Stephanie Wareham

Omar Majed appeared by video-link at Birmingham Crown Court charged with communicating false information to police over an alleged bomb hoax that led to the evacuation and cancellation of Peter Kay’s show at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on May 1. Majed did not enter a plea because psychiatric reports are required. A pre-trial review was set for September 30, while a trial date remains scheduled for November 3; he will remain in custody. West Midlands Police said searches found nothing suspicious.

A 55-foot, 25–30-tonne fin whale that died off Bridlington’s South Beach was removed intact in a difficult operation led by contractors and East Riding of Yorkshire Council. The carcass had attracted tourists from across the region, but concerns that it would need to be dissected were avoided; it was loaded onto a truck and taken away for disposal.

A 13-year-old boy was convicted of two attempted rapes and seven sexual assaults against a woman and three teenage girls in Telford, Shropshire, during December 2022 and January 2023. Judge Anthony Lowe said the boy had a distorted view of women and sexual intimacy, but was uncertain that custody would address the underlying problems. Instead of detention, the court imposed a 30-month youth rehabilitation order with supervision, including at least 18 months in a specialist therapeutic unit. The victims described lasting fear and mental health problems after the attacks.

A 24-year-old man suffered life-changing facial injuries after being attacked by a large dog near Drum Brae South and Duart Crescent in Edinburgh. He was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, while Police Scotland reviewed CCTV and appealed for witnesses, dashcam footage, and information identifying the dog and its owner.

The World Health Organization has ended COVID-19's status as a global health emergency, while stressing that the virus remains an ongoing global health threat and continues to cause thousands of deaths each week. The decision follows more than three years of widespread illness, deaths, lockdowns and economic disruption. The report also reviews shortcomings in the international response, including the WHO's early praise for China, delayed mask guidance, reluctance to acknowledge airborne transmission, unequal vaccine access and unresolved questions about the virus's origins.

A widow and her daughter discovered more than 1,000 historic coins hidden in shoe boxes, drawers and a locked desk after the death of a Luton businessman who had collected coins for over 40 years. Hanson Ross Auctions assessed the collection, which includes a 1696 William III crown and other valuable British coins, and estimated it could fetch more than £17,500 at auction. The widow plans to keep a few sentimental pieces while selling the remainder.

A 44-year-old motorcyclist repeatedly exceeded the 30mph limit on Pembury Road in Tunbridge Wells, triggering a speed camera six times and making rude gestures toward it. Kent Police officers monitored the location, stopped him, and discovered that he was uninsured and unlicensed. His motorcycle was seized, and he was reported for the offences and expected to face a later court summons for speeding. Kent Police Chief Inspector Craig West warned that speeding can lead to serious injuries or fatalities.

Jamie Foxx said he was feeling blessed after suffering an unspecified medical complication and receiving treatment. Jeremy Renner, Vin Diesel, Courteney Cox, John Legend, Mary J. Blige and Ansel Elgort joined other supporters in sending messages of encouragement. Foxx also thanked Nick Cannon for taking over hosting duties on Beat Shazam, while his daughter Corinne acknowledged the public’s support. Foxx was reportedly taken ill in Atlanta while filming Back in Action, his forthcoming action comedy with Cameron Diaz.

Ashley Kemp was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 19 years for murdering his girlfriend, Clair Armstrong, at her home in Messingham, North Lincolnshire. The court heard that Kemp headbutted and strangled Armstrong after she ended their relationship and told him to move out. Judge John Thackray KC found that he intended to kill, rejected his claim of genuine remorse and treated domestic violence as an aggravating factor. Armstrong’s family said her death had devastated them, while Kemp had earlier admitted in a 999 call that he had killed her.

Veteran DJ Tony Blackburn was discharged from Wellington Hospital in London after three weeks of treatment for a chest infection. He said he would continue outpatient care, including daily injections, before resting and returning to his BBC Radio 2 and BBC Local Radio programmes. His illness also caused him to miss an Audio and Radio Industry Awards ceremony, where he received a radio pioneer award, and to reschedule his Sounds Of The 60s live tour.

Blackpool Zoo has received more than 250 applications from around the world for five £10.80-an-hour positions involving wearing a giant bird costume to scare away seagulls. The birds reportedly steal food from penguins and pelicans and disrupt visitor talks and feeding demonstrations. Applicants have submitted videos of themselves dressed as birds, while the zoo says successful candidates must be energetic, outgoing and able to educate visitors about not feeding seagulls.

The United States will stop requiring foreign air travellers to prove COVID-19 vaccination from the end of May 11, 2023, when the US public health emergency ends. The change will allow unvaccinated UK travellers to enter, following restrictions introduced in 2021. Virgin Atlantic welcomed the move, saying it removes barriers to travel and could boost transatlantic demand ahead of the summer season.

Sir Michael Palin announced that his wife Helen, whom he met at 16 and had been married to for 57 years, died peacefully after years of chronic pain compounded by kidney failure. He described her as the bedrock of his life and asked for privacy as their three children and four grandchildren grieve. The report also recalls Palin's BBC travel career, heart-valve surgery in 2019 and knighthood for services to travel, culture and geography.

A 15-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl were shot in the leg during an incident in Bushbury, Wolverhampton. Both were hospitalized in stable condition. Police believe the shootings were connected to a car chase involving a suspected stolen black Mini and a grey Ford Focus; the Mini was later found abandoned. West Midlands Police are conducting forensic examinations, reviewing CCTV and doorbell footage, and appealing for witnesses.

