declare

Commuters can expect travel chaos in the days ahead after the derailment of train on a major line, with the train operator issuing an urgent warning for anyone travelling by rail this week

Less than 48 hours after passengers were stabbed in a frenzied attack on a train near Huntingdon, Cambridge, police have declared a second ‘major incident’.

Chaos has ensued after an Avanti West Coast train derailed near the Cumbrian village of Shap in what was declared a “major incident”.

Those onboard feared the worst after the train hit mud left by a landslide at around 90mph, with some alarmed passengers even concerned that the “loud bang” meant that another knife attack was underway, like the one that unfolded in Cambridgeshire on Saturday night (November 1).

The incident occurred at 6.10 am this morning (November 3), and all passengers were safely removed from the train by emergency crews. Meanwhile, photographs show a train carriage in a crushed state, with pipework and wires exposed.

Four individuals suffered minor injuries following the derailment near Shap in Cumbria, North West Ambulance Service confirmed, but thankfully, after assessing 87 people, ambulance workers determined that “no one required further hospital treatment”.

However, while the major incident status has since been “stood down”, an operation remains in place as crews work to clear the scene, and Avanti West Coast have now warned commuters to expect significant disruption to its network in the days to come.

READ MORE: Cumbria train derailment LIVE: Emergency services rush to scene amid ‘do not travel’ alert

Warning commuters not to travel north of Preston, an Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “At 06.10hrs today, 3 November, the 0428 Avanti West Coast service from Glasgow to Euston was reported to have derailed at Shap in Cumbria. Our priority is the well-being of everyone who was on board and getting them safely off the train. We are assisting emergency services who are on the scene.

“As a result, all lines are blocked north of Preston. Please do not attempt to travel north of Preston today. We’ll provide further information in due course, but it is likely there will be significant disruption to our network for a number of days.”

With the line from Glasgow to London Euston being the main route for services operating in the west of the UK, it’s expected that thousands of passengers will be impacted by this ongoing disruption.

Echoing Avanti West Coast’s warning not to travel north of Preston, National Rail stated: “Major disruption between Carlisle and Preston expected until the end of the day. A derailed train between Penrith and Oxenholme means all lines are blocked. Trains running between Carlisle and Preston may be delayed by up to 120 minutes or cancelled.”

Meanwhile, National Rail has also clarified that rail replacement buses are no longer in operation between Carlisle and Preston, “due to a limited supply of coaches”, while it’s anticipated that “replacement vehicles may be busier than usual”. The train company advised: “You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.”

It was previously reported that some 130 passengers have been taken to the nearby Shap Wells Hotel, with hotel director Shabeeh Hassan, revealing that the commuters arrived from 07:30am and seemed to have no injuries. He did however remark that some of the passengers were in shock, telling BBC Radio Cumbria: “I’m doing as much as I can just to make them comfortable.”

It comes after passengers on the 6.25pm LNER train from Doncaster to King’s Cross on Saturday night ended up running for their lives down the carriages as one of the biggest mass stabbings in British history unfolded.

A total of 10 people – including a man who was allegedly stabbed in the head while protecting a young girl – were rushed to hospital after the quick-thinking driver made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, allowing passengers to flee down the platform.

Anthony Williams, 32, of Langford Road, Peterborough, was charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of Actual Bodily Harm and one count of possession of bladed article.

Do you have a story to share? Email me at [email protected]

READ MORE: Cumbria train derailment: Major update as company warns ‘do not travel’

UN official Volker Turk drew ire of the Venezuelan government after condemning what he says are abuses by state forces.

Venezuela’s National Assembly has voted to declare United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk persona non grata after he publicly criticised the government’s human rights violations.

The unanimous Tuesday declaration follows comments from Turk last week before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, condemning what he said were arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances.

In remarks before the declaration, Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez accused Turk of turning a “blind eye” to other rights abuses, such as the deportation of Venezuelan immigrants living in the United States to a detention facility in El Salvador.

However, Turk released a statement expressing concern over those deportations in May, while his remarks about alleged abuses in Venezuela come at a time when numerous human rights organisations have condemned the Venezuelan authorities’ crackdown on political opposition after a contested election last July.

The declaration of Turk as persona non grata does not have an immediate impact, but the government could move to expel his office from the country, as has occurred in the past.

Tensions have been high in Venezuela since President Nicolas Maduro declared victory in a 2024 presidential election, which the opposition has maintained was fraudulently stolen by the government.

Human rights groups have said that the Maduro government oversaw a crackdown on dissent after the election, which left dozens dead. Police also arrested opposition lawmakers, whom the government accuses of collaborating with hostile foreign powers.

A recent legislative and regional election saw lower turnout amid calls for a boycott from the opposition and fear of government repression.

