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A man has been charged after an attack on an 88-year-old man in Evesham.

The elderly victim was badly injured in an assault at Murcot Turn in Broadway on 11 May and taken to hospital.

Adrian Paskin, 40, of Murcot Turn, Broadway, has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent, criminal damage and theft and is expected to appear at Worcester Crown Court on 9 June.

West Mercia Police said a 46-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the attack remains on bail.

Thirty years ago Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry helped win the Eurovision Song Contest for Norway – could an astro-dog themed favour be returned this year?

Enter EMMY, who will be flying the Irish tricolour in Basel, Switzerland, next week.

But how does a 24-year-old Norwegian singer, who had never been to Ireland, end up representing one of Eurovision's most decorated nations?

As it turns out, quite easily – after a chance encounter at a songwriting camp in her native Scandinavia, where she met Irish songwriter Larissa Tormey.

The pair collaborated on the song Laika Party – inspired by the stray Soviet dog who was sent on a doomed space mission in 1957.

The dog, described as a female Russian breed, became the first living creature to orbit the Earth when she was launched aboard the space satellite Sputnik II.

She died after 10 hours due to overheating and stress, but EMMY and her co-writers have imagined a different outcome in their bizarre, upbeat ode to Laika.

So far, so Eurovision.

"I've heard her story since I was a little kid, but it came to me again as an adult and I thought about how extremely sad her story really is. I wanted to create a scenario where she gets to be happy and alive instead," EMMY said.

After initially being rejected from the Norwegian Eurovision selection process, Laika Party was given a second chance when it was announced as an entry for Ireland's Eurosong.

"[Larissa] said she thought this song would fit Ireland, because of their love for animals… we decided to submit it and I'm so glad we did," she explained.

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Evidently, they were right – the song succeeded over the likes of Irish pop royalty Samantha Mumba, who was left unimpressed by the selection process, and will make its Eurovision debut at the second semi-final on 15 May.

"Eurosong was actually my first time in Ireland," EMMY said.

"We had about a week to become as Irish as we could!

"I'm so grateful that Ireland actually chose us, you know, it's just an amazing journey and we have done these pre-parties around Europe and it's so amazing to see the audience sing along, that means a lot."

Imagine this – you're out cycling, but you're not alone and, in fact, as scores of people pedal alongside you there's rave music playing on scores of speakers they've taken along for the ride.

It is just what cyclists enjoyed in Birmingham on Sunday afternoon, during a free rave hosted by self-styled "DJ on the bike" Dom Whiting.

Whiting's West Midlands party came after similar pedal-raves he has hosted across the world in the likes of Vienna, Berlin and Barcelona.

From bikes to scooters and skateboards to roller skates, any mode of transport was welcome, with riders hooking their own speakers up to the drum 'n' bass party, which was streamed live on Facebook.

This weekend's route saw music lovers tour round the city, starting and finishing at Centenary Square, passing through Newtown and Hockley.

Mr Whiting headed up the mass-ride, as it took over the city streets with drivers having to queue patiently, as they waited to return to the roads.

Along with all that pedalling, Whiting's DJing skills have also led him to play a guest drum 'n' bass mix on Radio 1.

The only pair of breeding ospreys in southern England have laid four eggs at their nest site for the second year in a row.

Ospreys typically lay three eggs, so for four to be laid two years on the run is highly unusual and it would be "unprecedented" if all four hatch again this year, according to the Birds of Poole Harbour group.

A reintroduction programme began in Poole Harbour, Dorset, in 2017 and in 2022 female CJ7 and male 022 became the first nesting pair of ospreys on the south coast of England in 180 years.

Liv Elwood, Birds of Poole Harbour manager, said: "The team at Birds of Poole Harbour are delighted to see CJ7 lay four eggs for the second time."

Ospreys are classed as Schedule 1 species, which means that they have the highest level of protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

The birds share incubation duties, with males also responsible for hunting to feed the pair during this period.

