Reproductive health advocates fear newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche will usher in a new wave of restrictions on abortion — even in states where it is legal.

Blanche’s confirmation “is a red alert for reproductive rights,” according to Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “The Attorney General’s job is to fairly and faithfully enforce the law, but Blanche appears willing to contort it to score wins for political allies,” she said Saturday.

Blanche has “openly vowed to use that power to ban abortion,” Gowri Buddiga, interim managing director for the group Free & Just, said in a statement shared with The Independent Saturday.

“From promising to restrict access to medication abortion through the mail, to gutting protections for patients and providers, Blanche will roll back access to care everywhere even in states where abortion is currently protected,” Buddiga said.

Blanche, who was confirmed in the early morning hours on Saturday by a narrow 50-49 vote, alarmed abortion advocates after leaked audio captured Trump’s former criminal defense attorney vowing to make the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning the right to an abortion “permanent in every single state.”

“We don’t have complete victory yet, but we will have victory, and victory will be soon, and it will be permanent,” Blanche said, according to Politico, which obtained the now-deleted clip.

“If states have said, ‘We are going to protect the unborn and we’re going to protect every life from the moment of conception,’ we’re putting practices and policies in place so that other states and other organizations can’t attack that,” he reportedly added. “They can’t do things like they’re doing with mailing in mail-order drugs.”

The Independent has contacted the Department of Justice for comment.

The Justice Department previously told The Independent that the comments “need to be understood in their full context, which was with respect to mail order abortion drugs, not a broader expansion of federal control over states.”

Much to the chagrin of anti-abortion campaigners, abortions have actually increased since the constitutional right to abortion care was struck down at the Supreme Court, thanks to a mix of expanded telehealth access, Biden-era policies and blue state “shield laws” protecting physicians who provide abortion care.

While much of the attention in Blanche’s confirmation was directed at a now-abandoned $1.8 billion“slush fund” for the president’s political allies and a provision that shields the president from IRS investigations, Blanche’s appointment battle suggests the Trump administration could pursue more restrictions on abortion access.

Under questioning, he committed to reviewing the the Justice Department’s interpretation of the 1873 Comstock Act, which makes it illegal to send a variety of objects including “abortion-causing articles” via mail.

A 2022 Justice Department opinion held that the law doesn’t inherently bar sending abortion medication, given that “there are manifold ways in which recipients in every state may lawfully use such drugs, including to produce an abortion.”

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump described regulation around mail-order abortion drugs as a state issue, rather than a federal one, adding that he wouldn’t use the 19th century law to crack down on abortion access.

“The federal government should have nothing to do with this issue,” he said in 2024.

Republicans in the Senate have also pushed the federal government to settle lawsuits around mifepristone, a widely used abortion drug.

During his confirmation hearing, Blanche pointed to the FDA’s ongoing review of mifepristone. In 2023, the Biden administration ended in-person dispensing requirements around the drug, prompting challenges in Republican states.

“We have to have studies that we can defend in court,” he told senators in July.

In May, the Supreme Court continued to block nationwide restrictions on mifepristone after a conservative appeals court cut off mail-order and telehealth access the drug, threatening access to millions of patients.

The president has vowed to be “the most pro-life and pro-family president in American history.”

In 2022, the Supreme Court, thanks to the conservative supermajority Trump helped appoint, overturned the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v Wade, which had established a constitutional right to an abortion.

This 200cm x 290cm patchwork rug is now 50% off at £114.50

Dunelm has slashed the price of a rug praised by homeware fans as ‘great quality’ and ‘beautiful’ by half in the retailer’s clearance sale.

The Traditional Patchwork Chenille Rug in natural was £229 but is now 50% off at £114.50. This is for the size 200cm x 290cm (6.5ft x 9.5ft). There’s also a multicoloured version discounted to £159.50 for 240cm x 340cm (8ft x 11 ft), and £224.50 for 300cm x 400cm (10ft x 13ft).

The product description on the Dunelm website reads: “Pairing a choice of rich jewel toned hues or a natural palette with a patchwork design, the Traditional Patchwork Rug will add a modern vintage charm to your room. Crafted using soft chenille fibres, this rug feels luxurious under foot. The flatweave low pile rug lends itself beautifully to living rooms and dining rooms.”

The retailer advises to add anti-slip underneath your rug to prevent slipping and to rotate every few months to prolong the life of it.

