BBC Sport

Organisers say there are "significant challenges that threaten" the Rugby League World Cup being staged as scheduled and will decide within days if it will go ahead later this year.

Image source, Getty Images

Australia and New Zealand pulled out of the event citing "player welfare and safety concerns" related to Covid-19.

Jon Dutton, chief executive of the tournament in England, says "further urgent discussions" are needed.

He added they will also focus on "correcting misinformation".

Following an emergency meeting of the event's board on Wednesday, Dutton said it will explore what appetite there is to go ahead as planned with the event, which is scheduled to kick off in October.

Fixtures are due to be played in Doncaster, Hull, Huddersfield, Leeds, Sheffield and York.

Dutton told BBC Sport that "time is no longer on our side" and that a final decision about the staging of the tournament, which includes men's, women's and wheelchair competitions, will come "in days not weeks".

In a statement, Dutton also said the board "recognise the need to bring clarity and certainty to the situation", adding it has been in regular contact with the UK government, saying its support has been "invaluable".

A man died when the vehicle he was travelling in collided with a car and a van on the A19 near Northallerton.

Image source, Google

The man was travelling in a green Polaris all-terrain vehicle when it collided with a white Vauxhall Vivaro van and a black VW Golf at about 00.45 on Wednesday on the southbound carriageway near to the junction for Thimbleby.

North Yorkshire Police said the man suffered serious injuries in the crash and later died in hospital.

The force said another man who was in the Polaris was also taken to hospital for treatment and was later arrested in connection with the collision.

The A19 was closed in both directions for nearly 12 hours as a result of the crash.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact police.

Somerset beat Glamorgan on a weather-hit day in the One-Day Cup as the Yorkshire-Northants and Kent-Lancashire games are abandoned.

Academy product prop Brad Fash signs a new two-year deal at hometown club Hull FC.

Keepers at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park believe it was abandoned by a visitor trying to re-home a pet.

Tracy Gee
BBC Radio Leeds

People across Leeds are being invited to take part in a virtual dance troupe, as part of this year's online West Indian Carnival celebrations.

The event in August is taking place online for the second year running because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It's called Unstoppable Carnival and, thanks to £1,200 of funding from Leeds Inspired (part of Leeds City Council), a team of artists, choreographers and musicians are working together on an official dance.

Image source, Tricia Arthur-Stubbs

Choreographer Tricia Arthur-Stubbs (pictured above), said: "I really wanted to do something for carnival as it's so important to Leeds. It's all online this year and my video will be part of the official online celebration.

"I'm getting people all over Leeds to learn the Unstoppable Carnival dance I've choreographed and then they are filming themselves and sending the video to me to be included in the virtual troupe."

The deadline for submitting videos is Monday 2 August.

Keepers at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park believe it was abandoned by a visitor trying to re-home a pet.

Clive Settle
BBC Radio Leeds News

Proposals for a multimillion-pound swimming pool and leisure centre, external in Halifax have now been submitted to planners.

Image source, Calderdale Council

The six-lane pool will replace one in Halifax that didn't re-open after lockdown because of structural problems - however, the new centre is not expected to be open until 2023.

Calderdale Council says there will also be a modern gym, a sports hall and dance studio, a wellness suite and adventure climbing facilities.

Calderdale councillor Jane Scullion said: "I'm delighted we've reached this stage of the development. It's such an exciting project which will bring pleasure and excitement to so many of our residents."

The new leisure centre will be built on the site of the current complex at North Bridge. The council say it will also be self-funding, with any income used to repay the money borrowed for construction.

The plain-clothed police officer, who was unharmed, was shot at during a pursuit, police say.

A dog which knocked a woman and her baby to the floor before attacking their family pet is being hunted by police.

Image source, Google

The woman and her male partner were walking though Baysgarth Park in Barton-upon-Humber with their child and pet pug.

A Staffordshire bull terrier is then said to have run over to them, knocked over the mother and baby and attacked the pug.

When the woman's partner intervened during the attack at 17:50 BST on Saturday 24 July, the terrier bit him on the hand

The Staffordshire bull terrier is described as black with white on its chest.

Humberside Police are appealing for witnesses to get in touch.

The 14-year-old boy's body was recovered from the lake at Ashby Ville in Scunthorpe, say police.

David Clark died after being trampled by a herd of cows while walking his dogs in North Yorkshire.

