so those with more serious symptoms can be overrepresented. Scientists commenting on the outbreak have urged caution when interpreting the figure.

The UK Health Security Agency used whole-genome sequencing, which involves reading and comparing all or nearly all of the bacteria’s genetic code. Bacteria recovered from patients were very closely related and genetically linked to a 2025 outbreak associated with imported eggs. Sequencing can connect cases and help investigators trace their source. Genetic similarity alone cannot reveal how likely a strain is to cause severe illness.

The Food Standards Agency says pregnant women, babies, young children and older people should eat raw or runny hen eggs only if they carry the British Lion mark or come from the Laid in Britain scheme. These schemes require safety measures including vaccinating hens and additional testing.

Anyone who keeps being sick and cannot retain fluids, has bloody diarrhoea or continues to show signs of dehydration after using rehydration sachets should call NHS 111. The NHS provides further advice on when to seek urgent help.

Investigators will need to combine the bacteria’s genetic code with information about the patients’ health, what and where they ate, and laboratory evidence. Only then can they begin to explain why the infection spread beyond the gut in two patients while most cases caused gastrointestinal illness.

It highlights the UK music regulatory framework is “woefully lagging behind” that of the EU and US

Research from a Belfast university is shining a light on the role of AI and bots in the music industry, warning that consumers and musicians are being shortchanged due to technology that’s out of control.

Dr Katherine Pittalis at Queen’s University Belfast used her PhD to examine the fast-changing technology used in music-streaming platforms, online retail for concert tickets, and music-related content on social media. She is currently developing her thesis into a book in the hope it will act as a wake-up call to industry.

As music-lovers continue to enjoy a summer of outdoor festivals and concerts, Dr Pittalis argues that the UK music regulatory framework is “woefully lagging behind” that of the EU and US in terms transparency around malicious actors’ use of bot technologies.

Her research examines phenomena including ‘metric bots’, which can inflate ‘likes’ and ‘follows’ on social media, along with ‘Artificial Musicians’ – the combination of deepfake technology with bots to create an AI ‘influencer’. This has the effect of creating a ‘buzz’ and boosting algorithms around certain musicians.

The research highlights that the malicious use of technology is increasingly sophisticated, with bots ever-evolving to circumvent the rules laid down by the social-media, music streaming and primary ticketing platforms.

Scams are an obvious example of the increasing exploitation of technology, particularly on ‘secondary market platforms’, where tickets for high-demand concerts are sold on at hugely inflated prices. The research identified multiple instances where consumers handed over large sums of money only to find the tickets never existed.

The research also found that more informal ‘buy and sell’ groups, such as those individuals can set up on Facebook, are “highly unregulated” and even, on occasion, moderated by bots.

Elsewhere, it found instances of bots moderating ‘community notes’ sections on social media – despite the fact that community notes were established explicitly to combat misinformation and fake news.

“It’s quite a depressing picture,” Dr Pittalis said.

“Social-media platforms are incredibly secretive about the use of bots. One study I consulted even found that X (formerly Twitter) has more bots now than when Elon Musk took it over and promised to get rid of them.

“From my research, the bots I discovered look more authentic in how they behave and interact with organic users. Even with protocols and safety measures in place, bots are continuing to thrive in these online environments and distort organic users’ perception of what is real and what is misleading content that has the potential to cause harm.”

For her book, Dr Pittalis is also investigating the use of social bots to spread malicious information designed to damage a musician’s reputation, such as the spread of explicit deepfake images of the pop star Taylor Swift on social-media platforms in 2024.

As well as this, the book will look at music ticketing platforms’ use of dynamic pricing, fuelled by AI, when price fluctates according to demand, as with tickets for Oasis’ UK and Ireland tour last year.

The book also highlights the use of AI-generated music, with a growing demand for entire songs generated by AI to carry a transparency label.

Dr Pittalis’ PhD was carried out between the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EEECS) and the School of Law, both at Queen’s. Dr Pittalis has an undergraduate degree in Music and an MSc in Law and Technology, also from Queen’s.

