‘Hero’ crew member injured in train stabbings regains consciousness

A train crew member who was seriously injured as he protected passengers during a mass stabbing has regained consciousness, according to his family.

Samir Zitouni, known as Sam, was working on board the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train from Doncaster to London when the attack happened in Cambridgeshire on Saturday 1 November.

Mr Zitouni, who has dedicated over two decades to LNER, has been hailed for his heroic actions, by which he is credited with saving multiple lives during the attack.

A GoFundMe page established in his honour has already raised more than £50,000.

Mr Zitouni’s family, in a heartfelt message on the fundraising platform, described him simply as “our hero” as they expressed gratitude for the public donations.

An update shared to the page on Friday said: “Sam’s family continue to be deeply grateful for all of your kind messages, generosity, and support.

“His wife has shared the wonderful news that Sam woke up briefly yesterday, and she was able to speak with him for a short time. This is a truly positive step forward, though there is still a long journey ahead in his recovery.

“Thank you all for continuing to keep Sam and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Your kindness means the world to them.”

Mr Zitouni works as a customer experience host, a role that largely involves providing onboard catering.

The attack on 1 November is understood to have started shortly after the train left Peterborough station.

Passengers pulled the emergency alarm on the LNER service, after which the driver, Andrew Johnson, who served in the Royal Navy for 17 years, contacted a signaller and requested an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon station.

Ten patients were taken by ambulance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, and one patient self-presented, British Transport Police said last Tuesday.

British Transport Police also said that an LNER worker remained in hospital in a stable condition but critically unwell.

Anthony Williams, 32, has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder following the attack.

Norris completes perfect Brazil GP weekend in massive F1 title boost

Lando Norris edged closer to being crowned champion of the world as he won the Brazilian Grand Prix and Oscar Piastri finished only fifth after being hit with a 10-second penalty.

A dominant Norris crossed the line in Interlagos 10.3 seconds clear of runner-up Kimi Antonelli, with Max Verstappen third following a remarkable drive by the Red Bull man after he started last but one.

Norris now leads Piastri by 24 points in the F1 championship standings, while Verstappen is 49 points adrift, with only 83 points to play for across the concluding three rounds.

George Russell held off Piastri to take fourth, while Lewis Hamilton retired with damage he sustained after crashing into the back of Franco Colapinto on lap one to complete a torrid weekend for the seven-time world champion.

Norris’s hopes of taking the title appeared in tatters when he broke down in Zandvoort on the final day of August.

At that stage, he trailed Piastri by 34 points, but a 58-point swing in his favour over the following six rounds has put him firmly in the driving seat with just races in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi to come.

Indeed, Norris can now afford to finish second to Piastri at the final three races, as well as the final sprint round of the season in Qatar, and still take the title.

Norris was untouchable at the previous round in Mexico City, and he has delivered another statement weekend in Sao Paulo, after winning from pole in the sprint race before romping to victory, again from first on the grid, in Sunday’s main event.

Norris’s championship mentality has so often been questioned but, after delivering under pressure to take pole on Saturday, he launched well at the start to comfortably see off Antonelli’s attention heading into the opening bend and then again at the rolling start on lap six after Gabriel Bortleto crashed out.

In Norris’s rear-view mirror, a further boost for the British driver when Piastri, who started fourth, clipped wheels with Antonelli at the safety-car restart. Antonelli thudded into Charles Leclerc and the Ferrari man was out with suspension damage.

“He left me with no space,” protested Piastri, who was now up to second, but was dealt a 10-second penalty which he served at his pit-stop and was eighth when he emerged. He could progress only three spots to leave his title hopes hanging by a thread.

After he qualified 16th, Verstappen said that “you can forget” about the title. Verstappen’s car was overhauled – including a new engine – overnight in one final bid to keep him in the title race.

That meant a pit-lane start and, despite having to stop at the end of the seventh lap with a suspected puncture, he swatted his way through the field in typical Verstappen style.

On lap 51, he briefly led the race. Surely he could not do the unthinkable and make his medium tyres, having stopped for a second time on lap 34, make it to the end? The answer arrived just four laps later when Verstappen pitted for a new set of softs. That put him in fourth, a place clear of Piastri, and with the two Silver Arrows up ahead.

Verstappen drove around the outside of Russell with eight laps to go and Antonelli was only 2.5 seconds up the road. However, the Italian teenager stood firm to deny Verstappen second place.

