The 93-year-old Take That-obsessed grandma, who has been dubbed ‘Super Fan Nan’, will be attending both Etihad Stadium shows tonight and tomorrow with her family.

“You never stop being a fan just because you get older,” Joyce, from Halifax, explains.

She hasn’t missed a Take That in more than ten years, but she never got to the see the Circus tour the first time round. Her and her granddaughter Amanda Laycock have been thinking up their outfits of choice ever since getting tickets to this weekend’s show last September – and they’ve gone all out with their custom-made jackets and hats all fitting in with the Circus theme.

“I know we are lucky to even be able to see them once on this tour, but it’s going to be so special to see it with my gran,” Amanda adds.

“Take That have been a soundtrack to our lives in so many ways. Now Grandma gets to see it with me in person too. Manchester – bring on the Circus!”

Cybersecurity experts say criminals are increasingly targeting internet users through fake adverts, cloned websites and bogus customer service pages designed to look legitimate in search results.

And according to privacy experts, the biggest danger is that many victims are already stressed, distracted or desperately trying to fix a problem when they search online, as reported by creatorzine.com.

Peter Nguyen, privacy expert at Protect My Data, warned scammers are no longer relying solely on suspicious emails or text messages.

Instead, he said fraudsters are increasingly “waiting for people in search results”.

Peter said: “The most dangerous searches are often the ones people make when they are panicked, annoyed or in a hurry.

“If someone is trying to find a bank number, pay a fine, chase a parcel or claim a refund, they are already in problem-solving mode.

“That is when scammers have the advantage.”

Experts warned that searches for bank customer service numbers are among the riskiest – particularly when people fear fraud on their account or a bank card has stopped working.

Fake banking support pages can look almost identical to genuine websites and, in some cases, fraudsters even pay for adverts so their pages appear above official results on Google.

Peter warned victims may then be tricked into handing over security details or transferring money into so-called “safe accounts”.

He said: “No genuine bank will ever ask you to transfer money to protect it.”

Tax refund searches are also increasingly being targeted by scammers, especially during self-assessment periods or when people believe they may be owed money by HM Revenue and Customs.

Fraudsters often create convincing fake government-style websites offering rebates or urgent refunds while requesting bank details, National Insurance numbers and card information.

Drivers are also being warned about fake Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, ULEZ and parking fine payment pages that often request small charges designed to expose card details.

Peter said many victims wrongly assume low-value payments are harmless.

He said: “Someone may think, ‘It’s only £2.99’, but that small payment can expose their card details.”

Parcel delivery scams are another growing problem as online shopping continues to boom.

Fake courier websites posing as Royal Mail, Evri and DPD are often designed to steal personal information and payment details under the guise of rearranging missed deliveries.

Travel-related searches are also increasingly being exploited during busy holiday periods and flight disruption.

People searching for airline refunds, cancellation numbers or hotel booking support may unknowingly land on fake customer service pages operated by scammers.

Cybersecurity experts have also warned against downloading software from unofficial links found through search engines, including antivirus programs, printer drivers, browser updates and PDF converters.

In some cases, victims may unknowingly install malware or spyware onto their devices.

Peter urged internet users to slow down before clicking on any search result involving money, passwords, personal information or government services.

He added: “The simple rule is this: if the search involves your money, identity, password, device or a government service, slow down.

“Do not click the first result just because it is at the top.”

It has taken three years for the station to be built

Transport bosses have given the final seal of approval for the new Cambridge South railway station. It means the planned public opening has been given the green light to go ahead later this month.

Trains will start stopping at Cambridge South – situated beside Europe’s largest medical research facility – from June 28.

It will welcome up to nine trains per hour from Cambridge, with direct services to destinations including London King’s Cross, London Liverpool Street, Birmingham New Street, Brighton, Gatwick Airport, and Stansted Airport. Services will be run by Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, and CrossCountry.

The station has had its opening pushed back twice. The first was in February last year, followed by a sub-contractor entering administration resulting in a second delay.

GBR Anglia has been working with the independent safety regulator for British railways to ensure the station is fully compliant.

Emily Heria, senior sponsor on behalf of GBR Anglia said: “Gaining the authorisation from the ORR to open Cambridge South is a massive achievement and reflects all the hard work done by everyone involved in the project.

“We are all so excited to open the new station on Sunday 28 June and can’t wait to welcome our first customers and see their reaction to their new railway station. We hope they will be as proud of their new station as we are to have built it.”

Brooke Taylor-Said appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday, June 18, for sentencing.

