Wild monkey causes chaos in restaurant
By Leo Black
A wild monkey caused chaos in the buffet restaurant at a three-star resort.
Video shows the monkey climbing all over the tables and knocking over chairs while hotel guests were having breakfast.
Junior, 33, was staying at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort in Cancun, Mexico with his wife when he captured the moment on camera.
The couple had been at the hotel for two weeks when the incident happened on February 24.
Emil noticed some movement while eating and looked up to see the furry creature darting between tables.
Junior, from California, USA, said: "We think that it knew there was a buffet there and wanted food.
"I saw something coming on the side and it startled me.
"[People were] startled, scared. Some didn't fuss about it because we knew that these monkeys are mostly harmless."
After just a few minutes of chaos, the animal was able to get out on its own.
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Ambulance explodes in fireball after dropping off elderly patient
By Nathan Pynn
Shocking footage shows an ambulance explode into a fireball - moments after an elderly patient is dropped off at home.
David and Marilyn Brinklow were having a cup of tea when they heard a huge bang and saw flames engulfing their front garden.
Minutes earlier, a private ambulance had dropped off the couple’s 91-year-old wheelchair-bound neighbour after a hospital stay.
Footage shows two care workers wheeling the woman to her home in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffs., at around 1.45pm on March 14.
Video shows one of the carers checking the ambulance after a worried passerby spots smokes pouring from the engine and alerts them.
Minutes later the vehicle exploded with such force the ambulance roof was ripped off and flew 50ft into the air before crashing through David and Marilyn’s garage.
Firefighters dashed to the scene and managed to extinguish the flames before they spread to neighbouring properties.
Incredibly, no one was injured in the blast which caused extensive damage to the couple’s home and set fire to their garden.
The heat was so intense the back of their Honda Civic melted while their living room windows shattered and their curtains were singed.
Marilyn, 74, said: "It was like a Hollywood movie. I suffer with my nerves and it didn't do me any good.
"I keep having flashbacks. There was nothing left of the ambulance and all the bits of it like a volcano were flying off like glass and started burning our nets.
"It’s horrible to talk about."
Retired carpenter David, 69, said the house suffered smoke damage and the electricity was cut off to the garage.
He said: "It went off like a roman candle. I was shocked - it was like a horror show.
“It’s incredible no one was killed. Our neighbour was in the ambulance a short time before it exploded.
“The heat was so bad the back of our car literally melted. We just want the insurance company to hurry up so we can repair our home.”
The private ambulance company EMED, which provides patient transport, said they were investigating the cause of the explosion.
A spokesperson said: "On Thursday 14th March 2024 , during a routine patient drop-off in Barton Under Needwood the engine of our ambulance caught fire.
"Unfortunately, some of the neighbouring properties suffered damage, which we are now managing through our insurer.
"All our ambulances undergo robust safety checks on a regular basis and our absolute priority is the safety of our patients and the communities we serve.
"We are working closely with the vehicle manufacturer and an independent safety consultant as part of our on-going internal investigation."
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"We've visited 23 countries world schooling our kids"
By Emma Dunn
A British family ditched the rat race to travel to 23 countries and say world schooling has put their children "way ahead" of other kids.
Nikki Collinson-Phenix, 47, had always dreamed of an "adventure" with her husband, Ian, 50, and their children - Laanii, 12, and Raif, six.
She managed to convince Ian, a distance running coach, to travel Europe full time in a caravan and the family have now been on the road for three years and have visited 23 countries including Greece, Turkey and Spain.
Nikki says world schooling both her children has been "powerful" and they are now "way ahead" of other kids their age in education.
Nikki, a remote working consultant, originally from the Isle of Wight, said: "I think my children are way ahead.
"Their confidence is through the roof.
"I want them to be worldly wise.
"I don't think it is good for kids to be sheltered. I feel they should see the realities of the world."
Nikki and Ian had become fed up with "rigid" structure of their lives and decided to take the plunge to travel full-time with their kids.
Nikki previously worked as a chiropractor and Ian as a prison officer.
Nikki said: "Life before was like a hamster wheel.
"Everything was to a rigid time.
"It was everything we wanted to move away from.
"I felt like life was rinse and repeat."
The couple spent two years getting their finances in order and finding remote jobs before leaving the UK in September 2021.
The family set off to France without a plan and have spent the last three years travelling around Europe.
In making the choice to travel full-time, Nikki decided to homeschool her kids.
