Met police investigate incident, removing five officers from frontline duties after member of the public discovers itemsArmed police officers protecting the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, allegedly left a bag containing guns and a Taser on the street which was discovered by a member of the public.The Metropolitan police said on Friday it was investigating the incident and five officers had been removed from frontline duties while inquiries were being carried out. Continue reading...
Democrat Tammy Duckworth writes letter to TSA calling on agency to reinstate the shoes-off airport security policyNine months after US airports allowed passengers to pass through scanners without taking off their shoes, rescinding the stringent policy after almost two decades, a top senator claimed the reckless" move could put passengers in danger.The policy amounts to a potentially catastrophic security deficiency", according to Tammy Duckworth, Democrat for Illinois, and ranking member of the Senate commerce, science and transportation (CST) aviation subcommittee. Continue reading...
Veteran justice, 76, was treated for dehydration in March; a retirement would give Trump new chance to shape courtUS supreme court justice Samuel Alito was reportedly taken to a hospital after becoming sick at a Federalist Society dinner in Philadelphia in March, further fueling speculation that Donald Trump could have more chances to shape the land's highest court through new appointments.A CNN report said Alito was checked by medical staff and given fluids due to dehydration. He later returned to his home in Virginia that same night with his security detail. In the weeks since, Alito has resumed his duties, including participating in oral arguments. Continue reading...
PM gets widespread backing after president's mocking impersonation takes US-UK relationship to new lowKeir Starmer has been warned his relationship with Donald Trump may be beyond repair after the US president derided the prime minister for consulting his team about military decisions, in a mocking impersonation.In a new low for UK-US relations, Trump appeared to imitate Starmer in a weak voice during an Easter lunch speech at the White House, and said the UK was not our best" ally. Continue reading...
Academics and youth workers say cuts to services, not social media, help explain recent unrest in south LondonIt started with a flyer sent around on Snapchat. Teenagers were invited to gather in a south London basketball court to celebrate the start of the Easter holidays. They were told to bring their own weed and laughing gas because it was going to be a late one.What followed in the hours after was chaos. Hundreds of young people came to the link-up", which happened last Saturday, and then gathered on Clapham High Street. Continue reading...
Victim of Woolwich shooting named as Eghosa Ogbebor as two boys and 18-year-old held on suspicion of murderThree teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 14-year-old boy was fatally shot in Woolwich, south-east London.The Metropolitan police said officers received reports of a shooting on Lord Warwick Street, Woolwich, at about 3.40pm on Thursday. Continue reading...
Petrol has risen 19% and diesel 35%, while in England the north has had the sharpest increasesFuel prices have risen faster in Northern Ireland than in any other UK region since the beginning of the Iran war.Analysis of official data shows petrol has jumped by 19% in Northern Ireland since the end of February, and diesel is now 35% more expensive. The rises are among the largest in Europe. Continue reading...
The telco's sweeping price changes and the closure of its cheaper starter' plan risk putting off many of its loyal customersTelstra has long traded on its claim to have better - and far more expansive - mobile coverage than its rivals to justify a steep pricing premium that has accelerated in recent years.But the telco's latest changes, which include steep price hikes and the closure of its cheaper starter" plan to new users, combined with a dramatic rejection of its coverage claims by the industry regulator, risk putting off many of its traditional customers, according to consumer advocates. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#74PQ7)
NASUWT says full entitlement should be increased to 26 weeks and paternity pay also improvedFull maternity pay for teachers across the UK should be increased to 26 weeks to help stem the exodus of women in their 30s from classrooms, a union leader has said.Matt Wrack, the general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, said it was a national scandal" that so many teachers who quit said inadequate maternity support was one of the reasons. Continue reading...
Shop around, coast downhill, band together - drivers tell of how they're dealing with the costliest gas in the USJack Nooney has pretty much made peace with the traffic since moving to Los Angeles five years ago, but recent soaring gas prices have certainly added another layer of insult to his daily commute. The musician and full-time grocery deli employee drives from his San Fernando Valley apartment to Santa Monica daily. While it's just nine miles each way, with LA traffic that often equates to a whole gas-burning hour.Nooney, who makes $20/hour, says it's become glaringly clear that fuel costs will eat up more of his already tight budget. Angelenos are now paying on average nearly $5.90 a gallon - and some stations are charging a shocking $8 a gallon. The outsized prices are directly related to the Iran war, which has created the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, according to the International Energy Agency. Continue reading...
by Peter Beaumont, Senior international correspondent on (#74PNV)
International law experts seriously concerned' about strikes on schools, health centres and homes' in contravention of Geneva conventionsDonald Trump, other senior US officials and their cheerleaders appear to be embracing attacks - and threats of attacks - on Iranian civilian infrastructure, which legal experts say appears to constitute serious war crimes under international law.In his rambling national address on Wednesday, the US president warned that if Iran did not reach an unspecified deal with him, US forces would hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants" and bring [Iran] back to the stone ages - where they belong". Continue reading...