The research was supervised by Professor Giancarlo Frosio from the School of Law and Professor Hans Vandierendonck from the School of EEECS at Queen’s.

Prof Frosio said: “This research makes an original and timely contribution to our understanding of how malicious automation is reshaping the music ecosystem.

“Its central insight is that this is neither simply a platform problem nor a state problem; effective regulation requires clearer legal duties and enforcement alongside much stronger platform-level detection, transparency and accountability.”

In her book, Dr Pittalis will be calling for the UK’s music industry, social media companies and policy makers to urgently tighten up cyber-security to ensure a better deal for consumers and artists.

“It’s not fair,” she concludes. “Consumers and authentic musicians are being squeezed out, marginalised by the very industry meant to support them.

“It might sound apocalyptic, but the truth is the bots are running amok – UK legislation has fallen behind. There’s no anticipation of future trends; instead, it’s reacting to what’s already happened.

“It needs to be future-proofed which includes more oversight into how social media and other online platforms control breaches and uphold user-safety from bots. The industry needs to take this seriously before it’s too late.”

The research was supported by a LINAS (Leverhulme Interdisciplinary Network on Algorithmic Solutions) doctoral scholarship.

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

A total of 151 fire safety actions were overdue as of March 31, 2026 including one classed as an urgent priority.

The urgent action has since been completed, while five short-term actions and 145 medium-term actions were being resolved, according to a report to Darlington’s Health and Housing Scrutiny Committee.

All 67 fire risk assessments due for blocks of flats during 2025-26 were completed within the required timescale, the council confirmed. 

Fire risk assessments cover 199 blocks of flats and operate on a three-year cycle.

Fire doors

The report also highlighted progress on a three-year programme to replace fire doors in communal areas.

A total of 842 doors require replacement, with 560 completed by the end of March 2026 – 66.5 per cent of the programme.

The council said the work was on track to be completed by 31 March 2027.

However, only 175 of 336 fire doors due for their annual inspection during 2025-26 had been checked – 52.1 per cent.

The report said staffing resources and problems accessing properties had affected performance. It added that compliance had since improved to 85 per cent, with the council expecting to achieve full compliance during 2026-27.

Awaab’s Law

The report also examined the council’s response to Awaab’s Law, which came into force on 27 October 2025.

Between October 2025 and March 2026, 2,714 emergency hazards were reported. Damp and mould accounted for 1.69 per cent of those cases, with most emergency hazards relating to heating and electrical problems.

By March 31, 86.79 per cent of emergency hazards had been resolved within 24 hours, while 81 cases were recorded as overdue. A further 856 significant hazards were reported, with 94.39% resolved within the required timescale.

The council said it had strengthened its processes and IT systems to ensure emergency hazards were identified, responded to and monitored appropriately.

Stock condition

The report said 4,138 council properties had undergone a stock condition survey within the previous five years, representing 77.8 per cent compliance.

There were 962 outstanding surveys that had been scheduled for completion during 2026-27.

The council said it had “well-established and robust processes” for monitoring health and safety compliance, with checks carried out quarterly and areas of non-compliance addressed as a priority.

​An extensive redevelopment of Scarborough Station’s public realm and drop-off areas – more than three years in the making – has been deferred by councillors who said they were “seriously concerned” by aspects of the scheme.

​The works, proposed by North Yorkshire Council, would have seen the Grade II-listed 19th-century station’s forecourt upgraded with new public seating, a taxi rank, drop-off areas, a pedestrian plaza and changes to accessible parking.

​However, councillors on the Scarborough and Whitby Area Planning Committee said the scheme represented a “substantial departure from the wider station gateway proposals previously presented” and that the revised scheme delivered “fewer benefits than originally envisaged”.

​At a meeting last week, committee members questioned whether the scheme would provide a “meaningful improvement to the existing station forecourt” and suggested that it remained “largely vehicle-dominated despite the environmental enhancements proposed”.

A major focus of the development has been to improve pedestrian accessibility and sustainable transport options around the station and to encourage investment in and around the station area.