She said: "We enrolled Laanii in an online school - following the British curriculum.
"Some of what she does is home educated. She has a mix of books and online resources.
"I had thought home educating was sub-standard but it's been so powerful."
Nikki's son, Raif, is completely homeschooled but Nikki is looking to enrol him a similar online school.
She said: "He's working at the level of an eight-year-old.
"If he'd been in local school he possibly would have been quite disrupted.
"Teachers are restricted with what they can teach."
The kids spend the morning doing online learning before the family go out to explore.
Nikki said: "We got to museums. We just go and have fun.
"They don't see us as teachers. They see us as mum and dad.
"They get global and cultural learning.
"They have no fear to giving it a go.
"They have a cultural awareness.
"It's important for kids to see opportunities they have by seeing cultures who don't have so much.
"It's experiences you don't have at school in the Isle of Wight."
Nikki loved taking her daughter to Greece - as she expressed an interest in Greek mythology.
She said: "She planned out where she wanted to go.
"We went to see Olympus."
Nikki also loved visiting Venice, Italy, for her son - who had seen the city in a cartoon.
The family bought a renovation in Bulgaria in May 2023 - but still rent out their home in the Isle of Wight.
The family have an ambition to travel to America.
Nikki said: "We regularly have a meeting to check everyone is happy.
"The moment someone says we're not feeling it we'll revaluate."
Nikki wants others to take the plunge and travel if they have the urge.
She said: "One of my biggest fears is regret. I just thought we have to try it.
"It's exceeded my expectations.
"People make assumptions that we're filthy rich. We're busting that myth.
"Our children are thriving and are over and above what they would have been."
List of countries the family have visited -
France
Spain
Portugal
Italy
Slovenia
Croatia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Serbia
Motenegro
Bulgaria
Hungary
Austria
Germany
Belgium
Luxenbourg
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Romania
Turkey
Albania
Greece
Kosovo
North Macedonia
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Barber slammed for charging £2 extra for kids with special needs
By Isobel Williams
A barber who charged extra to cut the hair of "special needs boys under 15" has apologised after receiving an online backlash.
Shwan Kadir, 49, who has owned Rayna unisex salon in Sutton for 17 years put up the sign on his price list.
After it went viral he taped over it and says it was all a misunderstanding but admitted he did charge an extra £2 if the cut went over an hour.
He said he didn't understand was "special needs" meant and was mortified when he was subjected to so much abuse online.
The controversy started when a Facebook user, Leanne Caffrey, shared a post to the social media site with a picture of the sign stating: “I never out small businesses. But this has made me really cross.”
The owner says that since the post he has received mountains of hate on social media, even receiving a call from someone in Scotland to abuse him.
Shwan, who lives in Sutton with his three children, apologised on social media for the “misunderstanding” and claims that he never meant any harm. The sign has since been taped over.
At the shop today he said: “The sign being there was by mistake. I didn’t know that these words were against the law.
"We have an autism specialist here and we had no idea. If she had told me that the word was wrong then I would have just taken it down.
“I made a mistake, and I fixed it, I am only human. I am not sure what more I can do.
"I'm saddened by the way this has been taken. Me personally and my staff have always done our best to be strong members of the community and we love to speak with you all on your visits."
He says that the sign had only been up for a couple of months and was immediately taken down when he saw the complaint.
He added: “The hate has affected me, but the local people know what our business is like.
"They have defended me a lot online. I have received thousands of supportive messages from our customers today.
“There are a lot of kids who don’t like getting their hair cut. If some customers take more than an hour we may charge them an extra two pounds, but this is extremely rare.
“We are very good at dealing with kids who have different disabilities.
"We have customers come from all across England because we are the only ones they trust to cut their hair and other places have refused them.”
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Woman with rare spinal condition walks for the first time thanks to pioneering op
By Adam Dutton
A brave disabled woman who lived lying down to avoid being internally decapitated walks for the first time thanks to pioneering surgery.
Melanie Hartshorn was filmed standing up and taking several steps before being embraced by her thrilled team of physios.
The 34-year-old, who has spent most of her life on her back, has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which caused her skull to dislocate from her spine.
She was forced to live with a halo brace 24/7 to keep her in a fixed position to stop her suffering violent seizures which risked her being internally decapitated.
Melanie was just weeks from death before she became the first patient in the world to undergo surgery in October 2022 to have her neck and spine fused together.
It was the only chance she had of survival and she managed to raise nearly £100,000 for the operation which is not available on the NHS.
