Fauja Singh, believed to be the world’s oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident in India at the age of 114, his biographer says.
Singh, an Indian-born British national nicknamed the “Turbaned Tornado”, was killed on Monday when he was hit by a vehicle in Punjab state’s Jalandhar district.
“My Turbaned Tornado is no more,” biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X. “He was struck by an unidentified vehicle … in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja.”
Singh became an international sensation after taking up distance running at the ripe old age of 89 after the death of his wife and one of his sons. He was inspired by seeing marathons on television.
He did not have a birth certificate, but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911. He ran full marathons (42km, or 26 miles) until the age of 100.
He ran his last race when he was 101. It was a 10km (6-mile) event at the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon, where he finished in an hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.
Singh, then 104, attends the 2016 Mumbai Marathon, which he flagged off [File: Sujit Jaiswal/AFP]
After his retirement from racing, Singh said he hoped “people will remember me and not forget me”. He also wanted people to continue to invite him to events “rather than forget me altogether just because I don’t run any more”.
Although widely regarded as the world’s oldest marathon runner, Singh was not certified by Guinness World Records because he could not prove his age, saying birth certificates did not exist when he was born under British colonial rule.
Singh was a torchbearer for the Olympics in Athens in 2004 and London in 2012 and appeared in advertisements with sports stars such as David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Singh on social media.
Oasis fans without tickets to the extremely hard to get Heaton Park shows have been left fuming. Police and organisers have appeared to put an end to the ‘free concerts’ outside the venue.
80,000 lucky fans have been able to head to Manchester to watch Liam and Noel Gallagher reunite on home turf. Those unlucky to bag the hot tickets managed to still catch a glimpse of the action from a nearby hill.
Fans flocked to ‘Oasis Hill’, also dubbed ‘Gallagher Hill’, to watch and listen to the iconic band perform. However, a large fence has now appeared blocking the view.
One fan who passed by the site ahead of Wednesday’s performance spotted a large green fence that now blocks the gap where the stage could be seen. They declared: “Gallagher Hill is no more!!!”
Fans shared in the devastation as one said: “tell them to take it down plzzzz it’s only locals.” Another added: “Won’t let anyone have any joy!” Someone else commented: “Hahaha a fence like this won’t stop people from going on the hill!”
Police have already been cracking down on ticketless fans in the area as some even tried to hop the fence in order to see the Gallagher brothers.
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Greater Manchester Police reported six people had been arrested for trying to get into the shows with “fake accreditation”, while others had been caught trying to force their way through a perimeter fence. Oasis are set to play another three shows at Heaton Park on 16, 19 and 20 July.
Images taken at the scene showed one man in handcuffs as a member of Greater Manchester Police escorted him away, while another was carrying a ladder.
Another image showed a line of police officers standing outside several entrances along the perimeter to stop people attempting to gain access for free.
However, those watching from a distance on Gallagher Hill appeared to be having the time of their lives as they watched the massive screen below.
Oasis: What’s Their Story? An unofficial celebration magazine on sale now!
A few simple words on social media on August 27 in 2024 were enough to spark pandemonium among Oasis fans and were the catalyst for the most eagerly awaited UK gigs of all time.
It even caught the attention of Oasis guitarist Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, who is credited with reuniting Liam and Noel. He shared a video of fans enjoying the concert from outside the venue, alongside the caption: “No tickets needed,” alongside red heart emojis.
Those in attendance in and outside of Heaton park saw the show on huge screens, measuring 84 meters by 12 meters, a whole 20 meters bigger than those in Cardiff at the first reunion shows. They are also the largest ever used at a concert in the UK.
Greater Manchester Police have urged people without tickets not to travel to Heaton Park. The force added: “We would advise all fans travelling to and from the coming events to ensure they keep an eye out for information from our partners about transport options and road closures, allow enough time to get to the concert, keep hydrated and look out for each other.”
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A SpaceX capsule carrying astronauts from India, Poland, Hungary and the United States has landed in California, completing the 20-day Axiom Mission 4.
The crew undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday and landed on earth on Tuesday after a 22-hour journey.
The return flight concluded the fourth ISS mission organised by US startup Axiom Space in collaboration with SpaceX, the private rocket venture of billionaire Elon Musk.
For the non-American trio, the mission marked a return to crewed spaceflight for their respective nations after decades.
The crew launched from the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida on June 25 for a mission where they conducted about 60 scientific experiments.
“Thanks for the great ride … Happy to be back,” Commander Peggy Whitson, an Axiom employee and former NASA astronaut, said after the splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego.
Whitson, 65, retired from NASA in 2018 after a pioneering career that included becoming the US space agency’s first female chief astronaut and the first woman ever to command an ISS expedition.