Three dead and 15 injured in tidal surge on Spain’s Canary Islands

Strong waves have killed three people in Spain’s Canary Islands by pulling them into the Atlantic Ocean during a tidal surge, officials said on Sunday.

Fifteen others were injured in four different incidents along the coast of the holiday island of Tenerife on Saturday, according to emergency services.

A rescue helicopter airlifted a man who had fallen into the water at La Guancha, in the north of the island, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

In a separate incident, a man was found floating on the beach at El Cabezo in the south of the island. Lifeguards and medical staff were unable to resuscitate him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman suffered a heart attack and died when a wave swept 10 people into the sea at Puerto de la Cruz in northern Tenerife. Three others from the group were seriously injured and taken to hospital for treatment.

Authorities in the Spanish archipelago off the west coast of Africa had warned people of a tidal surge and strong winds, advising them not to walk along coastal paths and to avoid putting themselves at risk by taking photos and videos of the rough seas.

Are you depressed, or are you just ‘accidentally lonely’, like me?

I hadn’t meant to get lonely. It just sort of just happened. It was a bit like looking round one day and realising all your house plants had died, or that you’d been living in the same gym leggings for three days. It was the summer of 2017 and I’d recently moved to the buzzy city of Bristol. On paper, my life looked great. I had lots of friends, a family I was close to and a busy working life as a freelance writer. I lived in a city centre apartment a stone’s throw from bustling pubs, restaurants and yoga studios. What wasn’t to love?

Yet something was wrong. I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was like a yearning for something. Maybe you’ve felt it too – a low-level “offness” that you can’t quite name. You might put it down to stress, tiredness or a seasonal bug. Depression, or anxiety even. I went through all of these. But after a while, I realised it was none of these things. I had accidentally become very lonely.

My wake-up call came when I went into my coffee shop and realised that the barista was the first person I’d spoken to in three days. By that, I mean talking out loud (this was a time before voice notes). I went and sat down with a growing feeling of dismay. Bloody hell, I thought, I’m really lonely.

Loneliness was something that happened to other people, the stereotype of an elderly person pushing a tartan shopping trolley down the street. It didn’t happen to a socially confident, mid-forties woman with everything going for her. How had I become so, well, alone?

It turns out that this feeling is more common than any of us might like to think. In 2022, 50 per cent of UK adults reported feelings of loneliness. Young people aged from 16-24 are the loneliest demographic. Loneliness levels rose 6 per cent during the pandemic and have not dropped since. The 18-34-year-old age group are twice as likely to say they feel lonelier since then, compared to the over-55s.

My coffee shop moment made me realise there was a deeper problem with how I was leading my life. No matter how busy or connected I had convinced myself I was, the reality was that as a single, self-employed freelancer, I was spending 90 per cent of my week alone. I worked from home, shopped from home, worked out from home, watched movies from home, socialised online from home.

The thing about loneliness is that it can stack up quietly on the sidelines and become a trap. The less you see people, the less you feel like seeing people. When the phone did ring and the invites came in, I started to avoid them. I felt overwhelmed and anxious and started to push away the one thing that would have helped.

I ended up telling a close friend how I felt, which in turn helped me start talking more openly about it. It was then that I realised others felt the same way too. It made me feel better about myself, but also sad, about how modern life is set up against connection.

It’s easy to internalise loneliness and make it something “wrong” with us, but it’s actually a very normal and healthy reaction to living in slightly abnormal times. WhatsApp chats have replaced real-life ones. We work from home with the kettle and radio replacing chats, and in connection in the kitchen with colleagues.

At home, we sit in separate rooms on our screens. Sometimes the same room but on different screens. We’re constantly distracted, never fully engaged.

One of the saddest sights I have ever seen was a couple at a ridiculously in-demand restaurant more interested in their social media feeds than each other. Thinking about it, they might have only been there so they could put it on their social media feeds.

Cut off from each other, we mindlessly scroll and fall into bigger pits of despair when we compare ourselves with those who did get a table at the swanky restaurant and the gulf widens. The pandemic has passed but many of us are still self-isolating without even knowing it.

But loneliness doesn’t just mean being cut off by tech, or being physically alone. We can feel accidentally lonely in relationships, family, friendships or at work, which in a way can feel even more taboo and confusing. “I went through a period where I was surrounded by lots of people but felt unseen by most and it was very lonely,” says life coach Emma Jeffreys. “It’s about the quality of connections and not the quantity.”