Melanie spent months in hospital and underwent a second operation last February before flying home to the UK.
Just over a year later, Melanie, from Cramlington, Northumberland, has taken her first steps and hopes in time she will be able to live a normal life.
She said: “It was a very wonderful and weird feeling to stand up on my own for the first time.
“I could only shuffle a few steps but I have to teach my legs, feet and ankles how to walk.”
Footage taken at North Tyneside Hospital last month shows Melanie standing proudly for the first time.
Melanie, who is volunteering at a primary school to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher, added: "My surgeon is really pleased with how everything has gone because they didn't know if it was going to work.
“In fact it's going a lot better than anyone thought and I have done really well.
"After the operations I had problems swallowing and I had a feeding tube.
"It's only three months ago that I stopped having to use it and swallow normally.
"I was in a normal wheelchair but it didn't offer much support to I still had to lie down for long periods.
"Now I have a much better chair now which allows me sit for four hours at a time.
“I do physio once a week at the hospital but every day I do my own routine at home
strengthening my legs and feet.
“I still wear my back brace but I’ve come this far I’m not going to stop. I want my life back.”
Melanie is the first patient in the world to have her neck and spine fused through her mouth after surgeon Dr Vicenç Gilete performed two operations in Barcelona.
She is now having regular injections to help her bones fuse better and is preparing to start a teaching course and move into her own home.
Standing unaided for the first time marks a landmark moment for Melanie who feared she would spend the rest of her life lying down after previous operations failed.
Despite her condition, she still managed to complete a biology degree at Newcastle University and collected her certificate lying flat on a medical trolley stretcher.
Melanie, who is now recovering at home with mum Molly, 72, said: "When I was in the halo it was just so awful. I was in a really desperate position.
“There was just no end in sight and there was no way out of it. The operation gave me a chance and I’m going to seize it with both hands.”
Melanie has so far raised £151,000 on her GoFundMe page but needs a total of £165,000 to cover her medical bills.
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"I was born without a uterus - my gym buddy had my baby"
By Amy Reast
A woman born without a uterus had twins after her gym buddy became her surrogate.
Brooke Smith-Sanders, 39, found out she was born without a uterus aged 17 when her periods never started.
It meant she'd never carry children so when she and husband, Walt Sanders, 42, were ready to become parents they went straight for IVF with a surrogate.
It fell through and after hearing about their heartbreak, Brooke's CrossFit buddy Dawn Crawley, 47, a pharmaceutical product provider, agreed to become their surrogate instead.
She fell pregnant with twins and Maverick and Shepherd were born at 33 weeks.
Brooke said they feel "so blessed" - and wants to share their story to give other families hope when going through infertility.
The mum-of-two, a farmer, from Bell Buckle, Tennessee, US, said: "When I first found out I didn't have a uterus, I was scared and shocked.
"We started looking into surrogacy and found a surrogate - until she called and couldn't go ahead.
"Then Dawn offered to help and it just fell into place for us - she is a member of our family now.
"Becoming a mum was amazing - every day I look at my children and can't believe how lucky we are.
"It was a hard journey but it was so worth it - and I'd do it again every day of my life to get what I have now."
Dawn added: "I am adopted - someone gave me a chance from birth.
"I wanted to repay that any way that I could. Something just said to me 'I need to help them'.
"Knowing that I was able to help them makes me so happy, not just for the parents, for those babies too.
"They're growing up to be such great kids.
"I know how badly Brooke and Walt wanted this.
"It was an honour to help Brooke and be considered a part of her family now is a joy. I think the world of her."
Brooke said she "never got over the sadness" of knowing she couldn't carry her own children.
The started surrogacy in 2018 but it fell through at the last minute when the local woman discovered she was already pregnant.
Brooke said: "It was such a heartbreaking disappointment because we had finally got to the point of starting and it just fell apart."
Brooke went ahead with her own egg retrieval anyway in November 2018, but it failed when they were "exposed to too much carbon dioxide" and all died.
Then gym buddy Dawn offered to help.
A second egg retrieval in December 2018 resulted in 22 eggs - with three fertilised eggs making it to day five.
In April 2019, two eggs were implanted and Brooke and Walt were soon being told they were expecting twins.
Brooke and Walk attended Dawn's scans with her, and they grew close.
Dawn was rushed to hospital on October 31, at 33 weeks, due to pre-eclampsia - which causes high blood pressure in later-stage pregnancies.
