Failing High Streets fuel a wider sense of political discontent which could prove crucial in the upcoming elections for English councils in May.
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Miami Grand Prix brought forward by three hours because of thunderstorms threat
The change to the start time of the race comes after the previous two scheduled grands prix, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, were cancelled because of the war in the Middle East.
The decision was made by commercial rights holder F1 and governing body the FIA on Saturday evening in Miami.
A statement from F1 and the FIA said it was made because “the weather forecast (predicts) heavier rainstorms later in the afternoon close to the original planned race start time”.
The statement added: “This decision has been taken to ensure the least amount of disruption to the race, and to ensure the maximum possible window to complete the grand prix in the best conditions and to prioritise the safety of drivers, fans, teams and staff.”
The aim is to try to finish the race before the worst of the weather arrives, which is forecast to be at about 15:00 local time (20:00 BST), one hour before the original start time.
That heavy rain, once it starts, is expected to stay for hours, so the fear was that sticking with the original start time would have meant the race could not be run.
Local laws in the US mean that the race could be suspended if there is a threat of a lightning strike at or around the circuit. This would be to allow all personnel to “shelter in place”.
A series of protocols have been announced by the FIA defining how that would be administered either before or during the race.
Moving it forward, the race is still likely to be wet, but the hope is the conditions will be acceptable for running the cars.
F1 cars do run in the rain, but the limiting factor is always visibility from the vast amounts of spray thrown up by the cars, as well as aquaplaning if the amounts of standing water are significant enough to force the low-running cars to effectively float on top of water on the track.
Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri added: “It’s obviously going to be a voyage into the unknown for everybody. When it rains here, it normally is pretty torrential, so it could be an interesting day.
“It’s just going to be what happens with the power-unit, how you get power, where you get power is in a computer’s hands.
“Just making sure that that does roughly what we expect. Obviously, the margin for error when it’s wet is significantly smaller.”
Beloved racer Alex Zanardi, who turned tragedy into Paralympic triumph, dead at 59
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The auto racing world is mourning the loss of Alex Zanardi. The Italian Formula 1 driver, who later became a Paralympic champion after two life-altering accidents, has died, his family announced Saturday. He was 59.
The family confirmed that loved ones were with Zanardi when he died. “Alex died peacefully, surrounded by the affection of those closest to him,” the family said in a statement. A cause of death was not provided.
Zanardi’s family also said that it “Thanks everyone who is sharing their support right now and asks for respect during this time of mourning.”
Zanardi suffered serious injuries in a 2020 handbike accident, colliding with an oncoming truck during a relay event in Italy. He sustained facial and cranial trauma and was placed in a medically induced coma.
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Alessandro Zanardi of Italy celebrates holding his gold medal after winning the men’s road cycle individual time trial H4 category at the 2012 Paralympics at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit near London on Sept. 5, 2012. (Alastair Grant/AP)
Nearly two decades earlier, Zanardi lost both of his legs in an auto racing crash.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute to Zanardi in a post on X, saying in part, “Italy loses a great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every challenge of life into a lesson in courage, strength, and dignity. Alex Zanardi knew how to bounce back every time, facing even the toughest challenges with determination, clarity, and a strength of spirit that was truly exceptional.”
Zanardi won back-to-back championships in CART in 1997 and 1998 in the U.S. He then briefly returned to F1.
He ultimately came back stateside, racing in Germany in a CART event in 2001 when both of his legs were severed in a horrific accident the weekend after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. CART raced only because the series was already in Germany at the time of the attacks and could not return to the U.S.
Zanardi was left in a three-day coma following the 2001 crash.
During his recovery, Zanardi designed his own prosthetics and learned to walk again. He then turned his attention to hand cycling and developed into one of the sport’s most accomplished athletes in the world.
He won four gold medals and two silvers at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, competed in the New York City Marathon and set an Ironman record.
Driver Alex Zanardi (24) of BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE, looks on before the Rolex 24 at Daytona at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Jan. 26, 2019. (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)
Zanardi used specially adapted cars with hand controls for gas and braking to take up racing again after the 2001 accident.
Stefano Domenicali, the president and CEO of F1, said he was “deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend,” calling Zanardi “truly an inspirational person, as a human and as an athlete.”
“He faced challenges that would have stopped anyone, yet he continued to look forward, always with a smile and a stubborn determination that inspired us all,” Domenicali added. “While his loss is profoundly felt, his legacy remains strong.”