​Speaking at the meeting, local resident John Crompton raised concerns about “pedestrian access from existing bus stops, particularly for passengers travelling from the south of Scarborough” and said that the bus stops should be closer to the station.

​He also queried how “the proposed pedestrian priority area provides a significant improvement for pedestrians given that taxis and blue badge vehicles would continue to have access to the forecourt area”.

Proposed 3 D View Of The Plaza As Part Of The Scarborough Station Gateway Plans. Align Property Services

Helen Jackson, head of regeneration at North Yorkshire Council, said the scheme would “deliver significant improvements to the station environment, enhance the experience of residents and visitors, and contribute to the wider regeneration of Scarborough”.

​She added that the scheme would create a “more attractive, accessible and coherent public space whilst retaining the key transport functions required by station users” and that the proposals complemented “recent and planned investment in the railway station and formed part of a wider ambition to improve the town centre and encourage inward investment”.

​Ms Jackson noted that the overall number of disabled parking spaces would remain unchanged and that taxi provision would be retained at the front of the station.

​However, councillors expressed “significant concern regarding the absence of any dedicated public drop-off provision at the front of the railway station and considered that this could create difficulties for passengers with luggage, pushchairs, mobility impairments and other accessibility needs”.

​Committee members also questioned where passengers, private hire vehicles and members of the public would be expected to drop off and collect rail users under the proposed arrangements.

​Additionally, concerns were raised that the proposals could lead to “unsafe pedestrian movements across Westborough and increase the potential for conflict between pedestrians, buses and other vehicles”.

​The planning committee voted unanimously to defer the plans and urged North Yorkshire Council to address the lack of drop-off facilities for the general public, as well as concerns about the safe interaction of pedestrians and vehicles on the station forecourt.

By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 22:50 BST, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 23:42 BST, 19 August 2026

The Woodhead Pass was closed near Greater Manchester today (Wednesday, August 19) after a serious crash.

The A628 Manchester Road was shut in both directions in Hollingworth, Tameside, for several hours after what National Highways described as a ‘serious head-on collision.’

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It was shut between Moorfield Street in Hollingworth and West Drive in neighbouring Tintwistle.

Diversions were put in place along local routes with motorists travelling between Manchester and Yorkshire advised to use other trans-Pennine routes.

Derbyshire Police spent several hours at the scene dealing with the aftermath and carrying out investigation work.

No further details about the collision have yet been released, with the force still to comment on the incident.

The road reopened shortly before 9pm.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to move back to the UK, BBC News understands.

As first reported by the Daily Telegraph, external and the Sun,, external Prince Harry and Meghan intend to relocate from the US later this month to a private, non-royal residence outside London.

The couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are enrolled to start at a British school in September.

King Charles was told of the move on Sunday. There are no current plans for either Prince Harry or Meghan to resume their roles as working Royals.

The Sussexes and their children visited the King at his Highgrove home in July this year, but it is understood the move was not discussed.

The BBC understands the King was unaware of the move before last weekend but he welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family in a private and personal capacity.

But there will be no expected change to the official status of Prince Harry and Meghan and they will remain as private individuals.

Prince William and Princess Catherine have also been informed of their plans.

The couple’s move from California comes after they left the UK and royal duties in early 2020.

Family relations had been strained since, with July’s visit to the King and Queen Camilla being a key development in their relationship.

The Palace described the meeting at the King’s private home in Gloucestershire as a “private family occasion”.

It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years.

Prince Harry and Meghan had not been in the UK together since 2022, when they attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Security for the couple has long been a point of tension, with the July visit being reconsidered because the duke’s request for police protection was rejected.

Last year, Prince Harry lost a legal challenge over the levels of security he and his family are entitled to while in the UK.

The Duke had sought to overturn a decision that had downgraded his security after he stopped being a working royal and moved to the US with the Duchess.

Prince Harry had previously said that worries about safety have prevented him from coming to the UK and bring his wife and children.

