We analysed dozens of recent local news reports as part of our ongoing investigation into criminal activity on UK High Streets. From Bideford in Devon, to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, to Belfast in Northern Ireland – we found that drugs, including crystal meth and heroin, had been found in more than 70 shops and linked premises.
A life jacket from a survivor of the Titanic tragedy sold at auction on Saturday for $906,000, and was among a collection of other artifacts from the doomed ocean liner. Photo courtesy Henry Aldridge & Sons
April 18 (UPI) — The only life jacket worn by a person who survived the sinking of the Titanic ever put up for auction was sold for $906,000 on Saturday.
The jacket, which was worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli, a passenger in first class who boarded lifeboat number 1, sold for nearly twice the roughly $473,000 it was expected to sell for., and reported.
The life jacket, sold during an auction that also included a handful of other Titanic artifacts, was sold by Henry Aldridge & Sons in Britain to the Titanic Museum and Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Branson, Mo., auctioneer Andrew Aldredge told The BBC.
Aldridge said that the life jacket is the only one from a survivor that has been offered for auction since the ill-fated ship set sale 114 years ago.
“It reflects the ongoing interest and passion for the story of the Titanic, and its passengers and crew,” he said, calling the opportunity to buy it a “once in a lifetime opportunity for collectors.”
Francatelli, who at the time of the sinking was husband of Sir Cosmo Edmund Duff-Gorden, a Scottish landowner and the 5th Baronet of Halkin, was the sister of novelist Elinor Glyn, and herself a famous dress designer who ran several famous salons in London, Paris and New York, according to Aldridge & Sons’ auction listing.
Her survival has carries slight controversy because the lifeboat that her husband shepherded several people onto as the Titanic was going down – for reasons that remain the subject of questions – lowered from the ship with only 12 people aboard, despite having room for 40.
The Titanic Museum and Attraction, which The Independent also reported purchased the life jacket, has since March 2025 had on display five of the 14 known life jackets to have survived the sinking, it said.
Most recently, the life jacket has been on display not only at the Pigeon Forge museum, but also at Titanic Belfast, a museum in Ireland.
ONE of Newcastle’s most legendary bars closed its doors to customers earlier this year, signalling the end of an era for a part of the city’s much celebrated nightlife.
Anyone who’s been for a night out in the Toon in the last 20 years or so will have likely ventured down the dark staircase of Mushroom, before sticking to its practically adhesive floor.
Mushroom was a prime spot for people to enjoy a dance and some cheap drinks before moving on to one of the many clubs elsewhere in the city.
And a visit was never complete without drinking a pint of its famous sickly sweet Skittles.
The handful of recipes available online for this sugary concoction aren’t completely in agreement about its ingredients.
But it’s generally accepted that it contained at least two shots of vodka, some blue curaçao, then either a shot of peach schnapps or Taboo (a fruity 14.9 per cent vodka-based drink), all chucked in a pint glass with orange and lemonade filling it to the brim.
Whether or not Mushroom actually invented the drink remains up for debate, with other bars joining it on the Skittles bandwagon, but it was always known as “the home of Skittles” leaving no question about its spiritual residence, with the venue selling little else to its punters on a night out.
Earlier this year, it finally closed its doors after 23 years with a 14-hour long farewell party, reportedly attended by as many as 5,000 people, with local DJs performing throughout the night.
Nevertheless, Newcastle’s nightlife is much more than just one bar – here are 10 reasons why it’s still the best city in the country for an evening out.
According to figures released at the end of last year, a pint in Newcastle is cheaper than most big cities in the UK.
Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Belfast, Bath, Bristol and of course London were all among those whose average pint prices exceeded Newcastle’s fairly reasonable £5.28, according to financial information provider Finder.
That price is below the national average of £5.50, making a night out in Newcastle more affordable than many others.
Collingwood Street was bestowed its ‘Diamond Strip’ nickname because of its high concentration of luxury bars and nightclubs, all close to one another.
Popular with stag and hen dos, and with celebrities, the likes of Tup Tup Palace, Tokyo, Soho Rooms, ChachaBuchi, Mimo, Manhatta, Vampire Rabbit and others are all within a stone’s throw of each other, making a high-end bar crawl very easy to accomplish.
Fans of reality series Geordie Shore will definitely recognise some of these establishments from the show, and may well end up in an episode if they time their visit right.
Newcastle isn’t just a place for crazy nights out, cheap trebles and drinking shots with celebs. It also has more than its fair share of relaxing pubs, perfect for whiling away an evening with a couple of pints.
Undoubtedly the best place to do that is the Ouseburn Valley, with historic boozers like the Cumberland Arms, the Tyne Bar and the Ship making for a fantastic pub crawl away from the craziness of the city centre.
The jewel in the crown of the Ouseburn is the Free Trade, which offers one of the best views of the Tyne you’ll find anywhere in the city, be it from its wonderful beer garden, or the stools next to its giant windows.
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Margate House, Kent
This stylish boutique hotel is in a seaside townhouse, a short walk from Margate’s coolest bars and restaurants. Decked out with plush velvet sofas, candles flickering and striking independent art, inside feels like a warm welcome home. Rooms are stunning, especially the ones that give you a glimpse of the sea.
The Alan, Manchester
The Alan looks extremely grand, being built into a beautiful Grade II listed building. Spread across six floors, with 137 rooms, each one looks like a fancy design magazine. From the concrete coffee tables to the pink plastered walls, the industrial-inspired designs perfectly replicate the history of the city.
