News 16/03/26

Afghanistan has claimed 400 people were killed in a Pakistan strike that it says hit a hospital treating drug addicts.

Pakistan rejected the claim, saying its strikes in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan on Monday did not hit any civilian sites. The Taliban’s deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said 400 were killed and 250 injured. Sharafat Zaman, a health ministry spokesman, earlier reported more than 200 deaths and said all parts of the treatment facility had been destroyed.

A Russian natural gas tanker adrift in the Mediterranean Sea poses an “imminent and serious” ecological threat, European nations have warned.

The Arctic Metagaz has been drifting between Malta and Italy, the EU states said in a letter to the European Commission. Russia’s Transport Ministry said earlier the vessel, carrying liquefied natural gas from Murmansk, had been attacked by Ukrainian naval drones, which were reportedly launched from the Libyan coast.

Donald Trump has again criticised Britain’s support for US operations against Iran.

Speaking to the Financial Times, he said the UK might be considered the closest US ally, but when he requested help, they did not want to come. He also criticised Sir Keir Starmer for not allowing US forces to use UK bases for initial strikes, adding that Britain attempts to join wars after they have already been won.

A father has confirmed his eighteen year old daughter was one of two young people who died in a meningitis outbreak in Kent.

Juliette, a sixth form pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham, died on Saturday. A twenty one year old University of Kent student also died, while eleven others were taken to hospital. Hundreds of students have received precautionary antibiotics and in person exams have been cancelled at the university.

National Car Parks has gone into administration, putting six hundred and eighty two jobs at risk.

Administrator PwC says demand for parking has not returned to pre pandemic levels due to changes in commuting and driving habits. The company could no longer afford to pay creditors and was tied to long term leases on loss making sites. PwC is seeking to sell the business while keeping sites open and staff in place.

Three people have been arrested after a man’s body was found in a wheelie bin in Coventry.

A member of the public discovered the body in a council bin with a green lid in a park on Friday. Police say the victim may have been hit by a vehicle before being moved. A man and woman in their forties and a man in his twenties were arrested in Blackpool on suspicion of murder and assisting an offender. They remain in custody.

A patient watchdog says a two tier health system is emerging, with more people paying privately for tests and treatment to avoid NHS waiting times.

Healthwatch England says feedback from patients and polling suggest use of private care is rising, with long waits a key reason. Some providers say people are paying for scans and tests privately before returning to the NHS with results. The government says it is making improvements and remains determined to reduce delays.

Travelodge says it has made immediate changes to its door key policy after a guest was sexually assaulted by a man given access to her room.

Kyran Smith was jailed for seven and a half years after the attack at a hotel in Maidenhead in December twenty twenty two. Chief executive Jo Boydell apologised and said extra or replacement keys will now only be issued with permission from the person staying in the room.

Sir Keir Starmer says the government will provide £53million in support for households that rely on heating oil.

Prices have almost doubled since the conflict in the Middle East began. The prime minister said the help would go to the customers most exposed to rising costs. He also warned legal action could be taken against oil companies if they are found to have broken the law.

A nursery worker who carried out rape and sexual assaults against toddlers has been jailed for thirty years.

Nathan Bennett, aged thirty, was found guilty of two counts of rape of a child under thirteen, four counts of sexual assault of a child under thirteen and two counts of assault by penetration. Prosecutor Virginia Cornwall described the case as every parent’s nightmare. Bennett must spend at least twenty four years in custody followed by six years on licence.

Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately says she expects to be briefed today about the meningitis situation.

She told the Press Association she has spoken to the health secretary and is due to hear from the UK Health Security Agency. She says she wants information on tracing contacts, identifying pupils at risk, and ensuring schools receive advice on what steps to take and what guidance to give parents.

Five people, including two children, were taken to hospital following a 15-vehicle crash on the M73 in Scotland.

Emergency services were called shortly before 11.30pm on Sunday, with the northbound carriageway closed between Junction 2 Baillieston Interchange and Junction 2A Gartcosh Interchange. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sent three fire appliances and a heavy rescue unit, while the Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed they were called at 11.21pm to attend the multi-vehicle collision.

Whistleblowers say social media companies allowed more harmful content on people’s feeds after internal research showed outrage increased engagement.

More than a dozen insiders told the BBC the firms took risks with safety involving violence, sexual blackmail and terrorism while competing for users’ attention. An engineer at Meta said he was told by senior managers to allow more borderline content, including misogyny and conspiracy theories, so Facebook and Instagram could compete with TikTok.

The ninety eighth Academy Awards have taken place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, with Conan O’Brien hosting the ceremony.

One Battle After Another won Best Picture and Best Director, while Michael B Jordan and Jessie Buckley took the lead acting awards. Organisers also introduced a new award recognising casting achievement during the ceremony in Los Angeles, California this year.

Parking machines are being removed by Slough Borough Council as it moves to cashless payments across its car parks and on street spaces.

The authority says machines will be phased out over the next three to four months. Drivers will need to pay using the RingGo system at an extra cost of twenty pence, or use a PayPoint store with their car park code and vehicle number plate.