If you have a bigger budget, the Collection Luxe Florence Border Wool Rug is priced from £80 to £370 at Next and is available in multiple colours. It’s crafted from handwoven wool and comes in various sizes.

Elsewhere, Habitat’s Herringbone Neutral Boarder Jute Rug is £100 for the biggest size – 160 x 230cm. It’s made from jute blended with cotton, with the retailer stating it “holds up well in high-traffic areas like hallways, kitchens and living rooms”.

The Traditional Patchwork Chenille Rug at Dunelm has received an impressive overall rating of 4.9 out of five stars based on 22 reviews. One happy shopper said: “Very pleased with this rug. It’s exactly what we wanted.”

A second added: “A great quality good value rug, that looks expensive, a bonus for us is that the dogs hair doesn’t stick.”

“Beautiful rug, very luxurious looking especially with the under lay rug that I bought to go with it. Looks more expensive than it was very highly recommended”, penned a third.

Someone else added: “We are delighted with our rug. It has made such a difference to our lounge, it has pulled everything together and added that finished touch.”

However, not every shopper was completely happy with their purchase. One review states: “Whilst the rug looks lively, nice feel and great colours, its just too lightweight.. It is like laying a blanket on the floor and walking on that.. We tried it on carpet, so it might be OK on hard floors…nice looking rug tho… shame we had to return it…”

On a more positive note, a different five-star review reads: “Perfect size, nice design, great colours. Exactly what I wanted for my living room.”

A different shopper added: “I had been waiting for this rug to come on sale for months and I got it for an absolute bargain price. It looks really classy! I got the extra large size and it has significantly improved the look and feel of my living room – I would always go for a bigger size than what you would think.”

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Morrissey, full name Steven Morrissey, who was one of the pioneers of British indie rock in the 1980s, was due to play four shows in the US city.

On Instagram, the musician, who formed The Smiths, recently promoted shows in the US, Europe, and the UK, with fans having bought tickets to the shows, including the now-cancelled Las Vegas gigs.

The shows were scheduled for August 14, 15, 18, and 19, but they have since been removed from the venue’s website, the Wynn Las Vegas hotel.

Ticket provider Ticketmaster has posted a notice on the event pages for each show, telling fans they have been cancelled.

In September, Morrissey is due to play shows in other US cities, including Buffalo, Brooklyn, Nashville, Houston, and more before heading to Paris, Tilburg and Brussels and the UK in December.

While an update hasn’t been posted on his official Instagram account, where the shows have been promoted, The Sun reports that his team have said the Las Vegas cancellations are due to “unforeseen logistical challenges”.

What to do if you’ve bought tickets to Morrissey’s Las Vegas shows

If you have bought tickets, it’s worth checking what your ticket provider suggests regarding refunds.

On Ticketmaster, fans are told the event has been cancelled along with the refund process.

It says: “Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel your event.

“You don’t need to do a thing.

“We’ll issue a refund to the original method of payment used at time of purchase, as soon as funds are received from the Event Organizer.

“It should appear on your account within 14-21 days.

“Please Note: If the tickets were transferred to you, the refund will go to the fan who originally purchased the tickets from Ticketmaster.”

Morrissey has recently cancelled a few of his shows, citing various issues including “extreme exhaustion” back in November and “sleep deprivation” cancelling his Valencia show in March 2026.

Some US shows were cancelled this year, with the Atlanta one being axed from his tour schedule due to “artist illness”, reports The Sun.

Are UK Morrissey shows going ahead in 2026?

So far, the UK shows will go ahead as planned later this year.

Morrissey will tour across the country on the following dates:

• Brighton – December 6
• Cardiff – December 10
• Liverpool – December 12
• Glasgow – December 16
• Leeds – December 19

Morrissey formed The Smiths with guitarist Johnny Marr, and they played alongside bass player Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce.

The band released four critically acclaimed studio albums – The Smiths (1984), Meat Is Murder (1985), The Queen Is Dead (1986), and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), before breaking up in 1987.

Top 10 British albums

They achieved three UK top 10 singles, and were best known for songs such as This Charming Man, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, and How Soon Is Now?

Following the break-up of The Smiths, Morrissey launched a successful solo career which has seen him score three UK number one albums and 10 top 10 singles, with his best-known solo tracks including Suedehead, Everyday Is Like Sunday and First Of The Gang To Die.

Have you seen Morrissey live in concert? Tell us in the comments below.