Also on board were pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
For rising space power India, the participation of Shukla, an Indian air force pilot, is seen by India’s space program as a precursor, of sorts, to the debut crewed mission of its Gaganyaan orbital spacecraft, planned for 2027.
I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space. As India’s first astronaut to have visited International Space Station, he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering…
Uznanski-Wisniewski is a Polish astronaut assigned to the European Space Agency, while Kapu is part of his country’s Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) programme, though he is not the first person of Hungarian descent to board the space station.
Billionaire Charles Simonyi, a Hungarian-born software designer who became a US citizen in 1982, has twice visited the ISS as a space tourist, in 2007 and 2009, hitching rides on board Russian Soyuz capsules.
Axiom-4 also marks the 18th crewed spaceflight logged by SpaceX since 2020, when Musk’s rocket company ushered in a new NASA era by providing American astronauts their first rides to space from US soil since the end of the space shuttle program nine years earlier.
London, United Kingdom – Jeremy Corbyn, an independent leftist lawmaker after losing Labour’s leadership post five years ago, is building a new political party.
In his words, it will be “a real alternative” to the main groups on the political spectrum in the United Kingdom.
Zarah Sultana, one of Labour’s youngest lawmakers until July 3 when she quit the ruling party, said she will co-lead the new project.
The party has no name yet but has political observers talking.
The pollster YouGov reported last week that 18 percent of Britons would consider voting for a Corbyn-led party.
The new movement comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer steers Labour towards the political centre. This shift helped Labour regain ground with swing voters and business leaders, but some traditional Labour supporters feel snubbed.
What do we know about the new left-wing party, and can it survive in a system that for decades has centred on two main parties? Is this the beginning of a viable alternative or the start of another schism?
Here’s what you should know:
Why is this movement being organised now?
The ruling Labour and Conservative opposition parties have for years represented the centre left and right of politics – and dominated government.
But amid a more heated political climate, the Reform UK party, which represents a harder right, is rising.
Meanwhile, Starmer’s Labour lacks a vocal leftist grouping. The new party could fill that void.
At the same time, Israel’s war on Gaza has become a flashpoint. Corbyn and Sultana, fierce critics of Israel’s actions in the Palestinian enclave, demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to UK arms sales to Israel. They see Labour’s cautious positioning as a moral and political betrayal.
Sultana quit the Labour party this month to join Corbyn’s initiative [File: Handout/UK Parliament via Reuters]
In a post on X, Sultana accused Labour of failing to improve voters’ lives while accusing the “political establishment” of smearing “people of conscience trying to stop a genocide in Gaza as terrorists”. Corbyn has argued that the government refuses “to deliver the change people expected and deserved”.
Gaza is central to the development of the new party, said former Labour Councillor Amna Abdullatif, who is among several people who have quit Labour over its stance.
“It’s not just the horrors we’re witnessing. It’s the silence, the silencing and the disciplinary action used to shut down debate.”
Abdullatif believes that overall in UK politics, “right-wing narratives dominate precisely when the country desperately needs genuine change and hope.”
Corbyn has promised his party will tout a peace-focused foreign policy.
Political historian Jeremy Nuttall said that since Corbyn relinquished the Labour leadership after a general election loss in 2019, Starmer has created a “deliberate and explicit distance” between himself and the left.
A new party is emerging thanks to the “particularly difficult economic situation constraining public spending commitments … as well as the particular silence of the Gaza issue”, he said.
A party of principle or personality?
Corbyn has suggested the party should be rooted in community activism and boosted by grassroots energy. He has refrained from talking about its leadership.
Peter Dorey, professor of British politics at Cardiff University, said Corbyn enjoys a “cult following among a few younger left-wing voters and political activists” but among the broader electorate is seen as “indecisive and not someone who would make a good prime minister”.
He added that Corbyn is not considered “charismatic” in the way that the telegenic Reform leader Nigel Farage is to many voters.
Reform has consolidated its identity around immigration and populism while the left remains ideologically broader and more internally divided, offering multiple issues but no single focal point, Dorey said.
Critics believe Labour’s economic policies are shaped by the interests of business leaders and global bond markets as opposed to meeting the material needs of the people. On immigration, Labour is accused by some of trying to compete with anti-immigrant Reform. Starmer recently upset many by saying Britain risked becoming an “island of strangers” in reference to immigration.
Abdullatif believes the Corbyn-Sultana initiative could work if it tackles “Labour’s mistakes” head-on and takes time to develop.