The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of arson in December last year when he first appeared in the dock.

Taylor-Said, who has been remanded at HMP Forest Bank since his arrest, appeared in the dock wearing a grey Nike T-shirt.

The court heard on October 26, 2025, that Taylor-Said set fire to a mattress at a property on Coronation Gardens, Radcliffe, using a lighter, then fled the scene.

A resident in the block of flats called emergency services shortly after 9pm on that night after they heard a smoke alarm going off and could smell a “bonfire type of smell”.

Emergency services arrived at the address at 9.20pm and saw a burnt mattress and duvet.

There was also smoke damage to the hall, bathroom, and kitchen.

At 11.20pm, Taylor-Said’s mother rang emergency services to inform them she had not seen her son.

The court heard she told them her son admitted to setting a fire, and he was “having difficulties persuading the local authority to allow him to move to another property”.

Taylor-Said returned to the property at 1.30am, was arrested, and taken into custody.

The court heard he said: “My head is a mess, I’m going to prison.

“I didn’t mean to endanger any lives.”

He gave a no comment police interview, and the court heard that “when asked what his plan was, he said he wanted to die”.

The court heard there had been two psychiatric reports before sentencing and that Taylor-Said was diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression and had a history of hospitalisations before the offence.

He was a crack cocaine and ketamine user, the court heard, and “a very vulnerable” and “immature” young man who was “most certainly being exploited by others”.

Although the court heard he presented “much better today”, was taking his medication, and had gained qualifications in maths and English while in prison.

The court also heard “he’s extremely sorry”.

“He’s taking his medication, and he’s well.

His mother made “responsible calls” and has had “interest and concern about her son throughout”, the court was told.

HHJ Lester-Ashworth, sentencing Taylor-Said, told him he would have a one-third reduction in his sentence due to entering a guilty plea early.

She told him his accounts were “inconsistent”, in part due to drugs and alcohol, as he had told his mum the council would not let him move address, but told others he had intended to harm himself by setting the fire.

HHJ Lester-Ashworth told Taylor-Said she found there was an “insufficient” connection between his mental health and the offence.

She told the court he removed himself from danger once the fire was lit and had tried before to return the keys to the property to a housing officer.

HHJ Lester-Ashworth said: “I accept that at the time you were vulnerable.”

Taylor-Said was sentenced to 39 months in custody, but with the one-third reduction, he will serve 26 months in prison.

The time already served in custody counts towards this sentence.

No order for costs was made, and HHJ Lester-Ashworth told him: “Do not be defined by this conviction, you have many positive traits.”

Staff at The Black Swan at Burn Bridge, near Harrogate, took to Facebook to report on Thursday’s re-opening.

The pub, owned by Star Pubs, closed last June when the former tenant decided not to renew the lease.

The new management team of the Heineken-owned pubco commented: “Wow, what a fantastic and successful evening it has been here at The Black Swan!

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Black Swan at Burn Bridge near Harrogate to re-open in June

“We’ve loved welcoming you all through our doors and are so grateful to everyone who came to visit us. Thank you for your incredible support—it truly means the world to us.

“We’ve had a wonderful first evening and have enjoyed meeting all of you!”

The post added: “This is just the beginning, and we look forward to continuing this journey with you all. Here’s to many more great memories, good times, and shared moments at The Black Swan.

“Thank you again, and we can’t wait to see you soon!”

Star Pubs has stated that it plans a major revamp of the pub, details of which can be found at: https://www.starpubs.co.uk/pubs/black-swan-burnbridge.  

It’s 50 years since the intense heat of the 1976 drought hit the UK.

The country’s worst drought for 200 years, and one of the most severe ever, left reservoirs dry, cracked land, and melted tarmac on roads. For 15 consecutive days, temperatures hit 32°C in parts of the country. The record temperature for a June day was equalled, and still stands (for now).

What became known as the “drought of the century” resulted in the UK’s driest 16-month period for more than 200 years.

In that summer of 1976, people struggled to go to work on public transport in searing heat, wildfires sprang up in paper-dry woods and forests, farmers battled to save their harvests , and it was reported that 400 spectators were treated for heat exhaustion at Wimbledon in one day.

Weeks and weeks without rain led to national appeals to save water. An emergency powers bill, announced on July 3 1976, gave the government extra power to ration water use.

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In south-east Wales, Yorkshire and north Devon, people queued for water at standpipes in the street, while other areas experienced interruptions to their water supply. Meanwhile, food prices went up as farmers’ crops and garden vegetables died in the hot weather.