Andy Burnham has been admonished for his ‘blokeish’ obsession with pubs and football, but the reality is that his Government is packed with powerful women competing for his ear and influencing his policies.

The effect, according to one long-standing Burnham ally, has been to create ‘a bit of a Mean Girls atmosphere’ – a reference to the celebrated 2004 Hollywood film about cut-throat schoolgirl cliques. 

Playing Regina George – the queen bee of North Shore High in the movie – is Louise Haigh, who as First Secretary of State is the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) in all but name.

Trailing in her wake are former DPM Angela Rayner and Deputy Labour Leader Lucy Powell, who were both forced to accept more junior positions in Mr Burnham’s Cabinet than they hoped for: Ms Rayner went back to her old job as Housing Secretary while Ms Powell was handed the job of Education Secretary.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper complete the impressive roster of senior positions held by women.

A source says: ‘Be in no doubt, Louise played a huge role in that process.’

Complicating the picture is the formidable presence of Antonia Romeo, the first-ever female Cabinet Secretary (CS). 

Described by colleagues in Civil Service parlance as ‘strong-willed’ – she has been investigated and exonerated over bullying claims – there are already understood to be tensions between her and Ms Haigh.

Louise Haigh as First Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Andy Burnham pictured leaving Millbank studios after speaking on LBC’s Andrew Marr show 

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A Whitehall source said: ‘Haigh wants to be the only one who has Andy’s ear, and is now moving to block Antonia when she tries to circumvent her. She basically wants to kill anyone who gets in between her and Andy.’ 

Another source said: ‘We appear to have in the first female CS someone who doesn’t seem to like the women around her very much.’

Ms Haigh’s ascent – which has been accompanied by a ‘glow up’ makeover in which she ditched her trademark red hair – can be traced back to just four months into Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership when she was forced to resign over the revelation she had pleaded guilty to fraud in 2014.

She was enraged that she had been defenestrated despite informing No 10 about the false report of a stolen phone when she was appointed.

For Ms Haigh, revenge was a dish best served over the following 18 months.

In November, The Mail on Sunday reported how she had been overheard in an Italian restaurant in Covent Garden discussing how to remove Sir Keir. 

Ms Haigh denied plotting, but multiple sources said that she was using the Tribune group of Left-wing Labour MPs to machinate against the PM.

Then, on December 14, this newspaper splashed on its front page the exclusive revelation that Mr Burnham had struck a deal to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election to return to the Commons. 

Education Secretary Lucy Powell arriving in Downing Street in central London on July 28

Cabinet Secretary, Dame Antonia Romeo departs from the British Museum in London

Burnham’s cabinet has been likened to having a ‘mean girls’ atmosphere rather than being too blokeish

He was blocked by No 10, but the first blow had been struck, and Mr Burnham’s and Ms Haigh’s destinies started to dovetail.

Ms Powell, a long-standing friend of Mr Burnham, had been widely tipped to become DPM after she voted against the ruling NEC’s block on Mr Burnham’s attempt to stand in Gorton and Denton. 

But tensions grew in the aftermath of Labour’s disastrous results in the May 7 local elections – the Burnham camp were infuriated by Ms Powell’s warning against a leadership challenge.

‘We do not do hostile takeovers in the Labour Party, it’s not what we’re about,’ she said.

‘Unhelpful’, was the verdict of a member of Mr Burnham’s inner-circle. ‘She seemed to be keeping her options open for a run herself.’

Many Labour insiders had assumed that Mr Burnham would re-align the post of DPM with the deputy leadership of the Labour Party, with both positions previously held by Ms Rayner.

However, the popular Ms Powell ended up in the education berth, as third choice behind Rachel Reeves and former Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

One Labour source claimed: ‘Lucy doesn’t want to be there. She thought she was going to be DPM.’ Her allies dispute that, saying she preferred to have her own department to being a titular No 2.

Pictured: Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey, Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Britain’s Minister of State in the Cabinet Office Louise Haigh and Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service

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Ms Rayner’s star has also waned after months of speculation that she had formed a pact with Mr Burnham in advance of his coup.

As recently as March, he was encouraging the chatter by describing her in public as ‘Queen of the North’ – a direct reference to his own moniker of King of the North.

But Mr Burnham’s allies complained that darling of the Left Ms Rayner was ‘inscrutable’ during meetings to discuss how to seize power, and they ‘lost trust’ in her after a photographer was tipped off about a secret meeting between the pair in April.

The result was the return to housing rather than one of the Great Offices of State.