Research for TUC analyses link between job quality and economic inactivity, as UK youth unemployment risesYoung people in the UK are more likely to leave their job for health reasons and become economically inactive when they work in insecure, low-paid sectors, a study has found.Research carried out for the Trades Union Congress by the consultancy Timewise charts a connection between the jobs young people are most likely to do - in hospitality, retail and care, for example - and the proportion of people leaving work because of ill health. Continue reading...
Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem only two cabinet members to be fired despite string of scandals facing male officials. Plus, why New Yorkers are swapping gas for induction stoves Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Donald Trump has been accused of running a misogynistic administration" after Pam Bondi became the second woman to be fired from a cabinet already dominated by men.Who will replace Bondi? Trump said Todd Blanche, her deputy, would serve as acting attorney general. Lee Zeldin, a former New York congressman who now leads the Environmental Protection Agency, is said to be a top contender to replace Bondi.How badly has Iran been affected? At least 1,900 people have been killed and 20,000 injured in Iran since the start of the war, according to a rough estimate by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Continue reading...
Country is torn between those who hope for end to Tehran's influence and those loyal to Islamic republicOf all the countries being pulled into the US-Israeli war on Iran, it is Iraq - a country that still bears the emotional and physical scars of the last time the Americans tried to reshape the region by force - where the conflict has exposed some of the deepest rifts.The war is dividing those who see the attacks on Iran as a way to end Tehran's longstanding influence over Iraqi politics from the self-declared loyalists of the Islamic republic, and cutting through state institutions, armed forces and Shia Islamist parties. Continue reading...
St Michael's Mount and the people who live near it are still healing from the scars left by storm's 100mph windsThree months after Storm Goretti battered St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, the signs of the storm's power are still evident in the scars left by uprooted trees, piles of logs and the shaking of heads from islanders who have lived there for decades and never seen the like.It really was something," said Jack Beesley, a senior gardener. We were shocked the morning after when we saw what had happened. We had been caring for these trees for years and to see so many of them down was very sad. We've worked hard to get the place ready for the Easter visitors but it will still be a month or more until we're back straight." Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent on (#74PKP)
Min Aung Hlaing seized control five years ago and plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaosMin Aung Hlaing, the military general who plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaos when he took power in the 2021 coup has been appointed president, months after widely condemned sham elections.Min Aung Hlaing, who is wanted by the prosecutor of the international criminal court for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority, was voted president by lawmakers on Friday. Myanmar's parliament is dominated by the pro-military party, which won a landslide in one-sided elections earlier this year. Continue reading...
Ibrahim Traore, who took power in 2022 coup, tells state broadcaster we must tell the truth, democracy isn't for us'People in Burkina Faso should forget about democracy as it is not for us", the military president, Ibrahim Traore, told the country's state broadcaster.Traore took power in a coup in September 2022, toppling another junta that had taken power just nine months earlier. He has since stifled opposition and in January banned political parties outright. Continue reading...
Brady Ebert, a former member of the Grammy-winning US hardcore band, allegedly hit the father of Brendan Yates with his carBrady Ebert, the former guitarist of the Grammy-winning US hardcore band Turnstile, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder after allegedly hitting the father of the band's frontman, Brendan Yates, with his car.On 29 March, police found William Yates outside his home with trauma to his lower extremities", with a broken bone protruding from his leg, according to the Baltimore Banner. Continue reading...
Footage shows US president saying UK should be our best' ally and accusing PM of prevarication over sending ships Middle East crisis - live updatesFootage has emerged of Donald Trump mocking Keir Starmer by claiming the prime minister said he would have to consult his team before deciding whether to send UK aircraft carriers to the Middle East.In a new low for UK-US relations, Trump appeared to impersonate Starmer during an Easter lunch speech at the White House. Continue reading...
