News 19/03/26

Transport for London is trialling a new type of radar‑based speed camera at up to ten sites across the capital.

The cameras will be installed in Haringey, Tower Hamlets, Havering, Croydon, Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent, Hackney, Ealing and Sutton over the coming weeks. All locations are on 20mph or 30mph roads and were chosen for suitability and risk. Unlike current spot speed cameras, which use sensors embedded in the road to detect vehicle speeds, the new devices use radar technology to monitor traffic more efficiently.

UK unemployment has stayed at its highest level in five years, according to new official figures.

The Office for National Statistics says the jobless rate was 5.2% in the three months to January. Before last month, the UK had not seen such a high rate since the three months to January 2021. Analysts warn the figures reflect ongoing challenges in the labour market, with rising costs and economic uncertainty continuing to affect hiring and retention across sectors.

Donald Trump has responded to Israel’s attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field.

In a post on Truth Social, he said Israel had violently lashed out and insisted no further attacks would be made on what is described as the largest natural gas field in the world. He said he had no prior knowledge of the strike, but warned that if Iran attacked Qatari sites, the United States would massively blow up the entire South Pars field with a level of strength and power Iran had never seen.

The mother of one of the Nottingham attack victims says it felt like validation to hear police believed the killings were murder rather than a lesser charge.

Valdo Calocane admitted manslaughter and attempted murder, but denied murder because of diminished responsibility, a plea accepted by prosecutors. Emma Webber said the senior investigating officer told the inquiry police felt the case involved planning, insight and culpability, and that officers had believed the offences amounted to murder.

Two Iranian men have been charged under the National Security Act after an investigation into alleged reconnaissance of Jewish targets on behalf of Iran.

Forty year old Nematollah Shahsavani and twenty two year old Alireza Farasati were arrested earlier this month on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. Counter Terrorism Policing said the investigation involved alleged surveillance of locations and individuals linked to London’s Jewish community. Officers described the charges as extremely serious and said they would be relentless in protecting public safety.

The Bank of England is expected to hold interest rates because of the economic impact of the war in Iran.

Analysts had predicted a cut, but market upheaval and higher oil prices have made that unlikely. The Monetary Policy Committee is expected to keep the benchmark rate at three point seven five percent. Commentators say the outlook later in the year is uncertain, with the possibility of increases if the conflict causes a prolonged economic shock.

A girl who appeared in hundreds of child sexual abuse images has been identified after years of searching by internet safety experts.

The victim, now a young adult, was traced after researchers recognised her school uniform in a picture. The Internet Watch Foundation first saw the material in twenty twenty but could not identify her at the time. The analyst who found her said locating victims in cases like this is rare.