While the Maduro government has criticised the administration of US President Donald Trump for its mass deportation of immigrants living in the US, which has also drawn concern from human rights groups, Venezuela has been open to cooperation with the Trump administration on questions of immigration enforcement, agreeing to receive people deported from the US in March.

Critics of President Trump may have cheered the defamation lawsuit filed by Gov. Gavin Newsom against Fox News for giving the White House a spoonful of its own litigious medicine.

Newsom is suing the conservative-leaning network alleging it intentionally distorted the facts in its reports on the timeline of the governor’s conversations with Trump amid the deployment of the National Grard in Los Angeles during immigration raids in the city.

But legal experts are concerned that it may just be the bipartisan escalation of an ongoing trend: use of defamation suits as a political weapon. The tactic, largely used by Trump and his allies until Newsom’s salvo, has put the media business and its legal defenders on high alert.

“There has been an outbreak of defamation lawsuits over the last 10 years since President Trump came on the scene and threatened to open up the liable laws,” said Ted Boutros, an attorney with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles. “It has been remarkable and has a chilling effect on speech.”

Trump has aggressively used the courts to punish media outlets he believes have crossed him.

Trump extracted $15 million from ABC News after George Stephanopolous said the president was convicted of rape rather than sexual abuse in the civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll. He’s pushing for a massive payment from CBS over a “60 Minutes” interview he claims was edited to make former Vice President Kamala Harris more coherent.

Although CBS denies Trump’s claims and 1st Amendment experts say the case is frivolous, the parties are reportedly headed for a settlement.

Trump is also continuing his lawsuit against the Des Moines Register over a poll that showed him losing Iowa in the 2024 election, moving it to state court Monday after the case appeared to be faltering at the federal level.

Trump hasn’t stopped there.

Last week, he threatened CNN and the New York Times with legal action over their coverage on an early intelligence report that said the military attack on Iran’s nuclear program had only set it back a few months. On Monday, Tom Homan, Trump’s chief adviser on border policy, called for the Department of Justice to investigate CNN for reporting on the existence of an app that alerts users to ICE activities.

“We have crossed over into a new world,” said Lee Levine, a retired 1st Amendment attorney whose clients included CBS News. “Everybody has taken note and tried to position themselves the best that they can to weather the assault.”

Newsom, a contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, took his shot last week with a suit alleging Fox News intentionally manipulated its coverage of a late-night June 6 phone call he made to Trump. Trump later falsely stated on June 10 that the two were in contact “a day ago,” while Newsom asserted they never spoke after June 6.

Newsom’s lawyers allege in the complaint that by making the call seem more recent, Trump could suggest they discussed the deployment of troops to Los Angeles, which they had not.

The governor’s legal team alleged the conservative network’s coverage covered up Trump’s false statement that the two had spoken on June 9 while a banner on the bottom of the screen said “Gavin Lied About Trump’s Call.”

The suit asks for $787 million — the amount Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems to settle its defamation case over false statements — if Newsom doesn’t get a retraction and on-air apology from host Jesse Watters who presented the segment on the calls. (Fox News has called the suit a publicity stunt and said it will fight it in court.)

Andrew Geronimo, director of the Dr. Frank Stanton First Amendment Clinic at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, believes Newsom’s actions are tailored to get the public‘s attention rather than that of the court itself. Newsom has been aggressive in his efforts to combat misinformation disseminated by right wing media outlets, and the lawsuit clearly turned it up a notch.

Experts say high-profile politicians have the ability to get their message out without going to court. “The idea that there is this dollar amount in the millions that they’ve been damaged by the reporting rather than coming out there and account the facts straightforwardly I think is sort of laughable,” Geronimo said.

The calls for possible legal actions against journalists reporting on information leaked by government officials, as is the case in the Iran intelligence stories, is considered a far more troubling development.

The long-term danger is that the suits can ultimately weaken laws that protect press freedoms, such as the ability to publish government information as long as it was obtained in a lawful matter.

“With everything the U.S. Supreme Court has been doing lately, all of these press protections could be on the table,” Geronimo said. “Journalists for years have relied on Supreme Court case law that, if someone leaks something to them, they can publish it as long as they did not participate in the illegal collection of it.”

The chilling effect could be particularly acute for large publicly owned media companies that have business before the government. It’s unlikely that CBS parent Paramount Global would settle over “60 Minutes” if it did not have an $8 billion merger deal pending that requires approval of the Federal Communications Commission now led by Trump appointee Brendan Carr.

“The fusion of libel suits and government officials in office is a pernicious development,” said Boutros. “When you have the president of the United States… wielding defamation suits when they have some degree of power over those companies that they can assert, that puts the companies in a terrible position.”