Alex Zanardi of Italy crosses the finish line at the IRONMAN 70.3 Emilia Romagna in Cervia, Italy, on Sept. 22, 2019. (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images for IRONMAN)
After Zanardi’s 2020 crash, Pope Francis praised him as a symbol of strength in adversity and sent a handwritten letter offering encouragement and prayers.
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Before Saturday’s F1 sprint race in Miami Gardens, Florida, a moment of silence honored Zanardi. The Italian Olympic Committee also called for a minute of silence at sporting events across Italy.
Zanardi is survived by his wife, Daniela, and son, Niccolò.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Identities of pickleball players killed in plane crash on way to tournament released
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The names of the five people who were killed in the Central Texas plane crash that was taking a pickleball team to a tournament have been revealed.
On board were Amarillo Pickleball Club players Hayden Dillard, Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala and Stacy Hedrick, all from Amarillo, Texas, along with pilot Justin Appling, who was also a pickleball player.
Wilson, the youngest, was an accomplished tennis player. In 2022, she was University Interscholastic League team tennis state champion, according to the tennis booster club at Amarillo High School, where she graduated from.
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A crashed Cessna airplane is seen in a wooded area on Round Rock Road in Wimberley, Texas, Friday, May 1, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Another player named Sarah Lister, who got to know Dillard and Appling during pickleball tournaments, described them to the Associated Press as genuine people. She said Appling was always making them laugh and Dillard was an amazing businesswoman and mother.
She said Dillard has two daughters, one of whom was about to start college. Dillard and Appling had played mixed doubles for a long time together, and Skypala was Dillard’s women’s doubles partner, Lister said.
“The pickleball world is super, super small, even though it’s huge at the same time,” said Lister. “And when one of us has a tragedy like this, it’s like it’s the whole community that gets hit.”
Leroy Clifford, a club member who had traveled to the tournament on another plane, considered all of them family, even though he’d only recently met Wilson. They had traveled to Pro Pickleball Association-sanctioned tournaments all over the country together, from Dallas to Las Vegas. They bonded over being in the higher-end competitions of pickleball, but they also didn’t take themselves too seriously.
“One thing I can say about this group is this group, you wanted to be around this group. They were fun, carefree, not uptight, just relaxed, loved to joke with each other, make fun of each other,” Clifford said, per The Associated Press. “You couldn’t ask for better friends, honestly.”
He played the most with Skypala, who he described as quick-witted and a natural athlete.
“She was very witty, super sweet and very funny,” Clifford said.
Dan Dyer, president of the Amarillo Pickleball Club, said he’d played many games with four of the five people who died.
“I’ve handed them medals. They were excellent players. They were out to win some games,” Dyer said. “Every weekend there are dozens of tournaments. Some people get the bug; others don’t. But once they do, they’ll travel for a tournament.”
SMALL PLANE CRASHES NEAR HICKS AIRFIELD IN TEXAS, REPORTEDLY CAUSING MULTIPLE SEMI-TRUCK FIRES
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigators are on scene and serving as the lead investigative agencies, DPS said in its Saturday release.
But the cause of the crash has yet to be determined.
The plane crashed in Wimberley, a city 40 miles southwest of Austin, at 11 p.m. Thursday.
A crashed Cessna airplane is seen in a wooded area on Round Rock Road in Wimberley, Texas, on May 1, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman)
Dyer said a second plane was traveling to the event from Amarillo at the same time. Authorities said it landed safely at the airport in New Braunfels, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of San Antonio.
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“I haven’t heard anything from him,” the pilot of the second plane said, according to air traffic control audio.
A controller responded, “He started to move erratically, and now his track is disappeared from the scope. So, we want to make sure everything’s all right with him.”
At least one pilot in the area confirmed the troubled plane’s locator emergency device had emitted a distress signal. The controller called 911.
It was mostly cloudy in the New Braunfels area shortly before the crash, and there was a thunderstorm two hours later, the National Weather Service said.
A Cessna airplane crashed in a wooded area on Round Rock Road in Wimberley, Texas, on May 1, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman/AP)
Wimberley, with a population of about 3,000, and New Braunfels, with a population of about 116,000, are tourist destinations in the Texas Hill Country.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Trump says will review Iran’s new 14-point plan, as Israel pounds Lebanon
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The US president says he will ‘soon be reviewing the plan Iran has just sent to us’, but doesn’t think he can make a deal.
Published On 3 May 2026
Voters will judge Trump on the economy – how is it doing?
Trump’s strikes on Iran, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have driven oil prices up, with a barrel of Brent crude, a major oil benchmark, hitting a four-year high of $126 on Thursday. It has since fallen back to $111 but it was trading at around $73 before the war broke out at the end of February.