Their twins - daughter Maverick, 5lb, and son Shepherd, 4.5lb - were born on November 1, and were small but healthy.
They stayed in the NICU for three weeks with oxygen and feeding tubes until they were strong enough to go home.
Brooke said: "Nothing can prepare you for bringing babies home.
"I remember when we were leaving the hospital I was like 'oh my God, we don't know what we’re doing' but it's been a really fun process."
On November 23, the tots were finally strong enough to come home - and doting parents Brooke and Walt have loved every moment since.
Now four, they start kindergarten next year - and the parents feel as "blessed and lucky" as ever.
Brooke said: "Becoming a mum, it was amazing. I am still amazed to this day.
"Every day I look at them and it's like seeing them for the first time.
"And Dawn - we love her dearly and she is a member of our family. She is a very special person to us."
Brooke wants to give hope to other women facing infertility - and show it can work out in the end.
She added: "I think when you realise you have to do IVF, it's scary and hard.
"A lot of people shut down because they don't know who to talk to or what to do - I felt like that at times.
"In the movies and TV shows it all looks so wonderful and easy, when it's the furthest thing from that.
"But it's important to show you can get through it, no matter how hard it gets.
"For a long time I was sad I couldn't carry them, but I did my part to bring them into this world.
"Sometimes you just need a bit of extra help.
"I want to tell people you're not alone, you're very valuable no matter what road you have to take."
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Otter super-fan treated to her dream day out to meet the UK's only sea otters
By Samuel Wightwick
An otter superfan has had her decade-long dream come true when she took a trip to meet the only sea ones in the UK.
Mary Heathcote, 70, has been a self-confessed "otter-holic" for over 60 years and even has over 500 pieces of memorabilia dedicated to them in her house.
But her biggest dream, to meet a sea otter, finally came true when she visited the SEA LIFE Centre in Birmingham and met Ozzy and Ola.
Mary was able to get up close with the pair - even feeding and shaking paws with them.
Mary, who lives in Somerset, said: “I honestly can’t believe this has actually happened. it’s like all my Christmases and birthdays have come at once.
"I’ve been all over the world to look for sea otters and I never dreamed I would be able to see one in real life.
"The first time I saw any species of otter was in 1991 and I was in tears.
"I’ve been in love with the animals ever since I was young.
"I’ve got so many different otter items in my house. My husband David said around 20 years ago if I buy one more otter he’s leaving me. We’re still together so I guess I called his bluff."
Mary is so dedicated to the species, that she has spent much of her life working alongside wildlife academics to help with river surveys and conservation of otters.
In her lifetime, she has seen the otter population in the UK go from endangered to flourishing.
Amy Langham, General Manager at SEA LIFE Birmingham, said: “It was incredible to witness Mary meeting our sea otters for the very first time.
"She’s dedicated her life to these animals so it’s amazing to be able to give her something she’s dreamt of for such a long time."
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Ex-marine who lost arm in Afghanistan gets superhero-like prosthetic
By Leo Black
An ex-marine who lost his arm in Afghanistan has got a custom superhero-like prosthetic replacement - which allows him to lift up to 400 lbs.
Cpl. Sebastian Guadalupe Gallegos, 32, came up with the idea of an aluminum and carbon-fiber arm after he broke 15 conventional prosthetic ones.
Sebastian had his friend George Schroeder, an engineer, manufacture the custom arm a year and half ago.
Now, Sebastian is able to box, lift weights and even care for his son better.
Sebastian, of San Antonio, Texas, USA, said: "It's the only prosthetic that I can do things with and trust it."
Sebastian is outdoorsy and independent, so he struggled to adapt after losing his arm in Afghanistan in 2010 after being hit by improvised explosive device (IED).
He has since had a total 15 prosthetic arms, which broke during simple, everyday tasks such as carrying groceries.
Sebastian says that ordinary prosthetics suffer from being designed to look like human limbs, which makes them fragile.
He said: My new arm doesn't look like an arm. A lot of prosthetics look natural and that's why they're so fragile. They're so small.
"Grocery bags will break them. It's the torque motion when they swing back and forth or carrying water jugs."
His new arm is made entirely from aluminum and carbon-fibre and has abandoned looking like a human arm for durability.
It outperforms his older ones in every way.
He can now lift weights as heavy as 180 kg (400 lbs) when before his arms struggled with 2 kgs (5 lbs).