“Grassroots movements are showing that people-led politics can work. Antiracism movements, community organising and local campaigns have been building real solidarity networks whilst demonstrating that politics can be centred on justice and human dignity,” she said.
Where do the Greens fit in?
The Green Party seems ready to work with the new party.
Zack Polanski, now running to lead the Greens, posted on X: “Anyone who wants to take on the Tories, Reform and this failing Labour government is a friend of mine.”
Some pollsters suggested a Corbyn-Sultana party could win 10 percent of a national vote, halving Green support and pulling 3 points from Labour, veteran political pundit John Curtice noted.
In The Times, Curtice wrote: “Much of Corbynista Britain has already left Labour for the Greens” while Green voters are “overwhelmingly on the left on economic issues and mostly take a liberal stance on so-called culture-war issues”.
Although Curtice warned that polling on the party should be viewed with caution, “we know nothing about the hypothetical party’s policies or how well a Corbyn-Sultana leadership could work.”
Can it win seats?
The UK’s first-past-the-post system is unforgiving for small parties. Under this system, a candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins the seat – meaning that even if a new party gains significant national support, it can still walk away with few or no MPs unless that support is geographically concentrated.
But breakthroughs are possible.
Dorey estimated the new party might win five to seven seats, particularly when the issue of Gaza is a top concern. But in many constituencies, it will simply split the progressive vote and risk handing seats to Reform or the Tories.
A fragmented left that undermines its gains and gives oxygen to Farage would be Labour’s nightmare. Could that fear lead to change within the Labour party?
It’s unlikely, Dorey said. Labour’s leadership sees its biggest threat on the right, not the left. Unless the new party becomes a serious electoral force, it is unlikely to pull Starmer in a more “radical” direction, he said.
“If the new Corbyn-Sultana party fails electorally, which it almost certainly will, this will simply convince the Labour leadership that more radical left-wing policies are electorally unpopular. Starmer et al will continue to pursue centrist or only vaguely left-of-centre policies.”
Are we witnessing the end of the two-party era?
With Reform surging, the Greens growing and legacy party defections like Jake Berry, a former Conservative minister who recently joined Reform UK, the landscape is shifting.
For supporters of Corbyn and Sultana, Labour has become “Tory lite”, bereft of its socialist values while embracing neoliberalism at the expense of the people.
Whether the party will have staying power remains to be seen.
“It is what we call a flash in the pan – a dazzling flame or bright light which fades as quickly as it appeared,” Dorey said. “Or perhaps a better comparison is a distress flare, which briefly lights up the sky and attracts immediate attention but then fades and falls to the ground, leaving no trace.”
Abdullatif is more hopeful.
“It’s early days, and there’s crucial listening and learning ahead to ensure this becomes a movement that can grow rather than remain fragmented,” she said. “When political narratives shift to extremes, progressive movements must provide the rebalancing in this chaos, and this is needed now more than ever.”
Lilly Gerrard has joyfully announced the arrival of her bundle of joy. Lilly, who is the daughter of Liverpool FC legend Steven Gerrard, took to Instagram stories with an adorable black and white image showing her partner Lee Byrne cradling a baby carrier.
Adorning the snap, Lilly included the caption: “@Leebyrne 2 becomes 3” accompanied by a pink heart and a baby emoji. It was back in January when she first delighted fans with news of her exciting baby news and motherhood journey.
Throughout her pregnancy, Steven Gerrard’s daughter kept followers looped in with regular updates. Revealing the initial surprise on Instagram, Lilly expressed her elation with the words: “Our little secret. The best news, mini us is on the way.”
Lilly and Lee Byrne’s romance has spanned over two years, with their bond confirmed in 2022 through snapshots from balmy days spent in Ibiza. Anticipating their child’s arrival, the couple have stockpiled essentials to ensure everything was in place.
Lilly Gerrard has given birth ( Lilly Gerrard Instagram)
Just a month ago, Lilly showcased her preparation efforts with an Instagram story featuring a shopping trolley brimming with nappies, baby wipes, and lotions, commenting “nesting mode” alongside the image.
The pair have even acquired “mama” and “papa” mugs since the news broke out, along with a pregnancy journal to chronicle each momentous stride.
Since her announcement in January, Lilly, hailing from Formby, has been swamped with affection and encouragement. Her famous dad Steven was among the first to leave a heartfelt message on his daughter’s social media post celebrating the baby reveal.
Steven has become a first-time grandfather ( Instagram/@lilly.gerrardd)
He exclaimed: “We can’t wait. Great news and congratulations we love you.” Gerrard is known for keeping his followers in the loop with family life on social media, never shying away from expressing his affection for his offspring.
Last week the 21-year-old influencer took to Instagram, posting two photos of herself lovingly holding her growing baby bump, captioned with ‘Almost there’.