Bosses write to home secretary and London mayor listing series of incidents staff have faced in past weekMarks & Spencer has called on the government and London's mayor to crack down on retail crime, saying it has become more brazen, more organised and more aggressive", after reporting an increase in shoplifting and violence at its stores.The M&S chief executive, Stuart Machin, has written to the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, and its retail director, Thinus Keeve, has written to the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, saying greater resources are needed for police to tackle the crime effectively and target repeat offenders and crime hotspots. Continue reading...
by Lauren Herdman and Dan Adamson for MetDesk on (#74PHK)
South-east Italy also affected by heavy rain, and snow at higher altitudes, while deadly flooding hits AfghanistanParts of the Mediterranean have been lashed by Storm Erminio this week. Heavy rain, thunderstorms and occasional bursts of hail affected much of Greece throughout Wednesday and Thursday, with the most severe conditions across south-eastern parts of the mainland and several islands in the southern Aegean Sea, including Crete, with streets flooded and vehicles stranded.Some of the heaviest rain fell on Wednesday across Attica, a region encompassing Athens, with one weather station near the city's international airport recording 132mm (5.2 in) in 24 hours. The most intense downpours were overnight, when the coastal town of Nea Makri was particularly badly affected; an unofficial weather station recorded about 50mm falling within just two hours. One person died in the town; a man found beneath a car was believed to have been swept away as he escaped his flooding basement home. Continue reading...
Anna Turley questions revised 25,000 figure for failed attempt to reach Chagos Islands on jet linked to billionaireLabour has queried Nigel Farage's claim that a return trip to the Maldives on a private jet linked to a billionaire donor cost as little as 25,000 as the Reform leader attempted to reach the Chagos Islands.Farage initially recorded his two-day trip to the Maldives as costing 12,500 funded by Thailand-based Reform megadonor Christopher Harborne, before upgrading this to 25,000 in the latest register of interests. Continue reading...
by Daniel Boffey at the Turkish-Iranian border on (#74PFW)
People leaving Iran for Turkey tell of impact of bombs and internet blackouts, while others are travelling the other way to be closer to relatives in perilHe could not help but splutter out a laugh at the question. Amir, whose name has been changed for his safety, had just crossed the Kapkoy border point in eastern Turkey, a mountain pass between snow-topped peaks that is one of the few gateways to the west from Iran.Until a few weeks ago, this was a busy place, popular among Iranian daytrippers coming across to Turkey to do some shopping in the lively city of Van, a further two hours drive west, or to spend a couple of nights out in its discreet Iranian-only nightclubs and bars serving alcohol. Continue reading...
Episodes from William Hartnell era are from mostly lost 12-part adventure called The Daleks' Master PlanTwo episodes of Doctor Who from the William Hartnell era, which have not been seen since 1965, have been released after being discovered in a private film collection.The two episodes, released on Friday and starring Peter Purves as the Doctor's companion, are parts one and three of a mostly lost 12-part adventure called The Daleks' Master Plan, written by the Dalek creator Terry Nation and broadcast as part of the third series of Doctor Who in November 1965. Continue reading...
Unite accuses authority of trying to break' industrial action as waste dispute enters second yearUnite has accused Birmingham city council of trying to break" the bin strikes after analysis showed the council had doubled spending on agency staff since the start of the year-long industrial action.Birmingham's bin workers have taken part in an all-out strike since March last year over proposed pay cuts and role changes. The dispute has left residents without a fully functioning waste collection service and has led to towering waste and overflowing bins on the streets. Continue reading...
People receive rehab only three to four days a week in hospital - and one to two days once they are discharged, data suggestsThe NHS is failing stroke patients and limiting their chances of recovery because of a shortage of rehabilitation care staff, health leaders have said.More people are surviving strokes than ever before in the UK. But their hopes of getting better are being dashed because of a lack of physiotherapists and other specialist staff, according to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Neurology. Continue reading...
Plan for three nuns who escaped from care home last year to go to Rome thought to be positive sign of Vatican's decisionThree nuns who escaped from a care home to return to their convent in a castle close to Salzburg where they had spent most of their lives are a step closer to being able to stay there, sources close to them say.Sisters Bernadette, Regina and Rita, who are in their early to late eighties, broke into their convent home in Elsbethen last September with the help of former pupils of the Catholic school at which they had taught and other supporters. Their case became a cause celebre, attracting attention from around the world. Continue reading...
Tania Warner is fitted with ankle monitor and released along with seven-year-old daughter Ayla Luca after being deemed not a flight riskA Canadian woman and her seven-year-old daughter, who were held for nearly three weeks in a notorious detention center by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), were released on Thursday evening after posting a bond of $9,500.Tania Warner and her daughter Ayla Luca, originally from British Columbia, are both Canadian citizens. Warner moved to the US in 2021 when she married Edward Warner, a US citizen. Very happy to have my family home ... it's been a whirlwind day," said Edward Warner. Continue reading...
by Wendy Frew, Nadeem Badshah , Lucy Campbell, Tom Am on (#74NHQ)
This blog is now closed. You can read about the latest major development in the conflict here.Trump has claimed that Iran was right at the doorstep" of gaining a nuclear weapon.Earlier on Wednesday the president said he did not care about Iran's stock of highly enriched uranium (HEU), arguing it was deep underground and could be monitored by satellite.From the very beginning my campaign for president in 2015, I said I would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This regime has been chanting death to America, death to Israel. Continue reading...