Kim Barrett, from Tollesbury in Essex, spent 18 years trying to have another child after giving birth to her daughter Yasmin at 17. After being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome and unsuccessfully trying other treatments, she and her husband James underwent IVF at TFP Simply Fertility in Chelmsford. The treatment led to the births of sons Harrison in January 2019 and William in April 2021, completing their family. Barrett described the pregnancies as stressful because of fears about miscarriage and complications, but encouraged others who have access to IVF not to delay treatment.

Celebrity skincare expert Scott McGlynn recommends drinking green tea before sun exposure, citing research on green tea polyphenols, while emphasizing that it should not replace sunscreen. He advises limiting time in direct sunlight, using SPF 30 or higher, wearing protective clothing or staying in the shade, moisturizing after exposure, and cleansing thoroughly to remove sunscreen. McGlynn also promotes affordable skincare products from supermarkets and high-street retailers, arguing that effective skincare does not depend on a high price tag.

Courtney Harvey developed a womb infection during pregnancy, described by doctors as poisoning both mother and baby, and went into labour at 23 weeks in March 2022. Her daughter Melanie was born weighing 493 grams and was given a 10% chance of survival. Melanie spent about four months in hospital, including three months in intensive care, and suffered a brain bleed, a heart duct abnormality and detached retinas requiring surgery. She was discharged in July 2022 and, at one year old, was reported to be thriving at home despite remaining small for her age.

Lampeter Ladies FC manager Philip Powell suffered a cardiac arrest during a training session in Ceredigion. Team goalkeeper and Bronglais Hospital nurse Amber Holland performed CPR, checked his airway and breathing, and used a defibrillator to restore his heart rhythm before paramedics arrived. Powell and his daughter Estelle Rose praised Holland and the other players, while the club responded by arranging first-aid courses and encouraging other football clubs to do the same.

Anne Siddall says it is unbearable to contemplate losing another child after her 15-year-old daughter Madeline died from a cardiac arrest. Her son Archie, 24, was diagnosed with an incurable glioblastoma in October 2022 after memory problems, confusion and severe headaches were initially attributed to stress or migraine. Surgeons removed about half the tumour because of its depth near the brain stem, and Archie has undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The family is making memories with Archie and his one-year-old daughter Amelia, while Anne is raising money for Brain Tumour Research through a marathon challenge and calling for better-funded research.

Samantha Heathcock, a 43-year-old mother from Stourbridge, says she has no regrets about having her two sons at 35 and 37 after establishing her marketing career and enjoying a party lifestyle in her twenties. She believes later motherhood gave her greater financial and emotional stability, although she criticizes the outdated term “geriatric” and the stigma faced by older mothers. Heathcock also describes feeling dismissed by medical professionals during her pregnancies because of her age, including concerns about exhaustion and spotting, and recounts difficulties transitioning from breastfeeding to bottle feeding after her first child. She argues that motherhood is challenging at any age and that older mothers need better support and treatment.

After trying to conceive since 2011, Diego Fernandez and Mareike overcame male and female fertility issues, failed artificial insemination, repeated embryo-transfer failures, COVID-related delays and the strain of moving between countries. Following intracytoplasmic sperm injection and the transfer of their two remaining embryos at the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine, they welcomed twin sons, Jaime and Lorenzo, on 26 October 2022. The couple credits the clinic's treatment and counselling with helping them become parents while protecting their mental health.

Molly Keane and her boyfriend Garth have travelled full-time since June 2022 by caring for strangers’ homes and pets through the TrustedHousesitters app. After completing 17 house sits in Ireland and abroad, including in Dublin, New York, Amsterdam and Barcelona, they have avoided rent and utility costs and saved enough for a house deposit. They attribute the lifestyle partly to Ireland’s housing crisis and high rents but plan to continue travelling, with Berlin and Mexico among their future destinations. Keane highlights the responsibility involved, including taking a sick dog to an emergency vet, and advises newcomers to start locally to build reviews.

A Go North East double-decker bus carrying about 12 passengers overturned into a field near Craghead, County Durham, around midday on 21 April 2023. No serious injuries were reported, although four passengers were taken to the University Hospital of North Durham as a precaution. Durham Police and the bus operator launched an investigation, while the road was closed so recovery specialists could right the vehicle.

Residents of the Kidnalls Drive estate in Whitecroft, Gloucestershire, say free-roaming sheep have damaged gardens, left droppings on paths and drives, and disturbed them at night for years. They want a cattle grid installed to keep the animals out. The local commoners' association says the estate is outside the Forest of Dean grazing boundary and has expelled shepherd Jeremy Awdry, while Awdry disputes the boundary, denies responsibility for damage and maintains that his sheep have the right to roam.

Prince William unexpectedly answered the phone at Birmingham’s Indian Streatery while visiting with Catherine, Princess of Wales, and took a lunch booking from London visitor Vinay Aggarwal. Aggarwal and his wife, Ankita Gulati, only realized who had taken the call when they arrived. During the royal visit, William and Catherine sampled Indian street food, discussed their family’s enjoyment of curries, prepared rotis and took part in a cooking competition won by Catherine. Restaurant owners Meena and Rakesh Sharma described the visit as surreal and an honor.