Suzy Reading is a chartered psychologist and author of several books on self-care. She says we can often feel lonely when we put others before ourselves, something that affects women in particular. “We can feel lonely when we lose ourselves in all the people pleasing, hyper-responsibility and hyper-independence,” she says. “We feel like we can’t rely on others, let them in or even accept kind offers of support.”

What’s the remedy for those of us managing the midlife juggle? “We need to advocate for ourselves, so other people understand our feelings and needs,” Reading says. “Loneliness isn’t just disconnection from others. It’s estrangement from self.”

Slowly, I started to emerge from my isolation bubble. I forced myself to turn up to things, and found myself having a good time and remembering what being in company felt like. And this is because socialising has a physiological effect, as well as a psychological one.

When humans connect, be it through eye contact, laughter, conversation, or shared emotion, multiple brain systems “light up” simultaneously, creating a chemical and neurological feedback loop that’s essential for wellbeing. Human connection triggers the release of oxytocin, especially during physical touch (like hugging) or emotional intimacy and this reduces stress hormones (like cortisol), lowers blood pressure, and increases feelings of trust and empathy. There is a natural ‘high’ to shared experiences too as group belonging feeds the reward system as the brain also releases dopamine too. By contrast chronic loneliness increases inflammatory responses and weakens immunity.

Regular social interaction has also been shown to sharpen memory and slow cognitive decline. People who maintain rich social networks tend to have stronger neural connectivity in regions linked to emotion regulation, decision-making, and empathy. So, getting out there isn’t just a nice to have – it can literally be life-enhancing and life-saving.

My experiences led me to volunteering at UK loneliness charity Marmalade Trust, who completely normalised the experience of feeling lonely for me and removed the stigma. “Loneliness is nothing to be ashamed of,” says founder Amy Perrin. “It’s just a sign we’re not getting our social needs met.”

My lonely radar is quite good these days but it can still happen. I’d been spending quite a bit of time by myself recently and woke up one morning feeling a bit doom-and-gloom about everything. But this time, I recognised it for what it was – I was feeling a bit lonely. So instead of heaping shame and blame, I was intentional about doing something about it. A bit of fresh air and a quick coffee with a friend put me right again. If I’d sat on it and done nothing, it could have gone the other way and I would have started spiralling.

If you’re reading this and can relate, know that it’s perfectly normal. Sometimes the remedy is simpler than you think: a walk, a phone call, a drink with someone who gets it. Loneliness isn’t a life sentence, it’s just a reminder that we are physically and emotionally wired for meaningful human connection. The antidote might just be a friendly face and a flat white. Why not try it and see what happens?

Jo Carnegie is a writer and life coach at jocarnegie.com

Girl, 4, in critical condition after being hit by firework

A four-year-old girl is fighting for her life after being hit by a firework.

Lancashire Police are now appealing for a man to come forward in connection with the incident, warning “this year has gone too far”.

The force said officers attended a number of incidents involving the anti-social use of fireworks in Burnley on Wednesday.

During these incidents on Guy Fawkes Night in the Elm Street area, a four-year-old child was severely injured. She remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Police have released images of a man they want to speak to in relation to the incident, appealing to the public to help officers identify him.

“We are aware this area has seen previous anti-social use of fireworks, but this year has gone too far, resulting in a child being hospitalised,” the force said in a statement. “We are urging the community to do the right thing and tell us who he is.”

Police added: “Can you help?

“On the evening of Wednesday 5 November, police attended various incidents involving the anti-social use of fireworks in the Elm Street area of Burnley.

“During these incidents, a four-year-old child was severely injured and remains in hospital in a critical condition.

“Police would like to speak to this person in relation to the incident and we are calling on the community of Burnley to identify him to us.”

Anyone who recognises the person in the photographs is asked to email police at burnley.npt@lancashire.police.uk quoting investigation reference 04/189049/25.

This article was amended on 10 November 2025. The article originally stated that a boy had been injured, but it was in fact a girl.

What is tacit knowledge – could your work skills spark a new career?

Whether it’s solving a logistical problem, navigating a tricky client meeting or being able to design, craft or build, we all have certain skills that feel straightforward to us yet can seem out of reach to others. A big part of this is tacit knowledge, the personal ‘know-how’ that individuals possess, built up over time. In a work context, this tacit knowledge can open interesting doors to potential new career paths, in which this real-world experience can be shared with the next generation of workers.

Understanding the concept of tacit knowledge is perhaps easiest when compared to its counterpart: explicit knowledge. “Explicit knowledge is something you can fully articulate linguistically and can be understood without context while tacit knowledge is something that can’t be described in the same way and needs its context to be appreciated,” Dr Neil Gascoigne, Reader in Philosophy at Royal Holloway University of London and co-author of Tacit Knowledge, explains.