It also puts more strain on the legal system. While Trump and Newsom are getting headlines, Boutros noted there are similar politically motivated defamation cases coming in with “useless claims that we have to litigate.”

“It’s costly for people who are just participating in a public debate,” he said. “We’d rather have less business and more freedom of the press.”

Jessica Morgan-Helliwell, 26, and her Louise Church, 48, are ‘Bakery Tourists’- trying posh treats at artisan bakeries from Australia to Prague and Marrakech

A mother and daughter duo have embarked on a sweet adventure, scouring the globe for the ultimate pastry experience as self-proclaimed ‘Bakery Tourists’.

From Australia to Prague and Marrakech, Jessica Morgan-Helliwell, 26, and Louise Church, 48, been indulging in artisan bakeries’ posh treats for the past two years.

Their shared passion for pastries and bakes drives them to visit at least one new artisan bakery every weekend, meticulously planning their trips abroad around these culinary hotspots. Under the social media handle @loveeatdrinktravel, they share their discoveries with the world.

Among their standout finds are the cherry bomb pastry at Prague’s Artic Bakehouse and the almond croissant cookie at Brooki Bakehouse in Brisbane. However, despite exploring renowned bakeries in London, Marrakech, and beyond, Jess and Louise confess that their all-time favourite spot lies just eight miles from home.

Their crowning jewel is the hot cross bun croissant at Little Valley Bakery in Swansea, South Wales. “They had croissants with the iconic hot cross bun cross on top, and a buttery raisin filling – and it did actually taste like a hot cross bun. It was really unique,” Louise raved.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email [email protected]

READ MORE: Satellite image shows wildfires ravaging holiday island as tourists evacuated

Jess echoed her sentiments: “It had buttery spiced frangipane, flaky croissant layers, and that iconic hot cross bun cross.”

Jess attributed their pastry obsession to their long-standing love affair with baked goods. This passion has taken them on an extraordinary journey, uncovering hidden gems in their own backyard and around the world.

We’ve got Italian heritage – my great-great grandparents are from Italy, so we love trying Italian bakes and food. “We go to all kinds of different places and try new things along the way,” Jess said.

“We look at social media a lot for inspiration – I think that can be a really good way of finding new places to go. We always have an eye on the local area as well – we’ve got a lot of bakeries that have opened close to us recently.

“If we’re going abroad, we always have a look to see what’s about. We’ve just got back from Prague, and social media was a big part of looking into where to go. We’ve been doing social media content creating for about two years now, and going to all the local restaurants.

“We found that we were always looking for new places to go, so we thought we’d start documenting it ourselves – that’s where @loveeatdrinktravel came from.”

Bakery enthusiasts Jess and Louise are always in search of establishments that innovate on beloved classics, stressing that presentation is nearly as crucial as flavour.

READ MORE: What Qatar airspace closure means for holidays as airlines cancel flightsREAD MORE: Turkey travel alert issued by Foreign Office as tensions flare

Louise added: “We’re constantly looking for places to go – we never sit still! We love adventuring, so we’re always planning where we’re going on our next trip. We always try and go somewhere new on the weekends if we can.

“We’re planning our next trip abroad in a few weeks, to Marrakech, so we’re already looking at places to try there. We go to London a lot – London is about three hours from where we live in South Wales, so we plan our trips around where we want to try.”

Louise’s prime pick is a classic almond croissant, whereas Jess swears by a tangier treat, having hailed a recent raspberry croissant as “one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.”

Louise noted: “On social media, people tend to love the pastry and bakery finds more than anything else at the minute. I think a lot of people are interested in unique bakes as well – something different from the norm and aesthetically pleasing. I think people eat with their eyes, so it’s good to find somewhere the pastries look really tasty.”

Sharing about their local gems, Louise revealed: “There’s a local bakery to us – Little Valley Bakery – and around Easter time, they were doing hot cross bun croissants. They had croissants with the iconic hot cross bun cross on top, and a buttery raisin filling – and it did actually taste like a hot cross bun. It was really unique.”

Despite their adventures, several of Jess and Louise’s cherished bakeries, including Little Valley Bakery and Refinery in Swansea, are conveniently located nearby, leading them to plan a new TikTok series featuring the families behind some of their favourite haunts.

“A lot of Italian families moved to South Wales during the war and started cafes that do homemade cannolis and traditional pastries – so we want to try as many as we can find and talk to the families about what it’s been like to be in the cafe business for so long,” Louise.

However, after two years of globetrotting and content creation, Jess and Louise agree that the highlight of their journey is the chance to spend quality time together, all while indulging in scrumptious sweet treats.

“We absolutely love doing it – and it’s a great way of spending time together as well,” Jess shared. “We go to all kinds of different places and try new things along the way – I think it’s really nice.”

