News 03/04/26

Three people have been charged over an arson attack on volunteer ambulances in Golders Green, north London.

Four vehicles belonging to the Hatzola service were destroyed in the early hours of the twenty third of March. Hamza Iqbal, aged twenty, and Rehan Khan, aged nineteen, both from Leyton, along with a seventeen year old from Walthamstow, face charges of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

The prime minister’s cost of living adviser says the government should consider extending the fuel duty cut following rising petrol prices linked to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Lord Walker has urged Sir Keir Starmer to maintain the five pence reduction beyond September. He said ministers should be thinking about extending or increasing the measure. The prime minister has previously said the planned rise would remain under review.

A French owned ship has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, more than a month after the conflict effectively closed the route.

The Malta flagged container vessel, owned by CMA CGM, crossed the waterway, according to reports. It is the first ship owned by a major Western European firm to do so since the conflict began. While Iran says non hostile vessels can pass, attacks on ships have halted normal transport activity.

 

Marks & Spencer’s retail director has called for urgent action on retail crime following a series of incidents involving shoplifting and violence at its stores.

Thinus Keeve said police must be given the resources to tackle the issue, which he described as “getting worse, not better,” with staff facing daily abuse and violence. M&S external affairs director Adam Hawksbee told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that organised criminal gangs have targeted stores, leaving staff worried about coming into work. Police also responded to reports of anti-social behaviour involving several hundred young people in Clapham, south London, many of whom were seen entering an M&S.

The White House is seeking congressional approval to increase the US defence budget to $1.5 trillion, around £1.1 trillion, marking the largest military spending expansion since World War Two.

The request includes funding for the Golden Dome missile defence system and domestic production of naval vessels, including new Trump-class battleships. The administration said the proposed rise would be balanced by cuts across domestic agencies, including some climate, housing and education programmes. This request is separate from the $200 billion the Pentagon has sought for the war in Iran.

Singer-songwriter Raye has topped the album charts for the first time with This Music May Contain Hope.

Released last week, it is her second number one this year, following the hit single Where the Hell is My Husband, which she performed at Glastonbury and is approaching its billionth stream on Spotify. Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving is at number two, while US rapper Ye’s new release Bully is at number three. In the singles chart, Dean and Sam Fender’s Brit Award-winning Rein Me In is at number one, followed by Bella Kay with Iloveitiloveitiloveit

 

Police have launched a murder investigation after a 14-year-old boy was shot dead in broad daylight in Woolwich.

Officers were called to Lord Warwick Street at about 3.40pm on Thursday. The victim was treated by paramedics but died at the scene. His family has been informed. Two boys aged 14 and 16, and an 18-year-old man, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of drug driving after a nine-year-old girl died following a crash in Birmingham.

Two cars collided in the Hockley area at around 11pm on Thursday. The girl, a passenger in one of the vehicles, was taken to hospital with serious injuries but died a short time later. Two men aged 22 and 23 were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs.

A van driver has been arrested after a crash at a fast food drive through in Slough. Police were called following reports of a damage only road traffic collision.

The caller said the driver appeared unsteady on his feet. Taplow Roads Policing Unit attended the scene after the incident at a well known restaurant.

Four astronauts on the Artemis II mission have left Earth’s orbit after their Orion spacecraft completed its final engine burn towards the Moon.

The manoeuvre, lasting five minutes and fifty five seconds, was described as flawless. From onboard, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said the crew were feeling good as they headed towards their destination. The mission will loop around the far side of the Moon before returning, marking the first time since 1972 that humans have travelled beyond Earth’s orbit.

For the first time in 28 years, no athlete has been found to have taken a banned substance at a Winter Olympics.

More than 3,000 samples were collected from almost 2,000 competitors during the Milan-Cortina Games, with no anti-doping violations reported so far. It is the first Winter Games since 1998 without a positive test during the event, following years where medals were later withdrawn and reassigned due to doping offences.

Marmalade could be labelled differently under a planned UK government agreement with the European Union.

The preserve may need to be sold as citrus marmalade if new rules are adopted. The change would come as Britain readopts EU food regulations to boost trade and reduce red tape for exporters. Brussels is widening the legal definition of marmalade across Europe for the first time, prompting the potential shift in labelling.

A US F-35 fighter jet has been shot down over central Iran, according to Reuters citing a agency.

Iranian reports claim the pilot is unlikely to have survived. If confirmed, it would be the second time Iran has struck a US F-35, after made an emergency landing following suspected enemy fire nearly two weeks ago.

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of 16-year-old Chloe Watson Dransfield in Leeds.

She died in hospital after found with stab wounds in the Austhorpe area. Police were called on 28 March after reports a woman had been found unconscious. Officers say another teenager has been arrested and the 14-year-old remains in custody.

There will be almost no trains to or from London Euston over Easter because of major engineering work.

From Good Friday on the third of April until Wednesday the eighth, Avanti services will start and finish at Milton Keynes Central. Network Rail is replacing a major bridge, upgrading signalling and renewing infrastructure. Replacement buses will run between Milton Keynes and Bedford, where passengers can continue to London St Pancras. Network Rail says the bank holiday provides a valuable opportunity to complete work that cannot be done during a normal weekend.

Police forces are being offered specialist support from a new national democracy protection unit to tackle rising threats and abuse against MPs.

Police chief Chris Balmer will lead the initiative, which aims to help forces investigate anti democratic crimes. Reports of offences against MPs have more than doubled since 2019, reaching almost one thousand last year. The increase is driven by harassment, criminal damage and threats to kill. MPs say death threats are now common and many incidents are not reported.

A data centre owner and an environmental group have planted six hundred native trees to create a tiny forest in Slough.

SEGRO and Earthwatch carried out the planting at Kennedy Park on March the twenty sixth. The project saw hundreds of trees planted in an area the size of a tennis court. The event was attended by the Mayor of Slough, Councillor Siobhan Dauti, along with local schoolchildren and members of the public.