News 03/11/25

A man is in a critical condition after being rescued from the rubble of a collapsed medieval tower in central Rome.

Emergency crews pulled him free from the 13th-century Torre dei Conti near the Colosseum on Monday, as crowds looked on. The tower, undergoing renovation work, collapsed twice, seriously injuring another worker. Rescuers had to navigate the risk of further falls while working into the night to free those trapped.

A gym instructor who called himself the “Anglo Jihadi” has been found guilty of plotting a bomb and chemical attack on a major shopping centre.

Twenty-one-year-old Jordan Richardson, a Muslim convert from Howden in East Yorkshire, was arrested carrying a recipe for mustard gas in his rucksack. Prosecutors said he’d downloaded a video linked to the Manchester Arena bomber, showing how to make explosives. When stopped on his way to work in Goole last December, police found handwritten notes about chemical weapons in his bag. He now faces a lengthy prison sentence.

More than 700 officers will be on duty for Aston Villa’s Europa League match against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday. Police horses, dogs and drones will be deployed, with protests expected outside Villa Park.

Fans from Israel have been barred from attending amid safety concerns — a decision condemned by the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary, who both called it wrong.

Former footballer Joey Barton “crossed the line between free speech and a crime,” a jury’s been told. The 43-year-old ex-Manchester City midfielder is accused of sending offensive social media messages about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Barton targeted them in what prosecutors called a “deliberate campaign of grossly offensive posts.”

More than seventy thousand grocery vouchers have been handed out to struggling families in Windsor and Maidenhead.

The support came through the Household Support Fund, worth over four and a half million pounds, helping households facing cost-of-living pressures. Schools and community groups helped distribute the vouchers to families on free school meals.

Police say they’re reviewing three more incidents, including the stabbing of a 14-year-old boy, after a man appeared in court charged over a mass knife attack on a train.

Thirty-two-year-old Anthony Williams has been charged with ten counts of attempted murder, one of actual bodily harm and one of possessing a bladed article. The charges follow Saturday’s attack on the Doncaster to London King’s Cross LNER service. He’s also accused of another stabbing hours earlier at a London station.

Williams appeared before Peterborough Magistrates’ Court and was remanded in custody while investigations continue.

Among the victims of Saturday’s train attack were Scunthorpe United footballer Jonathan Gjoshe and Nottingham Forest fan Stephen Crean.

Eleven people were injured in total when the suspect began stabbing passengers at around eight o’clock on Saturday evening. Crean has been hailed a hero after confronting the attacker head-on in a packed carriage, while Gjoshe suffered a deep wound to his arm and has since undergone surgery, according to his club.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has accused the chancellor of having, in his words, “no idea how to grow the economy” as the airline reported a forty-two percent rise in half-year profits.

He criticised Rachel Reeves for planning an increase in air passenger duty next April and urged her to reverse the decision in her budget speech later this month. O’Leary said unless the government stops what he called “insane taxes,” the UK economy would continue to stagnate.

A 32-year-old man has appeared in court charged with eleven counts of attempted murder after two violent knife attacks on trains.

Anthony Williams, from Peterborough, was remanded in custody after facing magistrates in the city earlier today. He’s accused of launching a mass stabbing on a London-bound LNER service on Saturday evening, leaving several passengers seriously injured. British Transport Police say he’s also charged over another attack in London just hours earlier, in which one person was hurt.

Williams faces further counts of actual bodily harm and possession of a bladed article.

A pregnant British teenager has been freed from jail in Georgia after five months behind bars on drug smuggling charges.

Nineteen-year-old Bella May Culley, from Billingham in County Durham, was arrested at Tbilisi Airport in May, accused of trying to bring cannabis products into the country. She was sentenced to time already served after her family paid the equivalent of around one hundred and thirty-eight thousand pounds under a plea deal.

Both Culley and her mother were emotional as the verdict was read, bringing an end to months of uncertainty abroad.

Nigel Farage has warned Britain could face an early general election, claiming an economic collapse could trigger a 2027 vote.

Speaking at the launch of Reform UK’s economic plan, Farage criticised what he called “mass migration” and said it was inflating GDP figures without improving people’s lives. He told supporters the party’s new policies are designed to show they’re ready to govern if the opportunity arises.

Network Rail says it’s carrying out a full investigation into a train derailment in northern England.

Director of operations Sam MacDougall said early evidence suggests the train hit a landslide but praised the design for staying upright. He said the operator had invested heavily in monitoring weather and terrain risks but that lessons would be learned.

Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden has revealed she’ll undergo another mastectomy this week.

The 35-year-old dancer told followers it’s not for a new cancer diagnosis, but part of her ongoing treatment. Dowden said her doctors expect a smooth recovery and that she hopes to rejoin her Strictly family once healed.

A 32-year-old man has been charged following a mass stabbing on a high-speed train.

Anthony Williams, from Peterborough, faces 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm, and one count of possession of a bladed article.

The attack took place on the Doncaster to London King’s Cross LNER service on Saturday. Armed officers stopped the train at Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire and made the arrest just eight minutes after the first 999 call, British Transport Police said.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed a major incident has been declared near Shap in Cumbria following a rail derailment.

She said there are no reported injuries and added that authorities are working to ensure passengers can leave the train safely.

Ms Alexander said she would remain in close contact with the train operator and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch as the situation is managed.

Paramedics have been sent to a rail derailment in Cumbria, which has disrupted train services.

North West Ambulance Service says resources have been dispatched to Shap and crews are currently assessing the situation. Other emergency services are also at the scene.

National Rail reports that the Transpennine Express line has been affected by the incident.

The sole survivor of last June’s Air India crash, which claimed 241 lives, says he feels like the “luckiest man” alive, but is struggling both physically and mentally.

Viswashkumar Ramesh escaped the wreckage of the London-bound flight in Ahmedabad, in scenes that stunned the world. He described his survival as a “miracle” but revealed he has lost everything, including his younger brother Ajay, who was a few seats away and died in the crash.

Since returning to Leicester, Mr Ramesh has been battling post-traumatic stress disorder and has been unable to speak to his wife and four-year-old son, his advisers say.

Police in south-east Wales are investigating after a nine month old baby died following a dog attack.

Officers were called to a home in Rogiet in Monmouthshire on Sunday evening, just after six o clock. Paramedics also attended but the baby was pronounced dead at the scene. Gwent Police say enquiries are ongoing as they work to establish what happened.

A senior NATO official says the alliance will continue to support Ukraine until a long lasting peace agreement is reached.

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, who heads NATO’s military committee, told the BBC the conflict has reached a point where it is bogged down and costs too many lives. He suggested it may soon be time for negotiations. He also said the war has been a strategic failure for Vladimir Putin, pointing out that Russia’s invasion pushed Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

The admiral added that Moscow will not achieve its goal of installing a friendly government in Kyiv, saying President Putin will not succeed.