A protester is arrested after attempting to block an ICE van during the “No Kings” protest on Saturday, June 14, 2025 in New York City. Protests are taking place around the nation to coincide with President Trump’s military parade in Washington, DC. Photo by Derek French/UPI | License Photo

June 15 (UPI) — A protest outside of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Oregon has been declared a riot by the Portland Police Bureau.

Police said in a statement early Sunday morning that the massive demonstration was attended by some “tens of thousands” of protesters, and described as “peaceful” throughout the afternoon on Saturday.

But shortly before 6 p.m. on Saturday evening, a federal officer was reported to have been injured by the crowd. And around 8 p.m., police arrested 25-year-old Sabian Crisantos for an attempted assault of a public safety officer.

“Throughout the night, PPB observed criminal behavior, which resulted in targeted arrests. Officers on bikes conducted visibility patrols in an attempt to deter crime, but also recognized that at times their presence escalated the crowd,” police said.

“During those times, the decision was made to disengage, but officers remained in the area to respond to any additional criminal activity.”

Portland police said they made a second arrest just before 11 p.m. when a person was observed throwing a rock at a building. The suspect was identified as 20-year-old Tyson Kahnert, who faces a number of charges, including criminal mischief.

And a third man, 38-year-old Cory Oien, was arrested for theft and driving under the influence of intoxicants after he was seen picking up “traffic control devices” in the area and putting them in the bed of his truck around 1 a.m. Sunday morning.

They were all booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center, police said.

The scene was no longer declared a riot by 9:15 p.m.

The news came as at least one person was critically injured Saturday in a shooting at a protest against President Donald Trump in Salt Lake City and hours after two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota were shot dead by a gunman.

SIR Keir Starmer yesterday told Labour rebels to fall into line over welfare cuts – as more than 100 of his own MPs are demanding a U-turn.

The PM insisted the system is “not working for anybody” and vowed to press ahead with slashing the health element of Universal Credit and tightening disability benefit rules.

2

2

Asked if he would soften the package, he said: “The argument for reform is overwhelming and that’s why we will get on and we will reform.”

It comes as furious MPs are urging him to delay the cuts and have slammed the lack of proper impact checks. 

In a blistering letter to the Chief Whip, they said: “We regret we are unable to support a Bill before this has taken place.”

If all the MPs who have signed the letter follow through and vote against the plans, it could wipe out Sir Keir’s majority and trigger the biggest rebellion of his leadership.

Such is the worry inside Labour, that a party source warned dissenting MPs they could be punished at the ballot box.

The source said: “There is only going to be so much money, time and resources at the next election. 

“How people behave now will make a difference to how those resources are allocated.”

It comes as some furious MPs are poised to rebel against Sir Keir because they think they’re toast at the next election.

Moderate backbenchers who have so far towed the party line are mulling taking a public stand on issues including disability benefit cuts, immigration and winter fuel payments – even if it means losing the whip.

There is also growing anger around the two-child benefit cap still being in place.

The Sun understands some MPs want to work “with a clear conscience” until the end of this parliament – knowing that they are unlikely to return because of the threat of Reform.

A Red Wall Labour MP said: “Multiple colleagues with slim majorities think they have no chance of winning their seat.

“They want to hold the PM to account on issues causing an uproar locally, including PIP payments, and think they have nothing to lose if they defy party whips going forward.”

Another Labour MP told The Sun: “The numbers willing to rebel are much higher than expected.

“I think people shouldn’t underestimate just how much welfare is a driver of why a lot of Labour MPs, particularly moderates, are in the Labour party in the first place.

“A lot of our politics was defined by the performative cruelty of the Osborne era, and that casts a long shadow.”

Over 150,000 on benefits will see their payments cut under Personal Independence Payments (PIP) changes, the DWP has confirmed.

The Government is shaking up the way PIP is assessed meaning hundreds of thousands will miss out from November 2026.

From late next year, new and existing PIP claimants being reassessed will have to score a minimum of four points in at least one activity to receive the Daily Living Component.

It will see those unable to cook qualify, but not those who can use a microwave.

Likewise, assistance required to wash your lower body would not deem you eligible but your upper body would.

And, while requiring help to use the toilet meets the threshold, needing reminded to go would fall below it.

The higher rate of the Daily Living Component is currently worth £110.40 a week.

Claimants will also have to score at least eight points when being assessed.

The Government estimates this means by 2029/30 around 800,000 won’t receive the Daily Living Component of PIP.

But it has also confirmed 150,000 will be missing out on Carer’s Allowance or the Universal Credit Carer’s Element by 2029/30 too.

This is because to receive either of these carer’s benefits you have to be caring for someone who receives the Daily Living part of PIP.

It means new and existing PIP claimants finding they are no longer eligible will disqualify their carer’s from next November when the changes kick in.