Sussex Police say the three family members, named as Hassan El-Khawas, 55, his partner, Zeina Alayn, 37 and their 14-year-old daughter, Sara El-Khawas, had travelled down to Shoreham from their home in London.

In an update, the force said: “Yesterday afternoon (18 August), three people tragically lost their lives in the sea off Shoreham, and a fourth person remains in hospital in a critical condition having been recovered from the water.

“All four people have been formally identified and we can confirm they were all members of the same family.

“Hassan El-Khawas, 55, his partner, Zeina Alayn, 37 and their 14-year-old daughter, Sara El-Khawas were all confirmed deceased at the scene after being pulled from the water.

“A fourth person, a young girl who was also part of the family, remains in hospital in a critical condition.”

Sussex Police said they understand that the family, who lived in London, were visiting Shoreham when they entered the water.

“It is understood the family travelled down from their home in London to visit Shoreham, and entered the water from the beach at Shoreham Fort around 2pm on Tuesday afternoon, before getting into trouble,” the statement adds.

King Charles has seemingly been blindsided by the announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan are returning to the UK. 

The monarch is said to have only been informed on Sunday about the Sussexes’ return to British soil this month.  

Harry, 41 and Meghan, 45, are understood to be returning for an ‘extended period’ later this month, with Archie and Lilibet set to enrol at a British school. 

The family will move into a non-royal residence and will not be working royals.

It is understood that the monarch ‘welcomes’ the chance to see his youngest son and his family and personal capacity. 

However, the King is clear that there will be ‘no alteration’ to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s role and status, as sources stressed there is ‘no half in-half out option’.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will remain private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family in keeping with their ‘clearly expressed wishes and agreement over past years’.  

Despite clarity over their status, no questions have been addressed on whether the duo will return to the royal fold on a full-time basis should they be willing to give up their commercial endeavours.

Meanwhile, sources have insisted it is not within the couple’s ‘plan’ to return to the royal fold. 

The recent announcement comes just a month after the Duke saw his father in July following his High Court loss against Associated Newspapers. 

King Charles III meets members of the public after carrying out an inspection of the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion on August 16, 2026

He is understood to have visited his father at his Highgrove House residence in Gloucestershire, following an Invictus one-year-to-go event in nearby Birmingham. 

Harry was joined by his wife and two children, in an occasion that would have been the first time Lilibet and Archie had seen the monarch since Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. 

And just mere weeks ago, sources close to Harry said he wanted to visit Britain ‘every few months’ over the next year after his reunion with King Charles last month.

Before opting for a more long-term return, the Duke of Sussex, 41, said his most recent visit with his father and to the UK left him feeling ‘buoyed’, ‘very happy’ and ‘really energised’.

Harry was set to return to Britain in September for around a week, for a series of engagements including Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham next summer, as well as WellChild, the charity supporting seriously ill children

A source previously told The Sunday Times: ‘He wants more of a foothold here, more trips back, less courtroom drama. And he always loves seeing his family.’

Meanwhile, just weeks ago it was believed the Duke wanted his father to stand alongside him at next Summer’s Invictus Games.

A source told the Mirror: ‘Next year is a big deal for Harry. He is determined the Birmingham Games will be the best ever. It would mean the world to him to have his father there.’

Harry and Meghan, who quit as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California, have also recently spoken about their wish to introduce their children to their British roots.

During a visit to Warwickshire, Harry said: ‘I love being here, this is the highlight of my month.

‘Actually probably the last few months. It’s very easy to sit in your grief, to sit in your stress but, guys, if you are feeling it, share it.’

As it stands, the Duke and Duchess no longer require accommodation for their patronages, with the whole family believed to be returning within the next two weeks.

Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are thought to have already enrolled at a British school – and the family are reportedly planning to stay for an ‘extended period’ until the children finish education.

It is not yet know, however, whether the move will be a permanent one. The location of Harry and Meghan’s new home has remained unknown for privacy reasons.

Harry and Meghan are set to retain their £11million home in Montecito, California, which they have lived in since moving across the pond in 2020. They also still own a residence in Portugal.