News 14/03/26

London’s Burning actor John Alford has died in prison two months after being jailed for sexual assault.

In January, Alford, whose real name was John Shannon, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two teenage girls in 2022. He rose to fame playing Billy Ray in the ITV drama London’s Burning and also appeared in BBC’s Grange Hill. A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed his death on 13 March 2026 and said the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate, as with all deaths in custody.

The United Arab Emirates has hit back at Iran following accusations that a US strike on Kharg Island originated from the Gulf state.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said Tehran’s policy was confused and lacked wisdom. He added the UAE had the right to self-defence while continuing to prioritise reason and logic. Gargash also said the UAE made sincere efforts to mediate between Washington and Tehran to prevent the conflict escalating further.

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a baby died following a fall from a height in central London.

Officers were called to an address on Horseferry Road in Westminster at about seven thirty on Saturday morning. The baby girl, who was eighteen days old, was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later. The Metropolitan Police say a forty three year old woman was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and remains in custody while enquiries continue.

Donald Trump says many countries could send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

In a post on Truth Social he said he hoped the United Kingdom, China, France, Japan and South Korea would be involved. He added that the United States would continue military action along the shoreline and against Iranian boats and ships. He said one way or another the United States would secure the strait, but the UK has not indicated it will send ships to the waterway.

A man has been found dead in a wheelie bin in Coventry, according to police.

A member of the public discovered the body in a council bin with a green lid in Cash’s Park off Daimler Road at about five o’clock on Friday afternoon. The victim, believed to be aged between forty and fifty, has not yet been identified. West Midlands Police say they think the man may have been hit by a vehicle before his body was moved to the park.

Iran has warned residents to evacuate three ports in the United Arab Emirates, according to Iranian state media.

An army spokesperson said Iran would attack what he described as the origin of American missiles fired at Kharg Island, claiming they came from shipping ports and docks in the UAE. The warning includes Jebel Ali in Dubai, Khalifa in Abu Dhabi, and Fujairah port. The report said the areas had become legitimate targets because of the presence of US military forces.

Donald Trump says the United States has carried out what he called one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East.

In a post on Truth Social, he said the strikes totally obliterated every military target on Iran’s Kharg Island, which he described as the country’s crown jewel. He added that for reasons of decency he had chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure there. Kharg is a small island in the northern Persian Gulf just off the Iranian coast.

An explosion has damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam, according to Dutch officials.

The city’s mayor Femke Halsema said she believed the blast was a deliberate attack against the Jewish community. The incident happened early on Saturday morning and emergency services responded quickly. Damage to the school, which is in an upmarket residential neighbourhood on the south side of the city, is said to be limited, while investigations continue into exactly what caused the explosion.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to offer support to households struggling with higher heating oil costs following the global impact of the US Israel war with Iran.

She told the Times she has found the money to help and the Treasury is looking at options to support those most vulnerable to rising bills. Heating oil costs have increased with global prices and are not covered by Ofgem’s price cap, which is due to fall in April.

An eyesore heap of rubbish and fly tipping has built up again behind a block of flats in Slough, but the borough council says it is not responsible for clearing it.

Residents at Salt Hill Mansions off Bath Road first raised concerns last year about health and safety risks. One resident told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the rubbish has been cleared twice but has returned, calling it a disgusting mess and an embarrassment for people living there.

The prime minister’s independent ethics adviser says he will not investigate Sir Keir Starmer over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the United States.

Sir Laurie Magnus said documents released about the decision showed the correct process for a political appointment was followed. The Conservatives had called for an investigation, claiming there were serious deficiencies in the material published and suggesting a possible cover up, but he said there were no grounds to act.