Gascoigne gives the example of the famous physics equation of E=mc^2. This formula is considered a piece of explicit knowledge, as words can be used to explain the idea. However, the average person wouldn’t know how to use this formula. This is where tacit knowledge comes in. You would need to have studied physics, put your knowledge into practice and learned first-hand how to use formulas effectively in order to make the most of the explicit knowledge given.

In the workplace, a company handbook might explicitly set out the business’ practice for a certain task. However, you would need some tacit knowledge gained through work experience or time in the company to complete this task most successfully and efficiently.

As tacit knowledge is harder to explain with words, it often has a mysterious quality to it. However, as Gascoigne points out, this is only to the untrained eye. “Tacit knowledge often seems obscure to people unless they possess similar skills themselves. Without them, it doesn’t become apparent what expertise is exactly on display,” he elaborates.

“For instance, say I am watching a Grand Slam tennis match. I know there’s an astonishing kind of athleticism, but if I don’t play tennis or am not a committed tennis fan, I might not be able to tell the difference between a really great shot and a more average shot,” Gascoigne says.

This same idea applies in the workplace. Tacit knowledge is gained through experience and consequently, while we all have tacit knowledge, the areas we have it in differ. What’s more, it can even seem quite mysterious to ourselves. When we have worked in a certain industry for a period of time, we aren’t always aware of the tacit knowledge we have gained. While explicit knowledge relates to aspects of our job that we might have had to sit down and learn, our tacit knowledge is obtained in a practical way over time, by doing tasks again and again and subtly learning and improving as we go along.

After a while, we know exactly how to tackle projects or solve problems, almost without thinking. For instance, in the construction industry, this tacit knowledge would help you judge site safety or develop practical skills like site excavation, land levelling or brick laying. If you work in social care, it is only with time and experience that you can pick up on subtle emotional cues or manage crisis situations effectively. While in engineering, years spent tackling complex technical issues allow you to troubleshoot effectively, and draw on a myriad of possible solutions from projects past.

Whatever sector you work in, the knowledge needed to succeed is always a mixture of explicit and tacit, and the latter – this know-how built from personal experience, intuition, and practice – is incredibly valuable when it comes to judging real-world situations, solving complex problems and having an edge over competitors.

And while by definition, not explicit, that doesn’t mean that tacit knowledge can’t be shared. Indeed with time, attention and training, you can drill down on years-honed skills and information, and share it with others through teaching.

In fact, it is at the core of sharing your craft – and that’s far more than a simple list of instructions. “To learn how to do something, you really need to follow the example of somebody who already knows how to do it,” says Gascoigne. “These people have learnt the rules, internalised them and use tacit knowledge to know when they apply and when they don’t.”

Tacit knowledge is particularly valuable when it comes to Further Education teaching (defined as any education for people aged 16 and over who aren’t studying for a degree). This is because the focus is on preparing students for employment, and teachers need to draw on tacit knowledge to share how things really work in their industry. This ensures that students complete their qualifications not only with theoretical competence but also practical and employable skills.

This is why this type of practical learning that further education teachers specialise in can be so valuable. Workshop-style teaching and skills-led mentoring allows for those with experience to share the vital tacit knowledge they have built up over time in real-world scenarios. Meanwhile, those learning from them can see these nuggets of knowledge in action and have a chance to put them in practice as they learn.

If you’re passionate about your industry and interested in sharing your own tacit knowledge,  becoming a Further Education teacher can be a really rewarding and valuable career move. Further Education covers a huge range of industry sectors including construction, law, engineering, digital, hospitality, tourism, beauty and more. This includes BTECs (Business and Technology Education Council qualifications), T Levels, NVQs (National Vocational Qualifications) or City & Guilds Qualifications.

Teaching in a mixture of colleges (often General Further Education Colleges or Sixth Form Colleges) and Adult and Community Learning Centres as well as workplace and apprenticeship settings, Further Education teachers share their years of real world industry  skills with people of all ages and backgrounds from those straight out of school aged sixteen to those making career switches later in life.

You don’t always need an academic degree or prior teaching qualifications to start teaching in Further Education. You can undertake teacher training on the job, often funded by your employer, so you can start earning straight away. Furthermore, it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing option. Further Education offers flexible opportunities – so you could teach part time alongside your other commitments. This means you could have a best of both worlds set-up, where you are still working in your chosen industry and teaching alongside it at a time that suits your schedule.