A source said: ‘Louise has played a blinder by making her ambitions clear from the start. Lucy and Angela in particular seemed to be hedging their bets and playing double games. 

It has led to a bit of Mean Girls paranoia in their camps about what Louise might have whispered in Andy’s ear.’

Ms Haigh’s ‘glow-up’ has coincided with the immaculate power-play. Francesca Cairns, a colour analysis expert, described her new hairstyle as ‘a warmer, less saturated auburn’ with sunglasses ‘adding a layer of deliberate authority’.

Ms Cairns said: ‘The wardrobe has followed the same logic, fewer competing hues, more flattering neutrals and soft structure, which reads as polished rather than performative.

‘I also think the change tracks the step-up in responsibility. First Secretary is a different level of visibility and expectation.

‘The earlier look was distinctive and memorable for a departmental secretary – this one projects calm competence and gravitas. It feels like a conscious recalibration towards being taken more seriously in the role.’

It was reported this weekend that Mr Burnham has been told by No 10 social media experts to be less ‘blokeish’ in his posts by cutting boorish references to football and the pub.

But according to a Labour source quoted by The Spectator magazine, Mr Burnham should instead be described as ‘Labour’s first female Prime Minister’ – because of his sheer number of female advisers, backers and senior ministers keen to push policy issues deemed to be particularly important to women, such as social care and family finances.

The most influential of those ‘advisers and backers’, of course, is his spouse Marie-France ‘Frankie’ van Heel – described as a ‘blunt wife’ because of her reaction to his announcement that he was going to run for leader: ‘What? Not again?’

A Burnham ally described their marriage to the MoS. ‘She definitely wears the trousers,’ they said. ‘She is the reason why he went on holiday last week despite his pressing workload.

‘She put her foot down and said that family time was sacrosanct. There was never any doubt that he would have to go.’

Last night a No 10 source strongly denied that there were any tensions between Ms Haigh and the Cabinet Secretary, saying: ‘This is simply not true.’

RACHAEL Maskell is blinded by her rigid political ideology when she calls for Bootham Park Hospital to remain in public hands irrespective of practical reality or financial limitations.

If a public body with the resources of the NHS is not able to fund the enormous cost of repair and maintenance of that Grade 1 listed structure how on earth does she expect some other public entity to find another beneficial use that doesn’t drain yet more taxpayers’ money at a time of serious budget deficits at both local and national level?

In calling for “a coalition of the willing” to come together to keep the property in public ownership, simply for the sake of it, the Labour MP for York Central is showing her blinkered political prejudice of “four legs good, two legs bad” as demonstrated by George Orwell in his allegorical story Animal Farm.

Matthew Laverack,

Lord Mayors Walk,

York

Recommended reading:

‘Scandal’ of £5.5m wasted on Bootham Park Hospital – ‘give it to people of York’

People must ‘urgently come together’ to keep ex-York hospital site for public – MP

Mayor ‘committed’ to working with MP to safeguard future of ex-York hospital site

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I was left with a mountain of cardboard boxes after moving into a new flat and had no idea how to dispose of them.

Recently, I tackled one of life’s most stressful undertakings. No, it wasn’t a divorce — but I did move house.

Relocating is consistently ranked among the top three most stressful life events, yet having moved four times in two years, I felt reasonably well prepared.

What I hadn’t anticipated, however, was that moving into a completely unfurnished flat would be an entirely different experience from my previous moves. One thing I simply hadn’t considered was the sheer volume of cardboard that accumulates — not only from transporting my own modest belongings, but from ordering an entirely new set of furniture.

Before long, it had consumed the bedroom, the lounge and the office.

Wherever I turned, there was cardboard, and it rapidly became apparent that I hadn’t the faintest idea what to do with it.

The council refused to collect it because it wouldn’t fit in a bin with a closed lid. Without a car to transport it to a recycling centre, and with an expired licence ruling out hiring one, I was well and truly stuck.

According to waste management specialists at Wheeldon Brothers, my predicament is far from unusual.

A spokesperson said: “After moving house, it’s completely normal to be left with dozens of cardboard boxes. The problem is that many people assume bin crews will take everything in one go, but that’s often not how collections work.

“Most councils have limits on how much recycling they’ll collect, and large amounts of cardboard can quickly exceed those limits.”

Having well and truly exceeded the limit, I did the only thing I could think of without access to a car — I threw money at the problem.