Police say they found a ballistic-style vest, several notebooks and literature they allege contained extremist referencesTwo New South Wales teenagers have been charged with allegedly possessing violent extremist material after police searched one of their homes and found a ballistic-style vest, several notebooks and literature they allege contained extremist references.The Australian federal police and NSW police released a statement on Friday morning confirming the boys, aged 15 and 16 and both from Moree in northern NSW, had been charged with possession of alleged extremist material after a joint counterterrorism investigation. Continue reading...
Ukraine has expertise concerning sea waterways, and the defence and reopening of maritime traffic,' says president. What we know on day 1,500Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered on Thursday to provide Ukraine's expertise in dealing with freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to those countries considering how to keep the strait of Hormuz open amid the conflict in the Middle East. The Ukraine president, speaking in his nightly video address, said the foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, had taken part in a virtual meeting devoted to reopening the strait of Hormuz, attended by about 40 countries. Ukraine has relevant expertise concerning sea waterways, and the defence and reopening of maritime traffic," he said. If [our] partners are ready to act, we will consider how we can strengthen them, how we can apply our expertise, knowledge and technological potential."Russia's army recorded no territorial gains on the frontline in Ukraine in March, for the first time in two and half years, AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed. The Russian army's advances have been slowing since late 2025 due to Kyiv's localised breakthroughs in the south-east, and losing ground in March and February on the southern section of the frontline, between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, the analysis showed. Across the entire frontline, Ukrainian forces managed to recapture 9 sq km in March.North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, gave field guidance" at the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations, which is under construction , state media KCNA said. The museum in Pyongyang will be a place to commemorate the fallen soldiers sent to support the Russian army in the war in Ukraine. The construction of the museum is almost complete and Kim said the opening ceremony would be held in mid-April, marking the first anniversary of the deployment of the North Korean soldiers.Six Ukrainian children will be returned from Russia to their families in Ukraine, the White House said on Thursday, citing efforts by Melania Trump to expedite their return. A seventh Ukrainian child will also be returned to their family later this month, the first lady's office said in a statement. Ukraine says almost 20,000 children have been illegally sent to Russia and Belarus, where they are sometimes subject to military training and forced to fight against their own country's troops.Russian strikes across Ukraine on Thursday killed at least two people and wounded dozens, officials said, as Moscow stepped up its attacks amid stalled peace talks. In the south-eastern Kherson region, Russia attacked with artillery, mortars and UAVs", the regional prosecutor's office said on social media. A 42-year-old man was killed when a drone hit a civilian car, and 16 others - including a teenage boy and three police officers - were wounded in air attacks and artillery shelling, it added. In the Chernihiv region, north of the capital Kyiv, Russia attacked with a ballistic missile, the head of Chernihiv's military administration, Dmytro Bryzhynsky, said on Telegram.Russian forces maintained a daylong barrage of drone strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, on Thursday, injuring at least two people, local officials said. Kharkiv's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, posted reports on Telegram throughout the day and well into the evening, noting strikes in four city districts. One city official said there had been at least 20 drone strikes. He said some had triggered fires and two people had been injured in an evening attack, including an eight-year-old girl.Russian forces carried out 129 attacks on Ukrainian gas and heating facilities during the recent 151-day heating season, the state oil and gas firm Naftogaz said on Thursday. The Russians hit pipelines, gas production, underground storage facilities, heating systems - everything that Ukrainians depend on for heat and gas," it said in a statement. Continue reading...
Ryan Bridge is co-founder of Raise the Colours, which has been criticised for anti-immigrant rhetoricThe leader of a flag campaign group has been arrested on suspicion of causing religiously and racially aggravated harassment.Ryan Bridge is the co-founder of Raise the Colours, which has put up hundreds of union and Saint George flags across England and attracted criticism for spreading anti-immigrant rhetoric. He was arrested on Tuesday and released on police bail the following day. Continue reading...
Data shows 209 cases recorded as assisted dying referred to CPS by police between 1 April 2009 and 31 March this yearThirteen cases of suspected assisted dying are being considered by prosecutors in England and Wales, according to the latest data.Encouraging or assisting the suicide or attempted suicide of another person is against the law in England and Wales, under the Suicide Act 1961.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#74P7T)
Partnership' on drug pricing also gives patients in Britain greater access to potentially life-extending treatmentsBritish drug exports to the US will escape tariffs imposed by Donald Trump as part of a controversial UK-US medicines deal that critics fear will mean less money for the NHS.The deal will also give patients in Britain greater access to potentially life-extending drugs because the rules have been relaxed to allow the NHS to pay more for particular treatments. Continue reading...
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