But the public of 1976 learned to cope with these unusual weather conditions, and per-person use of water dropped from an estimated 190 litres per day in 1972 to 95 litres in 1976. This was a generation with direct or family experience of the hardships of the second world war – including following government restrictions on food, clothing and fuel rationing, which finally ended in 1954.

Some of them had also experienced extreme weather in preceding decades, such as the significant droughts of 1949, 1955 and 1959 – as well as the “great freeze” of 1962-3, which caused an estimated 90,000 excess deaths.

These experiences, plus a public that was generally more trusting of government policy, meant compliance with restrictions was high.

What would happen today?

The environment, the economy and society have all changed since 1976. But drought risk is increasing.

The UK’s population has grown from 56.2 million in 1971 to 69.5 million in 2025. By 2021, one in six residents of England and Wales were born outside the UK, an increase of 2.5 million since 2011.

In 1976, 78% of the UK population lived in urban areas, increasing to 83% by 2024 – or from 43.7 million in 1976 to 57.6 million in 2024. This is also a population that experiences less time spent in nature than previous generations.

But compared with 1976, the UK is now more likely to experience higher summer temperatures, protracted heatwaves and drier soils.

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Our array of washing machines, dishwashers, power showers, pressure washers and paddling pools means we have come to expect water to be in our taps, regardless of what is happening to the weather and environment or our rivers.

When taps do not run, there is considerable frustration and anger, as has been experienced in the South East Water region during 2025 and ’26. Importantly for any government struggling to deal with a drought, trust in privatised water companies is low. This follows legal cases over sewage spills, worries about declining water quality, and perceptions of failing regulation.

During the UK’s 2018 heatwave, trust and willingness to act was seen to be dependent on the belief that water companies were also doing their part to reduce water consumption. But a 2023 survey by Ofwat on customer trust in these companies found 47% of respondents felt their water provider put the interests of its shareholders and owners first. Trust fell to the lowest level in a decade.

Around 60% of households now have a water meter, compared with none in 1976. But while smart meters are good at identifying leaks and tracking water use, reports suggest many consumers do not yet check them regularly to reduce use.

Another challenge is how to reach the public with updates and requests to reduce water use. Communicating about a drought is very different to 1976, when news channels were limited to BBC TV and radio, ITV and independent radio and print newspapers.

News is now widely consumed through social media as well as other media channels. But misinformation also spreads quickly through social media.

How can the UK prepare?

In preparing for the next major drought, the first and fundamental change required is to stop thinking of the UK as a wet country. London, with 690mm of annual rainfall, is drier than Rome’s 878mm and Paris’s 720 mm.

We, as consumers, should also start to think about how we do or don’t value water in our everyday actions. It’s important that households understand, and reduce, how much water each uses. If nothing changes, by 2055, the nation will need up to an additional 5 billion litres of water per day.

A 2020 survey found that 46% of respondents believed their household used less than 20 litres a day, while 17% said they consumed between 20 and 39 litres a day, and 15% thought they used 40 to 59 litres. The reality is between 135 and 150 litres per person, per day.

The biggest challenge for any current government and the water sector generally is likely to be gaining public trust in heeding national requests to save water.

New policy proposals for infrastructure investment, improved regulation, greater fairness and enhanced environmental resilience aim to reset confidence in the water sector as a whole. But as water bills rise to pay for this investment, and if issues around water quality and sewage pollution continue, it may not reset the balance of public trust.

Nonetheless, we should all also start to value water more, and use less, in order to adapt to a climate where intense droughts are an increasing risk in the UK.

The popular ITV soaps are often moved, extended or sometimes axed from the schedule due to sport.

They have already been hit with several schedule changes so far in recent weeks due to the competition, and the week ahead will be the same again.

Here’s what the changes are and which episodes the latest TV schedule shakeup affects.

What are the Emmerdale and Corrie schedule changes next week?

Monday (June 22) will see Emmerdale and Corrie air with extended times at 8pm and 9pm respectively, being an hour long each rather than their usual half-hour episodes.

On Tuesday (June 23), both ITV soaps will air at a later time, due to the match between Portugal and Uzbekistan.

Emmerdale will be on from 9pm to 9.30pm, with Coronation Street following from 9.30pm to 10pm.

Neither soap will be on ITV on Wednesday evening (June 24), with Switzerland and Canada taking up the slot that evening.

On Thursday (June 25), both soaps will once again be extended to hour-long episodes, with Emmerdale on at 8pm and then Corrie at 9pm.