Lilly has been romantically involved with Lee Byrne, son of imprisoned Irish gangster Liam Byrne, since October 2022, a relationship that caused quite a stir when it was first revealed.
Lilly has been romantically involved with Lee Byrne, son of imprisoned Irish gangster Liam Byrne, since October 2022, ( Steven McAuley )
Mum Alex, aged 42, joined in the excitement, commenting: “Can’t wait.” Meanwhile, Gerrard’s second eldest, Lexie, 18, shared her enthusiasm, posting: “Can’t wait to be a auntie.”
Steven and Alex have enjoyed marital bliss since 2007, having exchanged vows at the opulent Cliveden House in Berkshire.
The football icon and his spouse are doting parents to their brood of four: Lily, 21, Lexie, 18, Lourdes, 13, and Lio, 7. It’s been a year of celebrations for the family, especially for Lily, who marked her 21st birthday in February.
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Journalist Dermot Murnaghan shared his stage four prostate cancer diagnosis and has urged other men to get PSA tests while also highlighting new treatment hopes
Sky News star says terrifying stage four cancer diagnosis is a ‘serious wake-up call’(Image: Getty Images)
Former Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan has revealed how he “fell through the gaps” in his healthcare after being diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer, calling his diagnosis a serious “wake-up call.”
The 67-year-old announced his condition in June and has since been advocating for greater awareness about the importance of testing. Speaking at an event for Prostate Cancer UK, Murnaghan shared the story behind his diagnosis and urged men to be proactive about their health.
He admitted: “For years I thought ‘that will do me’ – I’m getting tested basically once a year or every couple of years.” However, he soon realised that the tests he was undergoing privately didn’t include screening for PSA (prostate-specific antigen), which is crucial for early detection of prostate cancer.
“It never occurred to me that they weren’t testing for PSA, and I never went to my GP because I was getting other tests privately through the production company,” he explained. “So that’s how I fell through the gaps and that’s how I had a massive wake-up call and want to share the message.”
Former Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan has revealed how he “fell through the gaps”(Image: CRIME+INVESTIGATION)
Prostate cancer can progress silently without any symptoms. Stage four, which is the most advanced stage, means the cancer has spread beyond the prostate, potentially affecting other organs such as the bladder, bones, lungs, or liver.
Despite its prevalence, affecting about one in eight men in their lifetime, there is currently no routine national screening programme for prostate cancer. The PSA blood test is available but not routinely recommended by the NHS due to concerns about its accuracy. Men over 50 can request the test from their GP.
Murnaghan has now emphasised the importance of insisting on testing, regardless of symptoms or age. “You can get to the stage I have with no symptoms. Get the test, insist on the test,” he said.
Murnaghan has emphasised the importance of insisting on testing(Image: Getty Images for Sky News)
“You can insist on the test if you are in a high-risk group and under 50. If you are not, I’d still get the test at 50. Go to your GP and they say you don’t need it but say ‘but I want it’. It is your right to have it. Just keep doing that every year or couple of years.”
He also encouraged men to regularly monitor their PSA levels. “Once you’ve got that marker where your PSA is, keep monitoring it,” Murnaghan said. “The earlier you find prostate cancer the easier it is to treat. Check your risk in just 30 seconds with Prostate Cancer UK’s online risk checker to see if you are at risk and what you can choose to do about it.”
On treatment, Murnaghan expressed his optimism about new developments as he said: “In terms of the treatments for the stage I’m at, they are a myriad. What’s astonishing is just how fast things are developing.”
The former Sky News reporter revealed that the treatment he’s receiving was only approved within the last few years. “There is a lot of hope out there, there’s a lot going on, there’s a lot of advice and a lot of things happening. As a sufferer and a non-medical person, my advice is ask questions. There are always different ways of doing things… keep asking those questions about where you are and what’s available.”
Sky news’ journalist Dermot Murnaghan (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Murnaghan also announced he will take part in Tour de 4, a charity cycling event led by Sir Chris Hoy to raise funds and awareness for cancer charities across the UK.
The Olympian revealed his own terminal prostate cancer diagnosis in October 2024. “I’m really proud to be supporting Prostate Cancer UK and taking part in Sir Chris Hoy’s fundraising event, the Tour de 4,” Murnaghan said.
“This groundbreaking cycling challenge is raising vital funds and changing the conversation. I’ll be riding in Glasgow this September alongside some incredible participants, all to raise awareness and help save men’s lives. Prostate Cancer UK means a lot to me and I’d love for you to get involved and show your support. Together we can make a real difference.”
The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call them on 0808 808 0000.