Whether it’s shifting your career fully or adding teaching into the mix, becoming a Further Education teacher can be a life-changing decision. One that taps into your well of tacit knowledge and creates a sense of fulfillment from helping shape the next generation of workers in your field.

Why not consider sharing your tacit knowledge where it matters most – helping inspire the next generation of workers in the field you love? Visit Further Education to find out more

Troubled Guinness maker Diageo appoints new CEO

UK businesses continue to hope for the best and prepare for the worst ahead of the Budget announcement later this month, with latest reports suggesting lawyers and accountants using LLPs might not be quite as hard hit as first feared – but self-employed people, landlords and those with investment income could be asked to shoulder more of the burden.

Among the biggest plc companies, Diageo have announced former Tesco boss Sir Dave Lewis as their new chief executive, ending a months-long search for a new CEO, with Lewis set to start from January at the drinks-maker which has struggled across the year.

US stock market futures show a sharp rise ahead of trading later today, with news that the longest-ever government shutdown might be finally coming to an end. The S&P 500 is set to open up more than 0.7 per cent higher, with the Nasdaq more than 1.3 per cent up.

Follow The Independent’s live coverage of the latest stock markets and business news here:

Flu season 2025 could be the UK’s ‘worst in decades’, experts warn

Thousands of people could die from flu this winter, experts have warned, after figures suggested that the number of flu deaths more than doubled last year.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates show that deaths from flu in England stood at 7,757 last winter compared with 3,555 the year before – and child deaths involving flu also increased from 34 to 53.

The UK is braced for a spate of flu deaths this winter, with NHS leaders issuing a “flu jab SOS” urging people to get protected.

Official data suggests that the flu season started unusually early in October, causing hospital admissions to rise, with cases highest in children aged between five and 14.

The warning follows the biggest flu season in Australia’s history, which is often seen as an accurate predictor of what the UK can expect.

Dr Suzanna McDonald, national lead for the influenza programme at UKHSA, said: “Flu has hit early this year and will only spread in the coming weeks.

“Many people think they have flu when they only have a bad cold. If you get flu, it is nasty, and for some [who are] more vulnerable, it can be deadly.

“If you’re eligible, it is because you are at greater risk. If you’ve not yet had a flu vaccine, don’t regret it later – stay strong and get vaccinated, as soon as possible.”

Elaine Clancy, chief nursing officer at St George’s, Epsom and St Helier hospitals, said the NHS trust is preparing for a bad winter.

She said: “The last flu season was particularly nasty, and we’re very concerned that this year could be even worse – we’re preparing for a spike of flu onto our wards.

“We see people dying every year from flu, and sadly thousands more will likely [die] this year. I strongly recommend booking your jab now, as it takes up to 14 days to fully kick in.”

Amy Clare, 34, from Sutton, said her son Jonah became seriously unwell with flu at five weeks old, and was rushed to Epsom Hospital in the winter of 2022. He was admitted the day before Christmas Eve.

She said: “When the doctor told us we’d be spending Christmas in hospital, I was devastated. But he was in the best place to get better. The care we received from the moment we walked into A&E was fantastic.

“The staff immediately knew something wasn’t right, and they were with us every step of the way, running tests and checking on Jonah constantly.”

NHS England said it is making 2.4 million vaccination slots available next week, which it said was enough to vaccinate the whole of Greater Manchester or Botswana.

Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, said: “With just weeks left to ensure best protection against the worst of the flu season, we are issuing an urgent SOS to the eligible people who have yet to get jabbed this year.

“It is vital that the public use the over 2.4 million available appointments we have running next week to stamp out this early wave of flu cases and help shield themselves ahead of winter, when viruses tend to circulate and the NHS faces increased pressure on its services.

“The vaccine is proven to be safe, and to help prevent those at risk from getting seriously ill and even hospitalised from flu – so please check your local pharmacy, book an appointment online or by calling 119, or speak to your GP practice today about your winter flu vaccine.”

Flu vaccines are available for everyone aged 65 and over, under-65s in clinical risk groups, pregnant women, care-home residents and carers, close contacts of those who are immunosuppressed, frontline social care workers, and health and social care staff, as well as for children.

Public health minister Ashley Dalton said: “Vaccination is the best form of defence against flu – particularly for the most vulnerable. With flu cases already triple what they were this time last year, I urge everyone eligible to take up one of the 2.4 million appointments available next week.”