News 18/07/25

Donald Trump has reignited debate over the Jeffrey Epstein case with a new post on his platform, Truth Social.

In his trademark all-caps style, the former president questioned why Democrats never released a so-called “smoking gun” about Epstein while Joe Biden was in office. Trump claimed “THEY HAD NOTHING,” as he responded to pressure from his own supporters who’ve long believed in a hidden client list said to contain powerful names Epstein allegedly threatened to blackmail.

Three people have been killed in what officials describe as a “horrific incident” at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department training site.

The explosion happened just after 7:30am local time at the Biscailuz Center Academy in East LA. Aerial footage from local news showed sheriff’s patrol cars and box trucks scattered across a parking area, the scene of the reported blast. Authorities are still working to determine the cause.

A school at the centre of a row over a Union Jack dress has closed early for summer, citing extremist abuse.

Bilton School in Rugby says the decision was made to protect students and staff. It comes after 12-year-old Courtney Wright was removed from a diversity class for wearing the dress during a Culture Celebration Day. Her father claimed she was also denied a chance to speak about British identity. The school has issued an unreserved apology.

Police have confirmed the child who died in Thursday’s coach crash near Minehead was a 10-year-old boy.

Formal identification is still to take place, but his family is being supported by specially trained officers. Two other pupils remain in Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, while four more children and three adults are being treated in hospitals across Somerset. The coach had been carrying around 70 people when it crashed on the A396.

No further action will be taken against Irish rap trio Kneecap following their controversial performance at Glastonbury.

Avon and Somerset Police launched an investigation last month into comments made by the group on stage. But on Friday, detectives confirmed they’d consulted the Crown Prosecution Service and found there wasn’t enough evidence to bring any charges. Kneecap have criticised the investigation, calling it political policing and insisting their performance was a show of love and solidarity.

A fresh amber warning is in place for thunderstorms across London and much of the southeast on Saturday morning.

The Met Office is forecasting torrential rain between 4am and 11am, with a risk of flash flooding, power cuts and travel delays. The alert stretches from Hampshire to Kent and up to Cambridge. Yellow warnings cover the rest of England until Saturday evening, while Scotland will be under a yellow rain warning from Friday afternoon through to midday Sunday.

A husband and wife have been jailed for selling stolen NHS PPE during the Covid pandemic.

Doctor Attiya Sheikh and her husband Omer admitted making nearly £8,000 by selling gloves, masks and wipes on eBay. Dr Sheikh had taken the supplies from Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride, where she was working at the time. Both have been sentenced to 10 months in prison.

Two men have been sentenced for drug offences in Slough.

Michael Jordan, 21, with no fixed address, has been jailed for four years. Rohan Chopra, 20, from Tobermory Close, received a two-year suspended sentence. He must also complete drug rehab, wear a GPS tag for six months and carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

The number of the most serious water pollution incidents in England jumped by 60% last year, with just three water companies behind the majority of cases.

New figures from the Environment Agency show there were 75 major pollution events in 2024. Thames Water was responsible for 33 of them, with Southern Water and Yorkshire Water behind 15 and 13 respectively.

The agency, which has itself faced criticism for failing to hold firms to account, described the overall performance of all nine water and wastewater companies in England as “consistently poor.”

The report blames chronic underinvestment, ageing infrastructure, and growing pressure from climate change for the rising number of serious pollution events.

A major breakthrough in the Post Office IT scandal, as the first conviction linked to the earlier “Capture” system is set to go to the Court of Appeal.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission has agreed to refer the case of sub-postmistress Patricia Owen, who was convicted of theft back in 1998.

Her case was based on evidence from the Capture software, used in thousands of branches across the UK between 1992 and 1999 – years before the more widely known Horizon scandal.

It’s the first time a conviction linked to Capture has been challenged in court, and could open the door for further appeals.

Donald Trump has lashed out at Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal over what he calls a “fake” letter linking him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The US president took to his Truth Social platform to deny writing the letter, which the Journal claims was among a bundle of messages Epstein received for his birthday in 2003.

According to the paper, the note was allegedly typed and signed by Mr Trump, and featured a drawing of a naked woman with the signature placed across her waist.

In his posts, President Trump branded the letter a fabrication and threatened legal action, saying he would “sue the ass off” Murdoch and the publication.

A murder investigation is under way after a motorcyclist died in a crash in Datchet.

The 31-year-old man was fatally injured following a collision with a blue Mini on Riding Court Road at around 4.30 on Wednesday afternoon.

Police say the crash may have followed an earlier incident involving both drivers at the junction of Slough Road and London Road.

A 39-year-old man from Birmingham has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and murder.