What death doulas can teach us about dying
Death doulas or soul midwives have increased in popularity in recent years. What do they do?
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Faith drives man to help another through mental health crisis in dramatic life-or-death scene
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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The arc of a man’s life changed dramatically after a Jacksonville police officer, along with a team of other officers, stepped in to help an individual in crisis on the Dames Point Bridge in Florida in April.
Faith had everything to do with it.
Body camera footage taken on April 12 shows Officer Antonio Richardson speaking with a man who was standing on the edge of the bridge — getting ready to jump. Richardson, along with six other patrol officers, responded to the emergency.
‘NO CONTACT’ ON THE RISE: NEARLY 2 IN 5 AMERICANS CUT TIES WITH LOVED ONES
“Whatever you’re going through, man, you can get through it,” Richardson can be heard saying to the man during the drama.
“Now listen, man. Listen. Listen. You can get through this,” he told the individual as police lights flashed behind them.
The arc of a man’s life changed dramatically after a Jacksonville police officer, along with a team of other officers, stepped in to help an individual in crisis on the Dames Point Bridge in Florida. (iStock)
“Let’s talk about it for a minute. … You believe in prayer, I know that. … Just touch my hand. Just touch my hand, man, I’m praying with you,” said Richardson to the man.
The officer, for about 40 minutes, kept up a steady stream of conversation and outreach to the man, who was teetering on the edge of the bridge, looking at the water below him.
DEMENTIA RISK COULD BE TIED TO YOUR MINDSET AND OUTLOOK ON LIFE, STUDY SUGGESTS
Richardson told the man, as he kept his arm outstretched, “If you jump, you’re going to hurt other people. And they’re going to be hurting just like you’re hurting now. … The cycle’s gotta stop.”
“I just felt within myself that God was going to spare his life.”
Finally, after many moments, the man stepped away from the bridge and walked toward the officer — and they hugged. Other officers then stepped in as well.
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Appearing on “Fox & Friends” to discuss the incident this week, Richardson said, “When I got the call … I was just there to stop the traffic. And then a couple of other officers who knew my position as a pastor asked me to come over and talk with the guy. … Nothing was scripted. … I did not want to see him jump,” he added.
The officer, who is also a pastor (not pictured), said, “I was praying. And God spared his life. And we connected. And as a result of that connection, he didn’t jump.” (iStock)
“I just felt within myself that God was going to spare his life — and he did.”
He also said, “I was praying. And God spared his life. And we connected. And as a result of that connection, he didn’t jump.”
“This powerful story reminds us that we can all love our neighbors and be part of the solution in our nation.”
Officer Richardson has more than 30 years of ministry experience, according to reports. He said that after the man was safe and the immediate drama had passed, the officer called his wife, sat in his patrol car — “and wept like a baby.”
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Pastor Jesse Bradley of the Seattle area, who runs Grace Community Church and is the founder of the ministry Just Choose Hope, watched the video of the dramatic incident.
He told Fox News Digital, “This powerful story reminds us that we can all love our neighbors and be part of the solution in our nation. Every person is made in God’s image, loved by Jesus — and life is a gift.”
Jacksonville Police Officer Antonio Richardson, at right, shared the emotional story on “Fox & Friends” of how he talked a man off the edge of a bridge in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 12. (Fox News)
He added, “We are made to receive and give hope daily, where we live, work, learn and play.”
Bradley also said that people should “be intentional about pursuing others who are in need. Take relationship risks. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, there were two religious people who played it safe and remained in their comfort zone. We have a greater calling,” he said.
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“Only the Samaritan was willing to go to the man in pain and bring restoration. Let’s be people who cross the road to provide. Let’s be faithful to God. Love is intentional, takes action — and makes sacrifices. Let’s love and live like Jesus.”
“Instead of being separated from God, we can have peace with God and a full pardon through Jesus,” said a pastor, reflecting on the rescue that recently occurred in Jacksonville, Florida, during a man’s mental health crisis. (iStock)
Bradley observed that the inspiring story out of Florida “points us to the greatest rescue story of all. Jesus left heaven to pursue us.”
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He said, “We have all sinned against God and need a Savior. Jesus died on the cross, offering forgiveness, and rose from the grave to give us eternal life.
“Instead of being separated from God,” he added, “we can have peace with God and a full pardon through Jesus. This is grace, an undeserved gift. We will be with Jesus forever — an everlasting rescue.”
UK airlines to be allowed to cancel flights in advance over fuel shortages
Ministers hope move would help avoid last-minute flight cancellations for passengers this summer over Middle East fuel supplies.
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