Sebastian said: "The most I've dead-lifted was 400 lbs, 75 pounds is what I've pulled safely.
"The other prosthetics would be able to lift maybe three to five pounds. It's a different stratosphere strength-wise."
Besides being able to lift heavier goods, Sebastian's new arms have made a huge difference with one-year-old son Xolo Gallegos.
Sebastian said: "Being a dad is the actual reason I'm most grateful for the prosthetic. When I carry my son I'm almost exclusively using the prosthetic.
"He loves it. It's really cute. He thinks people with both arms are the weirder ones. He even fist-bumps me with it."
Sebastian's new arm has also earned him a lot of unexpected attention on social-media app TikTok and viewers often compare him to The Winter Soldier, a Marvel superhero.
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Police launch daring rescue to save man clinging onto cliff face after falling more than 50ft
By Samuel Wightwick
Police launched a daring rescue to save a man clinging onto a cliff face after he fell more than 50ft.
A dramatic video shows the intense rescue by the Sonoma County Sheriffs helicopter.
Thermal imaging footage shows the man clinging onto the cliff face in desperation as a rescuer is heard telling the man to "not let go" before placing him into a rescue device.
Police were alerted to the incident in the area of the Alexander Battery in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California, on March 31 at around 7.40pm
The victim was then flown to the top of the cliff and delivered to fire personnel for medical evaluation.
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"Doctors found cancer during my abdominal surgery, just like Kate - it can happen to anyone"
By Amy Reast
A woman went through a similar cancer journey at the same time as Princess Kate - and warned "it can happen to anyone".
Maia Kennedy, 38, began suffering with nausea in December 2023 and was called for an emergency colonoscopy.
Doctors found a tumour in her colon which they believed was pre-cancerous.
Maia, from Hackney, London, had surgery to remove part of her colon in a routine procedure in February 2024 - but to her shock learned it had been cancerous.
Because it was stage one, she didn't need chemotherapy and is now in remission - but sees parallels between her experience and that of the Princess of Wales'.
Maia, who is close in age to the 42-year-old future Queen, said: "As a young healthy woman, you never think it will happen to you.
"But it can happen to anyone - even royalty, with the best medical care in the world.
"I have a lot of empathy for what Kate is going through, it's a tough time - never mind when you're in the public eye.
"When I heard about her surgery my thoughts went out to her - and it was a strange experience finding out my journey was similar to hers.
"With everyone talking about her, it brings up a lot of thoughts of what I've been through too."
Maia first experienced nausea and a change of bowel habits in December 2023, which her GP first put down to acid reflux.
But later that month they ran some tests and she was called in for an emergency colonoscopy in January during which they found a tumour.
Maia said: "I knew something wasn't right, but you don't go into it expecting them to find something like that - it was a huge shock for me."
Specialists thought Maia's was non-cancerous originally - just as they had thought with Princess Kate's at the time of her "planned abdominal surgery" in January.
Maia was booked in for surgery to remove part of her colon in February, and stayed in hospital a week.
She was recovering when she got a call weeks later saying a biopsy of the tumour removed in the surgery showed it had been cancerous.
Because the biopsy showed it was stage one bowel cancer, she didn't need any chemotherapy, and is now declared cancer-free.
She said: "It all happened so quickly from December to March.
"It's taken over my life but its been such a short period of time.
"It's very surreal to say I had cancer."
Maia is now seeking therapy to help her process the traumas she has experienced.
She said learning about the Princess' cancer journey revealed many parallels to her own.
She said: "When I heard about her abdominal surgery, my thoughts went out to her.
"I thought it sounds similar to me.
"At the time they weren't saying mine was cancer, just like they said hers wasn't at first."
Maia is now going through NHS physical rehabilitation sessions to build her strength back up.
While she has been left struggling emotionally, she wants to warn other people to look out for the symptoms - and not to assume it won't happen to you.
She added: "It has been the most difficult thing I've had to go through.
"You need to be aware of the symptoms, because it can happen to anyone - even royalty.
"The sooner you catch it, the better.
"As a young healthy woman, you never think it will happen to you. I never thought it would.
"Hearing of Catherine's story, my emotions were up and down - it brings up the 'what if' feelings.
"What if I had left it or hadn't caught it, or had to have chemo like she did?
"I have a lot of empathy for her and what she's going through - it's a tough time, never mind doing it while being in the public eye."
Maia is now fundraising for Cancer Research: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/maias-race-for-life-2076
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