News 04/08/26

Oil prices fell to a three-week low as senior US officials raised hopes of a deal with Iran to reopen the key Strait of Hormuz.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced talks had progressed to allow shipments to resume as soon as this week. Brent crude fell almost five per cent to under eighty dollars, though previous failed negotiations have left drivers facing higher fuel prices.

Holyport Green is now clear following another unauthorised traveller encampment set up on the land last week.

Bray Parish Council, which owns the green space, became aware of the encampment on Thursday afternoon after residents alerted councillors. The council confirmed police used powers under a section 61 order to clear the site after residents reported anti-social behaviour.

Justice Secretary Alex Norris has apologised to families affected by the early release scheme, saying they were carrying the can for previous failures.

Victims criticised the scheme, with Calvin Buckley expressing shock that the driver who killed his pregnant partner could be released early. Prime Minister Andy Burnham excluded rapists and child sex offenders, but stated prison overcrowding prevented further exclusions.

New footage released by Ukrainian police shows a drone pursuing a street vendor around his van before exploding as he dived for cover.

Police said the vendor, aged in his fifties, survived with shock and shrapnel injuries. Sky News verified the location of the attack in Kherson today, leading Ukraine’s foreign minister to accuse Russia of war crimes.

A doctor who wrongly connected a young man’s organs, causing bowel contents to redeposit into his stomach, has been struck off.

The error was described as not compatible with life and caused uncontrollable pain. Dr Yasser Adly Abdel Rahman, an NHS locum surgeon, made the fatal mistake during an emergency procedure at the Royal Oldham Hospital, creating a closed loop.

A fourteen-year-old boy drowned in London on Monday, police have confirmed.

Emergency services were called at six forty-eight in the evening following reports that the teenager had entered the Millwall Outer Dock near East Ferry Road. The boy was retrieved from the water at ten thirty and pronounced dead. His next of kin have been informed and are receiving specialist police support.

A French maritime service confirmed that 157 people have been rescued after a boat caught fire in the Channel.

The maritime prefecture said the engine caught fire during a crossing attempt this morning, deteriorating rapidly in a French search region. Multiple French and British resources were deployed, including Border Force and RNLI vessels. All 157 people will disembark at Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Profits at BP have surged to their highest level since 2022 after war in the Middle East pushed up oil prices.

The oil giant reported profits of 5.73 billion dollars, or 4.26 billion pounds, more than double a year earlier. Crude prices jumped following major supply disruption through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting campaigners to accuse BP of profiteering off soaring prices.

NHS staff have been called dirty foreigners and monkeys amid a noticeable rise in patient racism, a survey has found.

The Society of Radiographers described the trend over the past eighteen months as unconscionable, revealing some patients refused treatment by staff who are not white. A Midlands sonographer of Asian descent reported patients complaining about people coming over and taking jobs.

People jailed for rape, serious child sex offences, and grooming will be excluded from the upcoming early release scheme, the government has announced.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham responded to backlash over the plan, initiated by the Starmer administration to ease prison overcrowding, by pausing it for an urgent review. Mr Burnham delayed the scheme’s start until October, warning that further exclusions could risk a collapse of the prison system.

Major retailers on London’s high streets are using new technology from the Metropolitan Police to catch shoplifters.

The subscription tech allows firms including Tesco, Boots, Marks & Spencer, and Greggs to submit CCTV footage and evidence to officers within minutes. Following use in Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Greenwich, the rollout expands today to retailers in Southwark, Lambeth, Sutton, Croydon, Bromley, Ealing, Hounslow, and Hillingdon.

NHS criteria for screening women under fifty for breast cancer are too narrow, missing up to ninety-five per cent of those at higher risk, researchers warn.

Current NICE guidelines focus solely on inherited genes rather than lifestyle factors. Using a new risk assessment tool, a study published in the British Journal of Cancer identified eight times as many women in this age group who developed the disease.

Police forces across the UK, including Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, are using new SmartTag technology in a crackdown on e-bikes, e-scooters, and motorcycles.

Developed by DeterTech UK, the traceable solution is sprayed from a handheld canister up to ten metres away, coating riders and vehicles with an invisible marker containing a unique forensic code detectable only under ultraviolet light to link suspects to incidents.

The heatwave impacting parts of the UK continues today with a risk of thunderstorms.

Pershore and Cavendish reached heatwave thresholds on Monday, with more of southern and eastern England expected to meet criteria on Tuesday. Amber and yellow heat health alerts remain in effect across much of England until Wednesday morning, with temperatures topping thirty degrees before cooler weather arrives midweek.