Hatching is expected to start towards the end of this month.

Ms Elwood said: "This nest is so important for the recolonisation of this special species on the south coast, and every chick that fledges from the nest is a reason to celebrate.

"We can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds."

Interest in the ospreys has been significant, with live-stream webcams allowing viewers to observe the nesting process.

A GP practice will remain closed until the end of the week due to ongoing safety concerns, the owners have said.

Caister Health Centre was first closed on 29 April after 16 people fell ill, and again on Tuesday as a "precautionary measure".

The practice said the fire service had worked with gas engineers from Cadent and with Anglian Water but no concerns had been identified so far.

A spokesperson for the health centre said patient appointments would be rearranged at other surgeries, and that patients would be contacted with further information.

Jonathan Knights, the practice's executive manager, said further tests would be carried out at the site in the coming days.

"We're going to engage experts in air quality to come down and try and advise us whether there's any cause for concern," he said.

"The steps we've taken so far have been precautionary measures, and so far there has been no concern found.

"But we want to make sure, for the safety of our patients and staff, that remains the case."

Mr Knights said those that fell ill had symptoms such as headaches and tiredness.

The building's dental practice and pharmacy, which originally opened as usual this morning, decided to close later in the day.

The GP practice urged patients to order their prescriptions over the phone or via the NHS App instead.

Emergency services were called to the practice on 29 April when four of the 16 people who fell ill took themselves to hospital.

The practice reopened the following day.

Four fire engines, two ambulances and a police car where then sent there on Tuesday afternoon after a number of staff felt slightly unwell.

Network gas operator Cadent confirmed it was called back to the site, but the gas had already been turned off after last week's incident.

Mr Knight said the building's landlord had been made aware of the issue.

A planning application for a new recycling facility near a village in Cornwall has received more than 120 objections.

Gwinear-Gwithian Parish Council will meet to discuss the plans for the wood and green waste centre at Roseworthy Hill near Connor Downs later.

"Loss of countryside, smell, contamination of nearby waterways and noise" were among the reasons cited by local residents as to why they felt it should be refused, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In a planning statement, The Green Waste Company said the new site would "greatly improve the current services".

'Immediate and safe'

The company currently has two recycling sites at Higher Brynn, near Victoria, and Splattenridden Farm, near St Erth.

The firm said: "Currently, Splattenridden receives green waste from five council-run Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) sites.

"For reasons of logistics and capacity, it is proposed that, apart from the St Erth HRWC and Penzance Town Council sources, all other waste would be sent to the proposal site at Roseworthy.

"This would greatly improve the current services provided by the Green Waste Company and, importantly, will greatly reduce miles travelled every year transporting the waste.

"The proposed site is conveniently located on low-grade agricultural land owned by the applicant.

"It has immediate and safe highway access."

'Totally irresponsible'

More than 120 people had raised concerns on Cornwall Council's online planning portal, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

One objection stated the installation of a waste recycling plant was "totally irresponsible and ill-conceived."

It added: "Chemicals which develop through the waste recycling will leach through the soil spreading toxic chemicals, once this occurs the land will be destroyed for decades."

Councillor Lionel Pascoe, who represents Gwinear Gwithian and Hayle East, said the plan was "causing quite a stir in the area" but the matter had to go to a parish council decision.

A woman has died in a crash in a village, police have confirmed.

Emergency services were called to Cookgate in Nunthorpe, near Middlesbrough, at about 12:37 BST following reports of a traffic collision.

The road was closed for hours but reopened later in the evening.

Cleveland Police said the woman's family had requested privacy while they grieved the loss of their loved one.

In a statement, the force said: "Our thoughts remain with the woman's family and friends at this extremely difficult time."

Teams from North East Ambulance Service and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) attended along with police.

Installing metal detecting knife arches in schools and nightclubs would be supported by the government if they were "appropriate", the policing minister has said.