The Queen at Chester Hotel
This historic hotel has welcomed the likes of Charles Dickens and Lillie Langtry through its doors. Rooms have richly-patterned carpets with super soft bed linen and premium toiletries in the bathroom. Go for a superior room for extra goodies including bathrobes and snack boxes.
The University Arms Hotel, Cambridge
This Cambridge hotel is in the ideal spot, within walking distance to bars, shops and hotspots like the university colleges and Parker’s Piece. The inside couldn’t be prettier, with huge stained glass windows, grand chandeliers, and rooms with enormous clawfoot bath tubs.
Beer enthusiasts can spread themselves beyond the Ouseburn Valley into the many breweries and tap rooms that have opened across Newcastle, with the city offering a wide selection of options for those into the craft beer scene.
Donzoko Brewery and Tap Room is a unique little brewery near the Ouseburn, serving a range of lagers and ales as well as bar snacks.
Other well-regarded breweries include the Anarchy Brew Co and the Wylam Brewery, which is housed in the impressive Palace of Arts building in Exhibition Park and regularly hosts gigs, live comedy and food-related events, like battle of the burger and slice wars.
Kicking off the night with something good to eat is simple in Newcastle, with a fantastic array of restaurants spread throughout the city, catering to all tastes.
However, one of its best-loved eateries is Khai Khai, which has served everyone from local royalty like Alan Shearer to Hollywood A-listers like Harrison Ford.
Meanwhile, globally renowned chef Gordon Ramsay once described his meal there as “one of the best curries in my entire life, that took me back to being in Mumbai and Rajasthan.”
When it comes to food at the end of the evening, Newcastle has got revellers well covered as well, with one of the city’s most famous exports open all hours.
The first ever branch of Greggs was opened in nearby Gosforth in 1951 and now two of the city’s 21 branches have 24-hour licences, meaning party-goers can treat themselves to a steak bake or sausage roll instead of the classic kebab after their night out.
The city also has some unique versions of the beloved bakery, including one in its branch of Primark.
For live music enthusiasts there’s a fantastic local music scene to explore, with venues big and small hosting everyone from local up-and-comers to global superstars.
Smaller venues like the Head of Steam opposite the train station showcase the next generation of musical talent, while the Cluny in the Ouseburn Valley regularly hosts established names.
Elsewhere, the City Hall and Utilita Arena are your go-to spots for bigger names, while Newcastle United’s football stadium St James’ Park has been known to host blockbuster gigs as well.
With a scene that has produced the likes of Sam Fender in recent years, going to the smaller venues might be worth your while if you want to catch the next wave of talent before it hits the big time.
With Newcastle United’s return to the Champions League in recent seasons, huge European nights are finally back in the city.
Global superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele have all turned up for big games at St James’ in the last two years, providing wonderful nights of entertainment for sports fans.
Head to Toon fans’ favourite pub The Strawberry before kick-off to get a taste of authentic Geordie atmosphere before taking in the game among 50 thousand supporters – an experience truly like no other.
A night out is rarely good because of where you are – it’s much more about who you’re with. Luckily, in Newcastle, both location and company are well covered.
Geordies are regularly named among the most welcoming people in online polls and surveys, while travel publications like Big 7 Travel have also praised the Toon’s locals in recent years, naming it the country’s friendliest city in 2024.
In fact, train company Lumo once revealed that the Geordie accent is the most likely to put a smile on someone’s face, beating other popular regional accents like Yorkshire, Scouse, Cockney and Glaswegian to top spot.
One of the best nights out in Newcastle doesn’t actually take place in the city at all. However, it does start there.
Overnight ferries run from the toon to Amsterdam, and there’s little else to do on board other than make the most of its bar and nightclub.
Make friends with your shipmates, bond over a bottle or two, then head to your cabin before waking up in another of Europe’s greatest party destinations to continue the celebrations.
For more UK breaks, check out 11 of the best English towns for a day trip this Easter from historic markets to trendy seasides.
And one man who travelled across the UK to find bucket list journeys reveals his favourites from seaside walks to scenic train rides.
April 3 (UPI) — More than three million bottles of eye drops sold at stores across the United States have been recalled by their manufacturer because they may not be sterile.
K.C. Pharmaceuticals earlier this month issued a nationwide U.S. recall of roughly 3.1 million bottles of eight different eye drop products because of a “lack of assurance of sterility,” an FDA notice about the recall said.
The drops have been sold at some of the nation’s largest drug and grocery retailers, including CVS, H-E-B, Publix, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Kroger, Good Neighbor and several pharmaceutical supply companies.
K.C. Pharmaceuticals bills itself as the largest private label eye care supplier in North America, servicing 26 of the top 30 U.S. retailers and more than 90,000 stores across the country.
The voluntary recall, issued on March 3, has been categorized as a Class II recall, which the Federal Drug Administration told USA Today indicates that “the probability of a serious health issue is remote.”
People who have the drops also can continue to use them unless otherwise directed by K.C. Pharmaceuticals or the FDA, the agency said.
NBC News also reported that the FDA has not received reports of injuries linked to the recalled drops.
The eight types of drops included in the recall are Sterile EYE DROPS AC, EYE DROPS Advanced Relief, Dry Eye Relief Eye Drops, Ultra Lubricating Eye Drops, Sterile Eye Drops ORIGINAL FORMULA, Sterile EYE DROPS REDNESS LUBRICANT, STERILE EYE DROPS SOOTHING TEARS, and Artificial Tears Sterile Lubricant Eye Drops.
A complete list of the products, lot numbers and expiration dates, and what company or retailer sold the recalled drops can be found at the FDA’s website.