A 14-year-old boy has drowned after getting into difficulty in a nature reserve lake.

Police were called Ashby Ville Nature Reserve in Scunthorpe at 15:00 BST on Tuesday following safety concerns for a boy in the water.

The Humberside force said police divers searched the water and found the body of the teenager.

Tributes have been left at the scene, including the one below.

Det Chief InspGrant Taylor said the boy's family were being supported by specially-trained officers.

He added: “As part of our investigation we are now appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to please contact us.

“We’d particularly like to speak with a man who we believe may have seen what happened and hold key information that would help with our enquiries.

"He is described as wearing a black polo shirt with grey denim shorts, and is reported to have white hair and a beard."

Sarah Wakefield
BBC Radio Leeds News

More than 70 cyclists are riding from West Yorkshire to London in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox.

It's the fifth anniversary of the 280-mile Jo Cox Way, external, which starts in Cleckheaton and finishes in the capital on Sunday.

Jo's sister, Kim Leadbeater, who was recently elected as Batley and Spen MP, is taking part on day one.

She's told BBC Radio Leeds: "We've never had as many people doing the bike ride before. I think that's because Jo has left such a strong legacy around here and people want to be part of it and i think that's wonderful."

Organiser Sarfraz Mian set the ride up in 2016. He said: "More than ever, this is a time to come together and support each other, which is what Jo stood for."

BBC Radio York
Nathan Turvey

A new lifeboat is due to arrive in Filey today.

Image source, RNLI

The Atlantic 85 vessel is named after Marjorie Shepherd, who lived just outside of York and bequeathed a legacy to fully fund the new boat.

In April, the all-weather Mersey class lifeboat, which had served the North Yorkshire town for 30 years, left its slipway for the last time.

That lifeboat had been based there since 1991, and is being be replaced with two smaller rapid-response inflatable craft.

John Ward, from the RNLI in Filey, told BBC Radio York: "It's the right time to move forward with the station, we've had a relief Atlantic 85 since April, so to have our own brand new boat is absolutely superb."

Sharing images could reveal details about owners and their pets to criminals, a police boss warns.

People are being urged to return medical equipment that is no longer needed as part of a new NHS initiative to reuse and recycle items such as crutches and commodes.

Image source, PA Media

Perfectly good medical equipment is cluttering living rooms or ending up in landfill, according to NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS East Riding of Yorkshire CCG.

Dedicated containers have now been made available at refuse centres in Hull, Goole and Driffield in a bid to address the issue.

Dr James Crick, from NHS Hull CCG, said: “The pandemic has meant there is a shortage of equipment such as perching stools, bed sticks and commodes, as well as smaller items like crutches or rollators.

"To help combat this, wherever possible, we are now trying to reuse or recycle items appropriately.”

A man is due in court charged with the attempted murder of a police officer in Scunthorpe.

Jamie Burke, of no fixed abode, will appear at Grimsby Magistrates' Court after a gun was fired at a plain-clothed officer on Glebe Road on Monday 26 July.

Mr Burke, 29, has also been charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life and possession of a firearm when prohibited for life.

The officer, who was unharmed, was involved in a pursuit at the time, the force said earlier.

Nearly 15 million homes suffered a broadband outage lasting three hours or more during the last year, according to new research by a comparison service.

Image source, Getty Images

The survey by Uswitch of 4,000 people found that the number hit by internet disruption was three times higher than the previous 12 months.

Leeds and Sheffield were among the worst areas, with Edinburgh named as the UK's outage capital.

The firm estimates the outages cost the UK almost £5bn in lost work time.

Sheffield steelmaker Forgemasters looks set to be bought by the government.

Image source, SHEFFIELD FORGEMASTERS

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced this morning that it had made an offer to buy the business for £2.56m with a view to securing supply of components for defence programmes.

The business makes components for Great Britain's nuclear submarines among other products.

The MoD said it also intends to invest up to £400m for defence-critical plant, equipment and infrastructure into the firm over the next 10 years to support defence outputs.

An MoD spokesperson said Forgemasters is the "only available manufacturer with the skills and capability" to produce the products required.

It added that other UK-based manufacturers could still bid for defence contracts.

Last year, the firm announced itplanned to cut around 95 jobs from a workforce of just over 700 due to the effect of the pandemic.