News 14/04/26

A thirty day waiver on Iranian oil sanctions introduced last month to ease pressure on global energy supplies is due to expire this weekend.

The Treasury has confirmed it will not be extended, despite wider US action including a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for around one fifth of global oil and liquefied gas shipments. The waiver, issued on 20 March, allowed around 140 million barrels of oil to reach international markets, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and is set to end on 19 April.

An 18 year old woman removed from a nightclub after being told her wheelchair was a safety risk has called the incident embarrassing and infuriating.

Maddie Haining from Oldham visited Club Tropicana in Manchester’s Gay Village with a friend on Saturday night but was asked to leave within minutes by a bar manager. She shared footage online and said she should not be excluded because of disability, adding she had been out at other venues earlier that night. She said she was forced to reference equality legislation during the dispute.

Talks in Washington on Israel and Lebanon have agreed Hezbollah should be fully disarmed and that Iran should not dictate Lebanon’s future.

A US state department official, cited by NBC News, said a fifty eight point eight million dollar fund had been approved to support humanitarian programmes. The funding will provide food, water, shelter and emergency assistance for displaced people affected by the conflict.

The International Monetary Fund says the energy shock from the Iran war will hit the UK hardest among advanced economies.

It has cut its growth forecast for this year to zero point eight percent, down from one point three percent predicted in January. The IMF said the downgrade reflects the war, fewer expected interest rate cuts and prolonged higher energy prices, warning a longer conflict could risk a global recession.

The government plans to publish updated guidance on single sex spaces next month after the May elections.

Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson said draft guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission has been submitted, but further announcements cannot be made yet. The code has been redrafted following a Supreme Court ruling that the definition of a woman under the Equality Act should be based on biological sex. [Pause(1)]

The boss of South East Water says he will not accept a bonus for the current financial year.

Chief executive David Hinton made the announcement after appearing before MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. He continues to receive a salary of four hundred thousand pounds. The decision follows disruption for customers, including a drinking water outage affecting Tunbridge Wells in December and January.

UK military chiefs have been asked to find three point five billion pounds in efficiencies and savings this year despite preparations to strengthen the armed forces.

Sources say senior figures from the army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force are due to meet to discuss funding pressures. One source said the current budget is not enough to deliver existing commitments, let alone ambitions set out in a defence review aimed at rebuilding capabilities in response to rising threats.

It is the first full day of a blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports after it began at 3 p.m. yesterday.

The US sanctioned tanker Rich Starry, a thirty six thousand tonne chemical and oil carrier, has moved out of the Strait of Hormuz. Ship tracking data shows it is linked to Chinese owners and crew and is falsely sailing under the flag of Malawi. It was recorded in the Gulf of Oman this morning.

Members of an Albanian crime group have been jailed after stealing belongings worth more than one million pounds in dozens of burglaries.

Five men pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court. Kristian Gropcaj was sentenced to ten years, George Pepa and Krisjian Dedndreaj to nine years each, while Sidorjan Lleshi received ten years and nine months. Endrit Nikolli will be sentenced at a later date.

The cause of death of Soham killer Ian Huntley has been revealed.

The fifty two year old died in hospital after being struck multiple times over the head with a metal bar. An inquest heard he suffered significant head injuries after being attacked in a prison workshop at HMP Frankland in County Durham in late February. He was found by prison guards in a pool of blood.

Those who failed to act to try to prevent the Southport attacks could be named unless action is taken.

The families of the three girls killed say individuals may be identified. A public inquiry found catastrophic failings by parents and authorities, with repeated referrals and missed opportunities. The attack, described as predictable and preventable, led to the deaths of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar.

And Households and businesses could be offered cheaper or free electricity for using power during periods of excess supply.

The National Energy System Operator says providers can now encourage higher use when there is surplus energy, such as during sunny weather. The updated service aims to improve resilience and prevent wasted power after approval by regulator Ofgem.

A blockade on Iranian ports has begun following a deadline ordered by US President Donald Trump.

Ships of all nations entering or leaving Iran’s ports and coastal areas will be subject to the US military blockade. US Central Command says vessels travelling between non Iranian ports can still pass through the Strait of Hormuz, although it remains unclear exactly how the blockade will operate.

A senior government adviser is set to accuse UK leaders of what he calls corrosive complacency towards defence, warning national security is in peril.

Lord George Robertson, who led the Strategic Defence Review, is expected to criticise non military experts in the Treasury. The government says the review is backed by the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, with more than two hundred and seventy billion pounds planned across this Parliament.

A man in the United States is facing multiple charges after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco home of OpenAI boss Sam Altman.

Daniel Moreno Gama is due in court for arraignment. The twenty year old also faces federal charges including possession of an unregistered firearm and attempted damage using explosives. Prosecutors say he was found with documents calling for crimes against artificial intelligence executives and investors.

A report says Slough Borough Council should create a new mayor’s charitable trust to improve oversight of funds raised for good causes.

Money collected for charities is held in a council account before donation, but the report says sums have built up over several years. It adds there is a lack of clarity about when funds were raised and which causes they were meant to support.

The Chagos Islands deal has been paused indefinitely after US President Donald Trump withdrew support, according to a government minister.

The agreement would have transferred sovereignty to Mauritius while the UK leased back a military base. Trump had previously backed the plan but later urged it to be scrapped, calling it an act of weakness.