Diana Johnson, however, said those decisions should be "made locally".

She was speaking during a visit to Coventry as part of Knife Crime Awareness Week.

The West Midlands Police area recently saw a drop in the number of knife crime incidents – meaning it no longer has the highest rate of knife crime in the country.

The minister discussed how the government would be working with the force to help meet a national target of halving knife crime over the next decade.

Asked about installing knife arches in nightclubs and schools after several incidents involving young people in the region over recent years, she said: "I'm open to looking at anything that keeps the public safe.

"I think in schools, if schools if head teachers think that's appropriate then I would support them in that.

"But I think it is very much down to what actions are most appropriate for the setting you're talking about."

It was recently announced that the number of weapon surrender bins in the West Midlands is to double.

People are able to dispose of knives and weapons in the metal containers, with 1,705 weapons surrendered in the West Midlands Police area between January and March, which were later destroyed.

That equates to 142 weapons deposited each week, or more than 20 per day.

The recent haul included hundreds of flick knives, zombie knives, kitchen knives, knuckle dusters, machetes and even firearms.

Ch Supt Paul Joyce, who is responsible for policing across the whole of Coventry, told the BBC that part of the success was down to working with schoolchildren and tackling gang-related crime.

He said: "We've got really good processes in place to identify gang members and proactively target them to ensure that they are not a risk to each other and to the wider community."

"I can't do any worse than last year."

These are the words of the man who finished last in the 2024 London Marathon and hopes to avoid the same fate this year – despite not being able to train.

Fred Tomlinson, from Doncaster, made headlines when he crossed the line in 13 hours and 23 minutes, finishing after midnight.

The 76-year-old will take on his 33rd consecutive London Marathon on 27 April to raise money for the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity in memory of his daughter Claire, who died just before her 15th birthday.

Discussing his race strategy, Mr Tomlinson said he planned to "just put my head down", adding: "I can't do any worse than last year."

The former police officer said his marathon preparations had been hampered by knee replacement surgery in November.

With one week to go, his training had so far consisted of "just walking up and down" but he hoped any pain on the day would be temporary.

"When you are in the hospital ward and there's children dying it hits home – it still does now," said Mr Tomlinson.

"What you do is over and done with in a few hours, they just carry on and can't have a day off."

The repeat marathon runner has raised thousands for the Rainbow Trust, which supports families that have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness.

His main goal remains fundraising for the organisation but he also hopes to finish this year's event in under eight hours – and avoid the alternative finish line for slower runners.

"Helping the families and the children, that's my motivation," said the grandfather of six.

"I'll be doing it until [the Rainbow Trust] get fed up of me."

The charity's chief executive Zillah Bingley said Mr Tomlinson's dedication was "truly remarkable".

"[It] reflects his deep, personal understanding of the challenges families face when a child is seriously ill," she said.

Mr Tomlinson has run the London marathon in a variety of fancy dress outfits over the last 32 years, cheered on by his wife, Vanessa.

"It's a brilliant event and it seems to get better every year," said Mr Tomlinson. "The crowds are phenomenal."

He said he planned to take a bath after crossing the finish line, adding: "I might get a breakfast because it will be breakfast by the time I have done."

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A pharmacist is urging the public to go to their local pharmacy if they struggle with hay fever – rather than "bothering" their GP.

The advice comes as the Met Office forecasts very high levels of ash and birch pollen across the South West this week.

Mike Hewitson, a community pharmacist in Norton-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, said pharmacies offer treatments without the need for an appointment.

He said hay fever has a "big impact on people but we can do lots about it".

Pollen counts tend to be high during warm, dry, and breezy weather conditions, as these factors promote pollen production and dispersal from trees, grasses, and weeds, according to the Met Office.

"Different types of plants flower at different times," Mr Hewitson added.

He said trees are generally earlier in the season, and grass pollen then hits us in June and July.