Neither soap will air on Friday evening (June 26) due to the World Cup game between Norway and France.

Despite the changes, Emmerdale and Corrie fans will get their two-and-a-half hours of each soap this week, just in a different format.

Emmerdale star to return as new character 9 years later

Emmerdale fans will see a previous Emmerdale star make her return to the show nine years since she was last seen.

Pippa Fulton has previously been seen in the Dales in two different roles in 2014 and 2017.

Now, she is back on the ITV soap once more, this time as a new villainous character.

She will be involved in a story with Lewis Barton (played by Bradley Riches), who will be taken hostage whilst he is on the way to the airport.

The kidnapper will be revealed to be a woman named Kylie (Fulton).

Kylie will abduct Lewis while he’s on his way to the airport, being bundled into the back of a van by masked assailants.

His danger is relayed via text to his brother Ross Barton (Michael Parr), informing him of the kidnapping.

The message warns Lewis is in danger unless his father returns a ‘Penny’ to the kidnapper.

Pippa first appeared in 2014, enjoying a one-night stand with Ross, before returning in 2014 as a customer at Dales business, Take A Vow in 2017.

The actress rose to fame in 2002 on the BBC talent show Fame Academy, where she reached the fourth week of the competition.

She has also appeared in Coronation Street as Aurora, the friend of Steve McDonald’s date.

Do you prefer Emmerdale or Coronation Street? Let us know in the comments.

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mixed Friday and U.S. futures declined as optimism over the U.S.-Iran deal to end their war was dimmed by the postponement of high-stakes talks on reopening negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and getting oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. markets will be closed Friday for Juneteenth.

Planned talks in Switzerland between Iran and the United States over their efforts to reach a permanent end to war were delayed, while Israel’s military said its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area.

“Both sides are trying to show some good faith,” Bas van Geffen of RaboResearch said in a commentary. “But even if the water appears calmer, there is still a strong undertow. The agreement remains fragile on multiple fronts.”

Germany’s DAX rose 0.2% to 25,079.30, while the CAC 40 in Paris was nearly unchanged at 8,467.75. Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 0.2% to 10,376.64.

The futures for the S&P500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.2%.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 wavered between gains and losses but closed 0.3% higher at a new record of 71,250.06. The government reported that consumer prices excluding volatile fresh foods was unchanged, but analysts said it would likely pick up in coming months despite higher fuel costs.

Higher inflation was a factor driving the Bank of Japan to raise its benchmark interest rate earlier this week to a three-decade high of 1% as it gradually adjusts its policies after years of near-zero or negative rates.

In South Korea, the Kospi lost 0.1% to 9,052.42, just shy of its record set a day earlier. The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia declined 0.9% to 8,828.70, while India’s Sensex lost 0.8%.

Markets in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taiwan were closed for the Dragon Boat festival.

On Thursday, stocks rose on Wall Street, erasing most of their losses from a day earlier to notch weekly gains thanks to big advances for heavyweight technology companies. The decline on Wednesday was driven by anticipation that the Federal Reserve will likely raise interest rates this year in an effort to fight inflation.

The S&P 500 rose 1.1% and the Dow industrials added 0.1%. The Nasdaq composite surged 1.9%.

On the losing end, SpaceX fell for the second straight day since its big debut on the U.S. stock market last week. The Elon Musk-led rocket maker and AI company was down 3.6% following a 4.9% loss Wednesday.

Oil prices wavered after the United States and Iran signed an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic. Brent crude, the international standard, spent most of the day lower before settling 0.4% higher at $79.85 per barrel. U.S. benchmark crude fell 0.2% to $75.85 per barrel.

Early Friday, Brent crude was down 0.4% at $79.50 per barrel. U.S. benchmark crude was flat at $75.85 per barrel.

Prices for crude oil are still above roughly $70 per barrel from before the war, but are well below the $100-plus price from a few weeks ago.

Rising energy costs have been putting more pressure on already hot inflation. The average price of gasoline in the U.S. has dipped below $4 a gallon, but is still 25% higher than a year ago. Prices have been rising for a wide range of goods because of higher shipping costs.

The Federal Reserve kept is key interest rate unchanged this week but hotter inflation means it will likely raise rates by the end of the year. Lower interest rates make borrowing easier for businesses and households, spurring growth, but they also tend to stoke inflation.

In other dealings early Friday, the U.S. dollar fell to 161.31 Japanese yen from 161.38 yen. The euro was unchanged at $1.1458.