I ended up forking out £105 for a private contractor to collect my surplus cardboard, and that was the most competitive quote I could find.

Other firms were looking to charge as much as £150 for the removal, which was a touch beyond the pale even for someone in my predicament.

I did have to haul my boxes down four flights of stairs and leave them outside for collection — but by the afternoon, every last one had gone, and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

For those who haven’t quite accumulated the sheer mountain of cardboard I had, a spokesperson for Wheeldon Brothers told me there are several ways to increase the likelihood that the council will collect your recycling.

They advised that people should flatten all their cardboard boxes and ensure any polystyrene or soft plastics are removed beforehand.

They explained: “Flattening boxes isn’t just about saving space in your wheelie bin. It helps maximise space in the collection vehicle too.

“If cardboard is left in large, bulky pieces, crews may have to leave it behind because there simply isn’t enough room.”

Planning ahead as much as possible is also strongly recommended. They added: “Moving house inevitably creates more waste than normal, but planning ahead makes a big difference.

“Flatten boxes, remove packaging materials and check your council’s recycling guidance. If you’ve got far more cardboard than your bin can accommodate, a trip to the local recycling centre is often the quickest and easiest solution.”

He didn’t score many points in his brief stint in the pros — but an ex-NBA player running for Congress appears to be going to great lengths to make one.

Former NBA bust and current Republican Senate candidate Royce White has announced plans to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft, claiming he now identifies as transgender — for athletic purposes, anyway.

“I’m transgender. I’m a woman. I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purpose of basketball, professional basketball, so I’ll be declaring for the WNBA draft in 2027 as well,” White, 35, told Fox News Saturday.

White’s announcement comes one day after former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, who is a man, said he also plans to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft. Freedom’s statement followed comments from WNBA player Sophie Cunningham about transgender athletes that renewed a heated debate on the league’s policies for transgender players. It also comes as President Donald Trump has made barring transgender women from from competing in women’s sports.

White, a 6’8” forward who played just three games in the NBA, all in 2014, continued Saturday, “I think I’d be unstoppable. But I’m a team-first guy. I’m a pass-first kind of player. I do the little things. I led my team in all five major stat categories at Iowa State University, so I do a little bit of everything. I’ll do whatever the coach needs me to do. I’ll do whatever the girls need me to do.”

“I think it’s only fair,” he added.

Freedom said he reviewed the WNBA’s eligibility rules before announcing his plans to enter the league and believes he meets the requirements to play.

The WNBA’s 2026 collective bargaining agreement states in Article XIII that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” However, the 409-page agreement does not define what qualifies as a “woman” for eligibility purposes.

Following Freedom’s announcement, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association said in a statement: “We embrace justice equity, diversity, and inclusion. Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change.”

“Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations,” the group added in the Instagram post. “But we will not be used as political pawns.”

White said Saturday that the WNBA could end the controversy by clearly stating its policy on whether males are eligible to compete in women’s sports.

“I think the WNBA could come out and make a definitive statement about guys with a pair of balls playing in the Women’s Association,” he said, adding he will continue moving forward in his draft bid unless the league addresses the controversial issue.

In a memo obtained by the Associated Press, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told teams that a discussion about the inclusion of trans athletes “will continue to receive significant attention.”

“I wanted to reach out to share how we are approaching these conversations at the league office and to thank those of you who have responded to questions from the media with thoughtfulness and professionalism,” she wrote Friday.

“We recognize that this is a complex and nuanced topic, and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead,” Engelbert continued. “We also plan to convene additional discussions and offer listening sessions for any team leaders who would like to participate. Your perspectives and feedback are invaluable, and I appreciate those who have already reached out to share their thoughts.”

White further claimed he could take legal action if he is not drafted or signed by a WNBA team.

“I have to file a discrimination lawsuit, right? I mean, that’s, that’s ridiculous,” he told Fox News. “We’re gonna have to have a huge legal battle about discrimination if I can’t play.”

White was selected 16th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Iowa State but never played for the team because of severe anxiety and a fear of flying.

Nowadays, he is running in Minnesota’s August 11 Republican primary for U.S. Senate. White previously ran as the Republican nominee against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024 but lost the general election.

The debate over transgender athletes in the WNBA intensified last month after Cunningham, a guard for the Indiana Fever, criticized trans participation in women’s sports.

“I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” Cunningham told ESPN, later doubling down on her comments, claiming they were “common sense.”

The Independent has contacted the WNBA and WNBPA for comment.

British Columbia has declared a state of emergency as a rapidly spreading wildfire devastates communities, forcing over 20,000 residents to evacuate their homes along Okanagan Lake in western Canada.

Premier David Eby announced the emergency Saturday, with over 100 wildfires currently raging across the province. Nearly half of these blazes are out of control, fueled by hot, windy conditions and a prolonged drought.

The entire community of Summerland, home to approximately 12,000 people, received overnight evacuation orders, alongside 8,000 individuals in and around nearby Peachland. Officials have yet to determine how many homes were destroyed.

Eby confirmed some residents became trapped and required rescue, while search-and-rescue teams continue to comb areas behind fire lines for any others who may have been caught.

“I know many families are facing an unimaginable day today,” Eby said. “People have lost their homes. And many people have been displaced. Others are waiting for news about loved ones.”

Cliff Chapman, director of wildfire operations for the BC Wildfire Service, said firefighting helicopters were diverted to rescue people who could no longer escape by road. He said the outcome would have been significantly worse without cooperation among agencies responding to the fire.

The Bald Range wildfire was first reported on Friday evening but grew to about 50 square kilometers (19 square miles) within hours, overwhelming the smaller community of Faulder and covering the roughly 15 kilometers (9 miles) to Summerland at extraordinary speed.

Chapman described fire conditions across British Columbia as “explosive” and warned that other communities could face fires similar to the one that forced the evacuation of Summerland.

British Columbia Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene said the state of emergency gives the province additional powers, including the ability to restrict travel and secure accommodations for evacuees that might otherwise be unavailable.

Erick Thompson, an emergency official with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, called it one of the “quickest-moving, fastest-growing” wildfires the region had experienced.

Thompson eventually had to abandon the emergency operations center and evacuate his own family.

“I had to leave the EOC to come and get my family to leave this area. We’re heading south,” he said in a video posted early Saturday from his vehicle as traffic backed up around him.

Videos posted on social media appeared to show multiple homes burning as residents fled along roads with flames on both sides.

Homeowner Kerry Gold and her husband, Mike Elsinga, fled around 12:30 a.m. after watching flames spread beyond nearby mountains.

“It’s scary. It’s moving fast,” Gold said.

The couple, who recently moved from the city of Vancouver, had packed bags, prepared a carrier for their cat and planned to help a disabled friend evacuate.

“You want to stay here and protect your home, but you also don’t want to get caught in it,” Elsinga said.

Canada has endured increasingly destructive wildfire seasons in recent years, forcing mass evacuations and repeatedly sending smoke across large parts of Canada and the United States.

It’s not unusual for the soaps to switch around to accommodate the broadcaster’s football coverage, and this week viewers can expect exactly that.

Here is the TV schedule you’ll need to know about if you’re a fan of the soaps.

Emmerdale and Coronation Street fans can’t watch new episode on Wednesday

On Wednesday, August 12, ITV will air the Manchester United v Leeds United pre-season friendly from 7pm, with the kick-off at 7.30pm.

Coverage of the game will run until 10pm on ITV1, meaning the usual Emmerdale and Coronation Street slots are replaced by it.

While both soaps will run as usual otherwise next week, there is no Sunday (August 16) episode scheduled at the time of writing.

This means, as things stand, soap fans will be down a 30-minute episode of each show compared to their usual schedules of five episodes per week, but this could change.

Coleen Nolan reveals she auditioned for Emmerdale and Coronation Street

Loose Women star Coleen Nolan tried to secure acting gigs on both Emmerdale and Corrie, she has revealed.

Speaking on her Nolans Uncensored podcast, she said: “I can’t audition.

“I’m just really bad at auditions, my nerves get the better of me.

Corrie’s top 5 villains

“I’ve only done literally about two in my career because I walk in going, ‘I will do this rubbish,’ because that’s how nervous I am.

“I didn’t get them.

“[One was] Emmerdale, I auditioned.

“And I think Corrie was one of them.”

The 61-year-old, who was previously married to EastEnders actor Shane Richie, admitted that the thought of a full-time soap role was daunting.

She said: “It’s proper work.

“I don’t think I’ve got the mentality to do that.

“It’s a long, it’s really hard.

“I wanted to say to them that I couldn’t do this part [the audition] but give me the job, and I’ll be able to do it.”

Will you be watching Emmerdale and Coronation Street next week? Tell us in the comments below.